it have be hard for he that speak it to have put more truth and untruth  together in few word than in that speech whatsoever be delight in solitude be  either a wild beast or a God for it be most true that a natural and secret  hatred and aversation towards society in any man have somewhat of the savage  beast but it be most true that it shall have any character at all of the  divine nature except it proceed not out of a pleasure in solitude but out of a  love and desire to sequester a man self for a high conversation such as be  find to have be false and feign in some of the heathen as Epimenides the  candian Numa the Roman Empedocles the Sicilian and Apollonius of Tyana and  true and real in diverse of the ancient hermit and holy father of the church  but little do man perceive what solitude be and how far it extend for a crowd  be not company and face be but a gallery of picture and talk but a tinkle  cymbal where there be no love the Latin adage meet with it a little great  community great solitude because in a great town friend be scatter so that  there be not that fellowship for the most part which be in less neighborhoods  but we may go further and affirm most true that it be a mere and miserable  solitude to want true friend without which the world be but a wilderness and  even in this sense also of solitude whosoever in the frame of his nature and  affection be unfit for friendship he take it of the beast and not from  humanity a principal fruit of friendship be the ease and discharge of the  fullness and swell of the heart which passion of all kind do cause and induce  we know disease of stop and suffocation be the most dangerous in the body and  it be not much otherwise in the mind you may take sarza to open the liver  steel to open the spleen flower of sulphur for the lung castoreum for the  brain but no receipt open the heart but a true friend to who you may impart  grief joy fear hope suspicion counsel and whatsoever lie upon the heart to  oppress it in a kind of civil shrift or confession it be a strange thing to  observe how high a rate great king and monarch do set upon this fruit of  friendship whereof we speak so great as they purchase it many time at the  hazard of their own safety and greatness for prince in regard of the distance  of their fortune from that of their subject and servant can gather this fruit  except to make themselves capable thereof they raise some person to be as it  be companion and almost equal to themselves which many time sort to  inconvenience the modern language give unto such person the name of favourite  or privadoes as if it be matter of grace or conversation but the Roman name  attain the true use and cause thereof name they sharer curare for it be that  which tieth the knot and we see plain that this have be do not by weak and  passionate prince only but by the wise and most politic that ever reign who  have oftentimes join to themselves some of their servant who both themselves  have call friend and allow other likewise to call they in the same manner use  the word which be receive between private man l Sulla when he command Rome  raise Pompey after surname the great to that height that Pompey vaunt himself  for Sulla overmatch for when he have carry the consulship for a friend of his  against the pursuit of Sulla and that Sulla do a little resend thereat and  begin to speak great Pompey turn upon he again and in effect bid he be quiet  for that more man adore the sun rise than the sun set with Julius Caesar  Decimus  Brutus have obtain that interest as he set he down in his testament  for heir in remainder after his nephew and this be the man that have power  with he to draw he forth to his death for when Caesar will have discharge the  senate in regard of some ill presage and special a dream of Calpurnia this man  lift he gentle by the arm out of his chair tell he he hope he will not dismiss  the senate till his wife have dream a better dream and it seem his favour be  so great as Antonius in a letter which be recite verbatim in one of Cicero  philippic call he sorcerer witch as if he have enchant Caesar Augustus raise  Agrippa though of mean birth to that height as when he consult with Maecenas  about the marriage of his daughter Julia Maecenas take the liberty to tell he  that he must either marry his daughter to Agrippa or take away his life there  be no three way he have make he so great with Tiberius Caesar Sejanus have  ascend to that height as they two be term and reckon as a pair of friend  Tiberius in a letter to he say haec pro friendship our men  non  hide themselves and the whole senate dedicate a altar to friendship as to a  goddess in respect of the great dearness of friendship between they two the  like or more be between Septimius Severus and Plautianus for he force his old  son to marry the daughter of Plautianus and will often maintain Plautianus in  do affront to his son and do write also in a letter to the senate by these  word I love the man so well as I wish he may over live I now if these prince  have be as a Trajan or a Marcus Aurelius a man may have think that this have  proceed of a abundant goodness of nature but be man so wise of such strength  and severity of mind and so extreme lover of themselves as all these be it  prove most plain that they find their own felicity though as great as ever  happen to mortal man but as a half piece except they may have a friend to make  it entire and yet which be more they be prince that have wife son nephew and  yet all these can not supply the comfort of friendship it be not to be forget  what Comineus observe of his first master duke Charles the hardy namely that  he will communicate his secret with none and least of all those secret which  trouble he most whereupon he go on and say that towards his latter time that  closeness do impair and a little perish his understanding sure Comineus may  have make the same judgement also if it have please he of his second master  Lewis the eleven who closeness be indeed his tormentor the parable of  Pythagoras be dark but true cor ne That which brings forth eat not the heart  certain if a man will give it a hard phrase those that want friend to open  themselves unto be cannibal of their own heart but one thing be most admirable  wherewith I will conclude this first fruit of friendship which be that this  communicate of a man self to his friend work two contrary effect for it  redouble joy and cut grief in half for there be no man that impart his joy to  his friend but he joy the more and no man that impart his grief to his friend  but he grieve the less so that it be in truth of operation upon a man mind of  like virtue as the alchemist use to attribute to their stone for man body that  it work all contrary effect but still to the good and benefit of nature but  yet without pray in aid of alchemist there be a manifest image of this in the  ordinary course of nature for in body union strengthen and cherish any natural  action and on the other side weaken and dull any violent impression and even  so it be of mind the second fruit of friendship be healthful and sovereign for  the understanding as the first be for the affection for friendship make indeed  a fair day in the affection from storm and tempest but it make daylight in the  understanding out of darkness and confusion of think neither be this to be  understand only of faithful counsel which a man receive from his friend but  before you come to that certain it be that whosoever have his mind fraught  with many think his wit and understanding do clarify and break up in the  communicate and discourse with another he toss his think more easy he marshal  they more orderly he see how they look when they be turn into word final he  wax wise than himself and that more by a hour discourse than by a day  meditation it be well say by Themistocles to the king of Persia that speech be  like cloth of arras open and put abroad whereby the imagery do appear in  figure whereas in think they lie but as in pack neither be this second fruit  of friendship in open the understanding restrain only to such friend as be  able to give a man counsel they indeed be best but even without that a man  learn of himself and bring his own think to light and whet his wit as against  a stone which itself cut not in a word a man be better relate himself to a  statue or picture than to suffer his think to pass in smother add now to make  this second fruit of friendship complete that other point which lie more open  and fall within vulgar observation which be faithful counsel from a friend  Heraclitus say well in one of his enigma dry light be ever the best and  certain it be that the light that a man receive by counsel from another be dry  and pure than that which come from his own understanding and judgement which  be ever infuse and drench in his affection and custom so as there be as much  difference between the counsel that a friend give and that a man give himself  as there be between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer for there be no  such flatterer as be a man self and there be no such remedy against flattery  of a man self as the liberty of a friend counsel be of two sort the one  concern manner the other concern business for the first the best preservative  to keep the mind in health be the faithful admonition of a friend the call of  a man self to a strict account be a medicine sometime too pierce and corrosive  read good book of morality be a little flat and dead observe our fault in  other be sometime improper for our case but the best receipt best I say to  work and best to take be the admonition of a friend it be a strange thing to  behold what gross error and extreme absurdity many especial of the great sort  do commit for want of a friend to tell they of they to the great damage both  of their fame and fortune for as saint James say they be as man that look  sometime into a glass and present forget their own shape and favour as for  business a man may think if he win that two eye see no more than one or that a  gamester see always more than a looker-on or that a man in anger be as wise as  he that have say over the four and twenty letter or that a musket may be shoot  off as well upon the arm as upon a rest and such other find and high  imagination to think himself all in all but when all be do the help of good  counsel be that which set business straight and if any man think that he will  take counsel but it shall be by piece ask counsel in one business of one man  and in another business of another man it be well that be to say better  perhaps than if he ask none at all but he run two danger one that he shall not  be faithful counsel for it be a rare thing except it be from a perfect and  entire friend to have counsel give but such as shall be bow and crooked to  some end which he have that give it the other that he shall have counsel give  hurtful and unsafe though with good meaning and mix partly of mischief and  partly of remedy even as if you will call a physician that be think good for  the cure of the disease you complain of but be unacquainted with your body and  therefore may put you in way for a present cure but overthrow your health in  some other kind and so cure the disease and kill the patient but a friend that  be whole acquaint with a man estate will beware by further any present  business how he dash upon other inconvenience and therefore rest not upon  scatter counsel they will rather distract and mislead than settle and direct  after these two noble fruit of friendship peace in the affection and support  of the judgement follow the last fruit which be like the pomegranate full of  many kernel I mean aid and bear a part in all action and occasion here the  best way to represent to life the manifold use of friendship be to cast and  see how many thing there be which a man can do himself and then it will appear  that it be a spare speech of the ancient to say that a friend be another  himself for that a friend be far more than himself man have their time and die  many time in desire of some thing which they principal take to heart the  bestow of a child the finish of a work or the like if a man have a true friend  he may rest almost secure that the care of those thing will continue after he  so that a man have as it be two life in his desire a man have a body and that  body be confine to a place but where friendship be all office of life be as it  be grant to he and his deputy for he may exercise they by his friend how many  thing be there which a man can with any face or comeliness say or do himself a  man can scarce allege his own merit with modesty much less extol they a man  can sometime brook to supplicate or beg and a number of the like but all these  thing be graceful in a friend mouth which be blush in a man own so again a man  person have many proper relation which he can put off a man can speak to his  son but as a father to his wife but as a husband to his enemy but upon term  whereas a friend may speak as the case require and not as it sort with the  person but to enumerate these thing be endless I have give the rule where a  man can fit play his own part if he have not a friend he may quit the stage