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Article ESSAY ON FRIENDSHIP. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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Essay On Friendship.
selves unable to pay the immensity of their debt , and their bankrupt hearts are taught a latent resentment at the hand that is stretched out with offers of service and relief . » - Plautinus was a man who thought that every good was to be bought from riches ; and as he was possessed of great wealth , and had a mind naturally formed for virtuehe resolved to gather a circle
, ofthe best men round him . Among the number of his dependants was Musidorus , with a mind just as fond of virtue , yet not less proud than his patron . His circumstances , however , were such as forced him to stoop to the good offices of his superior , and he saw himself daily among a number of others loaded with benefits and protestations of friendship . Thesein the usual course ofthe worldhe
, , thought it prudent to accept ; but , while he gave his esteem , he could not give his heart . A want of affection breaks out in the most trifling instances , and Plautinus had skill enough to observe the minutest actions of the man he wished to make his friend . In these he
ever found his aim disappointed ; for Musidorus claimed an exchange of hearts , which Plautinus , solicited by a variety of other claims , could never think of bestowing . It may be easily supposed , that the reserve of our poor proud man was soon construed into ingratitude ; and such indeed in the common acceptation ofthe world it was . Wherever Musidorus appeared , he was remarked as the ungrateful man ; he had accepted favours , it
was said , and stiil had the insolence to pietend to independence . The event , however , justified his conduct . Plautinus , by misplaced liberality , at length became poor , and it was then that Musidorus first thought of making a friend of him . He flew to the man of fallen fortune , with an offer of all he had ; wrought under his direction with assiduity ; and , by uniting their talents , both were at length placed in that state of life from which one of them had formerly fallen . '
To this story , taken from modern life , I shall add one more , taken from a Greek writer of antiquity : — " Two Jewish soldiers , in the time of Vespasian , had made many campaigns together , and a participation of danger at length bred an union of hearts . They were remarked throughout the whole army , as the two friendly brothers : they felt and fought for each other . Their friendship might have
continued without interruption ' . till death , had not the gocd fortune of the one alarmed the pride of the other , which was in his promotion to be a Centurion under the famous John , who headed a particular party of the Jewish malecontents . From this moment their fbrmer love was converted into the most inveterate enmity . They attached themselves to opposite factions , and . sought each other ' s lives in the
Conflict of adverse party . In this manner they continued for move than two years , vowing mutual revenge , and animated with an unconquerable spirit of aversion . At length , however , that party of the Jews to which the mean soldier belonged joined with the Romans , it became victorious , and drove John , with all his adherents , into the Temple . History has given us more than one picture of the dreadful conflagration of that superb edifice . The Roman soldiers were gathered round it ; the whole temple was in flames , and thousands were
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Essay On Friendship.
selves unable to pay the immensity of their debt , and their bankrupt hearts are taught a latent resentment at the hand that is stretched out with offers of service and relief . » - Plautinus was a man who thought that every good was to be bought from riches ; and as he was possessed of great wealth , and had a mind naturally formed for virtuehe resolved to gather a circle
, ofthe best men round him . Among the number of his dependants was Musidorus , with a mind just as fond of virtue , yet not less proud than his patron . His circumstances , however , were such as forced him to stoop to the good offices of his superior , and he saw himself daily among a number of others loaded with benefits and protestations of friendship . Thesein the usual course ofthe worldhe
, , thought it prudent to accept ; but , while he gave his esteem , he could not give his heart . A want of affection breaks out in the most trifling instances , and Plautinus had skill enough to observe the minutest actions of the man he wished to make his friend . In these he
ever found his aim disappointed ; for Musidorus claimed an exchange of hearts , which Plautinus , solicited by a variety of other claims , could never think of bestowing . It may be easily supposed , that the reserve of our poor proud man was soon construed into ingratitude ; and such indeed in the common acceptation ofthe world it was . Wherever Musidorus appeared , he was remarked as the ungrateful man ; he had accepted favours , it
was said , and stiil had the insolence to pietend to independence . The event , however , justified his conduct . Plautinus , by misplaced liberality , at length became poor , and it was then that Musidorus first thought of making a friend of him . He flew to the man of fallen fortune , with an offer of all he had ; wrought under his direction with assiduity ; and , by uniting their talents , both were at length placed in that state of life from which one of them had formerly fallen . '
To this story , taken from modern life , I shall add one more , taken from a Greek writer of antiquity : — " Two Jewish soldiers , in the time of Vespasian , had made many campaigns together , and a participation of danger at length bred an union of hearts . They were remarked throughout the whole army , as the two friendly brothers : they felt and fought for each other . Their friendship might have
continued without interruption ' . till death , had not the gocd fortune of the one alarmed the pride of the other , which was in his promotion to be a Centurion under the famous John , who headed a particular party of the Jewish malecontents . From this moment their fbrmer love was converted into the most inveterate enmity . They attached themselves to opposite factions , and . sought each other ' s lives in the
Conflict of adverse party . In this manner they continued for move than two years , vowing mutual revenge , and animated with an unconquerable spirit of aversion . At length , however , that party of the Jews to which the mean soldier belonged joined with the Romans , it became victorious , and drove John , with all his adherents , into the Temple . History has given us more than one picture of the dreadful conflagration of that superb edifice . The Roman soldiers were gathered round it ; the whole temple was in flames , and thousands were