7. The second fruit of friendship is healthful and sovereign for 123 the understanding, as the first is for the affections. For friendship maketh indeed a fair day in the affections from storm and tempests, but it maketh daylight in the understanding, out of darkness and confusion of thoughts. Neither is this to be understood only of faithful counsel, which a man receiveth from 130 his friend; but before you come to that, certain it is that whosoever hath his mind fraught with many thoughts, his wits and understanding do clarify and break up in the communicating and discoursing with another: he tosseth his thoughts more easily; he marshalleth them more orderly; he seeth how they look 135 when they are turned into words; finally, he waxeth wiser than himself, and that more by an hour's discourse than by a day's meditation. It was well said by Themistocles to the King of Persia "that speech was like cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in 140 thoughts they lie but as in packs." Neither is this second fruit of friendship, in opening the understanding, restrained only to such friends as are able to give a man counsel (they, indeed, are best); but even without that a man learneth of himself, and bringeth his own thoughts to light, and whetteth his wits as 145 against a stone, which itself cuts not. In a word, a man were better relate himself to a statua* or picture than to suffer his thoughts to pass in smother." 8. Add now, to make this second fruit of friendship complete, that other point, which lieth more open, and falleth within vulgar 150 observation-which is, faithful counsel from a friend. Heracli 136. waxeth, grows. 138. Themistoclēs, a distinguished Athenian statesman and general, born about B.C. 514, and died 449. 139. cloth of Arras. The word used by Plutarch in his life of Themistocles signifies tapestry. In Bacon's time this was called "cloth of Arras," from Arras, a town of France famous for its 142. restrained, restricted, confined. 147. statua = statue. tus saith well, in one of his enigmas, "Dry light is ever the best." And certain it is that the light that a man receiveth by counsel from another is drier and purer than that which cometh from his own understanding and judgment, which is ever infused 155 and drenched in his affections and customs: so as there is as much difference between the counsel that a friend giveth and that a man giveth himself as there is between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer; for there is no such flatterer as is a man's self, and there is no such remedy against flattery of a 160 man's self as the liberty of a friend. Counsel is of two sorts: the one concerning manners, the other concerning business. For the first, the best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend. The calling of a man's self to a strict account is a medicine sometime too piercing and corro- 165 sive, reading good books of morality is a little flat and dead, observing our faults in others is sometimes unproper for our case; but the best receipt (best, I say, to work, and best to take) is the admonition of a friend. 9. It is a strange thing to behold what gross errors and ex- 170 treme absurdities many (especially of the greater sort) do commit for want of a friend to tell them of them, to the great damage both of their fame and fortune; for, as St. James saith, they are as men "that look sometimes into a glass, and presently forget their own shape and favor." As for business, a man may 175 think, if he will, that two eyes see no more than one; or that a gamester seeth always more than a looker-on; or that a man in anger is as wise as he that hath said over the four and twenty letters; or that a musket may be shot off as well upon the arm as upon a rest; and such other fond* and high imaginations to 180 152. Dry light: that is, intellect pure and unclouded by passion. In or, not wet, nor, as it were, 156. so as = so that. the fact that the musket (intro- think himself all in all; but when all is done, the help of good counsel is that which setteth business straight. And if any man think that he will take counsel, but it shall be by pieces-asking counsel in one business of one man, and in another business of another man-it is well (that is to say, better, perhaps, than if he 185 asked none at all); but he runneth two dangers: one, that he shall not be faithfully counselled-for it is a rare thing, except it be from a perfect and entire friend, to have counsel given but such as shall be bowed and crooked to some ends which he hath that giveth it; the other, that he shall have counsel given hurtful 190 and unsafe (though with good meaning), and mixed partly of mischief and partly of remedy-even as if you would call a physician that is thought good for the cure of the disease you complain of, but is unacquainted with your body, and therefore may put you in way for a present cure, but overthroweth your health in some 195 other kind, and so cure the disease and kill the patient. But a friend that is wholly acquainted with a man's estate will beware, by furthering any present business, how he dasheth upon other inconvenience. And therefore rest not upon scattered counsels; they will rather distract and mislead then settle and direct. 200 10. After these two noble fruits of friendship (peace in the affections and support of the judgment) followeth the last fruit, which is, like the pomegranate, full of many kernels; I mean aid, and bearing a part in all actions and occasions. Here the best way to represent to life the manifold use of friendship is to cast 205 and see how many things there are which a man cannot do himself; and then it will appear that it was a sparing speech of the ancients to say "that a friend is another himself," for that a friend is far more than himself. Men have their time, and die many times in desire of some things which they principally take 210 to heart-the bestowing of a child, the finishing of a work, or the like. If a man have a true friend, he may rest almost secure that the care of those things will continue after him; so that a man hath, as it were, two lives in his desires. A man hath a body, and that body is confined to a place; but where friendship 215 is, all offices of life are, as it were, granted to him and his deputy, 189. crooked, perverted. 197. estate, state or circumstances. 207. sparing, reasonable, moderate. for he may exercise them by his friend. 43 How many things are there which a man cannot, with any face or comeliness, say or do himself! A man can scarce allege his own merits with modesty, much less extol them; a man cannot sometimes brook to suppli- 220 cate or beg, and a number of the like; but all these things are graceful in a friend's mouth, which are blushing in a man's own. So, again, a man's person hath many proper* relations, which he cannot put off. A man cannot speak to his son but as a father; to his wife, but as a husband; to his enemy, but upon terms: 225 whereas a friend may speak as the case requires, and not as it sorteth with the person. But to enumerate these things were endless. I have given the rule: where a man cannot fitly play his own part, if he have not a friend he may quit the stage. 222. are blushing: that is, are fit to make one blush. culiar relations or conditions which he cannot escape. 223, 224. proper... put off: that is, pe- | 227. sorteth, suits, agrees. |