ESSA YS CIVIL A.\D MORAL 



It is not to be forgotten what Comminius obscrveth of his first 

 master duke Charles the Hardy, namely, That he would communicate 

 his secrets with none ; and least of all those secrets which troubled 

 him most. Whereupon he gocth on, and saith, That towards his 

 latter time, that closcner-s did impair, and a little perish his under 

 standing. Surely Comminius might have made the same judgment 

 also, if it had pleased him, of his second master Lewis the eleventh, 

 whose closeness was indeed his tormentor. The parable of Pythagoras 

 is dark, but true ; u Cor nc edito, cat not the heart. Certainly, if a 

 man would give it a hard phrase, those that want friends to open them 

 selves unto, arc cannibals of their own hearts, lint one thing is most 

 admirable, wherewith I will conclude this first fruit of friendship, 

 which is, that this communicating of a man s self to his friend works 

 two contrary effects ; for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halfs. 

 For there is no man that imparteth his joys to his friends, but he 

 joycth the more ; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, 

 but he grieveth the less. So that it is in truth of operation upon a 

 man s mind of like virtue, as the alchemists used to attribute to their 

 stone, for man s body; that it worketh all contrary effects, but still to 

 the good and benefit of nature. 15ut yet, without praying in aid of 

 alchemists, there is a manifest image of this in the ordinary course of 

 nature. For in bodies, union strengthened and chcrisheth any natural 

 action ; and, on the other side, \\cakcneth and dulleth any violent 

 impression ; and even so it is of minds. 



The second fruit of friendship is healthful and sovereign for the 

 understanding, as the first is for the affections. For friendship makcth 

 indeed a fair day in the affections, from storm and tempests ; but it 

 makcth 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 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 communicat 

 ing and discoursing with another : hetosscth his thoughts more easily ; 

 he marshalleth them more orderly ; he seeth how they look 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 thoughts they lie but as in park^ 

 second fruit of friendship, in opening the understanding, restraint 

 only to such friends, as are able to give a man counsel : they indccc 

 arc best : but even, without that, a man learnelh of himself and 

 bringeth his own thoughts to light, and whettcth his wits as again; 

 stone, which itself cuts not. In a word, a man were better r 

 himself to a statue or picture, than to suffer his thoughts to pas 

 smother. 



Add now, to make this second fruit of friendship complete, Hi 

 other point which lieth more open, and falleth within vul| 

 lion : which is faithful counsel from a friend. Hcraclitus With well in 



