( 98 ) 
“Such happy souls/' says St, Francis de Sales, “may justly sing: 
'Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in 
unity P '”' x * 
“For the delicious balm of devotion distils out of one heart into an¬ 
other, by so continual a participation,” continues the saintly author, “that 
it may be said that God has poured out upon this friendship His blessing 
and life everlasting. 
I consider all other friendships as but so many shadows in respect to 
this, and that their bonds are but chains of glass or jet, in comparison with 
this bond of holy devotion, which is more precious than gold.” 
Beautiful is the description which -St. Gregory Nazianzen gives us of 
the incomparable friendship he had with the great St. Basil: “It seemed,” 
says he* “that in us there was but one soul dwelling in two bodies; and if 
Jthose are not to be believed, who say that all things are in all things, yet 
of us two you may believe, that we were both in each other; we had each 
of us one only pretension—to cultivate virtue, and to accommodate all the 
designs of our life to future hopes; going in this manner out of mortal earth 
before we died in it.” 
Of them it could be truly said, in a high and holy sense: 
“Two minds with but a single thought, 
Two hearts that beat as one.” 
Such was their friendship , and such ought to be ours! 
Oh, there is nothing like a good friend ! He that has found one, has 
found a treasure, 
Frothing can be compared to a faithful friend, and no weight of gold 
and silver is able to countervail the goodness of his fidelity. 
“Much beautiful, and excellent, and fair 
Was seen beneath the sun; but naught was seen 
More beautiful, or excellent, or fair 
Than face of faithful friend, fairest when seen 
In darkest day; and many sounds were sweet, 
*I’s. cxxxii :1. 
