I'm not now talking about the ordinary or regular friendship, although it delights and benefits, but about the true and perfect friendship, of the sort which existed between those few who are famous for this. Finally, other things which are sought after are individual advantages for entirely individual things: riches that you may use them, resources that you may be looked after, honours that you may be praised, pleasures that you may enjoy them, health that you may be free from pain and make use of the gifts of the body friendship contains very many things: wherever you turn, it is present, it is shut out from no place, is never unseasonable, never troublesome thus we do not use water, we do not use fire, as they put it, in more contexts than friendship. First of all, how could a life be "livable," as Ennius puts it, which does not rejoice in the mutual good wishes of a friend? What is sweeter than to have someone with whom you dare to discuss everything, as if with yourself? How could there be great joy in prosperous things, if you did not have someone who would enjoy them equally much as you yourself? Disasters would by hard indeed to bear without someone who would bear them even more heavily than yourself. Such friendship between such men, then, has such great rewards that I can barely put them into words. Nam et secundas res splendidiores facit amicitia et adversas partiens communicansque leviores. Neque ego nunc de vulgari aut de mediocri, quae tamen ipsa et delectat et prodest, sed de vera et perfecta loquor, qualis eorum qui pauci nominantur fuit. Denique ceterae res quae expetuntur opportunae sunt singulae rebus fere singulis, divitiae, ut utare, opes, ut colare, honores, ut laudere, voluptates, ut gaudeas, valetudo, ut dolore careas et muneribus fungare corporis amicitia res plurimas continet quoquo te verteris, praesto est, nullo loco excluditur, numquam intempestiva, numquam molesta est itaque non aqua, non igni, ut aiunt, locis pluribus utimur quam amicitia. Principio qui potest esse vita 'vitalis', ut ait Ennius, quae non in amici mutua benevolentia conquiescit? Quid dulcius quam habere quicum omnia audeas sic loqui ut tecum? Qui esset tantus fructus in prosperis rebus, nisi haberes, qui illis aeque ac tu ipse gauderet? adversas vero ferre difficile esset sine eo qui illas gravius etiam quam tu ferret. Talis igitur inter viros amicitia tantas opportunitates habet quantas vix queo dicere. For friendship is greater than relationship in this way: good will can be taken out of relationship, but cannot be taken out of friendship for when good will is removed, the word "friendship" no longer applies, but "relationship" remains. And so citizens are more important than foreigners, relatives are more important than others for nature itself has created friendship between these but it is not sufficiently strong. So I seem to have concluded for myself this: that we are made in such a way that there is some community between all of us, but more with whoever approaches us most closely. Those who comport themselves in such a way, who live in such a way that their loyalty, integrity, fairness and generosity are proven, such that there is no desire, lust, and insolence in them, and such that they have great steadfastness of character (like those whom I named just before), we consider ought indeed to be called good men (as is customary), because they follow (as much as humans can) nature - the best leader in proper living. So let's go on "with the stupid Minerva," as they say.
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