For who but learns in riper years,
That man, when smoothest he appears,
Is most to be suspected
But here again a danger lies,
Lest, having misapplied our eyes
And taken trash for treasure,
We should unwarily conclude
Friendship a false ideal good,
A mere Utopian pleasure.
An acquisition rather rare
Is yet no subject of despair;
Nor is it wise complaining,
If either on forbidden ground,
Or where it was not to be found,
We sought without attaining.
No friendship will abide the test,
That stands on sordid interest,
Or mean self-love erected;
Nor such as may awhile subsist
Between the sot and sensualist,
For viscious ends connected.
Who seek a friend, should come disposed To exhibit in full bloom disclosed
The graces and the beauties,
That form the character he seeks,
For 'tis an union, that bespeaks
Reciprocated duties.
Mutual attention is implied,
And equal truth on either side,
And constantly supported;
'Tis senseless arrogance to accuse
Another of sinister views,
Our own as much distorted.
But will sincerity suffice?
It is indeed above all price,
And must be made the basis;
But every virtue of the soul
Must constitute the charming whole, All shining in their places.
A fretful temper will divide
The closest knot, that may be tied,
By ceaseless sharp corrosion;
A temper passionate and fierce
May suddenly your joys disperse
At one immense explosion.
In vain the talkative unite
In hopes of permanent delight-
The secret just committed
Forgetting its important weight,
They drop through mere desire to prate, And by themselves outwitted.
How bright soe'er the prospect seems,
All thoughts of friendship are but dreams
If envy chance to creep in;;
An envious man, if you succeed,
May prove a dangerous foe indeed,
But not a friend worth keeping.
As envy pines at good possessed
So jealousy looks forth distressed
On good, that seems approaching,
And if success his steps attend,
Discerns a rival in a friend,
And hates him for encroaching,
Hence authors of illustrious name,
Unless belied by common fame,
Are sadly prone to quarrel,
To deem the wit a friend displays
A tax upon their own just praise,
And pluck each others laurel,
A man renowned for repartee:
Will seldom scruple to make free
With friendship's finest feeling;.
Will thrust a dagger at your breast,
And say he wounded you in jest,
By way of balm for healing,
Whoever keeps an open ear
For tattlers, will be sure to hear
The trumpet of contention;
Aspersion is the babbler's trade,
To listen is to lend him aid,
And rush into dissension.
A friendship, that in frequent fits.
Of controversial rage emits
The sparks of disputation,
Like hand in hand insurance plates,
Most unavoidably creates.
The thought of conflagration, A
Some fickle creatures boast a soul
True as a needle to the pole,
Their humour yet so various ! They manifest their whole life through
The needle's deviations too,
Their love is so precarious.
The great and small but rarely meet
On terms of amity complete,
Plebeians must surrender,
And yield so much to noble folk,
It is combining fire with smoke,
Obscurity with splendour.
Some are so placid and serene
(As Trish begs are always green)
They sleep secure from waking;
And are indeed a bog, that bears
Your unparticipated cares
Unmoved and without quaking.
Courtier and patriot cannot mix
Their beterogeneous politics
Without an effervescence,
Like that of salts with lemon juice,' Which does not yet like that produce A friendly coalescence.
Religion should extinguish strife,
And make a calm of human life;
But friends that chance to differ
On points, which God has left at large, How freely will they meet and charge, No combatants are stiffer!
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