《智慧书·第四辑·一五一至二百》第8则
Make use of your Friends. This requires all the art of discretion. Some are good afar off, some when near. Many are no good at conversation but excellent as correspondents, for distance removes some failings which are unbearable in close proximity to them. Friends are for use even more than for pleasure, for they have the three qualities of the Good, or, as some say, of Being in general: unity, goodness, and truth. For a friend is all in all. Few are worthy to be good friends, and even these become fewer because men do not know how to pick them out. To keep is more important than to make friends. Select those that will wear well; if they are new at first, it is some consolation they will become old. Absolutely the best are those well salted, though they may require soaking in the testing. There is no desert like living without friends. Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil. 'Tis the sole remedy against misfortune, the very ventilation of the soul.
注释摘要
这一则的标题“善用朋友”本身就很有冲击力——不是说结交朋友，不是珍惜朋友，而是“使用”。整则格言展开的是一套关于友谊的现实经济学，它将十七世纪宫廷社会里的交友经验提炼为几条冷峻的操作原则，而结尾突然拔高，又赋出一段几乎是全书最温暖的句子来赞美友谊，这种张力正是格拉西安概念主义手法的一个典型。 “Make use of your Friends”这一句与正文…