Lence fometimes proves the profoundest Wisdom.. The wife Zeno knew well, when, and where to hold his Peace; and was no great Admirer of impertinent Table-Talk. But in all our Language, whenever it is neceffary to fay fomething, we ought to have a ftrict Regard to the Law of Kindness, the Advantage of our Neighbour, and the Glory of God, the Giver of this excellent Faculty, to diftinguish us from Brutes.

III. FRIENDSHIP, the very Bond of civil Society, is preferable to every Thing else that feems profitable; whether it be Honour, Riches, or Pleasure. Perfect Friendship, fays Ariftotle, is to love our Friend more for his Benefit, than our own Advantage. Friends are the most valuable of Bleflings, in Socrates's Opinion. But he grofsly deceives himself, as Homer fays, that feeks for a Friend at Court, or tries him at a Feaft. Rare Things are generally most esteem'd, and fo ought a Friend, by that Rule of Scarcity. You'll be often forc'd to return a non eft inventus upon the strictest Enquiry. This puts me in Mind of the ingenious Sr. R. L'eftrange's Queftion, What Country-men are Friends? As puzling, as it is pertinent. However, true Friendship, or the Law of Kindness, was accounted by the Philofphers, as the greatest Good of Fortune, and the leaft Subject to her Fickleness, or Inconftancy. There is not, under the Canopy of Heaven, fo valuable a Bleffing as a true Friend. First, it must be referr'd to God, who gives this Grace, as its chief Caufe, End and Object, or the great Friend of the whole Univerfe: then to Man, as its Subject in the Concord, and Agreement he makes with

others,

others, for the Sake of Pleafure, Honesty, and Tranquillity of Mind, as well as Fidelity, Aliftance, and Fellowship of humane Life. It is a Communion of a perpetual good Will, framed by the perfect Habit of a long continu'd Love. This Love, as Tully obferves, is a generous Defire, to profit and pleasure another, without any Hope of Recompence: for, otherwife, it would be nothing but Trucking, or a meer Merchandise. It is making One Soul of Two, in Will and Affection, among real Friends, There is no Medium to be kept between them, nor Diftinction made. The One must be wholly trufted, or wholly forfaken by the other. The One may justly think himself alone in the other's Company. The One is a fecond Self, and lives in the Other's Body, by a mutual Transformation. Both are but One in Conjunction, and Conformity of Manners, Defires and Paffions, or Studies, Pleasures and Inclinations, by their friendly Society, Practice of Sincerity, or Profeffion of perfect Fidelity in Conversation. Their very Speech, Thoughts, and Hearts, are the Same. They affect the Sameness of Behaviour in all Refpects. In fine, 'tis wonderful how they always cotton to all Intents, and Purposes of Temper and Genius. Likeness of Parts, Humour and Conditions, makes their Love everlasting in Nature, Freedom, or Conftancy. Their Difpofitions are ever mutually conformable and unanimous. They have no Occafion of changing, like Proteus, into diverse Shapes, to curry Favour with one another, by the Fiction. They cannot disguise themselves, like Courtiers, by Flattery or Diffimulation. They never mock one another, like Mimicks of State, or counterfeit their Failings, as courtly Sycophants do, in Imitation of their Princes; laugh when

when they laugh, fpit when they fpit, &c. for Fashion-Sake as it is story'd of Alphonfus, King of Arragon, who being a little wry-neck'd by Nature; his diffembling Favourites held their Heads on one Side, to follow his Imperfection, or flatter him by Art. But the Choice of a true Friend, is a Matter of great Nicety and Spe-. culation. He must be chofen for his Virtue, Prudence, Integrity, Conftancy, and Liberality: as Pythagoras rightly advifes παρετε ποιον φίλον, 6575 des. A virtuous Perfon makes the best Friend. A wife Man does not receive every One into his Friendship, without Diftin&tion. It must be free, without Fraud, upon all Occafions. The trueft Teft of it, is in Adverfity, as Gold is try'd in the Furnace. Many pretended Friends may be none upon Tryal. The best Way is to prove their Sincerity, before we have Occafion for their Kindnefs; prove them: to love them, and not love them to prove them, as Theophraftus admonishes. There are many' Parafites in Profperity, who are only TrencherFriends, and go-off in a Bubble. Whereas it is the indifpenfable Duty of real Friendship, to fuccour one another in all Neceffities, and comfort one another in all Tribulations, with our Goods, Perfons or Counfels, by a perfect Sympathy, and mutual Fellow-Feeling. A Plurality of Friends, is as ridiculous as impoffible. Plutarch obferves, that to feek for a Swarm of Friends, is to fall into a Wafp's Neft of Enemies. 'Tis remarkable, that the most excellent Friendship hath always been practis'd only between Two Perfons: witness the famous and faithful Examples of Jonathan and David, of Achilles and Patroclus, of Pylades and Orestes, of Ephenus and Everitus, and of Damon and Pythias; fuch happy Couples as ftill profefs'd the Law of

Kindness to one another, with the utmoft Sin cerity, both upon Life and Death, in Hiftories too tedious to relate here more at large: not forgetting the Royal Pair we are now treating of, as the most glorious Inftance of conjugal Wisdom, Kindness, Affability, Friendship and Affection.

But to return to our virtuous Lady in the Text, who delights in the Law of the Lord. His facred Word is always uppermoft in her Mouth, as well as deepest in her Heart. The holy Scriptures are ingraven upon the Table of it, in vocal Characters of Joy. She talks of nothing more than her Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter. Her Difcourfe is all fanctify'd, and her Tongue confecrated to divine Service. She honours his holy Name, not only with the pureft Thoughts, but the moft joyful Lips, and greatest Love of Wisdom, Difcretion, or Devotion of Soul. The Secrets of her Heart are throughly cleans'd by the blessed Spirit, and the Expreffions of her Mouth purify'd to the Perfection of Piety. She thinks of nothing more than Happiness; talks of little elfe but Futurity, and utters the wifeft Oracles of holy Living and Dying. In fhort, fhe behaves as if fome of the Sibyls were still in Being, or the holy Bible was imprinted upon her Heart, by her prophetick Spirit, and the wonderful Revelations of her religious Mind. The Laws of Man likewise are her great Delight. Her Soul is infpir'd with univerfal Love and Kindness. She heartily wishes the Welfare of all Mankind in civil Society, and makes it the Business of her Tongue, to promote the Peace and Profperity of a Nation, as well as Neighbourhood, by her amicable Difcourfes. She abominates all Factions,

Factions, Fractions, or Animofities of Parties, between a rightful King and his People, the eftablish'd Church and its Members, or lawful Husbands and their Wives; which disturb the fettled Order of a publick Community, and defeat the very End,either of Civil or Ecclefiaftical Government. She conftantly and kindly interpofes, not in Wish only, but in exprefs Words of Wisdom, and the most agreeable Terms of Accommodation, as far as lies in the Power of her perfwafive Tongue, to make up all Breaches, heal all Divifions, and reconcile all Differences, civil, national, or domeftick: that Right may take Place again, and Peace be reftor'd in ftatu quo of Glory, as well as Truth, Juftice, and Righteoufnels flourish in the Land, according to her elegant Difcourfes of the Law, or paffionate Defires of Love and Loyalty. Upon the whole Matter, fhe always plays the Part of the trueft Peace-maker, or kindeft Promoter of good Faith, and Preferver of publick Unanimity. THIS prudent Lady, fometimes, exerts all the Faculties of her Speech, with the greatest Energy of Judgment, and Wifdom of Politicks. She fquares her whole Life according to the Laws of her native Country, not only in Principle, but also in Practice; as far as they are exactly fubordinate, and duly fubfervient to the higher Powers of Heaven. She appears to be the moft fincere Lover, as well as Admirer, of the fupreme Law-Giver, either divine or humane, upon the juftest Distinction between the Power, and the Right of making Laws for the common Good of Mankind. She knows, with perfect Satisfaction, that the Legislators of this World, are only God's Vicegerents upon Earth; and that their Appointments never ought to

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