Chapter 1

A blessed thing it is for any man or (S. 10, N. 9) woman to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; a friend who knows the best and the worst of us, and who loves us, in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face, and laughs at us behind our backs; who will give us counsel and reproof in the days of (S. 3, N. 2) prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again, will comfort and encourage us in the days of difficulty, and sorrow, when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battle as we can.

If we have had the good fortune to win such a friend, let us do anything rather than lose him. We must give and forgive; live and let live. If our friend have faults, we must bear with them (S. 4, N. 5, B). We must hope all things, believe all things, endure all things, rather than lose that most precious of all earthly possessions—a trusty friend.

+Segen+, m.

It is a blessing.

every.

Superlative of +schlimm+.

will speak = always speaks. Use the Present likewise with the following verbs in this passage.

+aufrichtig.+

+ins Gesicht.+

to give counsel and reproof to a person, +einem mit Rat und Tadel zur Seite stehen+; self-conceit, +Selbsttäuschung+, f.—The adverbial clause ‘in the days — conceit’ stands after the rel. pron. and the Dat. ‘us’ (App. § 9).

but — again, +der uns aber auch+.

+Prüfung.+

‘to leave a person alone’, here +einen imstich lassen+.

+und wir unsern Kampf, so gut wir können, allein auszufechten haben.+

all.

+um ihn nur nicht zu verlieren.+

has.

to bear a thing, +Geduld mit etwas haben+.

+lieber+, which place before the last ‘all’.

+zuverlässig.+

Section 118.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF FRIENDSHIP.