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BOOK I, CHAPTER XXVIII
255

friend the delight of accomplishing in regard to him what he[1] most desires. (c) When Diogenes the philosopher had need of money, he used to say that he asked it back from his friends, not that he asked for it.[2] (a) And to show how this may be put into effect, I will narrate a singular ancient example of it.

Eudamidas of Corinth had two friends: Charixenus a Sicyonian, and Aretheus a Corinthian. When he came to die, being a poor man and his two friends being rich, he made his will thus: “I bequeath to Aretheus the support of my mother and the taking care of her in her old age; to Charixenus the finding a husband for my daughter and giving her as large a dowry as he can; and in case one of them shall die, I substitute for him the survivor.” Those who were the first to see this will made sport of it; but his legatees,[3] having been informed of it, accepted it with extreme pleasure. And one of them, Charixenus, having died five days later, the substitution being carried out in favour of Aretheus, he took scrupulous care of the mother, and of five talents that he possessed he gave two and a half to his own only daughter on her marriage, and two and a half to the daughter of Eudamidas, and celebrated both nuptials on the same day.[4]

This example is very complete, except for one thing, namely, the multitude of friends: for this perfect friendship of which I speak is indivisible, each gives himself so entirely to his friend that he has nothing to dispose of elsewhere; on the contrary, he is grieved that he is not double, triple, or quadruple, and that he has not several souls and several wills, to bestow them all on that object. Ordinary friendships can be divided: one may love the beauty of this person, the courtesy of another, the liberality of another; the paternal affection of one man, the brotherly love of another, and so forth; but the friendship that possesses the soul and rules over it in full sovereignty — it is impossible that it should be double. (c) If two friends should call for assist-

  1. ↑ That is, the friend.
  2. ↑ Qu’il le redemandoit à ses amis, non qu'il le demandoit. See Diogenes Laertius, Life of Diogenes.
  3. ↑ Heritiers.
  4. ↑ See Lucian, Toxaris, XXII.
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