himself; and that more by an hour\'s discourse, then by a day\'s meditation. It was well said by Themistocles to the king of Persia;that speech was like cloth of Arras, opened, and put abroad; whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as in packs. Neither is this second fruit of friendship, in opening the understanding, restrained only to such friends as are able to give a man counsel: (they indeed are best) but even, without that, a man learneth of himself, and bringeth his own thoughts to light, and whetteth his wits as against a stone, which itself cuts not. In a word, a man were better relate himself to a statue, or picture, then to suffer his thoughts to pass in smother. 友誼底第二種功用就在它能衛(wèi)養(yǎng)并支配理智，有如第一種功用之衛(wèi)養(yǎng)并支配感情一樣。因為友誼在感情方面使人出于烈風(fēng)暴雨而入于光天化日，而在理智方面又能使人從黑暗和亂想入于白晝也。這不僅指一個人從朋友處得來的忠諫而言；即在得到這個之前，任何心中思慮過多的人，若能與旁人通言并討論，則他底心智與理解力將變?yōu)榍謇识�有別；他底思想底動作將更為靈活；其排列將更有秩序；他可以看出來把這些思想變成言語的時候它們是什么模樣；他終于變得比以往的他聰明，而要達(dá)到這種情形，一小時底談話比一天底沉思為效更巨——這些都是沒有疑義的。塞密斯陶克立斯對波斯王的話說得極是。他說：“言語有如張掛展覽的花氈，其中的圖形都是顯明的；而思想則有如卷折起來的花氈”。友誼底這第二種功用（就是啟發(fā)理智），也不限于那些能進忠言的朋友（他們當(dāng)然是最好的朋友了），即令沒有這樣的朋友，一個人也能借言談底力量自己增長知識，把自己底思想使之明白表現(xiàn)，并且把自己底機智磨厲得更為鋒利，如磨刃于石，刃銳而石固不能割也。簡言之，一個人，與其使他底思想窒息而滅，毋寧向雕像或圖畫傾訴一切之為愈也。   Add now, to make this second fruit of friendship complete, that other point, which lieth more open, and falleth within vulgar observation; which is faithful counsel from a friend. Heraclitus saith well, in one of his enigmas; dry light is ever the best And certain it is, that the light that a man receiveth by counsel from another, is drier, and purer, than that which cometh from his own understanding, and judgement; which is ever infused and drenched in his affections and customs. So as, there is as much difference, between the counsel that a friend giveth and that a man giveth himself, as there is between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer.  　現(xiàn)在，為充分說明友誼底這第二種功用起見，我們再一談那個顯而易見，流俗之人也可以注意到的那一點，就是朋友底忠言。赫拉克里塔斯在他底隱語之一中說得很好，“干光永遠(yuǎn)最佳”。一個人從另一個人底諍言中所得來的光明比從他自己底理解力，判斷力中所出的光明更是干凈純粹，這是無疑的：一個人從自己底理解力與判斷力中得來的那種光明總不免是受他底感情和習(xí)慣底浸潤影響的。因此，在朋友所給的諍言與自己所作的主張之間其差別有如良友底諍言與諂佞底建議之間的差別一樣。   For there is no such flatterer as is a man\'s self, and there is no such remedy, against flattery of a man\'s self, as the liberty of a friend. Counsel is of two sorts; the one concerning manners, the other concerning business. For the first; the best preservative to keep the mind in health, is the faithful admonition of a friend. The calling of a man\'s self to a strict account, is a medicine, sometime, too piercing and corrosive. Reading good books of morality is a lime flat, and dead. Observing our faults in others is sometimes improper for our case. But the best receipt (best, I say, to work, and best to take) is the admonition of a friend. It is a strange thing to behold, what gross errors, and extreme absurdities, many (especially of the greater sort) do commit, for want of a friend, to tell them of them; to the great damage, both of their fame, and fortune. For, as St James saith, they are as men, that look sometimes into a glass, and presently forget their own shape, and favour. As for business, a man may think, if he will, that two eyes see no more than one; or that a gamester seeth always more than a looker on; or that a man in anger is as wise as he, that hath said over the four and twenty letters; or that a musket may be shot off, as well upon the arm, as upon a rest; and such other fond and high imaginations, to think himself all in all.  因為諂諛我者無過于我；而防御自諂自諛之術(shù)更無有能及朋友之直言者也。諍言共有兩種：一是關(guān)于行為的，一是關(guān)于事業(yè)。說到第一種，最能保人心神之健康的預(yù)防藥就是朋友底忠言規(guī)諫。一個人底嚴(yán)厲自責(zé)是一種有時過于猛烈，蝕力過強的藥品。讀勸善的好書不免沈悶無味。在別人身上觀察自己底錯誤有時與自己底情形不符。最好的藥方（最有效并且最易服用的）就是朋友底勸諫。許多人（尤其是偉大的人們）因為沒有朋友向他們進忠告的原故，做出大謬極誤的事來，以致他們底名聲和境遇均大受損失，這種情形看起來是很可驚異的。這些人是，有如圣雅各所說，“有時看看鏡子，而不久就會忘了自己底形貌的”。講到事業(yè)方面，一個人也許以為兩只眼所見的并不多于一只眼所見的；或者以為局中人之所見總較旁觀者之所見為多；或者以為一個在發(fā)怒中的人和一個默數(shù)過二十四個字母的人一般地聰明；或者以為一枝舊式毛瑟槍，托在臂上放和托在架上放一樣地得力；他可以有許多類此的愚蠢驕傲的妄想，以為自己一身就很夠了。