Nothing is more necessary towards completing and continuing the
well-being of mankind, than their entering into and preserving
friendships and alliances. The safety of a government depends chiefly
upon this; and therefore it is weakened and exposed to its enemies, in
proportion as it is divided by parties. "A kingdom divided against
itself, is brought to desolation:" and the same holds good among all
societies and corporations of men, from the constitution of the nation
down to every little parochial vestry. But the necessity of friendship
extends itself to all sorts of relations in life, as it conduces
mightily to the advantage of particular clans and families. Those of the
same blood and lineage have a natural disposition to unite together,
which they ought by all means to cultivate and improve. It must be a
great comfort to people, when they fall under any calamity, to know
there are many others who sympathize with them; a great load of grief is
mightily lessened, when it is parcelled out into many shares. And then
joy, of all our passions, loves to be communicative, and generally
increases in proportion to the number of those who partake of it with
us. We defy the threats and malice of an enemy, when we are assured that
he cannot attack us single, but must encounter a bundle of allies at the
same time. But they that behave themselves so as to have few or no
friends in the world, live in perpetual fear and jealousy of mankind,
because they are sensible of their own weakness, and know themselves
liable to be crushed, or broken to pieces, by the first aggressor.