Pagina 481 de 734

Further; the feeling of Friendship should be in a due proportion

in all Friendships which are between superior and inferior; I

mean, the better man, or the more profitable, and so forth,

should be the object of a stronger feeling than he himself

entertains, because when the feeling of Friendship comes to be

after a certain rate then equality in a certain sense is

produced, which is thought to be a requisite in Friendship.

(It must be remembered, however, that the equal is not in the

same case as regards Justice and Friendship: for in strict

Justice the exactly proportioned equal ranks first, and the

actual numerically equal ranks second, while in Friendship this

is exactly reversed.)