y reason, upbraid,
revile and condemn Gisippus with continual murmurs or rather clamours,
for that, of his counsel, he hath given me to wife her whom you of
yours[467] had given him; whereas I hold that he is supremely to be
commended therefor, and that for two reasons, the one, for that he
hath done that which a friend should do, and the other, for that he
hath in this wrought more discreetly than did you. That which the
sacred laws of friendship will that one friend should do for the
other, it is not my intention at this present to expound, being
content to have recalled to you this much only thereof, to wit, that
the bonds of friendship are far more stringent than those of blood or
of kindred, seeing that the friends we have are such as we choose for
ourselves and our kinsfolk such as fortune giveth us; wherefore, if
Gisippus loved my life more than your goodwill, I being his friend, as
I hold myself, none should marvel thereat. But to come to the second
reason, whereanent it more instantly behoveth to show you that he hath
been wiser than yourselves, since meseemeth you reck nothing of the
foreordinance of the Gods and know yet less of the effects of
friendship:--I say, then, that you of your judgment, of your counsel
and of your deliberation, gave Sophronia to Gisippus, a young man and
a philosopher; Gisippus of his gave her to a young man and a
philosopher; your counsel gave her to an Athenian and that of Gisippus
to a Roman; your counsel gave her to a youth of noble birth and his to
one yet nobler; yours to a rich youth, his to a very rich; yours to a
youth who not only loved her not, but scarce knew her, his to one who
loved her over his every happiness and more than his very life. And to
show you that this I say is true and that Gisippus his action is more
commendable than yours, let us consider it, part by part. That I, like
Gisippus, am a young man and a philosopher, my favour and my studies
may declare, without more discourse thereof. One same age is his and
mine and still with equal step have we proceeded studying. True, he is
an Athenian and I am a Roman. If it be disputed of the glory of our
native cities, I say that I am a citizen of a free city and he of a
tributary one; I am of a city mistress of the whole world and he of a
city obedient unto mine; I am of a city most illustrious in arms, in
empery and in letters, whereas he can only commend his own for
letters. Moreover, albeit you see me here on lowly