It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered. There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief When a man's willing and eager, the gods join in. The wisest of the wise may err. He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Human prosperity never rests but always craves more, till blown up with pride it totters and falls. From the opulent mansions pointed at by all passers-by none warns it away, none cries, 'Let no more riches enter!'. In few men is it part of nature to respect a friend's prosperity without begrudging him. It is easy when we are in prosperity to give advice to the afflicted. It is always in season for old men to learn. Time as he grows old teaches all things. |