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Perhaps then it is well not to endeavour to have very many

friends but so many as are enough for intimacy: because, in fact,

it would seem not to be possible to be very much a friend to many

at the same time: and, for the same reason, not to be in love

with many objects at the same time: love being a kind of

excessive Friendship which implies but one object: and all strong

emotions must be limited in the number towards whom they are

felt.

And if we look to facts this seems to be so: for not many at a

time become friends in the way of companionship, all the famous

Friendships of the kind are between two persons: whereas they who

have many friends, and meet everybody on the footing of intimacy,

seem to be friends really to no one except in the way of general

society; I mean the characters denominated as over-complaisant.