Page:Plutarch - Moralia, translator Holland, 1911.djvu/230



[ should have profited but badly in the school of virtue, if endeavouring to carry himself honestly toward his friends and familiars, yea, and his very enemies, he continue still in evil demeanour with his own brethren, unto whom he is joined naturally by the streightest line and link that can be devised. But for that ever since the beginning of the world this proverbial sentence from time to time hath been current and found true; that the unity of brethren is a rare thing: Plutarch, after he had complained in the very entrance of this little book that such a malady as this reigned mightily in his time, goeth about afterwards to apply a remedy thereto. And to this effect he sheweth, that since brotherly amity is taught and prescribed by nature, those who love not their brethren be blockish, unnatural, enemies to their own selves; yea, and the greatest atheists that may be found. And albeit the obligation wherein we are bound to our parents amounteth to so high a sum as we are never able fully to discharge; he proveth notwithstanding, that brotherly love may stand for one very good payment toward that debt: whereupon he concludeth, that hatred between brethren ought to be banished; for that if it once creep in and get between, it will be a very hard matter to rejoin and reconcile them again. Afterwards he teacheth a ready and compendious way how a man ought to manage and use a brother ill disposed. In what manner brethren should carry themselves one to another, both during the life of their father and also after his decease; discoursing at large upon the duty of those who are the elder, or higher advanced in other respects; as also what they should do, who are the younger; namely, that as they are not equal to their other brethren in years, so they be their inferiors in place of honour and in wealth; likewise what means as well the one as the other are to follow, for to avoid envy and jealousy. Which done, he teacheth brethren who in age come very near their natural duty and kindness that they ought to shew one unto another; to which purpose he produceth proper examples of brotherly amity among the pagans: In the end, since he cannot possibly effect thus much, that brethren should evermore accord well together, he setteth down what course they are to take in their differences and disagreements; and how their friends ought to be common between them; and for a final conclusion, he treateth of that honest care and respective regard one of another that they ought to have, and especially of their kinsfolk, which he enricheth with two other notable examples.]

ancient statues representing the two brethren Castor and Pollux, the inhabitants of the city Sparta were wont in their language to call. And two parallel pieces of