Memorabilia 2.4.

English (E. C. Marchant, 1923)

Again, I once heard him give a discourse on friendship1 that was likely, as
I thought, to help greatly in the acquisition and use of friends.

For he said that he often heard it stated that of all possessions the most
precious is a good and sincere friend. “And yet,” he said, “there is no
transaction most men are so careless about as the acquisition of friends.

[2] For I find that they are careful about getting houses and lands and
slaves and cattle and furniture, and anxious to keep what they have; but
though they tell one that a friend is the greatest blessing, I find that
most men take no thought how to get new friends or how to keep their old
ones.

[3] Indeed, if one of their friends and one of their servants fall ill at
the same time, I find that some call in the doctor to attend the servant
and are careful to provide everything that may contribute to his recovery,
whereas they take no heed of the friend. In the event of both dying, they
are vexed at losing the servant, but don't feel that the death of the
friend matters in the least. And though none of their other possessions is
uncared for and unconsidered, they are deaf to their friends' need of
attention.

Notes (Josiah Renick Smith, 1903)

διαλεγομένου: see on i.1.11.

ἐ ξ ὧ ν: its antec. is the omitted obj. of διαλεγομένου.

ἐ δόκει τις: best rendered impers., it seemed that any one.

τοῦ το, δή: hoc certe.

πολλῶ ν: gen. of source.

ὡ ς κράτιστον εἴ η: in explanatory appos. with τοῦ το.

παντὸ ς μᾶ λλον: for everything rather. Cf. πάντα μᾶ λλον

iv. 8. 4.

With this section, cf. “quid autem stultius, quam, cum plurimum copiis,
facultatibus, opibus possint cetera parare, quae parantur pecunia, equos,
famulos, vestem egregiam, vasa pretiosa; amicos non parare, optimam et
pulcherrimam vitae, ut ita dicam, supellectilem?” Cic. de Am. xv. 55.

κτωμένους: striving to acquire.

φίλον δέ, ὅ : the rel. in the gender of the pred. as in the Lat.
amicum, quod bonum esse dicunt. G. 1022; H. 631.

κτήσωνται, σῴ ζωνται: for the subjv. in obj. clauses, see G.

1374; H. 885 b.

αὐ τοῖ ς: belongs to οἱ ὄ ντες (sc. φίλοι, to be supplied from

φίλον) as well as to σῴ ζωνται.

ἀ λλὰ καί: quin etiam.

καμνόντων φίλων τε καὶ οἰ κετῶ ν: “in the case of

sick friends and sick servants.”

τἆ λλα τὰ πρὸ ς ὑ γίειαν: “the other means of restoration to

health.”

ζημίαν: sc. τὸ ν θάνατον.

ἐ λαττοῦ σθαι: are the worse off.

οὐ δὲν ἀ θεράπευτον: the double neg. (‘litotes’) adds force.