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Our friend's defect long hid from sight,

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Sometimes occasion brings to light

And even from suspicion..

Then judge yourself, and prove your man
As circumspectly as you can,

And, having made election,

Beware no negligence of yours,
Such as a friend but ill endures,
Enfeeble his affection.

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May I myself at last appear
Unworthy, base, and insincere,

Or may my friend deceive me!

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The motto, "Amicitia nisi inter bonos esse non potest" (Friendship cannot exist except among good people), is from Cicero's "De Amicitia."

107. Gog and Magog in Guildhall. Gog and Magog are the names by which two effigies in the Guildhall, or council hall, of London are known. The figures are made of wood, and have been replaced from time to time with new ones.

ON THE LOSS OF THE ROYAL GEORGE "On the Loss of the Royal George" was written in September, 1782. On August 29 of that year the Royal George, an English man-of-war, which had just returned from service in the American Revolution, was being refitted at Spithead, when she suddenly heeled over and sank. Admiral Kempenfelt and about eight hundred sailors, marines, and visitors were drowned.

The "

SONG ON PEACE

'Song on Peace" was written in 1783, at the request of Lady Austen, who suggested the sentiment.

ON THE SHORTNESS OF HUMAN LIFE

"On the Shortness of Human Life" was written in 1784.

EPITAPH ON JOHNSON

The "Epitaph on Johnson" was written in January, 1785. Samuel Johnson, the celebrated lexicographer, essayist, and poet, died on December 13, 1784.

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