A man may tak a neebor's part,
Yet no hae cash to spare him."
Friendship canna stand aye on one side.—Scotch.
It demands reciprocity. "Little presents keep up friendship" (French);[182] and so do mutual good offices. Note that the French proverb speaks of little presents—such things as are valued between friends, not for their intrinsic value, but as tokens of good-will.
Before you make a friend, eat a peck of salt with him.
Take time to know him thoroughly.
Sudden friendship, sure repentance.
Never trust much to a new friend or an old enemy.
Nor even to an old friend, if you and he have once been at enmity. "Patched-up friendship seldom becomes whole again" (German).[183] "Broken friendship may be soldered, but never made sound" (Spanish).[184] "A reconciled friend, a double foe" (Spanish).[185] "Beware of a reconciled friend as of the devil" (Spanish).[186] Asmodeus, speaking of his quarrel with Paillardoc, says, "They reconciled us, we embraced, and ever since we have been mortal enemies."
Old friends and old wine are best.
"Old tunes are sweetest, and old friends are surest," says Claud Halcro. "Old be your fish, your oil, your friend" (Italian).[187]