Amic. 18.1Firmāmentum autem stabilitātis cōnstantiaeque est eius quam in amīcitiā quaerimus fidēs est;Now the foundation of that stability and constancy which we seek in friendship is good faith; Amic. 18.1nihil est enim stabile, quod īnfīdum est.for nothing is stable that is faithless. Amic. 18.1Simplicem praetereā et commūnem et cōnsentientem, id est, quī rēbus īsdem moveātur, ēlēgī pār est;It is right, moreover, to choose a man who is straightforward, sociable and sympathetic, that is, one who is moved by the same things; Amic. 18.1quae omnia pertinent ad fidēlitātem.all of which bear on faithfulness. Amic. 18.1Neque enim fīdum potest esse multiplex ingenium et tortuōsum, neque vērō, quī nōn īsdem rēbus movētur nātūrāque cōnsentit, aut fīdus aut stabilis potest esse.For a complicated and devious nature cannot be faithful, nor indeed can a man who is not moved by the same things and does not agree in nature be either faithful or stable. Amic. 18.1Addendum eōdem est, ut nē crīminibus aut īnferendīs dēlectētur aut crēdat oblātīs, quae pertinent omnia ad eam, quam iam dūdum trāctō, cōnstantiam.To this must be added that he should neither take pleasure in bringing accusations nor believe them when they are brought; all these things bear on that constancy which I have been discussing for some time now.
Amic. 18.1Ita fit vērum illud, quod initiō dīxī, amīcitiam nisi inter bonōs esse nōn posse.Thus that holds true which I said at the beginning, that friendship cannot exist except between good men. Amic. 18.1Est enim bonī virī, quem eundem sapientem licet dīcere, haec duo tenēre in amīcitiā: prīmum, nē quid fictum sit nēve simulātum;For it is the part of a good man, whom we may also call wise, to hold to these two things in friendship: first, that there be nothing feigned or pretended; Amic. 18.1apertē enim vel ōdisse magis ingenuī est quam fronte occultāre sententiam;for it is more becoming to a free-born man even to hate openly than to hide his feelings behind his face; Amic. 18.1deinde nōn sōlum ab aliquō allātās crīminātiōnēs repellere, sed nē ipsum quidem esse suspīciōsum, semper aliquid exīstimantem ab amīcō esse violātum.secondly, not only to repel accusations brought by someone else, but not even to be suspicious himself, always thinking that his friend has done some wrong. Amic. 18.66Accēdat hūc suāvitās quaedam oportet sermōnum atque mōrum, haudquāquam mediocre condīmentum amīcitiae.To this should be added a certain pleasantness of conversation and manners, by no means a slight seasoning of friendship.
Amic. 18.66Trīstitia autem et in omnī rē sevēritās habet illa quidem gravitātem, sed amīcitia remissior esse dēbet et līberior et dulcior et ad omnem cōmitātem facilitātemque prōclīvior.Gloominess and severity in everything have, indeed, a certain dignity, but friendship should be more relaxed and freer and sweeter, and more inclined to every kind of courtesy and good nature.