Complete the text with the words from the box. Then press "Check" to mark your answers.
not friends apparently man and sinners holiest frivolous more drunken company earnest same
We naturally seek the company of those whose tastes are the same as our own. Birds of a feather flock together. " Fools do like the company of wise men, and wise men avoid fools. Studiously-minded people do not find much in common with frivolous and pleasure-hunting folk, and the think book worms are dull dogs. Sinners feel uncomfortable in the presence of saints, and saints do not seek the company of .
We can, therefore, as a rule, judge a man's character by the sort of people he chooses as his companions. "Tell me who a man's are, and I'll tell you about his character. "If a man's chosen comrades are silly, empty-headed, worldly people, the presumption is that he is the , or he would scarcely choose such company. If they are of a criminal class, he is probably criminally-minded. If they are serious, , and honourable gentlemen, he is probably of the same type himself. Lambs don't make friends with wolves, nor do doves with hawks.
At the time, it is not always safe to judge men by this standard. People have sometimes made sad mistakes by thinking a man must be the same as the he keeps. A good example of this is the case of Henry V, King of England. Before he came to the throne, he was , as Prince Hal, a wild and vicious young man, the boon companion of men like Sir John Falstaff and his , roistering, and worthless crew. Yet as soon as he became king, he dropped all his bad companions and became one of the bravest, wisest, best kings England had had. Moreover, his after-life proved that he was not a bad man, though he kept bad company in his youth.
A still striking example is that of Jesus, the founder of Christianity. He deliberately chose to make the erring and wayward and wicked his , so that his enemies sneered at him and called him "a gluttonous man and wine-bibber; the friend of publicans and sinners." Yet, he was the of saints. He mixed with these people to save them from their sins, as a doctor visits the sick.
So, before judging a by his companions, we must know why he seeks such companions.