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10 Types of Bad Friends: A Medieval Guide

What kind of friend are you? A 13th-century writer looks at friendship, including ten types of friends you should stay away from!

Boncompagno de Signa, was born near Florence between 1165 and 1175, and
worked as a teacher of grammar and rhetoric in Bologna. By the beginning
of the thirteenth century he had written on a wide variety of topics,
ranging from punctuation to history.

In the latter months of 1205, while he was staying in Rome, Boncompagno composed the Amicitia, a guide to friendship, or more precisely a guide
to what kind of friends to be wary of. The book is set as a debate
between Body and Soul over what friendship really means. It starts off optimistically, saying that:

friendship is the result of divine power and is found to the highest
degree in men and angels. Friendship is a heavenly power which chooses
to dwell only among the virtuous. Friendship is the root of innocence,
the dispenser of all joy, the sincerity of true faith, the strength of eagerness, the foundation of peace, and the source of all good things.

However, the Amicitia becomes more pessimistic about friendship, stating
that it is almost impossible to have a true friend. Boncompagno lists 26
types of friendship, and only three of them are positive: equal,
faithful and real friends.

Boncompagno first offers a quick explanation of these 26 types of
friends, and then adds some examples and anecdotes of what they are
like. Some of his stories he seems to take from his own experience
working as a teacher in Bologna, while with others he finds similarities
in the historical events of his day. Here are ten kinds of friends that
you should avoid:

The Powerful Friend
The powerful friend is one who rises to a high status, but since
friendship ignores status, here there is a contradiction between the
noun and the accompanying adjective. Indeed, there are some powerful
friends, albeit rarely, who are willing to keep company with subservient friends; but beware of that powerful friend who wishes to imprison your
will and keep it bound to his own. Only with difficulty can you look him
in the face; since if you have to wash his feet you will not dare even
to dry your hands in his presence.

The Vocal Friend
The vocal friend attends to his friends with words alone. For he says:
“What a wonderful knight that count is, how generous and pleasing and
how he blooms again in the cavalry!” Or again: “O what a good cleric he
is, how well educated, and how he shines by the uprightness of his
behavior!” In this way all are praised for their position and functions,
but this is the way of dogs and birds and the testicles of goats that
are sold in the butchers could be praised.


Detail of a historiated initial ‘A'(micum) of two men embracing. British Library MS Royal 6 E VI f. 85v
The “Here and There” Friend
The “here and there” friend runs to his friend and full of joy embraces
him and vows his allegiance saying: “Behold I will come and be with you whenever it pleases you.” He goes and runs hither and thither, and with
his friend tours around different places, but does not want to be of
service in anything else to anyone.

The Conditional Friend
The conditional friend does not make a friend except under a condition,
such as, “If you give me something, I will give you something; if you
bring nothing, I will keep everything for myself.” What he is saying in
fact is: “Choose whether you want to be my friend and come help me with
your goods when I need them, otherwise what is yours is yours and what
is mine is mine.”

The Imaginary Friend
The imaginary friend is the one whom you have never seen and yet love
him and praise him because of some kind of image of celebrity, believing
that he will be favorably disposed to being your friend. And yet you
clearly know that this kind of friendship often comes to nothing and is stillborn.


Detail of a miniature of a sufferer being given money by his true
friend. British Library MS Harley 4425 fol. 47v
The Shadowy Friend
The shadowy friend is eager under the shadow and veil of friendship to
show his devotion in so many ways until he gets what he wants. For
shadowy friends can truly be said to be like those many people who are
infected with the leprosy of high office; since before they are promoted
they hid the poisons of deceit and avarice by promising rewards and
offering gifts to those with whom they want to converse. I do not
propose to instruct you any further concerning their deceits and
mockeries since experience itself has taught you often enough.

The Withdrawing Friend
The withdrawing friend is initially ardent, then cools down, and finally
fades away, and whatever he begins with enthusiasm he abandons with
shame. For often he seems to boil like water in showing the warmth of
his allegiance to his friends, and soon afterwards goes backwards like a
shrimp and in the matter of affection becomes colder than ice.

The Fair-Weather Friend
The fair-weather friend spins like a wheel and judges according to circumstances…you have seen not long ago some of the people of Capua and Salerno who on the Lord’s Day went to meet the soldiers of the King of
Sicily with leafy branches of trees and flowers, crying out loudly:
“Long live Tancred, King of Sicily!” and, “Death to the German!” However, on the following Monday, when the army of the Emperor routed
the soldiers of the King, these same people likewise went out to meet
the soldiers of the Emperor shouting: “Long live Henry, Emperor of the Romans!” and “Death to the Sicilian!” For sure one can find innumerable examples of fair-weather friends in all of the details of such events.

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The Mercenary Friend
The mercenary friend gives of his own property under the guise of
generosity, hoping to receive twice as much in return, just as the
people of Spoleto often do, offering shields and trappings for horses to princes, to prelates of the Church and to knights, hoping to receive the
usual price and generous gifts in addition.

The Blinded Friend
The blinded friend is the one who submits to the will of a woman and
places all of his hope in her. He is called “blinded” because his eyes
have been darkened under the veil of worthless love and bodily pleasure,
so that he cannot see the truth and no longer knows himself. For, the
heart of a woman is like quicksilver which transforms all bodies and
makes them like itself…Indeed, it is extremely difficult for any man,
and especially for a young man, to avoid the wiles and snares of women. However, there are seven cures which will help blinded friends: the contemplation of our home in heaven, love of knowledge, hard work, the
desire of gain, the game of dice and of hazard, frequent change of
place, and variation in affection.

You can read the full text and translation of Amicitia by Boncompagno da
Signa in Amicitia and De malo senectutis et senii, edited by Michael W.
Dunne (Dallas Medieval Texts and Translations #15)

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