It is sayd, that at the nede the frende is knowen.
- Caxton's Sonnes of Aymon, 1489
Prove thy friend ere thou have need; but, in-deed
A friend is never known till a man have need.
Before I had need, my most present foes
Seemed my most friends; but thus the world goes.
- John Heywood's A Dialogue Conteynyng Proverbes and Epigrammes, 1562