Discoveries and Some Poems | Page 6

now broke forth into a madness, and become a mere frenzy.
Alastoris malitia.--This Alastor, who hath left nothing unsearched or
unassailed by his impudent and licentious lying in his aguish writings
(for he was in his cold quaking fit all the while), what hath he done
more than a troublesome base cur? barked and made a noise afar off;
had a fool or two to spit in his mouth, and cherish him with a musty
bone? But they are rather enemies of my fame than me, these barkers.
Mali Choragi fuere.--It is an art to have so much judgment as to apparel
a lie well, to give it a good dressing; that though the nakedness would
show deformed and odious, the suiting of it might draw their readers.
Some love any strumpet, be she never so shop- like or meretricious, in
good clothes. But these, nature could not have formed them better to
destroy their own testimony and overthrow their calumny.

Hear-say news.--That an elephant, in 1630, came hither ambassador
from the Great Mogul, who could both write and read, and was every
day allowed twelve cast of bread, twenty quarts of Canary sack, besides
nuts and almonds the citizens' wives sent him. That he had a Spanish
boy to his interpreter, and his chief negociation was to confer or
practise with Archy, the principal fool of state, about stealing hence
Windsor Castle and carrying it away on his back if he can.
Lingua sapientis, potius quam loquentis.--A wise tongue should not be
licentious and wandering; but moved and, as it were, governed with
certain reins from the heart and bottom of the breast: and it was
excellently said of that philosopher, that there was a wall or parapet of
teeth set in our mouth, to restrain the petulancy of our words; that the
rashness of talking should not only be retarded by the guard and watch
of our heart, but be fenced in and defended by certain strengths placed
in the mouth itself, and within the lips. But you shall see some so
abound with words, without any seasoning or taste of matter, in so
profound a security, as while they are speaking, for the most part they
confess to speak they know not what.
Of the two (if either were to be wished) I would rather have a plain
downright wisdom, than a foolish and affected eloquence. For what is
so furious and Bedlam like as a vain sound of chosen and excellent
words, without any subject of sentence or science mixed?
Optanda.--Thersites Homeri.--Whom the disease of talking still once
possesseth, he can never hold his peace. Nay, rather than he will not
discourse he will hire men to hear him. And so heard, not hearkened
unto, he comes off most times like a mountebank, that when he hath
praised his medicines, finds none will take them, or trust him. He is like
Homer's Thersites.
[Greek text]; speaking without judgement or measure.
"Loquax magis, quam facundus, Satis loquentiae, sapientiae
parum.{31a} [Greek verse]. {31b} Optimus est homini linguae
thesaurus, et ingens Gratia, quae parcis mensurat singula verbis."
Homeri Ulysses.--Demacatus Plutarchi.--Ulysses, in Homer, is made a
long-thinking man before he speaks; and Epaminondas is celebrated by
Pindar to be a man that, though he knew much, yet he spoke but little.
Demacatus, when on the bench he was long silent and said nothing, one
asking him if it were folly in him, or want of language, he answered,

"A fool could never hold his peace." {31c} For too much talking is ever
the index of a fool.
"Dum tacet indoctus, poterit cordatus haberi; Is morbos animi namque
tacendo tegit." {32a}
Nor is that worthy speech of Zeno the philosopher to be passed over
with the note of ignorance; who being invited to a feast in Athens,
where a great prince's ambassadors were entertained, and was the only
person that said nothing at the table; one of them with courtesy asked
him, "What shall we return from thee, Zeno, to the prince our master, if
he asks us of thee?" "Nothing," he replied, "more but that you found an
old man in Athens that knew to be silent amongst his cups." It was near
a miracle to see an old man silent, since talking is the disease of age;
but amongst cups makes it fully a wonder.
Argute dictum.--It was wittily said upon one that was taken for a great
and grave man so long as he held his peace, "This man might have been
a counsellor of state, till he spoke; but having spoken, not the beadle of
the ward." [Greek text]. {32b} Pytag. quam laudabilis! [Greek text].
Linguam cohibe, prae aliis omnibus, ad deorum exemplum. {33a}
Digito compesce labellum. {33b}
Acutius cernuntur vitia quam virtutes.--There is almost no man but he