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manners and conditions, by meanes whereof, the giftes of THE fortune are distributed and conserved, and the favour and good will of others obtained.

GUAZ. It is your part then to shewe, howe those vertues and conditions may be learned.

ANNIB. Beeing so, that the solitary person is sicke, I prescribe for his health this medicine, that for a long tyme, hee indevour by conversation to bring to passe, that the revenewes of his house bee farre greater then the

expense.

GUAZ. Marie most men doe so: but mee thinkes in companie those whiche spende freely, are better thought of then those which spare niggardly. And if you call to remembrance, the doings used of olde tyme in Rome, you shall perceive that to gratifie, and give to many persons, was a meane whereby the love and good will of the people was gotten, and it served as a ladder, to climbe to the highest dignities and promotions.

ANNIB. A wise man beeing asked, why nature hath given us two eares, and but one tongue: to that ende (answered hee) that wee shoulde heare muche, and speake little. That answere gave mee occasion, to attribute to the eares, the revenewe, and to the tongue, the expence. And to the end I may bee better understoode, I say, that in conversation, the use of twoo things is chiefly requisite, that is, of our tongue, and of our behaviour: wherefore let us consider of those twoo parts.

Guaz. Why will you restraine your selfe only to those two parts?

ANNIB. For that if you marke it well, wee winne chiefly the friendship and good will of other, by the manner of our speech, and by the qualitie of our conditions: yea I might in a certaine manner reduce al conversation, to that point of manners and behaviour, wherein are likewise comprysed our woordes and speech. But for so much as some parte of our talke doeth not wholy depende of manners and behaviour, I wil speake distinctly of those two points. And to enter into the matter, I say, that like as those

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THE which are sicke in body, love and lust after those thinges, SECOND which according to the saying of the Poet,

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Are toothsome to the taste, but hindersome to health, so the ignorant man of weake understanding, which hath neede to keepe silence, is mervaylously delighted to heare him selfe speake: and suche force hath this fault, that alwayes those whiche knowe least, covet to speake most. Seeing then to stay the tongue, and use the eare, are the hardest things that may bee, it behooveth our patient to frame him selfe to brydle his appetyte, withstanding his owne will, and inuring himselfe by little and little, to keepe the mouth more shut, and the eares more open. Which hee shall no sooner doe, but hee shall perceive that in companie hee shall get the good will and favour of others, as well by giving eare curteously, as by speaking pleasantly. For wee thinke, they thinke wel of us, which are attentive to our talke, and wee see our pleasant speeche serveth us to no purpose, if it bee not hearde of others. Besides, our sicke man shall beginne by holding his peace, to recover his health, and to bee well thought of, of the wise. It was therefore that Pithagoras bounde his schollers to keepe silence, for the space of three yeeres, considering that by their diligent giving eare unto him, they shoulde bee advertised of their owne ignorance, and printing in their hearts the profoundnesse and gravitie of his sentences, they should feele the profite of their patience: according to the old saying, That to a diseased minde, the witty woordes of others serve for a Phisition: and in the ende they shoulde know, that it is no lesse admirable, to knowe howe to holde ones peace, then to know how to speake. For, as wordes wel uttered, shewe eloquence and learning, so silence well kept, sheweth prudence and gravitie.

GUAZ. I remember I have hearde tell, that one beeing asked, whether ignorance was the cause of his silence, answered: That it was incident alwayes to the ignorant, not to know how to be silent.

ANNIB. And therefore men of meane wit are the more

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to bee commended, if they speake not much: Whereupon it is said, That it is a peece of wisedome for a man to hide SECOND his follie, by holding his tongue and it is likewise sayd, BOOKE That hee knoweth ynough, who knoweth nothing, if hee knowe how to holde his peace. Wee will then conclude, *that hee who knoweth not how to holde his peace, knoweth not howe to speake,* and hee that will learne to speake advisedly, must give eare to those which know howe to doe it, remembring that as hunger and thirst is an emptinesse of the body, so is ignorance an emptinesse of the minde and as the body is filled with foode, so the minde is fedde with understanding: which as wee saide yesterday, is sooner gotten by hearing one speake, then by reading of bookes. And therefore hee ought to count it no labour to listen to others, nor shame to aske that which hee is ignorant in but hee ought rather to imitate that worthie personage, who used to say, I question with everie man, but I answere no man, for that I knowe not how to frame a fit answere to anything.

GUAZ. I am not ignorant that it behoveth one without learning, to speake little, and heare much, and I knowe that by long observation of the sentences and discourses of others, hee must needes learne many things: but nowe you have taught him the profite hee is to make by brydling his tongue, I looke you shoulde set him downe the charges hee is to be at, in speaking.

ANNIB. As money well imployed, turneth both to the commoditie of him that receiveth it, and likewise of him that disburseth it: so woordes well considered, bring profite to the hearer, and prayse to the speaker. And as out of one purse are drawen diverse kindes of coyne, as of golde, silver, and baser mettall: so out of the mouth proceede sentences and woordes of different value. But as it is not lawefull to forge or pay out naughtie mony, so neither is it lawefull to invent, or speake that thing whiche may turne to the prejudice or reproche of others: For by such forgerie a man not onely shameth himselfe, but besides, putteth his own life in daunger, which together with his

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THE death, is in the power of the tongue. Moreover, it is SECOND written that the tongue is a little fire, which kindleth BOOKE greate matters,* and that he which keepeth and represseth

his tongue, keepeth his owne soule. Wherefore we have to conclude, that hee which wisheth to bee well spoken of by others, must take heede hee speake not ill of others. Therefore let him who hath his tongue in his mouth, bee at this point, that though he can not utter grave and delightfull speeches, like unto Philosophers and Oratours, who are very scant in the worlde, yet hee speake honestly and plainely, as an honest and Christian man ought to doe, * remembring alwayes that it is better to slip with the foote, then with the tongue.*

GUAZ. As I thinke, I have read that a king of Egypt, to proove the judgement of Solon, sent him a beast to sacrifice, injoyning him to choose out that part of the beast which he judged best, and that which hee judged worst, to sende backe unto him. Solon to accomplish the kings hestes, sent him only the tongue.

ANNIB. And therefore the tongue is rightly compared to the sterne of a shippe, which beeing the least parte of it, yet is it of force to save or sinke the shippe. But of those which put the shippe in daunger of drowning, and which by the venome of their mischievous tongues procure hurte to others, and blame to themselves, wee spake yesterday sufficiently, in so much that wee have already excluded them out of the number of the good and desirable: wherefore those which aspire to the degree of vertue, and which will shewe themselves woorthie to bee admitted into civile conversation, ought above all things to have regarde that they offende no man with their tongue. But they shall not bee quite discharged of their debt, if besides that, they doe not with their woordes, seeke to profite and delight their hearers both together, to the ende they may reape all the fruite which the tongue can yeelde: For that the tongue by instructing, conferring, disputing, and discoursing, doth gather, assemble, and joyne men together with a certaine naturall bonde. Hee then that will behave

himselfe wel in civile conversation, must consider that the tongue is the mirrour, and (as it were) the image of his minde. And that like as wee knowe goodnesse or naughtinesse of mony, by the sounde of it: so by the sounde of woordes, we gather the inwarde qualities and conditions of the man. And for that wee are so much the more esteemed of, by howe muche our Civilitie differeth from the nature and fashions of the vulgar sorte, it is requisite that wee inforce our tongue to make manifest that difference in two principall thinges in the pleasant grace, and the profounde gravitie of woordes.

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GUAZ. I understande you, your meaning is, that as the poore people spende nothing but liards, and other such lyke small monye, so hee whom you speake of, shoulde use no other mony but gold, which is the fairest in shewe, and best in substance. Yet (if I bee not deceived) you are contrary to your selfe, for you tolde mee not long since, that it was ynough to use plaine and simple speeche, and nowe you will have him speake with eloquence and wisedome. But seeing you have saide that there are amongst us but fewe Orators and Philosophers, howe shall I, and such as I am doe, that have no golde to spende, and who can not in companie be either Demosthenes or Plato? Is it your minde wee shall returne to the schoole, to learne Rhetorike and Philosophy?

ANNIB. I will never unsay, that I have once said, but I make good, that a man ought to proceede in common talke simply and plainly, according as the truth of the matter shal require: notwithstanding, if you consider how in Villages, Hamlets, and fields, you shall finde many men, who though they leade their life farre distant from the graces and Muses (as the proverb is) and come stamping in with their high clouted shooes, yet are of good understanding, whereof they give sufficient testimonie by their wise and discreete talke: you cannot denie, but that nature hath given and sowed in us certaine seedes of Rhetorike and Philosophie. But for that the more those good partes appeare in a man, the better hee is accepted in all companies,

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