THE SAYENGES OF PITTACVS.

DIfficilia, quae pulchra. Goodly thinges be hard Magistratus uirū arguit. Authoritie or office vtte­reth what the man is. Prudētis est prospicere ne quid eueniat mali, fortis tolerare, si quid forte obtigerit.

[Page]It is a wise mans parte to forse that no euyl do chaunce vnto him, and a­gayne it is an hardy mans parte to suffre if any euyl do chaunce hym.

Ne cui calamitatem suam exprobra ris.

Upbrayd noman of his misfortune.

Vxorem aequalem ducito.

Marry a wyfe of no hygher byrth or state then thou art thy selfe.

Bias.

Valere corpore, naturae munus est, Diuitiae dantur a fortuna, Sapientia animi bonum est.

To be strong of body is the gyfte of nature, Riches is gyuen of fortune, and wysedome is the good thyng of the mynde.

Ita dispēsa tempus, quasi & diu uicturus, & mox moriturus.

[Page]So dispose thy tym [...] dest both liue lōg, & a [...]

Delibera lente, quod dec [...] [...]stanter urge.

Take long aduisemēt, but the that thou hast ones determined set vpon it constantly.

Ne praeceps sis ad loquendum.

Be not heady or rashe to speake.

Pessimi consultores sunt ira & prae­cipitantia.

Wrath & rashenes be two the worste counsaylers that can be.

Sapiens oīa sua bona secum portat.

The wise man carieth al his goodes wyth hym.

Cleobulus.

Amicos beneficijs foue, quo fiant amiciores, inimicis benefac, quo fi­ant amici.

[Page] [...] frendes wyth bene­ [...]hem more fredly, and [...] thyne enemyes, to make [...]rendes.

[...]urus domo, tecum expendito [...] id foris agere uelis, domum ubi [...]edieris, quid egeris reputato.

Whē thou goest from home, pondre wyth thy selfe what thou wylt do a­brode. And whē thou returnest home recorde with thy self what thou hast done.

Audiēdi (quam) loquēdi studiosior esto.

Be more desyrouse to heare, then to speake.

Voluptati frenos inijcito.

Brydle thy pleasoure.

Vxori praesētibus alijs nec blandire nec iurgium facito.

In presence of other, neyther flatter [Page] thy wyfe nor chyde her.

Rebus secūdis ne efferaris, aduersis ne deijciaris.

Wyth prosperetie be thou not lyfted vp, and wyth aduersitie be not caste downe.

Periander.

Voluptas cito perit, honos immor­talis est.

Pleasure sone perisheth, but honour neuer dyeth.

Tuta res quies, periculosa temeritas

Quietnes is a sure thynge but rash­nesse is daungerouse.

In rebus prosperis esto moderatus, in aduersis prudens.

In prosperitie be sobre, in aduersitie wyse

Cura potest omnia.

Diligēce and study can do al thingꝭ.

Anacharsis.

De arte non iudicat nisi artifex.

Of a crafte can no man iuge but the craftes man.

Ex alienis uitiis disce (quam) foeda sint tua.

By other mennes vices lerne howe fowle thyne owne be.

Linguā, uentrem, & pudēda cohibe.

Charme the tong, bely and preuites.

Thales.

Difficillimū est omnium nosce se­ipsum.

It is the hardest poynt of all, a man to knowe himselfe.

Quae in alijs damnes, ipse ne feceris.

Suche thynges as thou doste con­demne and blame in other, do them not thy selfe.

Amicorum non minus absentium (quam) [Page] praesentium memores esse oportet.

It hehoueth vs to remembre oure frendes aswel absent as present.

Animus honestis artibus excolēdus est, potius (quam) forma corporis com­ponenda.

A man ought rather to garnishe his mynde wyth honest artes, then to decke the forme of hys body.

Ne quaeras fraude ditescere.

Seke not to grow rych by falshode.

Qualem gratiam retuleris parenti­bus tuis, talem expecta & a liberis tuis

Such thanke as thou hast yelded to thy parentes, loke for the lyke of thy chyldren.

Solon.

Virtus fidelior est iureiurando.

There is more trust in honestie then [Page] in an othe.

Quod praeclarum est, accurate agē ­dum.

A thynge of excellencie ought to be fynely done.

Amicum ne temere recipito, recep­tum ne reijcito.

Receyue no man rashly into thy frēd shyp and when thou hast receyued him cast him not of.

Impera, sed prius edoctus imperio parere.

Desyre to beare some rule, but fyrst lerne to be obedient vnto rule thy selfe.

Cum regibus (dixit Aesopus) aut omnino non loquendum, aut quae sunt iucundissima loqui oportet.

Wyth kinges (sayde Esope) it were best eyther not to speake at all, or to [Page] speake thinges most pleasaunt.

Immo, inquit Solon. Cum regibus aut omnino non loquendū, aut quae sunt optima loqui oportet.

Nay sayth Solon. With kinges it were best either not to speake at all, or to speake the best thinges.

Rationi pareto.

Obey reason.

Malorum consuetudinem fugito.

Eschue the felowshyp of euyl dispo­sed men.

In defunctum maledicta ne conge­rito.

Rayle not vpon him that is deade.

Filius ne parentem alere cogitor, a quo nullam artem edoctus est.

Lette not the sonne be compelled to fynde his father in his extreme po­uerte and nede, of whom he hath not [Page] bene taughte or brought vp in anye science or occupation.

Vitae finem spectato.

Praise no man for blessed and happy till thou se the ende of his life.

Chilo Lacedaemonius.

Si dixeris quae uis, audies quae non uis.

If thou speake what thou wilt, thou shalt heare what thou wilt not.

Damnum turpi lucro potius esto.

Preferre dāmage afore fowle lucre.

Ne lingua praeuertitor animum.

Lette not the tonge runne before the wytte.

Quae fieri non possunt ne tentes.

Assaye not the thinges that can not be brought about.

Index aurum, aurum explorat ho­minem.

[Page]The touche stone tryeth golde, gold tryeth man.

Amato tan (quam) osurus, oderis tan (quam) a­maturus.

Loue as thoughe thou shuldest in tyme commynge hate, and hate as though thou shuldest in tyme com­mynge loue.

Aristippus.

Opes eiusmodi tibi para, quae naui fracta simul cum domino enatent.

Seke the suche ryches whyche if the ship breake may swimme forth togi­ther wyth the owner.

Fortunae bona uarij casus eripiunt: bona animi quae sola uere bona sūt, nec incendium nec naufragium po­test eripere.

The goodes of fortune be taken a­waye by sundrye casualties, but the [Page] goodes of the mynde whiche be only the true goodes can be taken awaye neither by fyer nor by shypwrake.

Disce puer, quae uiro sunt usui futu­ra.

Lerne when thou art a chylde suche thynges as shalbe profitable to the when thou art a man.

Theophrastus.

Preciocissimus sūptus est tempus.

Tyme is the most preciouse cost that a man can bestowe.

Antisthenes

Regium est audire male, quum fe­ceris bene.

It is gyuen to a kyng, though he do neuer so wel yet to be euyl spoken of.

Satius est in coraces (quam) in colaces .i. in coruos (quam) in adulatores incidere, Illi mortuū exedunt, hi uiuū etiam.

[Page]It is better of the tweyne, to fall a­mōges a sort of rauens, then amōgꝭ flatterers. The rauens eate a man when he is deade, but the flatterers eate him quycke.

Quod rubigo est ferro, hoc liuor est homini.

That rust doth to yron, that doth en uye to man.

Fratrum concordia quouis muro tutior.

The concord of brethrē is surer then any stone wale.

Praecipua disciplina est dediscere ma la.

The chiefest lernynge is to vnlerne vices.

Diogenes

Vir bonus dei simulachrum est.

A good man is the ymage of god.

[Page] Amor ociosorum est negotium.

Loue is the busynes of loyterers.

Miserrima res est senex egens.

Nedy age is a thing most miserable.

Perniciosissime mordent, ex feris bestijs obtrectator, ex cicuribus adulator.

There be two whiche byte most dead ly, of wylde beastes, the backbyter, & of tame the flatterer.

Oratio blanda est mellitus laqueus.

A flatterynge speach is a hony swete snare.

Qui praeclare loquuntur nec faciunt, citharae similes sunt quae sonat alijs, ipsa nec audiens, nec sentiens.

They that speake gloriously but do nothing therafter themselfes, be like to a harpe whiche maketh a sounde to other, but it selfe neither heareth [Page] perceiueth.

Frustra uiuit, cui ut bene uiuat nulla cura est.

He liueth vaynly which hath no care to liue well.

Qui forma decorus indecore loqui­tur, ex eburnea uagina plumbium educit gladium.

A goodlye person that speaketh vn­goodly wordes, draweth forth a lea­den swerd out of an Iuery skaberd. Serui heris, improbi seruiunt cupi­ditatibus.

Bonde men be thralle to their mais­ters, and wicked men to their lustes. Eruditio iuuenibus sobrietas est, se­nibus solatium, pauperibus diuitiae, diuitibus ornamentum.

Lernyng is to yong men a sobrenes, to olde men a solace, to pore men ry­ches, [Page] to ryche men a garnishment. Nobilitas, gloria, diuitiae, malitiae sunt uelamenta.

Nobilitie, glorie, riches be the clokes of naughtynes.

Socrates.

Quae supra nos, nihil ad nos.

The thinges that be aboue vs, per­teine nought vnto vs.

Hoc unum scio, me nihil scire.

Thys one thynge I knowe that I knowe nothinge.

Crates.

Vt in omni malo punico granū ali­quod putre est, ita nemo reperitur undiqua (que) purus a uitio.

Like as in euery pome granat there is some kernel rotten: so there is no man foūd throughly cleane frō vice.

Zeno citiensis.

[Page] Non qui magnus, statim bonus est, sed quisquis bonus, idem & mag­nus est.

It foloweth not, that whosoeuer is greate is forthwyth good, but who soeuer is good, y ^e same is also great. Ideo natura dedit homini aures du­as, os unicum, ut plus audiamus (quam) loquamur.

Nature hath giuen mā therfore two eares and but one mouth, that we shulde be readyer to heare then to speake.

Auribus attrahēdi sūt homines po­tius (quam) pallio, id est, persuasione ma­gis (quam) uiolentia.

Men ought to be drawen rather by the eares then by the gowne, that is to say, rather by perswasion than by violence.

Themistocles.

Praestat habere uiros egentes pecu­nia, (quam) pecuniam egentem uiris.

It is better to haue men wantynge monye, then monye wanting men.

Pericles.

Amicum esse licet sed us (que) ad aras.

A man may be a frende, but he must go no further wyth his frende then till he come to the aultar, that is, he may offend god for his frēdes cause.

Lamachus.

Non licet in bello bis peccare.

It is not lawfull in battell to make a fawlte twyse.

Iphicrates

Indecora sapienti uox est, Non pu­taram, aut non expectaram.

It is an vncombly sayeng for a wise mā to say, I wold not haue thought [Page] it, or I wolde not haue loked that it shulde haue come so to passe.

M. Curius.

Praestantius est imperare aurum ha­bentibus uiris, (quam) habere aurum.

It is farre better for a man to beare a rule vpon men hauyng golde, then to haue golde himselfe.

Cato senior.

Mirum eam ciuitatem saluam esse posse, in qua minoris uen [...]os (quam) piscis.

It is meruayle that that citie can be saufe, in which an oxe is sold for lesse price, then a fishe is solde for.

Musonius apud Gellium.

Si per laborem honesti quippiam e­geris, labor abit, honestum manet: si per uoluptatem turpe quippiam [Page] feceris, uoluptas abit, turpitudo ma net.

If through labour thou shalt worke any worshyp: the laboure vanisheth, and the worship taryeth. But if tho­rough pleasure thou shalt work any shame, the pleasure vanisheth and the shame tarieth.