The prouerbes of the noble and woorthy souldier Sir Iames Lopez de Mendoza Marques of Santillana with the paraphrase of D. Peter Diaz of Toledo: wherin is contained whatsoeuer is necessarie to the leading of an honest and vertuous life. Translated out of Spanishe by Barnabe Googe.

The Paraphrase.

CAto in his morrall Philosophie saith, That the first and principall vertue that a man should haue, is to haue a sober and a modest tongue, for much is he in fa∣uour with God, that is able to holde his tongue, when time and cause requireth. I∣socrates in his Oration sayeth, that in two thinges onely, speache is to bee preferred before silence: the one is, in speaking that, which is to a publike commoditie: the other, in vttering that, which necessitie forceth. In all other thinges hee sayeth:

that silence is farre to bee preferred before speech: but specially a man ought to keepe his owne secrets. For as Seneca saith, If thou art not able to keepe thyne owne secrets, how canst thou require an other man to doe it? And therefore the Prouerb saith, Thou shalt be counted discrete and wise, if thou kepest thy secrets to thy self, and that a man bringeth him selfe in subiection by speech, but shall neuer bee harmed by silence.