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 eleuenth Chapter of Friendship. (Book 11)

85.

The man that councell good can giue and will thee reprehend, And warne from euery euill act, choose thou to be thy friend.

And thinke thy selfe thrise happy, whē thou such a friend canst haue, That will thee well instruct, and from all ill aduises saue.

The Paraphrase.

FRiendship, as Aristotle in the eight of his Ethikes, sayeth, and as hath been sayde afore vpon one of the Prouerbes, is of three sortes, for delight, for profite, and for honestie. Friendship of delight, is the friendshippe of flatterers, and iesters which endureth but a small while: for when the pleasure ceasseth (as testers are not at all times, nor of all men liked) this friend∣shippe straight wayes endeth. An other friendshippe there is, grounded vpon profit, and is, as Seneca termeth it, merchaunt friendshippe, for it endureth no longer then there is hope of profite: And those that vse this kinde of friendshippe, doe it, as Seneca sayeth, more vpon the profite, then in respect of the person. The Flye al∣wayes attendeth vppon the honie, and the Woolfe vpon the Carion. Which kinde of people are more in loue with the praye,

and the spoyle, then with the man. The third kinde of friendship setieth it selfe only vpon honestie, and groundeth her selfe vpon vertue, and this endureth as wel in aduersi∣tie, as in prosperitie. This is the allonely true friendship, which the Prouerbe coun∣selleth vs to choose, and this is that which Aristotle sayeth causeth in friendes but one hart and one minde: and this friend, whose friendship is grounded vpon honestie, is he, that wel reprehendeth, and is no flatterer, nor will consent to any wickednesse nor e∣uill, but giueth counsaile with out affecti∣on, iustly and vprightly, perswading al∣wayes to vertue and godlinesse of life, and all the actions and doinges of such friends as are knit in this friendship, doe ground them selues as the Prouerbe saith, vpon goodnesse and honestie of life.

86.

And he that is thy friend, I wish and warne in any case, Thou keepe and vse him as a friend, in euery time and place. I speake not of the flatterer, who vnder colour sweete:

Of sugred speeche and pleasant shewn with gift of gall doth greete.

The Paraphrase.

IN this Prouerb is mention made of the diuision of friendship, before specified, and it sheweth that the friendshippe that is vpon profit, which is the dissembling and flattering friendship, is not in very deede the true friendship. For there is no perfect friendship, but that which is grounded vp∣on vertue and honestie, which friend aboue all others we ought to esteeme: and of such a friend speaketh Aristotle, where he say∣eth, What pleasure hath any man in his life, though hee haue all the felicities in the worlde, if he want a friende? For, to liue happyly and quietly, it behoueth a man to haue one, to whome he may safely open all his doings, and with whom he may bee as bolde as with him selfe. We reade in the Cronicle of the Philosophers, that Aristo∣tle beeing demaunded what hee accounted a friende to be: made answere, that it was one minde in two bodyes. Of this assured

and perfecte friende doeth the Prouerbe heere speake.

87.

If thou conceale thy thoughts, and that thy minde in secret lyes: Thou shalt be sure to be esteemde and taken to be wise. Ofte haue I found my selfe by speache in thrall and trouble brought: But neuer yet for keeping of my toung, I suffred ought.

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.

88.

But yet I would not haue thee heere, to be so straightly tyed: That from thy deere & speciall friend thou shouldst thy doings hide. For why? it were to great offence, t'abuse his friendship so: And euen the redyest way it were, to make thy friend thy foe.

The Paraphrase.

SEneca in his third epistle setteth downe, the way and meane how to get freends, and being gotten, how to kepe them, saying

to Lucilius, Way with thy selfe a long time the worthynesse of the partie whom thou doest choose for thy friend, and when thou hast founde him to be meete for thy friend∣ship, commit all thy doings and all thy de∣uises vnto him, and be as bolde of him as of thy selfe. With thy friende saith Seneca, imparte all thy cares and all thy thoughts, and in so doeing thou shalt haue him faith∣full vnto thee: but if thou growest once into ielousie, and hidest any thing from him, thou giuest him cause to be vnfaithfull, for diuers in fearing to bee deceiued, haue taught others to deceiue, and therefore the Marques saieth, The readiest way it were to make thy friend thy foe.

89.

See thou thy life be alwaies such, in deede and eke in showe: As thou regardest not a whit, though all the worlde did knowe. Vnto thine honour and thy name, haue alwaies speciall eye: To shunne the thing thou oughtest to shunne and all offence to flye.

The Paraphrase.

SEneca in the aforesaid Epistle sayeth, That he which dare not trust his friend as much as him selfe, hee is greatly decei∣ued, as one that knoweth not perfectly the force of freindship, howbeit hee sayeth be∣side, Liue thou in such sorte, that thou com∣mittest nothing, neither in deede nor thought, that thou shouldest be ashamed to shewe thy friende: meaning, that a man mighte to haue no filthy nor dishoneste thoughts in his minde, but such as can mi∣nister no cause of offence to any man, not though it were to his very enemie.