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.

THE Marques in this Prouerbe sheweth, that if a man be not able of him selfe to rule and order his life, hee should seeke out, and set before his eyes, same wise and notable man, according to

whose doings he shuld in euery point frame his life, as Seneca writeth to Lucilius, & it is one of the chiefest lessons that hee could deuise to giue him, for the framing of his life aright. He willeth him, that he shuld alwaies imagine him selfe to bee in the presence of some good man, for example sake either Cato or Lelius, for ether of them were both vertuous & wise: and that he should frame al his thoughts, and direct all his deedes, ac∣cording to the life and vertues of them, and so should he neuer do amisse, and this is it, that is ment in y^e prouerbe, Follow the wise man and his lawe. The law of the wiseman is his discretion, for as Aristotle saieth, The iust and the vertuous man is a lawe vnto him selfe, for hee measureth the times, & disposeth his things, according as the time and reason doth require. And the Prouerbe saith more, Speake thou no euill of thy Prince: according to the do∣ctrine of the Apostle Sainct Paule, We are bound to feare God, and to honour the King. We ought to serue the King as our naturall Lorde, and wee offende God grie∣uou••ly, in dissobeying of him: In so much as some Doctors of law are of opinion, that

whosoeuer obeyeth not the Kinges com∣maundement findeth deadly, according to that is written in the second of the Kings, Hee that obeyeth not the Prince, shall dye for it. And therefore as it is a grie∣uous and greate sacriledge, to blaspheme the name of God: so is it a damnable and horrible offence to speake euill of the King: and against such as shall so offende, it is ve∣ry well prouided, bothe by the constituti∣ons of the Emperours, and by the lawes and statutes of Spaine. And the Mar∣ques sayth, That wee ought not onely to forbeare to speake euill of the Prince a∣broade and in company, whereby it may come to his eare, but also wee ought not to do it in secrete. For Solomon sayth in his Prouerbs.* 1.1 Speake no euill of the Prince iu any wise, for if thou doest, be sure the verie birdes of the ayre will disclose it. The Byrdes of the ayre, as some Doc∣toures teache, are the Spyrtes and Diuelles, according to the saying of our Lorde and Sauiour in the Gospel, where hee telleth the parable of the seede, that fell by the highe waye, and the Byrdes of the ayre deuoured it. The

The birdes of the Aire saith our Sauiour, are the lewde and wicked spirits, that take out of the heart of man the worde of God. And in this sorte is the aforesaide allegati∣on to be vnderstoode, that the birdes of the aire will discouer it, that is to say, the wic∣ked spirites, who shall reueale the treason that thou haste spoken in secret, and this is it, that the Prouerb meaneth, when it saith. The very walles will witnes beare.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Prince not to be euill spoken of.