[ 1238] The Tongue for the most part a mischie∣vous member.
AESop being sent by his Master, to buy all the best meat he could get in the Market,* 1.1 bought all Tongues; And being sent again to buy all the worst, he bought all Tongues again: being demanded, Why he did so, answered; That no flesh was better then a good Tongue, nor any worse then a bad Tongue: And most true it is,* 1.2 as Bias told Amasis King of Egypt, The Tongue is the best and worst member of the body, for the most part, an unruly michievous member lambit et laedit,* 1.3 a killing and destroying Member; a dangerous weapon, and the worst of all other weapons; the stroke of a sword may be born off, the shot of an arrow may be shunn'd; or if not, the wounds may be healed; but there is no way to escape a poysoned Tongue,* 1.4 no salve to cure it; hence it is well obser∣ved, that a Word, and a Pest grow upon the same root in Hebrew, signifying, that the Plague and an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Tongue go together.