French Proverbs from 1611: Beer, wine, and drunkards

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The wonderful world of wine, beer, and drunken sots.


[`A bon vin il ne faut point d'enseigne:] [Prov.] Good wine draws customers without any help of an iuy-bush.


[`A la S. Martin lon boit le bon vin:] [Prov.] [At Martilmas wine is fit to be drunke.]


[`A la trongne cognoist on l'yvrongne:] [Prov.] [A drunkard is by his rich face discerned.]
[`A la trongne cognoist on l'yvrongne:] [Prov.] [Two things a drunkard doe disclose, a fierie face, and crimson nose.]


[à lauer la teste d'un asne on ne perd que le temps, & la lexive:] [Pro.] [In vaine one striues to make learned a sottish, or make honest a gracelesse, person.]


[`A morceau restif esperon de vin:] [Prov.] (A cup of sacke agrees with a cold stomacke;) a restiue morsell needs a spurre of wine.
[`A morceau restif esperon de vin:] [Prov.] [Put on a restiue bit with spurres of wine.]


[Apres beu dodo:] [Prov.] [After drinke rest.]
[Apres bu dodo:] [Prov.] [After liquor lazinesse.]
[Apres bu dodo:] [Prov.] After swink sleepe.


[Apres bon vin bon cheval:] [Prov.] [After a man hath drunke hard he dare any thing.]
[Apres bon vin bon cheval:] [Prov.] The pot hath made him valiant, and of a free humour; now that he hath drunke hard he dare swagger with any man, or censure euerie man.


[Apres compter il faut boire:] [Prov.] The reckoning ended we must drinke together; [(a Dutch conclusion.)]


[Apres la feste & le Ieu, les pois au feu:] [Prov.] After feasting and iollitie, sobrietie.
[Apres la feste & le ieu les pois au feu:] [Prov.] [Those that will make good shift, must after play vse thrift.]
[Apres la feste & le Ieu, les pois au feu:] [Prov.] After feasting and iollitie, sobrietie.


[Apres la poire le vin, ou le prestre:] [Prov.] [After a (cold) Peare either drinke wine to concoct it, or send for the Priest to confesse you.]
[Apres la poire le vin, ou le prestre:] [Prov.] [After a (cold) Peare Wine, or the Priest.]
[Apres la poire le vin, ou le prestre:] [Prov.] [After a peare wine, or the Priest.]


[Apres tout dueil boit on bien:] [Pro.] (So tipling succeedeth teene.)
[Apres tout dueil boit on bien:] [Prov.] Drinke after dole goes merrily downe; or, they tiple now as much as erst they teend.


[Assez boit qui a dueil:] [Pro.] He drinks ynough that mournes; (yet we say, Sorrow is drie.)
[Assez boit qui a dueil:] [Pro.] Sorrow is dry, say we;
[Assez boit qui a dueil:] [Prov.] He hath drinke ynough that hath sorrow ynough;


[Beauté sans bonté est comme vin esventé:] [Prov.] [Beautie without goodnesse is like wine that hath taken wind.]


[Bois laid, & inutile porte le fruict pretieux:] [Prov.] [(Meant of the vine)]


[Bon vin bon vinaigre:] [Pro.] [Good wine is made good vineger; good things transform'd retaine part of their worth.]
[Bon vin bon vinaigre:] [Prov.] Good wine (yeelds) good vinegar.


[Bon vin mauvaise teste:] [Pro.] [Good wine breeds many a brable.]
[Bon vin mauvaise teste:] [Pro.] Strong wine makes a weake braine; or, makes a man apt to brabble; [(for we say of those that after drinking fall to swagger; their wine begins to worke.)]


[Boy le vin comme Roy, boy l'eau comme Taureau:] [Pro.] For th'one vses not to drinke much, th'other will drinke no more than he needs.
[Boy le vin comme roy, boy l'eau comme taureau:] [Prov.] [Drinke little wine, and much water; or, drinke wine moderately, water abundantly.]


[Boy vin en roy:] [Pro.] [viz. Moderately.]


[Celuy de bon sens ne jouï t, qui boit & ne s'en resjouvï t:] [Pro.] He that in drinking feels no pleasure, his wits be surely out of measure.


[De bon terroir bon vin:] [Prov.] A good soyle yeelds good fruit.


[De sot homme on n'en peut faire vn bon conte:] [Prov.] [An asse does nothing worth the speaking of.]
[De sot homme on n'en peut faire vn bon conte:] [Prov.] A sots whole life affoords not one good tale.


[En vaisseau mal lavé ne peut on vin garder:] [Prov.] [In vncleane Caske wine will not keepe.]
[En vaisseau mal lavé ne peut on vin garder:] [Prov.] [Wine in ill-washed Caske will not be kept.]
[En vaisseau mal lavé ne peut on vin garder:] [Prov.] [Wine will not keepe in an vncleane vessell.]


[Femme, argent, & vin, ont leur bien, & leur venin:] [Prov.] Money, wine, and women, haue good and bad things in them.
[Femme, argent, & vin, ont leur bien, & leur venin:] [Prov.] [Wine, money, and the female brood haue properties both bad, and good; are (as th'are vsed) bad, or good.]
[Femme, argent, & vin, ont leur bien, & leur venin:] [Prov.] A woman, coyne, and wine haue good, and bad things in them.
[Femme, argent, & vin, ont leur bien, & leur venin:] [Prov.] [Wine, money, and the female brood haue properties both bad, and good; are (as th'are vsed) bad, or good.]


[Femme safre, & yvrongnesse de son corps n'est pas maistresse:] [Prov.] [A wanton, and wine-bibbing dame, her bodie yeelds to open shame.]


[Homme mutin, brusque roussin, flascon de vin, prennent tost fin:] [Pro.] [The person turbulent, a liuelie steed, and cup of wine, come to an end with speed.]
[Homme mutin, brusque Roussin, flascon de vin prennent tost fin:] [Prov.] [A factious asse, free horse, good cup of wine, are quickly spent.]


[Il faut acheter vigne deserte:] [Prov.] [Buy an vndressed Vineyard; (so mayest thou fashion it according to thine owne humor.)]


[Il ne faut pas enquerir d'ou soit le dit, mais qu'il soit bon:] [Prov.] Inquire not whence a speech came so it be good.
[Il ne faut pas enquerir d'ou soit le vin, mais qu'il soit bon:] [Pro.] [No matter whence wine came so it be good.]


[Il ne sç ait que c'est de vendre vin qui n'attend de May la fin:] [Prov.] [Against good husbandrie he hath offended, that sells his wines before May be full ended.]
[Il ne sç ait que c'est de vendre vin qui n'attend de May la fin:] [Prov.] [Belike because he cannot before that time guesse what will be the next yeares Vintage.]


[Le boeuf salé faict trouver le vin sans chandelle:] [Prov.] [The salt beefe-eater needs no candle to find his liquor withall; or salt beefe is your onely lantorne in a darke sellar.]
[Le boeuf salé fait trouver le vin sans chandelle:] [Prov.] [The salt-beefe eater needs no candle to light his drinke the way to his mouth.]


[Le fol est sot quant & quant, mais tout sot n'est pas fol:] [Prov.] All fooles be sots, but all sots be not fooles.
[Le fol est sot quant & quant, mais tout sot n'est pas fol:] [Prov.] All fooles be sots, but all sots be not fooles.
[Le fol est sot quant & quant, mais tout sot n'est pas fol:] [Prov.] [The foole is sure ynough a sot, but euery sot's no foole.]


[Le vin n'a point de chaussure; &, le vin va sans chausses:] [Prov.] [Wine wanteth, or goeth without, breeches; viz. bewrayeth a mans infirmities, or worst parts; layeth open his shame, or layeth him open to shame.]
[Le vin va sans chausses:] [Prov.] Wine weares no breeches; a drunkard conceales nothing.


[On ne cognoist point le vin aux cercles:] [Pro.] The goodnes of wine is not known by the fashion, or strength of the hoops that begird it.


[On ne doit point mentir en vin:] [Prov.] [Somewhat like the Latine, In vino veritas; or an aduise to make it good; and then may be rendered thus; when men are drunke they should not lye, because in wine is veritie.]
[On ne doit point mentir en Vin:] [Pro.] [Wine telleth truth, and should not be belyed.]


[On ne fait boire à l'asne quand il ne veut:] [Prov.] Men force not th'asse (but asses men) to drinke.


[Pain tant qu'il dure, vin à mesure:] [Prov.] [Eat at pleasure, drinke by measure.]
[Pain tant qu'il dure, vin à mesure:] [Prov.] [Eat bread at pleasure, drinke wine by measure; A Precept which the French obserue in the first (howsoeuer in the second) part; for no people eat more bread, nor haue better bread to eat, then they.]


[Poisson, gorret, & cochin, vie en l'eau & mort en vin:] [Prov.] [(Such flegmaticke meates requiring much wine to be drunke with them.)]
[Poisson, gorret, & cochin, vie en l'eau, & mort en vin:] [Pro.] we say, fish must euer swimme twice.


[Quand le chou passe le cep le vigneron meurt de soif:] [Prov.] [When the Cabbidge growes faster then the Vine, there will be a great dearth of Wine.]


[Qui bon l'achepte bon le boit:] [Pro.] He that buyes good wine drinks good wine.
[Qui bon l'achepte bon le boit:] [Pro.] He that will go to the price of, or take pains for, good things, may enioy good things.


[Qui bon vin boit il se repose:] [Pro.] [Good wine breeds quiet rest.]
[Qui bon vin boit il se repose:] [Prov.] He that drinks good wine takes good rest.


[Qui vin ne boit apres salade est en danger d'estre malade:] [Pro.] [He that wine drinkes not after a (cold) sallate, his health indangers (and does wrong to his pallate.)]


[Robin se souvient tousiours de sa fleute:] [Pro.] [A drunkard euer dreames of pots, a miser of his pelfe; the ambitious of greatnesse, the lecher of filthinesse; euery one thinkes most of the thing he affects most.]


[Rouge visage, & grosse pance ne sont signes de penitence:] [Prov.] [A swagging bellie and a drunken face, are not the signes of a repentant grace.]
[Rouge visage, & grosse pance, ne sont signes de penitence:] [Prov.] [He that a red face hath, and swollen guts, his bodie vnto pennance little puts.]


[Semelles, & du vin passent chemin:] [Pro.] Shooes, and wine rid way.
[Semelles, & vin passent chemin:] [Prov.] [viz. Rid way apace.]
[Semelles, & du vin passent chemin:] [Prov.] [Wine is the footmans caroche; a strong foot, and a light head rid way apace.]


[Soleil qui luisarne au matin, femme qui parle Latin, & Enfant nourry de vin, ne viennent point à bonne fin:] [Prov.] [A glaring morne, a woman Latinist, and wine-fed child, make men crie had I wist.]
[Soleil qui luisarne au matin, femme qui parle Latin, & Enfant nourry de Vin, ne viennent point à bonne fin:] [Prov.] A learned woman seldome proues a good one.


[Tel est petit qui boit bien:] [Pro.] Though he be little he can tipple.
[Tel est petit qui boit bien:] [Prov.] [A little man may haue a great swallow.]


[Tenez chaud le pied, & la teste, au demeurant vivez en beste:] [Pro.] [Keepe head and feet warme for the rest, thou must resolue to liue a beast; (viz, to eat, and drinke no more then will doe thee good.)]
[Tenez chaud le pied & la teste, au demeurant vivez en beste:] [Pro.] [The feet and head kept warme, the rest will take lesse harme.]


[Vin de grain est plus doux que n'est pas Vin de presse:] [Prov.] [The first Wine is better then the second expression; good offices willingly done are of much more worth then such as be extorted.]
[Vin de grain est plus doux que n'est pas vin de presse:] [Prov.] [Willing dueties are more gracious then such as be extorted.]
[Vin de grain est plus doux que n'est pas vin de presse:] [Pro.] [Willing seruice, though but small, is more acceptable, then much extorted dutie.]


[Vin pour saveur, drap pour couleur:] [Pro.] [Let wine good sauor, cloth fresh colour, haue; so wine be sauorie, no matter how it looke.]


[Vin sur laict c'est souhait, laict sur vin c'est venin:] [Prov.] [Milke before wine I would twere mine, milke taken after is poisons daughter.]
[Vin sur laict c'est souhait, laict sur vin c'est venin:] [Prov.] Wash thy milke off thy liuer, [(say we.)]


[Vin trouble ne brise dents:] [Pro.] Thicke wine breaks no teeth.
[Vin trouble ne brise dents:] [Prov.] [Wine though it be thicke yet breakes it no mans teeth.]


[Vin vieux, ami vieux, or vieux, sont loü ez en tous lieux:] [Pro.] [The praise of old wine, friends, and gold, is in all places often told.]


[Vne fois l'anné e l'on s'appreste à boire:] [Pro.] Once in a yeare a man prepares himselfe to drinke; (viz. of his owne wine, in vintage time.)


[Vne pilure formentine vne, dragme sarmentine, & la iourné e d'une geline, est la meilleure medecine:] [Prov.] [A manchet, cup of wine, and hennes dayes taske, is the best Physicke a sicke man can aske.]


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