French Proverbs from 1611: Friends

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[Aller & parler peut on, boire & manger non:] [Pro.] One may visit a friend sometimes, but must not if hee looke to bee welcome (another time) stay long with him.
[Aller & parler peut on, boire ensemble & manger non:] [Prov.] [Such as desire to continue a friend, must not feed on him;] or, tis better to visit a friend sometimes then to dwell with him euer.
[Aller & venir font le chemin peler:] [Pro.] Much trauelling makes bad wayes.
[Aller & parler peut on, boire ensemble & manger non:] [Pro.] A man may visit, & conuerse with a friend, but must not, if he meane to keepe him, feed with him; the best way to preserue a friend, is, not to be verie inward with him.


[Amour, & seigneurie ne se tindrent iamais compagnie:] [Prov.] Loue, and lordlinesse neuer held companie together; a friend, and a lord are incompatible.


[à rich homme n' en chaut qui ami luy soit:] [Prov.] The rich man needs no friends; or needs not care who he takes to friend; or (which is most ordinarie, and the most true) respecteth no mans friendship.
[`A riche homme n'en chaut qui ami luy soit:] [Pro.] [A rich carle no mans loue respects; or doth not care though no man loue him.]


[Assez parens assez tourmens:] [Prov.] [Many kinsmen much affliction.]
[Assez parens, assez tourmens:] [Prov.] [Many kinsmen much trouble;] [we say (with some difference)] [many kinsmen few friends.]
[Assez parens assez tourmens:] [Prov.] The more kinsmen the more afflictions.


[Beau service fait amis vray dire ennemis:] [Prov.] [Faire seruice friends, true plainenesse foes, procures.]


[Bien de sa place part qui son ami y laisse:] [Pro.] [He leaues a place well that leaues a friend in it.]
[Bien de sa place part qui son ami y laisse:] [Prov.] He fitly leaues his roome that leaues a friend in't.


[Bien part de sa place qui son ami y laisse:] [Pro.] He fitly leaues his place, that leaues his friend to keepe it; or (if it was good) that helpes his friend vnto it.


[D'une fille deux gendres:] [Prov.] [Two friends gotten by one good office performed, or fauour done; a seuerall gaine drawne from sundrie men by the venting, or vse, of one thing.]


[Entre deux comperes se perdit le fossoir:] [Pro.] Our neerest friends oft makes vs the worst accounts; so may a cosen safely be tearmed a cousener.
[Entre deux comperes se perdit le fossoir:] [Prov.] Betweene two stooles the tayle goes to the ground;


[Il n'y a meilleur miroir que le vieil ami:] [Prov.] [An old friend an excellent looking-glasse.]


[Il n'y a terme qui passe par delà celuy de frere:] [Prov.] Calls he me brother? how can he call me more? no friendlie tearme exceeds the tearme of brother.


[La mort n'a point d'ami, le malade n'a qu'un demi:] [Pro.] The dead haue no friends, the sicke but faint ones; or, when a man is dead his friends forsake him, and while he is sicke they care not greatly for him; or, no man loues death, or fully loues the diseased.
[La mort n'a point d'ami, le malade n'a qu'un demy:] [Prov.] [Death hath no friend, the sicke man but an halfe one.]
[La mort n'a point d'ami, le malade n'a qu'un demy:] [Prov.] [The dead man hath no friends, the sicke no true ones.]


[La paelle se mocque du fourgon:] [Pro.] [One friend, or kinsman mocks another; he that might well be flowted flowts his neighbor.]


[La paelle se mocque du fourgon:] [Prov.] [Said when one friend, or fellow, derides another.]
[La paelle se mocque du fourgon:] [Prov.] The Peele derides the Ouen-forke; one slouen, or neighbor another.


[La souris qui n'a qu'vne entré e est incontinent happé e:] [Prov.] The mouse that hath but one hole is soon caught; the man that hath but one helpe's soone orethrowne.


[Le Chanteau part le vilain:] [Pro.] [When villeines by birth or estate (who for the most part are tenants in common) doe meane to part their possessions, they diuide a lumpe of bread, and giue each to other a peece thereof; Hence is this Prouerb applyable to those base fooles, that fall out with their best friends for trifles, or victualls.]


[Le dernier venu est le mieux aimé:] [Prov.] Hee is best thought of that comes last; a new friend makes the old forgotten; the last Suiter wins the wench.
[Le dernier venu est le mieux aimé:] [Prov.] He that came last is best beloued; the newest friend, & c. most trusted, best vsed.


[Les vilains s'entretiennent, les nobles s'embrassent:] [Pro.] [Clownes are but cold, the gentle kind, in mutuall conuersation.]
[Les vilains s'entretiennent, les Nobles s'embrassent:] [Prov.] [Clownes intertaine one another coldly, Gentlemen courteously.]


[L'hoste, & le poisson passé trois iours puent:] [Pro.] [A guest, and fish at three dayes end grow mustie.]
[L'hoste & le poisson, passé trois iours, puent:] [Prov.] [A guest and fish after three dayes are fustie.]


[Longue demeure faict changer amy:] [Prov.] Long absence changes loue; looses friends; alters affection.
[Longue demeure fait changer ami:] [Pro.] Long absence alters affection, breeds forgetfulnesse, weakens constancie, brings in change.


[Marchandise n'espargne nuls:] [Prov.] [The Marchants ware bids men beware, for he will gaine by his father;] or, Marchandise holds no friendship, yeelds no fauour, hath no consideration but of gaine.
[Marchandise n'espargne nuls:] [Prov.] Ware will deceiue any bodie, spares no bodie.


[Mieux vaut avoir ami en voye qu'or n'argent en courroye:] [Prov.] A friend on the way is better than a penie in the purse.
[Mieux vaut avoir ami en voye qu'or ny argent en courroye:] [Pro.] We say (but with some difference) better a friend in court then a penny in the purse.


[Oncques amour, & seigneurie ne se tindrent compagnie:] [Prov.] [True loue, and lordlinesse neuer held correspondencie; friendship, and lordship agree not long together.]


[On ne peut avoir trop d'amis:] [Pro.] One cannot haue too many (faithfull, and discreet) friends.


[Parens sans amis, amis sans pouvoir, pouvoir sans vouloir, vouloir sans effect, effect sans profit, profit sans vertu, ne vaut vn festu:] [Prov.] Kinred without friends, friends without power, power without will, will without effect, effect without profit, profit without vertue, is not worth a fescue.


[Pour grasse que soit la geline elle a mestier de sa voisine:] [Prov.] [How rich, or powerfull soeuer a man be, he may haue need of his neighbors.]


[Qui a bon voisin a bon matin:] [Pro.] Good neighbors affoord kind salutations, vse friendly greetings, giue good dayes, or the time of the day.
[Qui a bon voisin a bon matin:] [Prov.] [He that hath a good neighbour hath a good morrow; viz. good words next his heart a mornings;]


[Qui a mal aux dents a mauvais parents:] [Prov.] [He that is famished hath but ill friends.]
[Qui a mal aux dents a mauvais parents:] [Prov.] [Mauvaise dent.]


[Qui preste à l'ami perd au double:] [Prov.] [He that lends to his friend a double losse incurres.]
[Qui preste à l'ami perd au double:] [Prov.] [viz. both friend and money; To which purpose wee haue a certaine (triuiall, but true-meaning) Ryme, which begins with, I lent my money to my friend, and ends with, I lost both money, and my friend.]
[Qui preste à l'amy perd au double:] [Prov.] [viz. Both money, and friend.]


[Qui ueut entretenir son ami n'ait nuls affaires auec luy:] [Prov.] Let him that will hold a friend, haue little to doe with him.
[Qui veut entretenir son ami n'ait nuls affaires avec luy:] [Prov.] He that loues to continue a friend must haue but little to doe with him.


[Secret de deux secret de dieu:] [Prov.] Yet wee say, that, two can keepe counsell when one is away.
[Secret de deux secret de Dieu, secret de trois secret de tous:] [Prov.] [We onely say, that three may keep counsell when two are away.]
[Secret de trois secret de tous:] [Prov.] [As good let all, as three, men know a thing.]


[Trop presser fait le cheval restif:] [Prov.] [Too much vrging makes men desperate, or froward; extreame importuning makes mens friends their enemies.]
[Trop presser fait le cheval restif:] [Prov.] [To take too much of, or presume too much on, a friend, is the way to make him loath you, and to make you loose him;]


[Vache en sç ait que vaut sa queuë iusques à ce qu' elle l'ait perduë:] [Prov.] [The want, more then the vse, indeares the worth of good things; we know our friends best when we want them most.]
[Vache ne sç ait que vaut sa queuë iusques à ce qu' elle l'ait perduë:] [Prov.] [We know not the worth of things till we haue lost them.]


[Viande d'ami est bien tost preste:] [Pro.] A friends meat is soone readie; (for giuing it willingly, he prouides it quickly; or, one thinkes it not, or must not seeme to thinke it, long in comming.)
[Viande d'ami est bien tost preste:] [Prov.] [A friends repast is in a trice prepared.]
[Viande d'ami est bien tost preste:] [Prov.] [Meat in a friends house is (or is thought) soone readie;]


[Vilain enrichi ne cognoist parent, ny ami:] [Pro.] [The base clowne that hath got a little pelfe, knowes neither friend, nor kinsman, (nor himselfe.)]


[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.]


[Vn ami veille pour l'autre:] [Prov.] [A friend is watchfull, and doth arme himselfe to keepe his friend from harme.]
[Vn ami veille pour l'autre:] [Prov.] One friend euer watches, or cares, for another.


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