French Proverbs from 1611: The government, courts, law, and authority figures of all kinds

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[`A petite achoison le loup prend le mouton:] [Prov.] [When Tyrants will oppresse th'innocent, a sleight pretext is made sufficient.]


[à rude asne rude asnier:] [Pro.] A stubborne seruant needs a froward master; a curst wife a curbing husband; a rebellious subiect a rigorous Soueraigne.


[Au monde n'y a si grand dommage que de seigneur au fol courage:] [Prov.] [There is no beast like to a wicked Lord.]


[Bon advocat mauvais Voisin:] [Pro.] a good Lawyer an euill neighbour.
[Bon Advocat mauvais voisin:] [Prov.] A good Councellor an ill companion.


[Celuy gouverne bien mal le miel qui n'en taste:] [Prov.] [Hee's but an ill cooke that licks not his owne fingers;] One may say, he is vnwise, who in the managing of publicke businesse addes not somewhat vnto his priuate.
[Celuy gouverne bien mal le miel qui n'en taste, & ses doigts n'en leche:] [Prov.] we say, he is an ill Cooke that lickes not his owne fingers; One may say, he is vnwise, who in the managing of publicke businesse addes not somewhat vnto his priuate.


[Celuy peut hardiment nager à qui l'on soustient le menton:] [Prov.] [A fauourite of the time, or of authoritie, may boldly swimme where another would sinke.]


[De ieune advocat heritage perdu:] [Pro.] The young (or vnexperienced) Lawyer hazards what he pleads for.
[De ieune Advocat heritage perdu:] [Prov.] [The land is lost which a young Lawyer pleads for.]


[De meschante vie les bonnes loix sont venuë s:] [Pro.] [Ill liues occasioned good Lawes.]
[De meschante vie les bonnes loix sont venuë s:] [Prov.] [Bad liues haue bred good lawes.]


[De meschant homme bon Roy:] [Pro.] [The froward, or vntractable man proues a good King.]
[De meschant homme bon Roy:] [Prov.] [A froward man becomes a good King.]


[En cent livres de plaid n'y a pas vn maille d'amour:] [Pro.] In a hundred pound of law there's not a halfepenny weight of loue.
[En cent livres de plaid n'y pas vne maille d'amour:] [Prov.] [The more law the lesse loue.]


[En maigre poil a morsure:] [Pro.] [A bald head yeelds a lowse a full bit; disarmed of protection, soone harmed by oppression.]


[Eschar plaidoyeur est hardi perdeur:] [Prov.] [The miserable pleader is a miserable speeder; the sparing of a fee is often the spoyle of a cause.]
[Eschars plaidoyeur est hardi perdeur:] [Prov.] [The sparing Client's willing to be foild.]


[Haine de prince signifie mort d'homme:] [Pro.] [Hee's neere his death thats hated by his Prince.]
[Haine de Prince signifie mort d'homme:] [Prov.] [A Princes hate imports the death of man.]
[Haine de Prince signifie mort d'homme:] [Prov.] [He whom a Prince hates is as good as dead.]


[Il ne parle pas au roy qui veut:] [Pro.] [Not euerie one that would, may speake to Kings.]
[Il ne parle pas au Roy qui veut:] [Prov.] [Euerie one hath not the Kings eare at commaund.]


[Il n'y a si petit Sainct qui ne desire sa chandelle:] [Prov.] There is no man in authoritie, how small soeuer, but lookes for the respect thats due vnto him.


[La censure tourmente les Pigeons, laissant aller les Corbeaux libres:] [Prov.] [Censure tormenteth Doues, and freeth Rauens (so comes weake innocencie to the blocke, whilest powerfull wickednesse is winked at.)]
[La censure tourmente les pigeons laissant aller les corbeaux libres:] [Prov.] Censure torments Pigeons, and frees Rauens; [and hence are Lawes compared vnto Cobwebs; little flies are caught in them, great ones breake through them.]


[La verge anoblit, & le ventre affranchit:] [Prov.] [The gentleman ennobles his child, a free woman enfranchises hers;]
[La verge ennoblist, & le ventre affranchist.] [(A Proverbe, or Principle in the French Lawes) Children are by their father ennobled, and by their mother infranchised; but this is not alwayes so.


[Les oisons menent paistre les oyes:] [Prov.] [The cart leads the horse; the young instruct the old.]
[Les oisons menent paistre les oyes:] [Prov.] [(Said when subiects gouerne their Princes, children their parents, meane men the Magistrates, and seruants or schollers their maisters; and is a note as well of weakenesse in the Geese, as of sawcinesse in the Goslings.)]


[Les princes ne veulent point de servitudes limitez:] [Pro.] [Princes will not be serued on conditions.]


[Les princes se servent des hommes comme le laboureur des abeilles:] [Pro.] [viz. First take their honey from them, and then smoother, or expell, them.]


[Les princes tiennent tousiours leurs comptes, ils ne perdent iamais rien:] [Prov.] [Princes are excellent reckoners, for they seldome loose ought.]


[Les Rivieres retournent en la mer:] [Prov.] [(Said when Princes doe squeeze out of their spungie Officers the moisture which they haue purloyned from them.)]


[L'oiseau gazouille selon qu'il est embecqué:] [Pro.] [A man vsually speakes as his humor moues, gaine leads, or passion vrges him; or (like a good bird) he vtters onely that which he was bid, or taught, to say.]
[L'oiseau gazouille selon qu'il est embecqué:] [Prov.] A man speaks euen as his hopes do moue, or passions vrge him; [It may be also applied to a Lawyer, who according to the fee he hath receiued, pleads for his Client, better or worse.]


[Longuement proceder est à l'advocat vendenger:] [Pro.] Long suits are Lawyers haruests.
[Longuement proceder est à l'advocat vendenger:] [Prov.] [Long pleading is the Lawyers haruest.]


[L'oye meine l'oison paistre:] [Prov.] [The Goose leads out the Gosling to the field; (contrarie to the former, and an argument of a well-proportioned gouernment.)]
[L'oye mene l'oison paistre:] [Prov.] [Carefull parents teach their children how to liue of themselues.]


[Mieux vaut reigle que rente:] [Prov.] [Better be wise then wealthie, honest then rich; good rule's to be preferd 'fore great reuenues.]
[Mieux vaut reigle que rente:] [Prov.] [Good gouernement is of more worth then gold.]


[Necessité est la moitié de raison:] [Prov.] [Necessitie hath halfe the force of a reason; a fault which must be made is halfe excused.]
[Necessité est la moitié de raison:] [Prov.] We say that necessitie hath no law.


[Nul bien sans haine:] [Prov.] No good thing vngrudged at.
[Nul bien sans haine:] [Prov.] [No happinesse without hatred.]
[Nul endroict sans son envers:] [Prov.] No commoditie without a discommoditie.
[Nul endroict sans son envers:] [Prov.] No outside without an inside.
[Nul grain sans paille:] [Pro.] [No corne without some chaffe.]
[Nul grain sans paille:] [Prov.] [No corne without straw (or chaffe;) good and bad are commonly together.]
[Nulle noix sans coque:] [Pro.] [No nut without a shell.]
[Nulle rose sans espine:] [Prov.] [No Rose without a prickle.]
[Nulle terre sans guerre: &, Qui a terre si a guerre:] [Prov.] [No land without Law; no contentment without contention.]
[Nulle terre sans guerre:] [Prov.] [No land without warre; he that hath land is seldome out of law;] [The like is]; [Qui a terre, si, a guerre:] [Prov.] [He that hath soyle hath suits.]
[Nul miel sans fiel:] [Prov.] [No honie without gall.]


[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 despouiller vn homme nud:] [Prov.] [A naked man cannot be stript of clothes.]
[On ne peut despouiller vn homme nud:] [Prov.] Of a naked man who can haue clothes? Where there is nothing, the King looses his rights.


[Que veut le roy ce veut la loy:] [Prov.] [The King and law haue but one will and pleasure; the law is wholly gouerned by the King; euen as he will so is it interpreted, so vnderstood.]
[Que veut le Roy ce veut la Loy:] [Prov.] [The Law makes good her Princes expositions.]
[Que veut le Roy ce veut la loy:] [Prov.] [What the King likes the Law allowes of;] or, lawes are expounded as the King thinks good.


[Qui a terre, si, a guerre:] [Prov.] [He that hath soyle hath suits.]


[Qui de ses subiects est haï n'est pas Seigneur de son paï s:] [Prov.] [The Prince thats hated, is not Lord, of his countrey.]
[Qui de ses subjects esy hay, n'est pas seigneur de son paï s:] [Prov.] [The Lord whose subiects cannot well indure him, finds no place in his countrey to secure him.]


[Qui ie sois officier au moins d'un moulin:] [Prov.] [Let me be an Officer though it be but of a Mill: make the King an Officer, and he will soone grow rich; (quoth an old Preacher in Edward the sixts time.)]


[Qui mange l'oye du roy il en chie la plume cent ans apres:] [Prov.] [He that eateth a Goose of the Kings doth spue vp her feathers a hundred yeares after; (Applyable to vntrue Exchequer men; and vnto any purloyners of his Treasure, concealers of his Titles, withholders of his Rights.)]
[Qui mange l'oye du Roy, il en chie la plume cent ans apres:] [Prov.] [He that eats the Kings Goose doth void the feathers an hundred years after: viz. He that purloynes the Princes treasure payes in th'arrerages (by himselfe, or his heires) one time or another.]


[Qui sert dieu il a bon maistre:] [Pro.] He that serues God, serues a good maister.
[Qui sert Dieu il a bon maistre:] [Prov.] [The seruant of God hath a good maister.]
[Qui sert le roy il a bon maistre:] [Pro.] [He that serues the King serues a good Maister;] or, he needs none else, that hath a King, to Maister.
[Qui sert le Roy il a bon maistre:] [Prov.] [No seruice to the King.]


[Qui tient la paelle par la queuë il la tourne là ou il veut:] [Prov.] [He that holds a frying-panne by the taile may turne it which way he list.]
[Qui tient la paesle par la queuë, il la tourne là ou il veut:] [Pro.] [Those that commaund, or manage, lawes, expound them how they list.]


[Qui veut tuer son chien luy met la rage sus:] [Prov.] [He that will hang his dog pretends he's mad.]
[Qui veut tuer son chien luy met la rage sus:] [Prov.] When a bad Prince would be rid of a good subiect, or seruant, the tricke is, to lay treason to his charge.


[selon la iambe la seigné e:] [Prov.] [Ratably, proportionably, with effort answerable to force, according to the measure of his meanes.]
[Selon la jambe la saigné e:] [Prov.] [Let bloud according to the bodies fullnesse, or strength; subiects, or tenants would not be drawne too dry.]


[Si souhaits furent vrais pastoureaux seroyent Rois :] [Prov.] [If wishes might preuaile poore shepheards would be Kings.]
[Si souhaits fussent vrais pastoureaux seroient Rois:] [Prov.] [If wishes might succeed poore men would Princes be.]


[Tant que le seigneur dort le vassal veille:] [Prov.] [As long as a Lord forbeares to seize his vassalls land (for want of homage, & c.) the vassall may lawfully, and without any wrong done to him, enioy it, and take the profits of it.]


[Tel a bonne cause qui est condamné:] [Prov.] A iust cause may be ouerthrowne by an vniust sentence.
[Tel a bonne cause qui est condemné:] [Prov.] Hee thats i'the right oft times receiues the foile.


[Tesmoing passe lettre:] [Prov.] [The deposition of a present witnesse is a more effectuall euidence then a bare proofe out of any writing.]


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