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9.8 Proverbial

This has been one of those apparently uneventful days.

We knocked around some of "Poor Richard's" proverbs in the sophomore classes. One bright student thought that these aphorisms showed that Franklin had a very negative, or at least sarcastic, attitude toward human beings. "Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead." "Love your neighbor, yet don't pull down your hedge." "The rotten apple spoils his companions."

Franklin, of course, was no Puritan. He had replaced the Calvinistic notion of human depravity with a rationalist's belief in human improvability; but a realistic sense of who we are and how we screw things up demands some account of evil. Franklin found a place for it off in the tiny corner of discourse reserved for these witty, folksy, "wise" words.

All of this reminded me of another collection (also mined, apparently, by Franklin) called Outlandish Proverbs, collected and published in 1640 by the British metaphysical poet George Herbert. I had the luck to copy these some years ago from a book which no longer seems to be in print. Here are some of my favorites, original numeration and archaic spelling intact.

2. He begins to die, that quits his desires.
13. The scalded dog feares cold water.
43. He lives unsafely, that lookes too neere on things.
52. Brabling Curres never want torne eares.
72. At Length the Fox turnes Monk.
77. When a dog is drowning, every one offers him drink.
84. He that will learne to pray, let him goe to Sea.
88. A full belly neither fights nor flies well.
123. To a boyling pot flies come not.
236. Advise none to marry or to goe to warre.
275. Gossips are frogs, they drinke and talke.
321. Bee not a Baker, if your head be of butter.
349. He that is not handsome at 20, nor strong at 30, nor rich at 40, nor wise at 50, will never bee handsome, strong, rich, or wise.
395. To a crazy ship all winds are contrary.
436. He that hath little is the lesse durtie.
527. A foole may throw a stone into a well, which a hundred wise men cannot pull out.
556. The blind eate many a flie.
605. The fatt man knoweth not, what the leane thinketh.
607. The fish adores the bait.
651. An idle head is a boxe for the winde.
711. Reason lies between the spur and the bridle.
750. All complaine.
801. Good swimmers at length are drowned.
827. You must loose a flie to catch a trout.
886. There needs a long time to know the world's pulse.
900. Take heede of an oxe before, of an horse behind, of a monke on all sides.
933. Trees eate but once.
1024. If the braine sowes not corne, it plants thistles.
1032. Hee that wipes the childs nose, kisseth the mothers cheeke.

Well, there they be. Some of them at any rate. That's the kind of day I had - one that needs filling with 17th century dust.

The days get shorter as I jog longer into the dark. I miss the summer light most of all. But the fall has its own pleasures, right?

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