He E)!i/ of idle Talk. ji.dies, perhaps he will remember Ram. r. 21. They became vain in their imagil:ati(HfJ : their foolijh hearts were dark._ned, and profiffing tbem{tlvu wife, tbey became foo/J, §. 19· 5, Idle ~ord1 are an aggr.tv~tcd_fin, w~en they are jludied,and pompoufl} fer forth at great la. bour and cofi, as a matter to be gloued m: As to Playes and Romances; woriC than Tobacco-houfes where men feU fmoal{; The pleafure, the love, the labour, the call, the time, the dcceir, the remptati· on, the impenirc:ncy, aro.g~eat aggravations of this fin. · Ditrll. 3· §. 20. Dire/1. 3· Vnderftand and confidrr the mifihie{of thejin of babling idle tul~. For thccom– lhe finfU:!nefs mon caufe of it is, that men rake it to be: lO finall a tin, that they think there is no d:mger in ir. and ·o~uc~ Jdie therefore they fear it no more than a fcratcht finger. , t;~ ' ~ 21. I· ( Bcfides thegeneral tvil mentioned 1it. I· 'Dire[/. I· ) con(ider that much idle'"'~ is a multitude of fin;. Though one idle word were never fo fmall a tin, yet when it cometh to .hundreds and tho~f.mds, and is your daily hout!y cullome, all fet tog·erher cannot be final!. Mmy thoufand pence, IS more than onejhiUing or pound. And.your frequent cullome of idle talk, may' amount eo a grearcr finfulnefs,than Noah's ouce drunkennc:lS,or David)s once adultcry,or Peter's once denying Chrilt. If a fwearcr lhould {wear as oft, or a lyar lye as ofr, or a ThiefHeal as ofc, as many women (and men too ) fpeak idly, what Monfiers fhould we take them for? Col. ,.r6,17• 9· 22. 2· Idle tal~ excludeth aU the good difcourfi, and ulifjiHgfpeech that fhould have been ufed all EpheC4 19. that time. We have many greater ufes for our tongues: You have your bulinefs to talk of, and your t•f:~.l. 1oS. '' Gcd, and your fouls, and your duties, and your fins, and the life to come to talk of! 0 how many great a11d n<eelfary things: And will you Omt out all this edifying lpeech, by your idk chat? Will you hinder others as well as your felves ? · §. 23· 3· Idlttullzii a finfulconfllmtr of time: You have greater bufinefS to fpend your hours in: If you faw what aworld you are ready to go to, and faw how near you a,re to it, you would chink your [Ives that you hadgreater bufinefs than idle chat, to fpend your time in. Do you know what you lofe in loling all thofe hours? §. 24. 4· Idle talk., corrupt; the hearernnind,;, andtendeth to maltJ them light, and vain, and empty, even as good di[cDurfe doth tend to make them goad. Why do you talk.. eo others, but to communicate your fmfe and ajfe{lions to them by your words 1 And for all that many take ir fer a little fin, I am fure ic is not a little hurt that it doth. If men were not ufcd to be entettained with fo much vain difcourfe, they could not rei] how te keep better things from their minds or mouths : nor would their tha~tghtr be fo.habituated ro vanity ; nor would they make .fuch return~ of idle words ; whereas one v:ain .difcomfc: bcgets another , and it is a multiplying an.d ~ery infeCti– ous fin. 9· 2 5· 5· As your tonguu are mif-employed, fo your witt and mindt are dijhonoured by vaiH tall;, Even good wort/.1 will grow contemptible when they are too cheap and common. AFidler at the door goes but for a Rogue, thoushMufick and Muficions be honoured : Whoever wok a talkative babler Eccl.f.s. h 1· for a wife man: He that is LogopbihH is feldome PhilologHi, much lefs PbilofophUt. As Dmujlbenet E.cdcf. to.u, faid to a Prater, lftbou Jtnewtjl more, tbou wouldft fay lift. They fddom go for men ofatlionand E 1 ( '3· vertuc that ralk much : They that foy much, ufually do little: Women, and Children, and old folks,. rf~t_\71.0j~"· are commonly the greatell: talkers: (I may add, mad foll{f ). Livynoteth, that Souldiers that prate Prov. I1· '-1• and brag much, feldom fight well: And Era{mur noteth, that Children tbat quick.!J learn to JPeaJt~ 2 8. & 10 · 2.o: a,·e long in leattting to go. It is not rhe barking Cur.r that bitetb. Let it be the honour ofa Parrot &: n. 1 ~ & 8 to [peak.. much, hut of a man to [pe"k.. wifely. The mobility of theirsonguu ( an honour common to ~~·5', 96. & ~~:an Afpcn leaf) is all their honour, that can multiJ verhi1 pauca dicert, fay a little in a great many of a.3. words; but multa pauciJ, much in fiw words; is the character of the Wife, unlefs when the quality of the auditors prohibiteth it: And qui funt in dicendo breviffimi, if the auditors can bear it, fhall be accounted the belt fpeakers. I am not of his mind that faid, Jle oft repented [peakJng, but mvtr re~ pwttd filence: But, except they be Minifiers, few men hav( ~ nrucb cau[e to repent of filence as of fpeech. Nun quam multa, jtd quam bme, mufi be the Chnfiians care. As one faid ofPhilo· fophy, I may much more fay ofReligion, that though an Orator1excellency appeareth only in[peakJng,yet the Philvfophers ( and the Chriftiant ) appeartth as much in fdmce. 9· 26. 6.1Fhm thrre it much idletal~, there wiY be "'"'h fin{ul taliz, Prov. to. Ijl· ln ·the mulli– tude ofJJ'ordr tbtre TPtllftJ not fin; but he that rcfraine~h hi.~ lip1 ~~wife. There ar~ lycs, or b.1ck~ bitings, or rnedling with other folks matters, or f:urnlous Jeal.ts, ~f not ~any fitch fms that go along with a courfe of idle talk: It is the vehicle in wh1ch the DevtJ g1veth hts Dl()fi po){onour draughts. S01.ith LipjiJH, It ir givtn toPrtlttrJ, Non mnlta tantum fed male; tojjea~ ill, M 1Ul1 M to [pf4~ much. . 9· 27· 7· Vain wordt binder your own edijiwion: Who knowcth if )"OU would hold your tong~~es, Prov.1~. 8)9• but {ome one would {peak: wi{elyer, that might do you good? 9· 28. 8. And ;ou wtary the Hearers ( unlefs they are ftrangely patient ) when you intend to pleafc them (or elfe you might as well talk all that by your felf ) : It is fcarce man~ers for them, unltfs you be much thtir inferiors, to tell you they are aweary tO hear you, and ro mtreat you to hold your 101igucs: But you little know how oft they thinlz [o: I judge of 01hcrs bymyfelf: I.flye from a calkative perfon, as from a Bed that hath Fleas or LU:c: I would fhur my doors agamlt them, as I Hop my Windows againfl rhc Wind and Cold in Winter? How glad a111 J when they have done 1 and gladder when <hey arc gone? Make not your (elves a burden to your company or friends, by the troublefome noifc ot an unwearied tongue. 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