John Trapp on Proverbs 13:20

Verſ. 20. Hee that walketh with wiſe men, ſhall bee wiſe] Hee that comes where ſweet ſpices and ointments are ſtirring, doth carry away ſome of the ſweet ſavour, though hee think not of it; ſo he that converſeth with good men, ſhall get good. Holineſs is ſuch an Elixar, as by Contaction (if there bee any diſpoſition of goodneſs in the ſame mettal) it will render it of the property. A childe having been brought up with Plato, Sen. de ita l. 3. c. 11. and afterwards hearing his Father break out into rage and paſſion, ſaid, I have never ſeen the like with Plato.

But a companion of fools ſhall bee broken] There is an elegancy in the Original that cannot bee Engliſhed. Bede by a companion or friend of fools here, underſtands thoſe that take delight in Jeſters, Stage-players, and ſuch idle companions, unprofitable burdens, — fruges conſumere nati, the botch and canker of the Commonwalth.Plutarch. Theatra juvenes corrumpunt, ſaith Plato, — ludi praebeut ſemina nequitiae, ſaith Ovid. The Lacedemonians would not admit of them, that ſo they might not hear any thing contrary to their laws, whether in jeſt, or in earneſt. Func. Chron. And Henry the third Emperour of Germany, when a great ſort of ſuch fellows flocked together at his wedding, ſent them all away, not allowing them ſo much as a cup of drink, Anno Dom. 1044.