John Trapp on Proverbs 17:7-8

Verſ. 7. Excellent speech becometh not a fool] A Nabal, a ſapleſs worthleſs fellow, in whom all worth is withered and decayed, qui nullas habet dicendi vires, as Cicero hath it, that can ſay no good, except it bee by rote, or at leaſt by book: what ſhould hee do diſcourſing of high points? God likes not fair words from a foul mouth. Chriſt ſilenced the Devil,Odi homine[illegible: 1 letter] ignava [illegible: 1 letter] p[illegible: 1 letter]r[illegible: 2 letters] philoſopha ſententia. when hee confeſſed him to bee the Son of the moſt high God. The leapers lips ſhould bee covered, according to the Law. The Lacedemonians, when a bad man had uttered a good ſpeech in their Council-houſe, liking the ſpeech, but not the ſpeaker, commanded one of better carriage to give the ſame counſel, and then they made uſe of it. The people of Rome ſware they would not beleeve Carbo, Liv. though hee ſware.

Much leſſe do lying lips a Prince] Or any ingenuous man, as ſome render it. A Princes bare word ſhould bee better ſecurity than another mans oath, ſaid Alphonſus King of Arragon: When Amurath the Great Turk was exhorted by his cruel Son Mahomet to break his Faith with the Inhabitants of Sfetigrade in Epirus, hee would not hearken, ſaying,Turk Hiſt. fol. 328. That hee which was deſirous to bee great amongſt men, muſt either be indeed faithful of his word and promiſe, or at leaſtwiſe ſeem ſo to bee: thereby to gain the minds of the people, who naturally abhorre the government of a faithleſs and cruel Prince. What a foul blur was that to Chriſtian Religion, that Ladiſlaus King of Hungary ſhould, by the perſwaſion of the Popes Legate,Ibid. 291. break his oath given to this Amurath at the great battel of Varna, and thereby open the mouth of that dead Dog, to rail upon Jeſus Chriſt? And how will the Papiſts ever bee able to wipe off from their Religion that ſtain that lies upon it, ever ſince the Emperour Sigiſmund, by the conſent and advice of the Council of Conſtance, brake his promiſe of ſafe conduct to John Hus and Hierome of Prague, and burnt them? But they have a rule to walk by now, Fides cum haereticis non eſt ſervanda, Promiſes made to Hereticks are not bee obſerved. And it is for Merchants, ſay they, and not for Princes, to ſtand to their oaths, any further than may ſtand with the publike good. This Divinity they may ſeem to have drawn out of Plato; who, in his third Dialogue of the Common-wealth, ſaith, that if it bee lawful for any one to lye, it may bee lawful doubtleſs for Princes and Governours, that aim therein at the Weal-publike. But God by the mouth of his Servant and Secretary Solomon here, aſſures us it is otherwiſe.

In vita Apollon. l, 3. c. 14.Verſ. 8. A gift is as a precious ſtone, &c.] Heb. As a ſtone of grace. Like that precious ſtone Pantarbe, ſpoken of in Philoſtratus, that hath a marvellous conciliating property; or the wonder-working Loadſtone, that among other ſtrange effects reckoned up by Marbodeus and Pictorius, doth poſſeſſores ſuos diſertos & Principibus gratos reddere, make thoſe that have it, well-ſpoken men, and well accepted of Princes.

Whitherſoever it turneth, it proſpereth] Moſt men are [non-Latin text not transcribed], and love with ſhame, Give yee. Yet ſome Perſian-like ſpirits there are (as hath been made good before by the examples of Luther, Galeabrius, and ſome others) that regard not ſilver, and as for gold (in ſuch a way) they have no delight in it, Iſa. 13.17. But theſe are black Swans indeed. The moſt ſing, Quis niſi mentis inops oblatum reſpuat aurum? Who but a fool would refuſe offered gold?