John Trapp on Proverbs 29:20

Verſ. 20. Seeſt thou a man that is haſty in his words] Or Matters: that weighs not his words before he utters them, but over-ſoon ſhoots his fools-bolt, let it light where it will, hit or miſſe, it matters not; that had rather bee reckoned temerarious than timorous, and is with child till delivered of an abortive birth: that raſhly ruſheth on the weightieſt buſineſſes, and holds it loſſe of time to take counſel; this haſty head-long man, as hee never wants woe, ſo (becauſe he is no leſſe head-ſtrong than head-long, wiſe in his own conceit, than witleſſe in every mans elſe) there is more hope of a Natural than of him, and ſooner he will be wrought upon. Scaliger tells us the nature of ſome kind of Amber is ſuch,o[illegible: 1 letter]al. Exercit. 140. Num. 12. that it will draw to it ſelf all kind of ſtalks of any Herb, except Baſilisk, an Herb called Capitalis, becauſe it maketh men heady, filling their brains with black exhalations. Thus thoſe Haſtings, who by the fumes of their corrupt wills, are grown head-ſtrong, and withall are conceited (as cha. 26.12.) will not be drawn by that which draws others that are of lower parts and capacities; it being eaſier to deal with twenty mens reaſons, than with one mans will. Good therefore is the counſel of St. James, Be ſwift to hear, ſlow to ſpeak, &c. and of the Preacher, Eccleſ. 5.2. Be not raſh with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be haſty to utter any thing before God, in Prayer, Vows, and eſpecially in preaching. It was a wiſe ſpeech of Ariſtides, who being required of the Emperor to ſpeak to ſomething propounded ex tempore, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. anſwered, propound to day, and I will anſwer to morrow, for we are not of thoſe that ſpit or vomit things, but of thoſe that doe them carefully and accurately. Demoſthenes in like manner, when it was objected unto him, that he came premeditated to plead, anſwered, that he, if it might be poſſible, would plead, Non tantum ſcripta ſed etiam ſculpta, not things written only, but even engraven. And when Eccius told Melancthon that it was little for his praiſe, that he was ſo long ere he anſwered his adverſaries arguments (he would take three dayes ſometimes to think on it) hee replied, Nos non quaerimus gloriam, ſed veritatem, we ſeek not victory but verity.