Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	know_v	speak_v	word_n	9,131	5	4.2861	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42669	Misery's virtues whet-stone reliquiæ Gethinianæ, or, Some remains of the most ingenious and excellent lady, the Lady Grace Gethin, lately deceased : being a collection of choice discourses, pleasant apothegmes, and witty sentences / written by her for the most part, by way of essay, and at spare hours ; published by her nearest relations to preserve her memory, and digested for method's sake under proper heads.; Misery's virtues whet-stone	Gethin, Grace, Lady, 1676-1697.	1699 (1699)	Wing G625; ESTC R7820	27,432	102

no small Reverence to Men's Manners and Actions if they be not altogether open No man can be secret except he give himself a little scope of Dissimulation which is the Skirt or Train of Secrecy Fluent and Luxurious Speech may become Youth well but not Age. Some think that to speak well one should Chuse only select Words but 't is certainly best to speak easie and Natural but we are to avoid an affected Negligence One ought not to affect hard words but whosoever speaks should make himself Intelligible The Honourable part of Speech is to give the Occasion again to moderate and pass to something else for then that leads the Dance 't is also Good in Discourse and Conversation to vary and intermix Speech of the present Occasion with Arguments Tales with Reason Asking of Questions with telling Opinions He that hath a Satyrical Vein as he makes others afraid of his Wit so he has need to be afraid of others Memory There are those whose Thoughts come near the understanding of Matters but their Words do so intricate their Conceptions that one cannot understand what they would be at and there are others that do not understand themselves so that they are not only to seek for their Words but their Apprehensions too The first are ambiguous in their Discourse because they choose not fit Words to express their Sentiments the other their Thoughts being confus'd there are no Words to fit ' em Speech of a Man's self ought to be seldom and well chosen Speech that touches towards others should be spareingly us'd for Discourse ought to be a Field without coming home to any particular Man It often happens that Men of good Sense speak little but seldom that a great Talker has a clear Judgment yet it is seldom that those who are Masters of Wit do … most wholly decline speaking but 't is often that persons of much Wit are too talkative for Wit is a Fire that will discover it self and tho' several Extraordinary Men have affected to speak little yet they have made themselves known by their Writings or Actions Wit can't be conceal'd There are great Poets great Princes great Philosophers that have been very sparing of their Speech but their Works speak for 'em and prove their silence proceeded not from Stupidity But it is not the same with those people whose Wit is at their Tongues end but their Actions are dumb One may have Judgment and speak much but those that speak too much have none For tho' there seem little difference between one that speaks very much and one that speaks too much yet it is as Liberality and Prodigality the one a Virtue the other a Vice Yet some that speak well may speak too much and by an over-forwardness to shew their Parts and their Judgment interrupt every one and snatch all opportunities to speak But when a man loves to speak because Nature has given him an easie Expression a capacious Mind a quick Fancy a Memory stored with choice and Rational Notions when his Judgment is Master of his Wit and Fancy and his Conversation perfectly suited to the Genius of the World such a one may speak much with boldness tho' I believe he is also able to hold his peace and will give Liberty of Speech to those that desire it To speak well 't is requisite to have a great deal of Wit and a sufficient and Excellent Judgment Some who do not talk much do listen with such ingenious Attention that 't is plain they understand what Wit is and have a great deal themselves To speak first sometimes prevents the trouble of answering to others Impertinent Questions Some speak what they ought not to think 'T is a great Master-piece to speak well of all things without affecting Knowledge to have a modest prudent complyance in Discourse as well as a real Goodness in all our Actions They that have these commendable Qualities beget a Love of Virtue in all that are Capable of it 'T is pleasant after long silence to relieve ones self with speaking and 't is well when peoples Actions speak more than their Words There are some Compliant People more troublesome than those that Dispute all things they Grant all one would have say all one says know no Opinion but what you put into their Heads n●ver say No Always say Yes Contradict themselves as much as you please and by a base Unworthy Complyance destroy conversation every moment One knows not what to say to 'em one can make no Sport unless it be with 'em Complyance is a good Quality confin'd in its Limits and Guided by Judgment otherwise 't is as subject to Vice as Virtue Discretion in Speech is more than Eloquence and to speak agreeably than to speak in good words or in good order To use many Circumstances before one comes to the Matter is troublesome and wearysome to use None is blunt 'T is not every one has the priviledge of Speaking displeasing Truths without offence 't is but few can do this and should they pretend to imitate they would be unsufferable 'T is different to jest with ones Friend which may be freely done without displeasing them 'T is not enough to speak plainly and reasonably but one must know well the Humour of those to whom one would speak freely several love to give but not to take Jests Sometimes one bitter word makes the most pleasant Raillery bite nay the Tone of the Voice or but a malicious Smile turns the most innocent Jest into a Satyr Nothing requires more Judgment than to railly inoffensively and to make this innocent War as it ought which makes Conversation pleasant when it ends without displeasure Nothing can be more disagreeable than not to be believed when one speaks Truth 'T is well when peoples Actions speak more Morality than their Words Of Lying L d Bacon A Man that Lyeth is an Hector towards God and a Coward towards Men for a Lye faces God and shrinks from Men. No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the advantage Ground of Truth an Hill not to be commanded and where the Air is always clear and serene A Lye serves for Disimulation for Perfidiousness and almost all Crimes To Lye for nothing is foolish and to Lye for Interest is a great Fault There is nothing so contrary to the Godhead as Lying for Truth is his inseparable Attribute The search of Truth is the Design of all Men but especially of the Wise Of Lyes some sorts are to be condemn'd and some may be pardon'd a great or a little Lye to any ones Prejudice ought to be avoided For since Justice and Generosity forbids Men to speak even Reflecting Truth much more injurious Lyes There are officious Lyes to the benefit of our Friends which may be Excusable on some Occasions If a Lye injures no body but do's good to some body it may be thought inoffensive however 't is injurious to the Relator though to none else because it

renders him less innocent If I would Lye in behalf of another certainly I would for my self There are Lying-looks as well as Lyeing-words dissembling Smiles deceiveing Signs and even a Lying-silence There are Lying-Civilties and Lying-Courtesies for people sometimes oblige those whom they hate some because they need them and others out of Fear and Weakness sometimes they appear glad to see those they Extreamly dislike Thus do's Dissimulation and Lying confound each other Though all Complements are Lyes yet because they are known to be such no body depends on 'em so there is no hurt in 'em you return them in the same manner you receive 'em and without scruple conform to 'em yet 't is best to make as few as one can As for a pleasant Relation one may venture to add a little to History for Truth for the most part has somewhat too serious and is not so diverting as Fiction and since 't is no more believ'd than Complement one is left to ones Liberty There are no Lyes innocent but such as are Related for Lyes yet it ought to appear profitable for a meer Lye is Ridiculous There is a sort of Lying produced by Vanity and these people are diverting enough they are such as commend themselves each according to his Fancy There are Hectors that tell long Tales of dangerous Enterprizes where they never were out of a Violent desire that the World may have a better Opinion of 'em than they desire There are foolish Fellows that spend whole Nights in devising Adventures and whole Days in telling 'em pretending to Fortunes they never had Some mean Birth pretending to be a Noble Family that came in with William the Conquerour some would seem sick and think to hide Poverty with Lyes and some Lyars are so Extravagant that after they have been puzzled by some person in Discourse without knowing what to say make the handsomest Answer in the world at home as if they had spoke them on the place Some are so foolish to report that Persons of Quality Visit them and Write to 'em who never thought on them The Sum of all is That there are many Fools and Lyars in the World tho' they that Lye to prejudice others are infinitly worse than those that so commend themselves but these are so Ridiculous that I know not if I could not sooner tell a Lye a little Malicious than to commend my self But these have weak Judgments and deserve Pity If Truth could be Establisht in the World Conversation would be quite changed Lying would surest argue Weakness Dissimulation would be base and even Lying-Civilities not free from blame To lye for ones own Commendation is Ridiculous Complements are lyes so known they do no mischief and Poets are the only Lyars that deserve to be commended Though Lying be a great Fault 't is very difficult absolutely to renounce it or always to speak Truth And if we well observe they that Hate it most do sometimes use it It has certain little Conveniences very Necessary We always add a little to a Story to make it more delightful Who can commend a Woman without speaking more Good of her than she deserves or speak ill of an Enemy without Aggravating his Faults or a Lover complain without making his Misery greater than it is I beg your favour for pleasant Lyes and a Lye by way of Excuse or to save the Life of a Person 'T is a shrode Spanish Proverb Tell a Lye and find a Truth Certainly 't is an Heaven upon Earth to have a Man's Mind move in Charity rest in Providence and turn upon the poles of Truth There are some that are Lyars and don't know it since Speech is the great Thing that distinguishes Men from Beasts how Unworthy are they that falsify it No Beasts have deceitful Cries but that Animal bred on the Banks of Nile 't is only Wicked Man that perverts the use of his Voice Truth bears the supream sway in Love and Friendship and without it the World would be all Confusion Is there any thing more Odious than the Practices of those great Persons who with Looks and Words make one hope a thousand things they never mean to perform Is there any thing more Cruel than to discover that your Friend has deceived you or Mistress who swears she loves none but you and yet loves divers others or to speak properly loves none for a divided Love is no Love Sometimes one is apt to accuse another to excuse ones self True Lovers need not Lye unless in Poetry but for the usual Impertinent Lovers they may speak what they please for none will believe 'em but easy Women that deserve to be deceived Let them feign Sighs and Tears if they can Flatter and Lye pretend Despair and a thousand Counterfeit Loves they are all but so many Lyes Those who do not scruple little Infidelities have strong Dispositions to greater ones therefore one ought to accustom ones self to be Exact even in the smallest things Of Idleness I Know not which is most Shameful to be a sluggard for want of Wit or Courage Some are Idle only because they are Careless for they have a great deal of Wit and on some occasions shew they have Courage neither can one perceive they have any bad Qualities These are the most Guilty of all for why should they be so Unprofitable both to the World and to themselves to have Wit to no purpose and such an Indifference as to concern themselves with nothing to have neither Love nor Ambition but be so Negligent as to be Uncapable of any great Pleasure I Know not if it were at all better to addict ones self to what is not very good than to apply ones self to Nothing 't is certain that those whose Minds God has but sparingly Enrich't are happy when they are assign'd an Unactive Life and so they are hidden in their own Obscurities This Deficiency produces the same Effect in them which Wisdom do's in others and restrains them from appearing ill to the World There is none but Knows there are some that would not be spoken of if they were not in great Employments and of whom one hears a thousand Discourses because they acquit themselves ill of what they rashly Undertake Promote an Hair-Brain'd Man or one of Weak Capacity to the Management of State-Affairs or a faint-hearted Man to Command in an Army and you 'll find 't is pity there are no more Idle than there be Though Idleness be good for nothing yet it hurts none it injures none but themselves but such as manage Employments they are Unfit for make great disorders and 't were happy if they did Nothing Therefore 't is better to Censure impertinent Busy-Bodyes than those Lazy-Backs who seek their Ease and do better in indulging their Quiet than in being Active but the worst Idleness is when they will addict themselves to Nothing though they are Oblig'd by Necessity to take the Employment which Fortune has given