French Proverbs from 1611: Well-known proverbs

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Main Page

known | booze | church | clothes | devil | dirty | english | farm | food | fool | friends | government | illness | latin | love | luck | marriage | money | music/dance | animals | theft | war | women


[Assez consent qui ne dit mot:] [Pro.] He that gaine sayes not, giues his full consent; (of the same vessell is;) [Assez octroye qui mot ne dit.]
[Assez consent qui ne dit mot:] [Prov.] He consents enough that sayes nothing; [(Many, who know not much more Latine, can say, Qui tacet consentire videtur.)]


[Fol & avoir ne se peuvent entr'avoir:] [Pro.] A foole and wealth cannot possesse each other.


[Fols sont sages quand ils se taisent:] [Pro.] [Fooles are held wise as long as they are silent.]
[Fols sont sages quand ils se taisent:] [Prov.] Fooles are wise vntill they speake.
[Fols sont sages quand ils se taisent:] [Prov.] [Fooles passe for wise men while they silent are.]


[Fortune aide à celuy qui se veut aider:] [Pro.] Fortune aides him that loues to aid himselfe; fortune helps on the forward.
[Fortune aide à celuy qui se veut aider:] [Pro.] Fortune helpes him that's willing to helpe himselfe.


[Homme mort ne fait guerre:] [Prov.] [A dead man deales no blowes.]
[Homme mort ne fait guerre:] [Prov.] [Dead men are quiet; the dead man makes no warre.]
[Homme mort ne fait guerre:] &, [Homme mort ne mord point:] [Prov.] [A dead man fights not;] we say; A dead dog bites not.
[Homme mort ne mord pas:] [Prov.] [A dead man;] (or as we say, a dead dog) bites not.


[Il ne choisit pas qui emprunte:] [Prov.] Borrowers must not be chusers.
[Il ne choisit pas qui emprunte:] [Prov.] Borrowers we say beggers are no chusers.


[Il n'a pas soif qui de l'eau ne boit:] [Prov.] Hee's not athirst that will not water drinke.
[I n'as pas soif qui de l'eau ne boit:] [Prov.] [Hee's not athirst that water drinkes not.]


[L'arbre ne tombe pas du premer coup:] [Prov.] [Though a little man can fell a great Oke, yet falls it not at the first blow; Rome was not built on a day; nor are great matters atchieued as soone as attempted.]
[L'arbre ne tombe pas du premier coup:] [Pro.] The first blow fels not the tree; the first attempt, or effort, carries not a great matter.


[Le plus bref est le meilleur:] [Prov.] [The shorter the better.]


[Le rouge soir, & blanc matin font resjouïr le pelerin:] [Prov.] [The euening red, and morning gray presage a faire succeeding day.]
[Le rouge soir, & blanc matin, font resjouïr le pelerin:] [Prov.] [The euening red and morning gray, are hopefull signes of a faire day.]


[Les oisons menent paistre les oyes:] [Prov.] [The cart leads the horse; the young instruct the old.]
[Les oisons menent paistre les oyes:] [Prov.] [(Said when subiects gouerne their Princes, children their parents, meane men the Magistrates, and seruants or schollers their maisters; and is a note as well of weakenesse in the Geese, as of sawcinesse in the Goslings.)]


[Mieux vaut coü ard que trop hardi:] [Prov.] [Better no heart then too much hardinesse.]
[Mieux vaut coü ard que trop hardi:] [Prov.] Tis better to be a coward than foole-hardie.


[Mieux vaut vn pied nud que nul:] [Pro.] [A bare foot is better then none.]
[Mieux vaut vn pied nud que nul:] [Pro.] [Better a naked, then no, foot.]
[Mieux vaut vn pied nud que nul:] [Prov.] [Better halfe a loafe then no bread.]


[Mieux vaut vn pied que deux eschasses:] [Prov.] [One foot is better then two stilts.]
[Mieux vaut vn tenez que deux vous l'aurez:] [Pro.] Better is one thing in possession then two in expectancie.
[Mieux vaut vn tenez que deux vous l'aurez:] [Pro.] [Better one bird in the hand then two in the bush.]


[On a beau mener le boeuf à l'eau s'il n'a soif:] [Pro.] In vaine is an Oxe led to the water if he be not athirst; we say [(with some difference of sence)] a man may lead his horse to the water, but cannot make him drinke vnlesse he list.


[On crié tousiours le loup plus grand qu'il n'est:] [Prov.] [Report makes dangers greater then they be.]
[On crie le loup plus grand qu'il n'est:] [Prov.] Report makes mischiefes greater than they be. {ed: Crying wolf.}


[On ne doit point mentir en vin:] [Prov.] [Somewhat like the Latine, In vino veritas; or an aduise to make it good; and then may be rendered thus; when men are drunke they should not lye, because in wine is veritie.]
[On ne doit point mentir en Vin:] [Pro.] [Wine telleth truth, and should not be belyed.]


[Pluye de Fevrier vaut esgout de fumier:] [Prov.] [Februarie raine is th'husbandmans gaine.]
[Pluye de Fevrier vaut esgout de fumier:] [Prov.] We say, Aprill showers bring in May flowers.


[Quand d'autruy parler tu voudras regarde toy, & te tairas:] [Prov.] [Let him that meanes to tax another, examine himselfe, and then he will be silent.]
[Quand d'autruy parler tu voudras, regarde toy, & te tairas:] [Prov.] [When on another thou wouldst raile, behold they selfe, thy tongue will quaile.]
[Quand d'autry parler tu voudras regarde toy, & tu tairas:] [Prov.] [When on another thou wouldst gladly rayle, looke well into thy selfe, thy tongue will quaile.]


[Que veut le roy ce veut la loy:] [Prov.] [The King and law haue but one will and pleasure; the law is wholly gouerned by the King; euen as he will so is it interpreted, so vnderstood.]
[Que veut le Roy ce veut la Loy:] [Prov.] [The Law makes good her Princes expositions.]
[Que veut le Roy ce veut la loy:] [Prov.] [What the King likes the Law allowes of;] or, lawes are expounded as the King thinks good.


[Qui aime Bertrand aime son chien:] [Prov.] Loue me loue my dog (say we.)


[Qui demande ce qu'il ne devroit il oit ce qu'il ne voudroit:] [Prov.] [He that askes more then he should, heares more then he would.]
[Qui demande ce qu'il ne devroit, il oit ce qu'il ne vouldroit:] [Prov.] He that askes what he should not, heares what he would not.


[Qui glane il ne fait pas ce qu'il veut:] [Prov.] [Somewhat like our, Beggers must be no chusers.]


[Qui n'a cheual, ne chariot, il ne charge pas quand il veut:] [Prov.] He loads not when he lists that wants both horse, and cart.
[Qui n'a cheval ne chariot il ne charge pas quand il veut:] [Pro.] He cannot do what he would that wants wherewithall; beggers must not be chusers.
[Qui n'a cheval ne chariot, il ne charge pas quand il veut:] [Pro.] Hee often wants of his will, that wants wherewithall.


[Qui n'a santé il n'a rien, qui a santé il a tout:] [Pro.] [He that hath health, hath all things, he that wants it, nothing.]
[Qui n'a santé n'a rien:] [Prov.] [He that wants health wants all things.]


[Qui ne s'adventure n'a cheual ny mule:] [Pro.] Nothing venture nothing haue, say we.
[Qui ne s'adventure n'a cheval ny mule:] [Prov.] He that hazards nothing winneth nothing; faint heart neuer got faire Ladie.
[Qui ne s'avanture n'a cheval, ni mule:] [Prov.] [We say], nothing aduenture nothing haue. [Qui trop s'avanture perd cheval, & mule:] [Prov.] [Venture too farre you loose all; (So the difference is, that the one wants but what he had not; the other looses what he had.)]


[Qui n'y va n'y chet:] [Prov.] He incurres no daunger that comes not where tis; come not among blows, your skin will be whole ynough.
[Qui n'y va n'y chet:] [Prov.] He that climbes not fals not; he that ventures not failes not.


[Qui premier arrive au moulin, le premier doit mouldre:] [Pro.] [He that first comes must first be serued.]
[Qui premier arrive au moulin le premier doit mouldre:] [Pro.] [The first commer is to be serued first.]
[Qui premier arrive au moulin le premier doit mouldre:] [Prov.] [First come first serued.]


[Qui veut aller les pieds nuds ne doit semer des espines:] [Prov.] [He that will bare-foot goe must plant no thornes.]
[Qui veut aller les pieds nuds ne doit semer des espines:] [Prov.] He that will bare-foot goe, must sow no thornes.


[Quoy que fol tarde iour ne tarde:] [Prov.] [Though the foole tarrie day-light tarries not.]
[Quoy que fol tarde iour ne tarde:] [Prov.] [Time stayeth not on fools;] or, though the foole stay, time staies not.
[Quoy que fol tarde, iour ne tarde:] [Prov.] While fooles doe pause the day is spent; time stayes not the fooles leisure.


[Qui peu seme peu prend:] [Prov.] [He that sowes little reapes little.]
[Qui peu seme peu prend:] [Prov.] [Of small seeding a small crop.]
[Telle semence telle moisson:] [Prov.] [Ill seed, ill weed;] or, such as the seed such is the crop.
[Telle semence telle moisson:] [Prov.] [Looke how you sow so shall you reape.]


[Toute Chatte a son Fevrier:] [Prov.] Euerie dog hath his day (say we) or [(more properly) euerie woman hath her wanton fit.]


[Vn bien acquiert l'autre:] [Prov.] One good thing begets another.


[Vne main lave l'autre:] [Prov.] [One hand washes the other; applyable to such as giue vpon assurance, or hope, to be giuen vnto; or vnto such as any way serue one anothers turne.]
[Vne main lave l'autre:] [Prov.] [One serues anothers turne.]


Return to French Proverbs from 1611