French Proverbs from 1611: Starting with the letter P

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[Pain tant qu'il dure, vin à mesure:] [Prov.] [Eat at pleasure, drinke by measure.]
[Pain tant qu'il dure, vin à mesure:] [Prov.] [Eat bread at pleasure, drinke wine by measure; A Precept which the French obserue in the first (howsoeuer in the second) part; for no people eat more bread, nor haue better bread to eat, then they.]


[Pape, & puis musnier:] [Prov.] [Fallen from the highest to the lowest estate; or from pompe to pouertie.]


[Parens sans amis, amis sans pouvoir, pouvoir sans vouloir, vouloir sans effect, effect sans profit, profit sans vertu, ne vaut vn festu:] [Prov.] Kinred without friends, friends without power, power without will, will without effect, effect without profit, profit without vertue, is not worth a fescue.


[Parez l'herisson il semblera Baron:] [Prov.] [Good clothes hide much deformitie;] or, a clowne well cloathed seemes a Gentleman.
[Parez vn herisson il semblera Baron:] [Prov.] Good, (or gay) clothes will make a Monkie seeme a Monsieur.
[Parez vn herisson il semblera baron:] [Prov.] [Tricke vp an Vrchin he will seeme a Baron; good apparrell (as Loue) couers many a fault.]


[Par trop debatre la verité se perd:] [Prov.] By too much arguing truth is lost.
[Par trop debatre la verité se perd:] [Prov.] [Too much debating makes truth to be lost.]


[Par trop presser l'anguille on la perd:] [Prov.] Wee often loose things by too much looking to them; or, the faster you meane to hold a slipperie thing, the sooner it ouerslips you.


[Par trop trotter la poule, & la femme se perdent facilement:] [Prov.] A gadding henne, and houswife are soone lost.
[Par trop trotter la poule, & la femme se perdent facilement:] [Prov.] [Women, and hennes, that gad oremuch, are quickly lost.]


[Pas à pas le boeuf prend le lievre:] [Pro.] [A patient, & moderat proceeding, effects great matters.]


[Pas à pas on va bien loing:] [Prov.] [Faire and softly goeth farre.]


[Pasques long temps desiré es sont en vn iour tost passées:] [Prov.] [The long-desired Passeouer is in a day past ouer.]


[Patience de Lombard:] [Prov.] [A forced patience.]


[Patience passe Science:] [Prov.] [Patience passeth Science.]


[Pendant que les chiens s'entregrondent le loup devore la brebis:] [Prov.] [Church-mens contention is the diuels haruest.]
[Pendant que les chiens s'entregrondent le loup devore la brebis:] [Prov.] While Churchmen brabble, Satan feeds on soules.


[Petit à petit on va bien loing:] [Pro.] [Faire and softly goeth farre.]


[Petit disner longuement attendu, n'est pas donné, mais cherement vendu:] [Pro.] We buy too deerely meat we stay long for; or, a little meat long stayed for's deerely bought; (The like may be said of any benefit, or fauor.)


[Petite brebiette tousiours semble ieunette:] [Prov.] [The little Ewe seemes alwayes young.]


[Petite chose de loing poise:] [Prov.] [A little, or light thing farre carried proues heauie.]
[Petite chose de loing poise:] [Prov.] We say, Light burthen farre heauie; a little thing borne farre growes heauie.


[Petite pluy abat grand vent:] [Prov.] [(So sayd a mad fellow, who, lying in bed, bepist his farting wiues backe.)] {needsdef}


[Petites pucelles sont ensemble belles:] [Prov.] [Young girles looke faire when they together are.]


[Petit fardeau poise à la longe:] [Prov.] We say, light burthen farre heauie.
[Petit fardeau poise à la longue:] [Prov.] [A light thing farre borne heauie growes.]


[Petit homme abat bien grand chesne:] [Pro.] [A low man can fell a tall Oake.]
[Petit homme abat grand chesne:] [Pro.] [A low man fells a tall Oke.]
[Petit homme abat grand chesne:] [Prov.] A little man fells a great oake; (so may a meane person ruine a mightie prince.)


[Petit mercier petit pannier:] [Prov.] [The little Pedler a little packe doth serue.]


[Peu à peu le loup mange l'oye:] [Prov.] [Bit after bit the Wolfe eates vp the Goose.]
[Peu à peu le loup mange l'oye:] [Prov.] [By little and little the Wolfe deuoures the Goose; by diligence, or degrees a man obtaines his purpose.]
[Peu à peu le loup mange l'oye:] [Prov.] [By little and little the Wolfe eates vp the Goose.]


[Peu, & paix don de Dieu:] [Prov.] [A little with peace is a great blessing.]
[Peu & paix est don de Dieu:] [Pro.] [A little with quietnesse is Gods owne gift.]


[Peu de chose ne fait qu'un peu de mal:] [Prov.] [A little thing does but a little harme.]


[Peu peut bailler à son escuyer qui son cousteau leche:] [Prov.] [He that pinches himselfe must pine another.]
[Peu peut bailler à son escuyer qui son cousteau leche:] [Prov.] Where the Maister pinches the seruants pine; or, he can spare others but little that hath but little for himselfe.
[Peu peut bailler à son Escuyer qui son cousteau lesche:] [Prov.] He that hath but little for himselfe hath not much for his man.


[Peuple en multitude errant ne nous sert pas de garant:] [Prov.] [The erring multitude is no fit warrant for vs.]


[Peur Sainct Valier:] [Prov.] [Feare of an approaching mischiefe that breedes effects of a present one; as a man to die (being threatened a death) before any blow be giuen him.]


[Pierre en puis n'est pas pourrie:] [Prov.] [Stones rot not in the bottome of a Well; they that rest in fit places languish not.]


[Pigeon saoul trouve les cerises ameres:] [Pro.] [Said of one who loathes, or derides, his owne ouer-easefull estate.]


[Plein poing de seigneurie vaut cinq sols l'an:] [Prov.] [Honour without profit is like a six-pennie rent to one that hath nothing else to liue on.]


[Plus d'un asne à la foire a nom Martin:] [Prov.] We say (with a small resemblance of sence) there be more maids then Malkin, or, more maids then one be called Malkin.
[Plus d'vn Asne à la foire a nom Martin:] [Prov.] [If one will not another will; there be more wayes to the wood then one;]


[Plus pré s est la chair que la chemise:] [Prov.] Our women say, neere is my petticoat but neerer is my smocke.


[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.


[Point ne faut demander à malade s'il veut santé:] [Prov.] [An answer for those busie bodies, that cast many doubts, and make many questions, in cases alreadie resolued on.]
[Point ne faut demander de malade s'il veut santé:] [Prov.] [Aske not a sicke man if he would be sound; make not a question of things questionlesse; doubt not of that which is alreadie resolued.]


[Poisson, gorret, & cochin, vie en l'eau & mort en vin:] [Prov.] [(Such flegmaticke meates requiring much wine to be drunke with them.)]
[Poisson, gorret, & cochin, vie en l'eau, & mort en vin:] [Pro.] we say, fish must euer swimme twice.


[Pour bien tirer il faut prendre visé e:] [Prov.] [Take ayme with thy sight if thou meane to shoot right; ere thou thy arrow doe let fly, let th'hand be guided by thy eye; he that will preuayle must proceed by aduise.]
[Pour bien tirer il faut prendre visé e:] [Prov.] [To doe things well we must consult aduise.]


[Pourceau gras rompt sa soute:] [Prov.] [(Appliable to the vnrulie humors of pampered, or high-fed creatures.)]
[Pourceau gras rompt sa soute:] [Prov.] [The well-fed hog breakes ope his stie.]


[Pour devenir bien tost riche il faut tourner le dos à Dieu:] [Prov.] [He that will soone grow rich must God renounce.]
[Pour devenir bien tost riche il faut tourner le dos à dieu:] [Prov.] The way to grow soone rich is, to forsake religion.


[Pour devider la fusé e il faut trouver le bout du fil:] [Prov.] [To conceiue, dispose, or discourse of things rightly one must find out their beginnings.]


[Pour grasse que soit la geline elle a mestier de sa voisine:] [Prov.] [How rich, or powerfull soeuer a man be, he may haue need of his neighbors.]


[Pour l'amour du chevalier baise la Dame l'Escuyer:] [Prov.] [The Ladie kisses her man for his Masters sake.]
[Pour l'amour du Chevalier baise la Dame l'Escuyer:] [Prov.] The Ladie kisses her man for his Masters sake (an excesse of her loue which verie well might be spared.)
[Pour l'amour du Chevalier baise la Dame l'escuyer:] [Pro.] (Wherein his worship is, often, but little beholden to her Ladieship.)


[Pour laver ses mains on n'en vend pas sa terre:] [Prov.] [A cleane-washt hand makes no man sell his land.]
[Pour laver ses mains on n'en vend pas sa terre:] [Prov.] [It is no great cost to be cleanelie.]
[Pour laver ses mains on n'en vend pas sa terre:] [Prov.] [Neuer did cleanlinesse any man vndoe.]
[Pour laver ses mains on n'en vend pas sa terre:] [Prov.] [Not clenlinesse but costlinesse makes men to sell their lands.]


[Pour neant demande conseil qui ne le veut croire:] [Prov.] In vaine he counsell askes that will not trust in't.
[Pour neant demande conseil qui ne le veut croire:] [Prov.] In vaine he craues aduice that will not follow it.
[Pour neant demande conseil qui ne le veut croire:] [Prov.] [In vaine th'incredulous counsell asketh.]


[Pour neant recule qui malheur attend:] [Prov.] [In vaine he flinches that ill hap attends.]
[Pour neant recule qui malheur attend:] [Prov.] [In vaine he giues backe that lookes for ill lucke.]
[Pour neant recule qui malheur attend:] [Prov.] In vaine he retires that attends mishap (which if it must come, hurts least being met with.)
[Pour neant recule qui malheur attend:] [Prov.] [They that ill lucke attend giue backe vnto no end.]


[Pour neant va au bois qui marrein ne cognoist:] [Pro.] To no purpose he vndertakes a businesse that vnderstands not the substance, effect, or end, of it.
[Pour neant va au bois qui marrein ne cognoist:] [Prov.] [In vaine goes he to the wood that hath no skill in wood;] or, In vaine doth any man in forrests poake, that takes a dotard for a timber-oake.
[Pour neant va au bois qui marrein ne cognoist:] [Prov.] [To no purpose goes he, who knowes not wood, vnto the wood.]


[Pour vn moine ne faut Convent:] [Prov.] [For one Monke needs no Monasterie.]
[Pour vn Moine ne faut convent:] [Prov.] One onely Monke deserues not an Abbey; or, one Swallow makes not a Summer.


[Pour vn petit n'avant n'arriere:] [Prov.] [A little breakes no square; no matter for a little.]


[Pour vn poil Martin perdit son asne:] [Pro.] [The punishment, or taxation of those that vpon a small occasion enter into a great contention; as this poore man did, who laying a wager that his asse was all white, was shewed a blacke haire on him, and so, like an asse, lost his asse, which was the wager.]
[Pour vn poinct Martin perdit son asne:] [Prov.] A small omission, or error may turne a man to much preiudice;
[Pour vn poinct Martin perdit son Asne:] [Prov.] [(This Martin being Abbot of a Cloister called Asellus, and setting ouer the Gate thereof, Porta patens esto nulli claudaris honesto, was depriued of his Place for putting a Comma after the word nulli.)]


[Pres de l'Eglise est souvent loing de Dieu.] [Prov.] The neerer to the Church, the further from God; (say we.)


[Priez vilain, moins il fera:] [Pro.] [The more y'intreat a clowne the lesse heele doe.]
[Priez vilain moins il fera:] [Pro.] [The more you pray a slaue the lesse you preuaile.]


[Prodigue, & grand beuveur de vin, n'a du fien ne four, ne moulin:] [Prov.] The swilling prodigall soone wasts, and sells, both Mill, and Ouen, and each good thing else.
[Prodigue, & grand beuveur de vin, n'a du sien ne four, ne moulin:] [Pro.] [The quaffing wast-good quickly rids his hands of royalties, possessions, goods, and lands.]


[Profit sans vertu ne vaut vn festu:] [Prov.] Dishonest gaine's not worth a chip; or, no scoundrell to th'vnhonest rich man.
[Profit sans vertu ne vaut vn festu:] [Prov.] [Gaine without vertue is not worth a feskue.]


[Promettre sans donner est fol recomforter:] [Prov.] Faire words make fooles faine.
[Promettre sans donner est fol reconforter:] [Prov.] Fruitlesse promises appease none but fooles.
[Promettre sans donner est fol reconforter:] [Prov.] [To promise and giue nought contents the foole.]
[Promettre sans donner est fol reconforter:] [Prov.] [To promise onely does a foole much good;] or the foole is fully satisfied with bare promises.


[Prou despendre, & peu gaigner saccage le mesnager:] [Pro.] Lauish expence and little gaine put a housekeeper to much paine.


[Putain fait comme la corneille, plus se laue, & plus noire est elle:] [Prov.] A Whoore is like a Crow; the more shee washes her the blacker shee is; [viz. the more she excuses, the more she betraies, her selfe;] or, [in striuing to iustifie, she condemnes, her selfe.]
[Putain fait comme la corneille, plus se lave & plus noire est elle:] [Pro.] [A queane and Crow alike doe fare, the more they wash the fouler they are.]


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