French Proverbs from 1611: Starting with the letter S

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[Sac plein dresse les oreilles:] [Pro.] [A full purse, or fat bribe, commaunds attention.]
[Sac plein dresse l'oreille:] [Pro.] [The full purse a full eare procures; the way to good attention lyes by well-filld bags.]


[Sans estre poursuivi le meschant prend la fuite:] [Prov.] [The wicked flies though no man follow him.]
[Sans estre poursuivy le meschant prend la fuite:] [Prov.] [The sinner flyes before he be pursued; selfe-guilt, though nought else, makes a sinner fly.]
[Sans estre poursuyvi le meschant prend la fuite:] [Prov.] [Selfe-guilt (if nothing else) makes sinners flie.]


[Sasse bonne farine sans trompe ne buccine:] [Prov.] [Boult thy fine meale, and eat good past, without report, or Trumpets blast.]
[Sasse bonne farine sans trompe, ne bucine:] [Prov.] [Enioy thine owne good things without much talking of them.]
[Sasse bonne farine sans trompe ny buccine:] [Prov.] Fare well, and hold thy peace.


[Secret de deux secret de dieu:] [Prov.] Yet wee say, that, two can keepe counsell when one is away.
[Secret de deux secret de Dieu, secret de trois secret de tous:] [Prov.] [We onely say, that three may keep counsell when two are away.]
[Secret de trois secret de tous:] [Prov.] [As good let all, as three, men know a thing.]


[Selon la gaine le cousteau:] [Pro.] Like sheath like knife.
[Selon la gaine le cousteau:] [Prov.] An inside answerable vnto the outside.


[selon la iambe la seigné e:] [Prov.] [Ratably, proportionably, with effort answerable to force, according to the measure of his meanes.]
[Selon la jambe la saigné e:] [Prov.] [Let bloud according to the bodies fullnesse, or strength; subiects, or tenants would not be drawne too dry.]


[Selon la ville les bourgeois:] [Prov.] [Like to the towne the townesmen are.]
[Selon la ville les bourgeois:] [Prov.] Such town such townesmen.


[Selon le pain il faut le cousteau:] [Prov.] [(Like our) the coat according to the cloth.]
[Selon le pain il faut le cousteau:] [Prov.] [We must proportion our expence by our meanes.]


[Selon le pied la forme:] [Pro.] [Fashion your last according to your foot.]


[Selon ta bourse gouverne ta bouche:] [Prov.] Gouerne thy mouth by thy meanes.
[Selon ta bourse gouverne ta bouche:] [Prov.] [Measure thy appetite by thy abilitie.]


[Semelles, & du vin passent chemin:] [Pro.] Shooes, and wine rid way.
[Semelles, & vin passent chemin:] [Prov.] [viz. Rid way apace.]
[Semelles, & du vin passent chemin:] [Prov.] [Wine is the footmans caroche; a strong foot, and a light head rid way apace.]


[Se mocque qui cloque:] [Pro.] [he mocks that least may; the greatest mockers haue co[m]monly most imperfections.]
[Se mocque qui cloque:] [Prov.] He mocks that worst may; some ieast at other mens defects, and yet are most defectiue.


[Si ieunesse sç avoit, & vieillesse pouvoit, iamais povreté n'auroit:] [Prov.] [If youth knew what to doe, and age could doe what it knowes, no man would euer be poore.]
[Si ieunesse sç avoit, & vieillesse pouvoit, iamais povreté n'auroit:] [Prov.] [If youth were cunning, and age able, poorenesse would soone be but a fable.]
[Si jeunesse sç avoit, & vieillesse pouvoit, iamais povreté n'auroit:] [Prov.] [If age had strength, and youth experience, none could for want alledge one iust pretence.]


[Si le fol n'alloit au marché on ne vendroit pas la mauvaise denrée:] [Prov.] If fooles went not to Market ill wares would be kept.
[Si le fol n'alloit au marché on ne vendroit pas la mauvaise denrée:] [Prov.] [If fooles went not to Markets bad wares would not be sold; (So fooles are sometimes good for something.)]


[Si le fol ne folie il perd sa saison:] [Prov.] A foole is most absurd when he playes not the foole.
[Si le fol ne folie il perd sa saison:] [Prov.] [A foole not fooling is much out of date;] or, a foole is most, when he playes least, the foole.
[Si le fol ne folie il perd sa saison:] [Prov.] A foole that would seeme wise is most vnseasonable; or, the foole is most fustie when he is least foolish.


[Si l'hyver estoit outre la mer, si viendra il à S. Nicolas parler:] [Prov.] [Were Winter beyond sea, yet would it haue a saying to S. Nicholas; (whose feast is on the sixt of December.]


[Si souhaits furent vrais pastoureaux seroyent Rois :] [Prov.] [If wishes might preuaile poore shepheards would be Kings.]
[Si souhaits fussent vrais pastoureaux seroient Rois:] [Prov.] [If wishes might succeed poore men would Princes be.]


[Si tous les fols portoient marotte, on ne sç ait pas de quel bois on se chaufferoit:] [Prov.] If all fooles bables bore, wood would be verie deere.
[Si tous les fols portoient marotte, on ne sç ait pas de quel bois on se chaufferoit:] [Prov.] [If all that fooles are bables wore, of wood we should haue but small store.]


[Si truye forfaict les pourceaux le souffrent:] [Pro.] [If the old Sow doe a fault and men abhorre it, her young, and harmelesse Pigs are punisht for it.]
[Si truye forfaict les pourceaux le souffrent:] [Prov.] [Children are punisht for their parents faults.]
[Si truye forfaict les pourceaux le souffrent:] [Prov.] [Pigs come to lugs for scathe done by the sow.]


[Si tu te trouves sans chapon, sois content de pain & d'oignon:] [Pro.] [If thou want a Capon, fall to bread and an Onyon;] or, let not the want of dainties discontent thee.
[Si tu te trouves sans chapon sois content de pain & d'oignon:] [Prov.] If thou hast not a Capon, feed on an Onyon.


[Si tu veux cognoistre vn vilain baille luy la baguette en main:] [Prov.] [If thou a knaue, or churle wouldst faine bewray, giue him authoritie, let him beare sway.]


[Soleil qui luisarne au matin, femme qui parle Latin, & Enfant nourry de vin, ne viennent point à bonne fin:] [Prov.] [A glaring morne, a woman Latinist, and wine-fed child, make men crie had I wist.]
[Soleil qui luisarne au matin, femme qui parle Latin, & Enfant nourry de Vin, ne viennent point à bonne fin:] [Prov.] A learned woman seldome proues a good one.


[Songes sont mensonges:] [Prov.] [Dreames are delusions.]


[Sous ombre d'asne entre le chien au moulin:] [Pro.] (So gets the knaue admittance where otherwise hee should be excluded.)
[Sous ombre d'asne entre le chien au Moulin:] [Pro.] (So many a knaue sneakes into good places in companie, or vnder the pretext, of honest men.)


[Souvent à mauvais chien tombe vn bon os en gueule:] [Prov.] [The veriest knaue hath oftentimes best lucke.]
[Souvent à mauvais chien tombe vn bos en gueule:] [Prov.] An vnworthie fellow oft lights on worthie fortunes; or, the verier knaue the better lucke.


[Sur petit commencement on fait grande fusé e:] [Pro.] Great mischiefes often haue but small beginnings.
[Sur petit commencement on fait grande fusé e:] [Prov.] Of small beginnings are great matters raised.


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