(42) Though the mere imitator quotes a hundred proofs, They are all based on opinion, not on conviction. He is only scented with musk, he is not himself musk; He smells of musk, but is really naught but dung. For his dung to become musk, O disciple, For he who, like the musk-deer, feeds on saffron of Khoten That man of cant has at his tongue's end A hundred proofs and precepts, but there is no life in him. When the preacher has himself no light or life, How can his words yield leaves and fruit?

(7) When the wise man opens his mouth, the beauties of his soul present themselves to the view, like the statues in a temple.

(10) Let the wise man, then, show his wisdom not in words only, but in good deeds.

(6) "To win the flowers of fair renown from men, Be not induced to speak aught more than right."

(6) "Often a man, impeded through want of words, carries less weight In expressing what is right, than the man of eloquence. But now in fluent mouths the weightiest truths They disguise, so that they do not seem what they ought to seem," says the tragedy. Such are these wranglers, whether they follow the sects, or practise miserable dialectic arts. These are they that "stretch the warp and weave nothing," says the Scripture; prosecuting a bootless task, which the apostle has called "cunning craftiness of men whereby they lie in wait to deceive." "For there are," he says, "many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers:" Wherefore it was not said to all, "Ye are the salt of the earth."

(3) "A river of silly words - not a dropping;" just as in old shoes, when all the rest is worn and is falling to pieces, and the tongue alone remains. The Athenian Solon most excellently enlarges, and writes: "Look to the tongue, and to the words of the glozing man, But you look on no work that has been done; But each one of you walks in the steps of a fox, And in all of you is an empty mind."

(47) One sign that I punish him is this, That he observes obedience and fasting and prayer, And devotions and almsgiving, and so on, He performs the devotions and acts enjoined by law, Outward devotion is sweet to him, spirit is not sweet, Nuts in plenty, but no kernel in any of them. Relish is needed for devotions to bear fruit, How can seeds without kernels become trees? Form without soul (life) is only a dream."

(3) His cheer and his words should be full of ghostly wisdom, full of fire, and of fruit spoken in sober soothfastness without any falsehood, far from any feigning or piping of hypocrites. For some there be that with all their might, inner and outer, imagineth in their speaking how they may stuff them and underprop them on each side from falling, with many meek piping words and gestures of devotion: more looking after for to seem holy in sight of men, than for to be so in the sight of God and His angels. For why, these folk will more weigh, and more sorrow make for an unordained gesture or unseemly or unfitting word spoken before men, than they will for a thousand vain thoughts and stinking stirrings of sin wilfully drawn upon them, or recklessly used in the sight of God and the saints and the angels in heaven. Ah, Lord God! where there be any pride within, there such meek piping words be so plenteous without. I grant well, that it is fitting and seemly to them that be meek within, for to shew meek and seemly words and gestures without, according to that meekness that is within in the heart. But I say not that they shall then be shewed in broken nor in piping voices, against the plain disposition of their nature that speak them. For why, if they be true, then be they spoken in soothfastness, and in wholeness of voice and of their spirit that speak them. And if he that hath a plain and an open boisterous voice by nature speak them poorly and pipingly—I mean but if he be sick in his body, or else that it be betwixt him and his God or his confessor—then it is a very token of hypocrisy. I mean either young hypocrisy or old.

(383) The faithful do not speak many words, but their works are numerous.

(221) How could the fruits display their globes? When the blossoms are shed the fruits come to a head, The fruit is the substance, the blossom only its form, Blossom the good news, and fruit the promised boon. When the blossoms fall the fruit appears, Till bread is broken, how can it serve as food? Till the grapes are crushed, how can they yield wine? Till citrons be pounded up with drugs, How can they afford healing to the sick?

(94) And then also the sweet quality presseth forth in little leaves, like a woman who is in travail and bringing forth, but the little leaves or blossoms have no more its colour and form, but the form of all the qualities; for now the sweet quality must bring forth the children of the other qualities.

(23) There spring up also in these powers and virtues all manner of blossoms and flowers, with fair heavenly colours and smells.

(15) It was with me as with a young tree that is planted in the ground, and at first is young and tender, and flourishing to the eye, especially if it comes on lustily in its growing: But [it] does not bear fruit at once; and though it blossoms, the blossoms fall off; also many a cold wind, frost and snow pass over it, before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit.

(12) Free of opinion, of duplicity, and of vain talk. Though the whole world say to him, "Thou art firm in the road of God's faith," He is not made more ardent by their saying this, And though all say to him, "Thou art in the wrong way Thou thinkest thyself a rock who art but a blade of grass," He relapses not into opinion at their rebukes, Nay, even if sea and mountains should cry out, Saying, "Thou art mated with error," He would not relapse one jot into vain imaginations,

(24) Then I said: '⌈How⌉ beautiful is this tree, and fragrant, and its leaves are fair, and its blooms ⌈⌈very⌉⌉ delightful in appearance.'

(17) The grace of freedom of speech, like beauty in season, is productive of greater delight.

It is not proper either to have a blunt sword, or to use freedom of speech ineffectually.

(1) Of language put into other people's mouths, nine tenths will succeed. Of language based upon weighty authority, seven tenths. But language which flows constantly over, as from a full goblet, is in accord with God. When language is put into other people's mouths, outside support is sought. Just as a father does not negotiate his son's marriage; for any praise he could bestow would not have the same value as praise by an outsider. Thus, the fault is not mine, but that of others. To that which agrees with our own opinions we assent; from that which does not we dissent. We regard that which agrees with our own opinion as right. We regard that which differs from our opinion as wrong. Language based on weighty authority is used to bar further argument. The authorities are our superiors, our elders in years. But if they lack the requisite knowledge and experience, being our superiors only in the sense of age, then they are not our superiors. And if men are not the superiors of their fellows, no one troubles about them. And those about whom no one troubles are merely stale. Language which flows constantly over, as from a full goblet, is in accord with God. Because it spreads out on all sides, it endures for all time. Without language, contraries are identical. The identity is not identical with its expression: the expression is not identical with its identity. Therefore it has been said, Language not expressed in language is not language. Constantly spoken, it is as though not spoken. Constantly unspoken, it is not as though not spoken.

(2) Our Writing also will serve in its due Time, when the a noble Rose-bud, which at present (because of the great Darkness in Babel) cannot be known; but there is a Time, wherein it shall stand according to its Spirit.

(141) Behold Genus become Species in due course, Behold secrets become manifest through his light! So long as woman-like you swallow blandishments, How, O wise man, can you get relief from false flatteries? These flatteries and fair words and deceits (of lust) You take, and swallow, just like women. But the reproaches and the blows of Darveshes Take the light blows of Darveshes, not the honey of sinners, And become, by the fortune of good, good yourself. Because from them the robe of good fortune is gained,

(31) And thence ascertains the man's faith. Such an one needs not the evidence of fair acts and words "Beware of such, they spy out the heart." Require this evidence of act and word only from one But the light of the traveler arrived at the goal, That witness of his is exempt from bearing witness, Since the brilliance of that jewel beams forth, Wherefore require not from him act and word evidence, What is this evidence but manifestation of hidden things, Whether it be evidence in word, or deed, or otherwise?