A Man, that by Nature, and ill Habit, is given to much Talk, ought to be extreamly careful, that he be not over hafty in his Answers, to fuch as provoke him to Talk, on Purpose to make themselves merry, and to put an Affront upon him. For fome there are, who, not out of any Defire to be fatisfied, but merely to pass away the Time, ftudy certain Questions, and then propound them to Persons who, they know, love to multiply Words, on Purpose to make themfelves Sport. Such Men therefore ought to take heed how they run headlong, and leap into Difcourse, as if they were glad of the Occafion; but to confider the Behaviour of the Propounder, and the Benefit and Ufefulness of the Question. It behoves a Man that would return a pertinent Answer, to ftay till he rightly apprehends the Senfe, and understands the Intent of him that propounds the Queftion, for Fear of running at random, or of giving one Anfwer for another, for Want of Confideration what he ought to fay; which is the Effect of an over-hafty Zeal to be talking. Befides, the profufe Talker is of fuch a Difpofition, that if any Difcourfe happen, from which he might be able to learn fome fomething, and inform his Ignorance, That he refufes and rejects; nor can you hire him to hold his Tongue; fo that still he will be flinging out his Fooleries, as if he were Master of all the Knowledge in the World. We are not to eafe and discharge ourselves of our Words, as if they were a heavy Burthen which over-loaded us; for Speech remains as well when uttered, as before: It was given us to ufe for Neceffity, for Inftruction, and for Civility, but never for Superfluity. Homer gives almoft conftantly to Words the Epithet of Winged: For he that lets go a Bird out of his Hand, does not eafily catch her again: Neither is it poffible for a Man to recall, and cage again in his Breaft, a Word let flip from his Mouth. It is a wife Obfervation of the facetious Ovid, Nulli tacuiffe nocet, nocet effe locutum. Being filent never did any hurt; too much Freedom of Speech has multiplied Mifchiefs. How highly the Virtue of Taciturnity was esteemed by the Ancients, is plain from the Injunction of the wife Pythagoras; his Difciples were to be filent for the first five Years of their Difcipline; that by this compell'd Restriction, he might be a Judge of their Continence in Trials of lefs Difficulty, πάντων γὰρ χαλε πώταλόν ἐστιν ἐγκρατευμάτων τὸ γλώττης κρατειν, fays Jamblichus; for to rule the Tongue, is the hardeft of all Self-Subjection. The old Poet Theognis has many Rubs against Garrulity, in his fententious Work: He fays, That it is a great Burden to a Lover of Prattle to bold his Tongue; but that Speaking without Fear or Wit, as we fay, he is as burdenfome to his Company: That he is the general Averfion; but that the Mixture of fuch a Perfon is neceffary for Table-Talk at Meetings of Merriment. Κωτίλῳ ἀνθρώπῳ σιγάν χαλεπαίατου ἄχθο. A Restraint from fuperfluous Talk, does not imply, that we are to be fullen, or morofely filent: This, instead of a Virtue, is ill-Nature and Obftinacy; and may fhew the Referve more of a Spy, than the Guard of a prudent Man. This then in a Word, fhould be our Regulation: If there be nothing profitable in fpeaking, nothing neceffary to them that hear what is faid, nothing of Satisfaction or Delight, by being thereby rendered acceptable to all Society, then our Talk Talk will be but fuperfluous: For Words may be in vain, and to no Purpose, as well as Deeds: And we should always remember with Simonides, That he who is given to Talk, has many Times an Occafion to repent him of his Words, but never that he can hold his Tongue. IMPERTINENT CURIOSITY. Thought no Subject could more properly follow a Treatife of Garrulity, than the Impertinence of Curiofity, which is fo frequently co-incident with it; and into which we often fall, purely for a Supply of Matter to keep our Tongues in Motion: For there are a fort of People, that defire to hear a great deal of News, that they may have Argument enough to prattle abroad: And these are the most diligent in the World to pry and dwe into the Secrets of others; which they afterwards enlarge and aggravate with fome old Stories and Fooleries of their own: And then they are like Children, that neither can endure to hold the Ice in their Hands, nor let it go. Plutarch has related a Story of a Barber, where this Complication of Loquacity and Itch of Intelligence are pleafantly apparent: This Man was the firft who report ed |