is he who is wealthy but gives nothing to a needy friend; The one who seizes is a wolf, but he who gives is a God. *A man who honors another honors himself*, since according to Aristotle, honor is held to reside not with the person being honored, but with the one who bestows it.

Various adages arise concerning wisdom or prudence. *A wise man carries his goods with him*, for learning and virtue do not consist of external riches, but exist within us. This adage seems taken from a saying of Bias, who, when asked why he carried none of his possessions while fleeing his burning homeland, replied: "I carry all my goods with me." *A wise man does not lack*. This appears to confirm the previous adage, for the true goods of men are knowledge and virtue; thus, it is easy for a wise man to become wealthy if he wishes. *For a wise man, reason stands in for necessity*; this is quoted by Pliny the Younger to signify that a wise man does nothing out of fear or compulsion, but performs all things through deliberate counsel. *All things are easy for the wise*, since there is nothing so difficult that it cannot be easily accomplished with prudent advice, and nothing so calamitous that a wise man cannot bear it with a level head. *No mortal is wise at all hours*; this suggests there is no one who does not act foolishly or err in some part of their life. We read in Aristophanes: *Anthropos Thales*, that is, "A Thales of a man." Since Thales was one of the seven sages of Greece, this adage is spoken with irony toward a fool who desires to be regarded as wise by everyone. *Brief in speech, but learned* refers to a man who speaks little, but whose words are nonetheless worth hearing.

Regarding madness, these sayings are common. *A foolish man recognizes the deed only after it is done*; this pertains to those who become prudent only after the event. For this reason, Titus Livy calls the outcome "the teacher of fools." *A foolish man speaks foolish things*, for the form of the body appears in no mirror better than in the mirror of speech; thus, men are known by their conversation. *A tall man is witless*: the common folk spread the idea that tall people lack intellect, while small people possess much spirit. *More foolish than Melitides*: Melitides was one of those simpletons made famous by Homer; he is said to have come to aid Priam after the fall of Troy.

Friendship also supplies us with adages. For example, *A friend in word only* applies to one who feigns goodwill in speech but thinks otherwise in his heart. *A friend as far as the altars* warns us to serve the interests of our friends, but not to stray from the right path—specifically, not to violate the reverence due to the gods for the sake of a friend; for in ancient times, those taking oaths would touch the altars with their hands. *Nothing is more welcome to a man than a timely friend* denotes that a favor performed at the right moment is most pleasing, while a poorly timed one is a nuisance. *Where there are friends, there are riches*, since friends are more powerful than money, and for the protection of life, friends without money are worth more than wealth without friends. In confirmation of this, it is added: *No man is born for himself*. This is quoted by Cicero when he says we are not born for our own sake, as our country, our parents, and our friends all claim a share of our birth. *Friends stay far from an unfortunate man*; this proverb critiques the character of common friends who, like swallows, fly to and fro according to the season, or like ants that never visit an empty granary, as Ovid wrote: "Ants never head toward empty granaries." Therefore, Cicero once wrote that faithful goodwill can only be perceived in times of danger. Otherwise, it must be said that friends who seek something are found everywhere, while those who give are very few.

Various adages exist concerning convenience and wealth. *A wealthy man cannot be condemned*. Cicero put this forward against Verres when he wrote that a rumor had spread not only among the Romans but even among foreign nations that, in the courts of those times, even the guiltiest man could not be condemned if he was wealthy. To this pertains the remark quoted by Sallust during the Saguntine War: "At Rome, everything is for sale." *A noble man from a purse* is the name for someone born of humble origins who, because of his opulence, is placed among the nobles, since wealth is said to produce nobility. *An absent man will not be an heir* applies to those who lose some benefit due to their absence. This proverb is drawn from those who, through some relationship, expect the legal succession of another but are deprived of it by being away. Among men, some sow