2. Idle talk excludeth all the good discourse and edifying speech that should have been used all that time.[534] We have many greater uses for our tongues: you have your business to talk of, and your God, and your souls, and your duties, and your sins, and the life to come to talk of! Oh how many great and necessary things! And will you shut out all this edifying speech, by your idle chat? Will you hinder others as well as yourselves?
3. Idle talk is a sinful consumer of time: you have greater business to spend your hours in: if you saw what a world you are ready to go to, and saw how near you are to it, you would think yourselves that you had greater business than idle chat, to spend your time in. Do you know what you lose in losing all those hours?
4. Idle talk corrupts the hearers' minds, and tendeth to make them light, and vain, and empty, even as good discourse doth tend to make them good. Why do you talk to others, but to communicate your sense and affections to them by your words? And for all that many take it for a little sin, I am sure it is not a little hurt that it doth. If men were not used to be entertained with so much vain discourse, they could not tell how to keep better things from their minds or mouths; nor would their thoughts be so habituated to vanity; nor would they make such returns of idle words; whereas one vain discourse begets another, and it is a multiplying and very infectious sin.
5. As your tongues are misemployed, so your wits and minds are dishonoured by vain talk. Even good words will grow contemptible when they are too cheap and common. A fiddler at the door goes but for a rogue, though music and musicians be honoured: whoever took a talkative babbler for a wise man? He that is _logophilus_ is seldom _philologus_, much less _philosophus_.[535] As Demosthenes said to a prater, If thou knewest more, thou wouldst say less. They seldom go for men of action and virtue that talk much; they that say much, usually do little: women, and children, and old folks, are commonly the greatest talkers (I may add, mad folks). Livy noteth, that soldiers that prate and brag much, seldom fight well; and Erasmus noteth, that children that quickly learn to speak are long in learning to go. It is not the barking cur that biteth. Let it be the honour of a parrot to speak much, but of a man to speak wisely. The mobility of their tongues (an honour common to an aspen leaf) is all their honour, that can _multis verbis pauca dicere_, say a little in a great many of words; but _multa paucis_, much in few words, is the character of the wise, unless when the quality of the auditors prohibiteth it: and _qui sunt in dicendo brevissimi_, if the auditors can bear it, shall be accounted the best speakers. I am not of his mind that said, He oft repented speaking, but never repented silence. But, except they be ministers, few men have so much cause to repent of silence as of speech. _Non quam multa, sed quam bene_, must be the christian's care. As one said of philosophy, I may much more say of religion, that though an orator's excellency appeareth only in speaking, yet the philosopher's (and the christian's) appeareth as much in silence.
6. Where there is much idle talk, there will be much sinful talk. Prov. x. 19, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." There are lies, or backbitings, or meddling with other folks' matters, or scurrilous jests, if not many such sins that go along with a course of idle talk: it is the vehicle in which the devil giveth his most poisonous draughts. Saith Lipsius, It is given to praters, _non multa tantum sed male_; to speak ill, as well as to speak much.
7. Vain words hinder your own edification. Who knoweth if you would hold your tongues, but some one would speak wiselier, that might do you good?[536]
8. And you weary the hearers (unless they are strangely patient) when you intend to please them (or else you might as well talk all that by yourself). It is scarce manners for them, unless you be much their inferiors, to tell you they are weary to hear you, and to entreat you to hold your tongues; but you little know how oft they think so: I judge of others by myself; I fly from a talkative person, as from a bed that hath fleas or lice: I would shut my doors against them, as I stop my windows against the wind and cold in winter. How glad am I when they have done, and gladder when they are gone! Make not yourselves a burden to your company or friends, by the troublesome noise of an unwearied tongue.
9. Many words are the common causers of contention. Some word or other will fall that offendeth those that hear it; or else will be carried to those that are absent, and made the occasion of heart-burnings, rehearsals, brawls, or law-suits. There is no keeping quietness, peace, and love, with talkative prattlers; at least not long.