Men may fancy themselves sagacious and shrewd, persons of deep
judgment and fine wit they may be taken for, when they can dive into
others' hearts, and sound their intentions; when through thick mists
or at remote distances they can descry faults in them; when they
collect ill of them by long trains, and subtle fetches of discourse:
but in truth they do thereby rather betray in themselves small love
of truth, care of justice, or sense of charity, together with little
wisdom and discretion: for truth is only seen in a clear light;
justice requireth strict proof. Charity "thinketh no evil," and
"believeth all things" for the best; wisdom is not forward to
pronounce before full evidence. ("He," saith the wise man, "that
answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto
him.") In fine, they who proceed thus, as it is usual that they
speak falsely, as it is casual that they ever speak truly, as they
affect to speak ill, true or false; so worthily they are to be
reckoned among slanderers.

6. Another like way of slandering is, impetuous or negligent
sputtering out of words, without minding what truth or consequence
there is in them, how they may touch or hurt our neighbour. To
avoid this sin, we must not only be free from intending mischief,
but wary of effecting it; not only careful of not wronging one
distinct person, but of harming any promiscuously; not only
abstinent from aiming directly, but provident not to hit casually
any person with obloquy. For as he that dischargeth shot into a
crowd, or so as not to look about regarding who may stand in the
way, is no less guilty of doing mischief, and bound to make
satisfaction to them he woundeth, than if he had aimed at some one
person: so if we sling our bad words at random, which may light
unluckily, and defame somebody, we become slanderers unawares, and