useth it, and derogateth from his credit upon divers accounts.

It signifieth (if it signifieth anything) that he doth not confide
in his own reputation, and judgeth his own bare word not to deserve
credit: for why, if he taketh his word to be good, doth he back it
with asseverations? why, if he deemeth his own honesty to bear
proof, doth he cite Heaven to warrant it?

"It is," saith St. Basil, "a very foul and silly thing for a man to
accuse himself as unworthy of belief, and to proffer an oath for
security."

By so doing a man doth authorise others to distrust him; for it can
be no wrong to distrust him who doth not pretend to be a credible
person, or that his saying alone may safely be taken: who, by
suspecting that others are not satisfied with his simple assertion,
implieth a reason known to himself for it.

It rendereth whatever he saith to be in reason suspicious, as
discovering him void of conscience and discretion; for he that
flatly against the rules of duty and reason will swear vainly, what
can engage him to speak truly? He that is so loose in so clear and
so considerable a point of obedience to God, how can he be supposed
staunch in regard to any other? "It being," as Aristotle hath it,
"the part of the same men to do ill things, and not to regard
forswearing." It will at least constrain any man to suspect all his
discourse of vanity and unadvisedness, seeing he plainly hath no
care to bridle his tongue from so gross an offence.

It is strange, therefore, that any man of honour or honesty should