by describing the nature, (2) by declaring the folly of it: or
showing it to be very true which the wise man here asserteth, "He
that uttereth slander is a fool." Which particulars I hope so to
prosecute, that any man shall be able easily to discern, and ready
heartily to detest this practice.


I. For explication of its nature, we may describe slander to be the
uttering false (or equivalent to false, morally false) speech
against our neighbour, in prejudice to his fame, his safety, his
welfare, or concernment in any kind, out of malignity, vanity,
rashness, ill-nature, or bad design. That which is in Holy
Scripture forbidden and reproved under several names and notions:
of bearing false witness, false accusation, railing censure,
sycophantry, tale-bearing, whispering, backbiting, supplanting,
taking up reproach: which terms some of them do signify the nature,
others denote the special kinds, others imply the manners, others
suggest the ends of this practice. But it seemeth most fully
intelligible by observing the several kinds and degrees thereof; as
also by reflecting on the divers ways and manners of practising it.

The principal kinds thereof I observe to be these:

1. The grossest kind of slander is that which in the Decalogue is
called, bearing false testimony against our neighbour; that is,
flatly charging him with facts which he never committed, and is
nowise guilty of. As in the case of Naboth, when men were suborned
to say, "Naboth did blaspheme God and the king:" and as was David's
case, when he thus complained, "False witnesses did rise up, they
laid to my charge things that I knew not of." This kind in the