“Ne ches þe neuere to fere
littele mon ne long ne red…

Þe luttele mon he his so rei,
ne mai non him wonin nei…

Þe lonke mon is leþe bei,
selde comid is herte rei…

Þe rede mon he is a quet,
for he wole þe þin iwil red
he is cocker, þef and horeling,
scolde, of wrechedome he is king…”

—  Alfred the Great

Choose never for thy mate
a little man, or long, or red...

The little man is so conceited,
no one can dwell near him...

The long man is ill to be with,
seldom is his heart brave...

The red man is a rogue,
for he will advise thee ill;
he is quarrelsome, a thief and whoreling,
a scold, of mischief he is king.
The Proverbs of Alfred, st. 19, as published in The Dialogue of Salomon and Saturnus (1848) http://archive.org/stream/dialogueofsalomo00kembuoft#page/226/mode/2up/search/Alfred, edited by John Mitchell Kemble, p. 247
Misattributed

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Alfred the Great 11
King of Wessex 849–899

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