1546 J. HEYWOOD Dialogue of Proverbs II. vi. I1V They saie as ofte, god sendeth
fortune to fooles. 1563 B. GOOGE Eclogues E5 But Fortune fauours Fooles as old men
saye And lets them lyue And take the wyse awaye. 1738 GAY Fables 2nd Ser. II. xii. ‘Tis
a gross error, held in schools, That Fortune always favours fools. 1922 E. PHILLPOTTS
Red Redmaynes xviii. Thus he became exceedingly useful as time passed; yet fortune
favours fools and his very stupidity served him well at the end. 1960 O. MANNING
Great Fortune I. vi. Fortune favours fools. .. We were forced to tarry while he slumbered.
fools; luckFORTUNE favours the braveCf. ENNIUS Annals 257 (Vahlen) fortibus est fortuna viris data, fortune is given to brave
men; VIRGIL Aeneid x. 284 audentes fortuna iuvat, fortune aids the bold.
c 1385 CHAUCER Troilus & Criseyde IV. 600 Thenk ek Fortune, as wel thiselves
woost, Helpeth hardy man to his enprise. c 1390 GOWER Confessio Amantis VII. 4902
And seith, ‘Fortune unto the bolde Is favorable forto helpe’. a 1625 BEAUMONT &
FLETCHER Prophetess IV. vi. He is the scorn of Fortune: but you’ll say, That she
forsook him for his want of courage, But never leaves the bold. 1724 A. RAMSAY Works
(1953) II. 288 Fortune aye favours the active and bauld. 1752 in W. Johnson Papers
(1939) IX. 86 Make no doubt but Fortune will favour the brave. 1885 TROLLOPE Dr.
Thorne II. vii. Fortune, who ever favours the brave, specially favoured Frank Gresham.
2001 Spectator 17 Nov. 25 The luck element has aroused doubts in some quarters, but
Lord Guthrie has a standard retort: ‘Fortune favours the brave.’ He has been proved right,
so far. courage; luckfortune see also EVERY man is the architect of his own fortune; OPPORTUNITY never
knocks twice at any man’s door.
forty see a FOOL at forty is a fool indeed; LIFE begins at forty; SAINT Swithun’s day if
thou be fair for forty days it will remain.
foul see it’s an ILL bird that fouls its own nest.FOUR eyes see more than two