Fortunately
When the dirt's dry it will rub out.
Ill-will never spoke well.
The evidence of a prejudiced witness is to be distrusted. "He that is an enemy to the bride does not speak well of the wedding" (Spanish);[601] and "A runaway monk never spoke in praise of his monastery" (Italian).[602]
Give a dog an ill name and hang him.
"I'll not beat thee, not abuse thee," said the Quaker to his dog; "but I'll give thee an ill name."—Irish.
He that hath an ill name is half hanged.
A French proverb declares, with a still bolder figure, that "Report hangs the man."[603] The Spaniards say, "Whoso wants to kill his dog has but to charge him with madness."[604]
All are not thieves that dogs bark at.
The innocent are sometimes cried down. "An honest man is not the worse because a dog barks at him" (Danish).[605] "What cares lofty Diana for the barking dog?" (Latin).[606]
Common fame is seldom to blame.
What everybody says must be true.
It never smokes but there's a fire.
"There's never a cry of 'Wolf!' but the wolf is in the district" (Italian).[607] "There's never much talk of a thing but there's some truth in it" (Italian).[608] This is the sense in which our droll English saying is applied:—
"There was a thing in it!" quoth the fellow when he drank the dishclout.