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1    I haue spoken of Briberie and
2Simonie, and now I must speake
3of their sister Vsurie. Manie times
4haue I thought to speake of this
5Theame, but the argume~ts which
6are alleaged for it, haue made mee
7doubtfull what to say in it, because
8it hath gone as it were vnder
9a protection. At last you see
10it falleth into my text, and therefore
11now I cannot bauke it any
12longer. Therefore if any heere
13haue fauoured this occupation
14before, let him now submit his

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15thoughts vnto Gods thoughts; for
16I will alleage nothing against it,
17but that which is built vppon the
18rocke.
19    Vsurie is the sin which God wil
20trie now whether you loue better
21than his worde: that is, whether
22you will leaue it if he forbid it: for
23if hee flatly forbid it, and yet you
24wilfully retaine it, then you loue
25Vsurie better than Gods worde.
26Therefore one saith well that our
27Vsurers are Hereticks, because after
28manie admonitions, yet they
29maintaine their errour, and persist
30in it obstinatly as Papists doo in
31Poperie. For this cause I am glad
32that I haue any occasion to griple
33with this sin, where it hath made
34so many spoyles, & where it hath
35so many patrons: for it is said that
36there be moe of this profession in
37this Citie, than there bee in all the

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38land beside. There be certaine sins
39which are like an vnreasonable
40enemie which will not be reconciled
41to death, and this is one of
42those euerlasting sins which liue
43and die with a man. For when he
44hath resigned his pride and his enuie
45and his lust, yet Vsurie remaineth
46with him, & he saith as Naaman
47said, Let the Lord bee mercifull
48vnto me in this : let me haue a dispensation
49for this, as though this
50were a necessarie sinne, and hee
51could not liue without it. There
52be three sinnes which are counted
53no sinnes, and yet they doo more
54hurt than all their fellows, & those
55are Briberie, Nonresidencie, and
56Vsurie: these three because they
57are gainful are turned from sinnes
58to occupatio~s. How many of this
59Citie for all that they are Vsurers,
60yet would be counted honest me~,

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61and would faine haue Vsurie esteemed
62as a trade: whereas if it
63were not so gainfull, it would bee
64counted as great a sinne as any other,
65and so it is counted of all but
66them which liue by it. This is the
67nature of pleasure and profite to
68make sinnes seeme no sinnes, if we
69gaine anything by them, but the
70more gainfull a sinne is, the more
71daungerous it is, and the more
72gainfull Vsurie is, the more daungerous
73it is. I will speake the more
74of it, because happely you shall
75not heare of this matter againe.
76    First I will define what Vsurie
77is, then I wil shew you what Vsurie
78doth signifie: then I will shewe
79the vnlawfulnes of it: then I will
80shewe the kindes of it: then I will
81shewe the arguments which are
82alleaged for it: then I will shewe
83the punishment of it: then I will

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84shewe you what opinion wee
85should holde of them which doo
86not lend vpon Vsurie, but borrow
87vpon Vsurie. Lastly, I will shewe
88you what they should doo which
89haue got their riches by Vsurie.
90    Touching the first, Vsurie is
91that gaine which is gotten by lending,
92for the vse of the thing
93which a man lendeth, couenanting
94before with the borrower to
95receaue more tha~ was borrowed:
96and therefore one calls the Vsurer
97a legall theefe, because before hee
98steale, he tels the partie how much
99hee will steale, as though hee stole
100by law. This word more , comes in
101like a sixt finger, which makes a
102monster, because it is more than
103should be. Another defining Vsurie,
104calleth it the Contrarie to Charitie :
105for Paule saith, Loue seeketh not
106her owne , but Vsurie seeketh an

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107others which is not her owne:
108therfore Vsurie is farre from loue,
109but God is Loue , saith Iohn , therefore
110Vsurie is farre from God too.
111    Now, al the Commandements
112of God are fulfilled by loue, which
113Christ noteth when hee draweth
114all the Commandements to one
115Commandement, which is, Loue
116God aboue all things, and thy neighbour
117as thy selfe : as if hee should
118say, hee which loueth God, will
119keepe all the Commaundements
120which respect God, and he which
121loueth his neighbour will keepe
122all the Commaundements which
123respect his neighbour: therefore
124to maintaine loue, God forbiddeth
125all things which hinder this
126loue: and among the rest here hee
127forbiddeth Vsurie, as one of her
128deadliest enemies: for a man can
129not loue and be an Vsurer, because

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130Vsurie is a kinde of crueltie, and a
131kinde of extortion, and a kinde of
132persecution, and therfore the want
133of loue doth make Vsurers: for if
134there were loue there would bee
135no Vsurie, no deceit, no extortion,
136no slaundering, no reuenging, no
137oppression, but wee should liue in
138peace and ioye and contentment
139like the Angels; whereby you see
140that all our sinnes are against our
141selues: for if there were no deceit,
142then we should not bee deceiued:
143if there were no slander, then wee
144should not bee slandered: if there
145were no enuie, then wee should
146not bee enuied: if there were no
147extortion, then we should not bee
148iniuried: if there were no Vsurie
149then we should not bee oppressed.
150Therfore Gods law had been better
151for vs than our owne lawe: for
152if his law did stand, the~ we should

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153not be deceiued, nor slandered, nor
154enuied, nor iniured, nor oppressed.
155God hath commanded euery ma~
156to lend freely, & who would not
157borrowe freely? Therefore they
158which brought in vsurie, brought
159in a lawe against themselues.
160    The first Vsurers which wee
161reade of, were the Iewes , which
162were forbidden to be Vsurers, yet
163for want of faith and loue, Ezekiel
164& Nehemiah doth shewe how the
165Iewes , euen the Iewes which receiued
166this lawe from God himselfe,
167did swarue from it as they did
168from the rest. First, they did lend
169vppon Vsurie to straungers; after
170they began to lend vppon Vsurie
171to their brethren, and now there
172be no such Vsurers vppon earth as
173the Iewes which were forbidden
174to be Vsurers. Wherby you may
175see how the malice of man hath

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176turned mercie into crueltie. For
177whereas lending was commaunded
178for the benefite of men, Vsurie
179hath turned it to the vndoing
180of men: for they take when they
181seeme to giue; they hurt when
182they seeme to helpe; they damage
183when they seeme to vauntage:
184therefore it is well noted that Vsurie
185hath her name of byting, and
186she may well signifie byting; for
187many haue not onely been bitten
188by it, but deuoured by it, that is,
189consumed all that they haue: therfore
190as the Apostle saith, If you bite
191one another, take heede you be not deuoured
192one of another : so I may say
193if you be Vsurers one to another,
194take heede you bee not deuoured
195one of another, for Vsurers are biters.
196As the name of the Diuell
197doth declare what an enemie he is;
198so the name of Vsurie dooth declare

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199what an enemie she is. That
200you may knowe Vsurie for a byter,
201her name doth signifie byting.
202If there were one byting Vsurie,
203and another healing Vsurie, then
204Vsurie should haue two names;
205one of byting, and another of healing:
206but all Vsurie signifieth byting,
207to shewe that al Vsurie is vnlawfull.
208Now, you haue heard
209what Vsurie is, and of what it is
210deriued, you shall heare the vnlawfulnes
211of it.
212    First, it is against the law of charitie,
213because charitie biddeth vs
214to giue euery man his owne, and
215to require no more than our own;
216but Vsurie requireth more than
217her owne, and giues not to other
218their owne. Charitie reioyceth to
219communicate her goods to other,
220and Vsurie reioyceth to gather other
221mens goods to her selfe.

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222    Secondly, it is against the lawe
223of Natio~s; for euerie Nation hath
224some lawe against Vsurie, and
225some restraint against Vsurers, as
226you shall heare when wee speake
227of the punishment.
228    Thirdly, as it is against the law
229of Nations, so it is against the law
230of Nature, that is, the naturall
231compassion which should bee among
232men. You see a riuer when
233it goeth by an emptie place, it will
234not passe vntill it hath filled that
235emptie place, & then it goeth forward
236to another emptie place and
237filleth it, and so to another emptie
238place and filleth it, alwaies filling
239the places which are emptie: so
240should wee, the rich should fill the
241poore, the ful should fill the hungrie,
242they which abound should fill
243them which want, for the rich are
244but Gods Amners, and their riches

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245are committed to them of God to
246distribute and doo good as God
247dooth himselfe: As the water is
248charitable after a sorte, so is the
249ayre, for it goeth to emptie places
250too, and filleth them as the water
251doth. Nature cannot abide that any
252place should bee emptie, and
253therefore the ayre though it bee a
254light bodie, and so naturally ascendeth
255vpward: yet rather than any
256place in the earth shuld be emptie,
257the ayre wil descend as it were fro~
258his throne, and goe into caues,
259into dens, and into dungeons,
260to fill them. If the rich were so
261good to their emptie brethren, as
262the ayre and water are to other
263emptie things; as there is no emptie
264place in the worlde, so there
265should be no emptie person in the
266world: that is, the rich in Israel
267would fill the poore in Israel , but

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268the riche make the poore to fill
269them, for Vsurers feede vpon the
270poore, euen as great fishes deuoure
271the small. Therfore he which sayd
272Let there not be a begger in Israel ,
273sayd too, let there not be an Vsurer
274in Israel , for if there be Vsurers
275in Israel , there wil be beggers
276in Israel , for Vsurers make beggers,
277euen as Lawyers make quarrellers.
278    Fourthly, it is against the law of
279God. First, it is forbidde~ in Exo.22.
280where it is sayd, If thou lend money
281vnto my people, that is, to the poore
282with thee, thou shalt not oppresse them
283with Vsurie : heere Vsurie is called
284oppression, therefore if oppression
285be a sinne, Vsury is a sinne too.
286Secondly, it is forbidde~ in Leu.25.36.
287where it is sayd, Thou shalt not
288giue thy money to Vsurie, nor lend thy
289vittailes for increase . Heere you

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290may see, that men may be Vsurers
291of vittailes and other thinges, as
292well as of money. Thirdly, it is
293forbidden in Deut.23. where it is
294sayde, Thou shalt not lende vnto thy
295brother vpon Vsurie . And least you
296shoulde saye, that he meaneth but
297one kinde of Vsurie, he sheweth,
298that he meaneth all kinds of Vsurie:
299for after he sayth, as vsurie of
300money, vsurie of vittailes, vsurie of
301corne, or vsurie of any thing which is
302giuen to Vsurie : because some are
303not Vsurers of money, but some
304are Vsurers of vittailes, some are
305Vsurers of Cloth, some are Vsurers
306of Corne, some are Vsurers
307of Wine, some are Vsurers of
308Oyle, and some of one thing, and
309some of an other, and none would
310bee counted Vsurers, but they
311which lend money vpon Vsurie;
312therefore God forbiddeth so preciselie

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313Vsurie of any thing, shewing,
314that all Vsurie is vnlawfull.
315It is a miserable occupation to liue
316by sinne, and a great comfort to a
317man when he looketh vpon his
318Golde and Siluer, and his heart
319telleth him, all this is well gotten,
320and when he lieth vpon his deathbed,
321and must leaue all to his children,
322he can say vnto them, I leaue
323you mine owne; but the Vsurer
324cannot saye, I leaue you mine
325own, but I leaue you other mens,
326therefore the Vsurer can neuer
327dye in peace, because if he dye before
328he make restitution, he dyeth
329in his sinne. When Christ raysed
330Lazarus from death, after he had
331layne foure dayes in the graue, he
332wept so ouer his Sepulcher, that
333the standers about sayd one to an
334other, See how he loued him , As it
335may be sayde of Christ, See how

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336he loueth vs, so it should be sayd
337of vs, See how they loue their
338breethren. For Christ sayd to his
339Disciples, Loue one another, as I
340haue loued you . But it may be sayde
341of the Vsurer, See how hee hateth
342hys breethren, and heare
343how he loueth them: for hee loueth
344them in wordes, and hateth
345them in deedes. He sayth that he
346loueth them, and that he lendeth
347for compassion, but it is for compassion
348of himselfe, that he may
349gaine by his lending. The Vsurer
350loueth the borrower, as the Iuye
351loueth the Oke: The Iuye loueth
352the Oke to growe vp by it, so the
353Vsurer loueth the borrower to
354grow rich by him. The Iuye claspeth
355the Oke like a louer, but it
356claspeth out all the iuice and sap,
357that the Oke can not thriue after:
358So the Vsurer lendeth like a frie~d,

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359but hee couenanteth like an enemye,
360for he claspeth the borrower
361with such bands, that euer after he
362diminisheth, as fast as the other
363encreaseth.
364    Christe expounding the commaundement
365which forbiddeth
366to steale, sayth, lende freely , shewing
367that Vsurie, because she lendeth
368not freely, is a kinde of theft,
369and the Vsurers a kind of theeues,
370for else this exposition were not
371right. Therfore Zacheus , as though
372he had stolne other mens goods,
373when he began to repent, he restored
374them againe foure foulde, euen
375as theeues are inioyned to
376restore four fould for that which
377they haue stolne, so Zacheus restored
378foure foulde, as though he
379had stolne. It seemeth that Zacheus
380was no greate theefe, because
381hee restored foure foulde

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382for all that he had gotten wrongfully,
383for hee got but the fourth
384part of his goods wrongfully at
385the most, or else he could not haue
386restored foure fould againe. But
387now, if some should restore foure
388fould, for all that they haue gotten
389wrongfully, they shoulde restore
390more than they haue, because
391all which Vsurers get, they get
392wrongfully: for their occupation
393is a sinne, and therefore one sayth,
394Because they cannot restore foure
395fould heere, they shall suffer an
396hundreth fould heereafter. Amaziah
397is forbidden to strengthen
398himself with the armyes of Israel ,
399onely because Israel had offended
400God; if Amaziah might not ioyne
401the armyes of Israel with his armyes
402to strengthen him, darest
403thou ioyne the goods of the poore
404with thy goodes to inrich thee?

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405    It remaineth that we
406speake of the Vsurers
407punishment: Then,
408what may be thought
409of them which doo not take Vsurie,
410but giue Vsurie. Lastly, what
411they should doo, which haue got
412their riches by Vsurie.
413    To begin with the punishment,
414not onely Gods lawe, but euen the
415Cannon lawe doth so condemne
416Vsurie, that first it dooth excommunicate
417him from the Church,

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418as though he had no communion
419with Saints.
420    Secondly, it dooth detaine him
421from the Sacraments, as though
422hee had no communion with
423Christ.
424    Thirdly, it dooth depriue him
425of his Sepulcher, and will not suffer
426him to be buried, as though he
427were not worthie to lye in the
428earth but to lye in hell.
429    Lastly, it maketh his will to be
430no will, as though his goods were
431not his owne: for nothing is ours
432but that which wee haue rightlie
433got: and therefore wee say, It is
434mine by right, as though it were
435not ours, vnles it be ours by right.
436This is the iudgement of mans
437lawe.
438    Now you shal heare the iudgement
439of Gods lawe. A Vsurer
440dooth receiue two Incomes; one

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441of the borrower, and another of
442the reuenger; of the borrower he
443lookes for gaine; but of the reuenger
444hee lookes for punishment:
445therefore al the Scripture prophecieth
446euill vnto him, as Michaiah
447did to Achab . Salomon saith, He
448which increaseth his riches by Vsurie,
449gathereth for them which will
450bee mercifull to the poore . As if he
451should say, when hee hath loden
452himselfe like a cart, he shall be vnloden
453like a cart againe, and they
454shall inherit his money for whom
455hee did neuer gather it. For, hee
456which is vnmerciful to the poore,
457meaneth not to gather for them
458which will bee mercifull to the
459poore: but Salomon saieth, That
460they shall be his heires which will
461bee mercifull as he was vnmercifull.
462    Now marke whether this prophecie

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463of Salomon be true, I know
464not how many in this Citie doo
465increase by Vsurie; but this prophecie
466seemeth to bee verified of
467many: For it is noted, that the riches
468and lands of Aldermen and
469Merchants, and other in London , do
470not last so long, nor indure so wel,
471as the riches and lands of others in
472the Countrey, and that their children
473doo not prooue so well as others,
474nor come to that place in the
475Common weale, which for their
476wealth their parents looked that
477they should come to. I can giue no
478reason for it but the reason of Salomon,
479He which increaseth by Vsurie,
480gathereth for them which will bee
481mercifull to the poore . That is, their
482riches shall goe from their heires
483to Gods heires, according to that,
484The riches of the sinner is laid vp for
485the righteous : that is, the righteous

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486shall inioy that which the wicked
487gathereth. All riches are vncertaine,
488but the riches which are
489euill gotten, are most vncertaine:
490They may bee called mooueable
491goodes, for they are very mooueable,
492like the clowdes which neuer
493rest til they fall as they climed.
494God saith, that he will smite the
495Vsurer with his fist, not with the
496palme of his hande, but with his
497fist, which giueth a greater blow.
498As his hands were shut against the
499poore, so Gods hands shall be shut
500against him, that his punishment
501may be like his sinne. But if you
502will heare their finall sentence,
503Dauid saith heere, That they shall
504not dwell in Gods temple, nor rest in
505his holie mountaine . Then we will
506seeke no moe punishments, for
507this punishment is all punishme~ts,
508If they shall not come to heauen,

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509whose then shall those riches be?
510nay, whose then shall the owner
511be when that day commeth? If
512he shall not rest in heauen, then he
513shall rest in Hell where no rest is.
514Then saith one, the Vsurer shall
515crie vnto his children, Cursed be
516you my children, because you
517were the cause of these torments,
518for least you should be poore, I
519was an Vsurer, and robbed other,
520to leaue riches vnto you. To
521whome, the children shall replie
522againe, nay, Cursed be you father,
523for you were the cause of our torments;
524for if you had not left vs
525other mens goodes, we had not
526kept other mens goodes. Thus
527when they are cursed of God,
528they shall curse one another, curse
529the Lord for condemning them,
530curse their sinnes for accusing
531them, curse their parents for begetting

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532them, and curse themselues,
533because they cannot helpe
534themselues. As they which are
535blessed doe nothing but blesse, so
536they which are cursed do nothing
537but curse. This is the second Vsurie
538which the Vsurer shall receiue
539of God, after he hath receiued
540Vsurie of men, then the name
541of Vsurie shall be fulfilled, as it
542signifieth biting, so when it hath
543bitten other, it shall bite the Vsurer
544too, and neuer rest biting; then
545they shall wish that they could restore
546againe as Zacheus did, and
547shall not restore because their money
548is gone. Therefore if Christ
549be come to your hearts, as he came
550to Zacheus house, restore now as
551Zacheus did, and escape this iudgment.
552This is the end of the Vsurer
553and his money, if they stay together
554till death, yet at last there

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555shall bee a diuision. The Deuill
556shall take his soule, the earth shall
557take his body, the strangers shall
558take his goods, and the mourners
559shall reioyce vnder their blackes,
560and say, Wickednes is come to
561the graue. Therefore, if thou
562wouldest not be counted an Vsurer
563then, refraine to be an Vsurer
564now, for they which are Vsurers
565now, shall be counted Vsurers
566then. Thus you haue heard the
567Vsurers payment.
568    Now if you will know whether
569it be vnlawfull to giue Vsurie,
570as it is vnlawfull to take Vsurie,
571I wish that you could resolue
572your selues, that I mighte not
573speake of it: for I haue hearde
574some Preachers say, that there be
575some truthes which they would
576be loth to preach, and so there be
577some truthes which I would be

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578loth to preache, because many
579heare by halues, and some for malice
580or ignorance will take things
581otherwise than they are spoken,
582yet because I haue promised, I
583will speake some thing of it.
584    Well then, may we neither
585take Vsurie, nor giue Vsurie? I
586knowe that Ieremy saith, I haue
587not lent vpon Vsurie to others, neyther
588haue others lent vpon Vsurie to
589me ; as though both were vnlawfull,
590not only to take Vsurie, but
591to giue Vsurie. But thereby Ieremy
592doeth signifie, that he was
593no medler in the world, whereby
594they should enuie him like other
595men, and therefore hee cleareth
596himselfe chiefely from Vsurie,
597because Vsurers were most enuyed.
598And to shewe that he was
599not an Vsurer, he saith, that he
600was not a borrower, which is

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601more lawfull than to be an Vsurer,
602like a man which saith I doe
603neither hate him, nor knowe
604him. Why it was lawfull to
605knowe him, but to proue that he
606did not hate him, he sayth, he doth
607not knowe him: So Ieremy , to
608proue that he had not lent vppon
609Vsurie, doth say, that hee neuer
610borrowed vppon Vsurie, which
611many will doe that will not lende.
612The best Expositors giue this
613sense of it. I knowe beside, that
614Christ did cast forth the buyers
615out of his temple, as well as the
616sellers, but that was not for buying,
617but for buying in the temple,
618where they should not buy, but
619pray: or else it was as lawfull to
620buy any thing, as it is lawfull to
621vse it.
622    I know beside, that it is a common
623saying, if there were no buyers,

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624there would be no sellers, if
625there were no bribe giuers, there
626would be no bribe takers. But in
627this case it may be rather sayd, if
628there were no takers, there would
629be no giuers, for the giuer doeth
630not make the receiuer to take, but
631the receiuer doth make the giuer
632to giue, because he will not lende
633vnlesse the other will giue him for
634the lone: therefore as we say, the
635receiuer makes a theefe: so I may
636say, the receiuer of Vsurie makes
637the giuer of Vsurie. Therefore I
638would be loth to compare them
639which are constrained to borrow
640vppon Vsurie, vnto them which
641did buy in the temple, and were
642not constrayned more than they
643which solde in the temple. Much
644lesse may I compare them which
645giue Vsurie, vnto them which
646take Vsurie: for there is as great

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647oddes betweene them, as there is
648betweene giuing and taking, or
649betweene couetousnesse and necessitie,
650for one is couetousnesse,
651and the other is necessitie. Hee
652which lendeth for Vsurie, lendeth
653for couetousnesse, but he which
654borroweth vpon Vsurie, borroweth
655for necessitie.
656    Now, for necessitie God hath
657allowed many things; as for necessitie
658it was lawfull for Adams
659sonnes to marrie with Adams
660daughters, because there were no
661other women. For necessitie it
662was lawfull for Dauid to eate the
663Shew bread, because he had no other
664foode. For necessitie it was
665lawfull to worke, and heale, and
666fight vppon the Saboath, which
667was not lawfull, but for necessitie.
668Therfore for necessitie why may
669not a man pay more than he borrowed,

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670seeing no Scripture doth
671forbid vs to pay more than wee
672borrow, but to require more than
673wee lend. Some doo thinke that
674as God did vse the ambition of
675Absalom , and the malice of Pharaoh ,
676& the trecherie of Iudas vnto
677good; so men may vse the couetousnes
678of vsurers vnto good: that
679is, to helpe at a neede, when a man
680is like to bee vndone, and his children
681cast away, and his Lease forfeited,
682and many inconueniences
683beside like to insue (which you
684knowe better than I) vnlesse hee
685haue present money at some time
686to preuent a mischiefe. For example
687hereof, I may alleage how
688Iaacob did vse the sinne of Laban :
689Laban did euill in swearing by Idolls,
690but Iaacob did not euill in
691receiuing such an oath of him,
692though it was an vnlawfull oath.

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693So, though the Vsurer doo euill in
694taking Vsurie, yet a man doth not
695euill in giuing Vsurie. Beside, I
696may alleage the example of Abraham
697and Abimelech : Abraham
698made a couena~t with Abimelech ;
699to confirme this couenant, Abraham
700sware, and Abimelech
701sware, Abraham sware by the true
702God, but Abimelech sware by his
703false Gods, and yet Abraham did
704receiue this oath and sinned not.
705So, if her Maiestie and the Turke
706should make a couenant, the Turk
707would not sweare as the Queene
708would sweare; for the Queene
709would sweare by the Lorde, but
710the Turke would sweare by Mahomet:
711if it be lawfull then to receiue
712such an oath, though it bee
713an vnlawfull oath, why may it not
714bee lawfull for mee, to giue more
715than I borrowed, though it bee

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716vnlawfull for the Vsurer to take
717more than hee lended? Beside, a
718Prince may not pardon a wilfull
719murderer, yet I think that no man
720wil say in hast, that he which hath
721committed murder may not take
722a pardon. As this vnlawfull giuing
723doth not make the taking vnlawfull;
724so the other vnlawfull taking
725doth not make the giuing vnlawfull.
726Beside, it is lawfull to suffer
727iniurie, though it be vnlawfull to
728offer iniurie: It is lawfull to suffer
729iniurie, as Christ paide tribute,
730which was iniurie; but it is not
731lawfull to offer iniurie, because
732there are sixe Commandements against
733it.
734    Now, to take Vsurie, is as it
735were to offer iniurie; but to giue
736Vsurie, is as it were to suffer iniurie:
737therefore though I may not
738take more than I borrowed, yet I

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739may giue more than I borrowed.
740    Moreouer, I may compare giuing
741of Vsurie to swearing; if a
742man sweare without cause he sinneth;
743but if he sweare as the word
744teacheth him to sweare, he sinneth
745not: so, if a man borrow vpon Vsurie
746and borrow without cause,
747he sinneth, because he feedeth the
748Vsurer: but els, as a man maye
749sweare in some case, so in some
750case a man may borrowe vpon Vsurie,
751that is, in case of necessitie,
752when a man must needes borrow,
753and can borrowe of none but of
754Vsurers.
755    Lastly, I may alleage that Vsurie
756and Vsurer are neuer read in
757the scripture, but they signifie him
758which takes Vsurie, not him
759which giues Vsurie: and therfore
760the Scripture seemeth to forbid
761taking, but not giuing.

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762    Many reasons moe are alleaged
763which I cannot refute, and therefore
764I will not contradict them:
765yet I meane not to decide the question,
766because I will not be mistaken;
767but if some should come vnto
768me in that necessitie and extremitie
769which I can imagine, and
770aske; may I borrowe money of
771these Vsurers to saue my life, or
772my credite, or my liuing, seeing
773no man will lend mee freelie? I
774would answere him as the Prophet
775answered Naaman , neither
776doo nor doo not, but goe in peace . I
777will not forbid thee nor I will not
778condemne thee, but if thy conscience
779condemne thee not, I thinke
780thy sinne one of the least sinnes;
781& as Naaman praied, Lord be mercifull
782vnto me in this : so I think the
783Lord will bee mercifull vnto thee
784in this: but if thy conscience goe

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785against it: then doo it not, for it is
786sinne to thee though it bee free for
787another, because whatsoeuer is
788not done of faith is sinne. I charge
789you in the feare of God that you
790do not mistake that which is said,
791for I knowe no learned preacher,
792nor learned writer of other mind.
793Yet least you should mistake the
794matter, as I distinguished of lenders,
795so I will distinguish of borrowers.
796    If some may borrow vpon Vsurie,
797it dooth not followe that all
798may borrowe vppon Vsurie, because
799all haue not the like cause:
800therefore doo not say that I teach
801you to borrowe vpon Vsurie, for
802I thinke that the most in this citie
803which borrowe vppon Vsurie,
804should not borrowe as they doo,
805because they rather maintaine Vsurie,
806than supplie their necessitie.

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807Some I know borrow for meere
808necessitie; if any may be allowed,
809those are they: but there is a kind
810of borrowers in this Citie which
811feede Vsurers as the bellowes
812kindle the fire; for they haue no
813neede to borrow, but because they
814would bee rich, and richer, and richest
815of all: therfore they will imploy
816al the money which they can
817borrowe, thinking to get more by
818the vse of it, than the Vsurie of it
819doth come too. This maketh the~
820sell their wares so deare, because
821they must not only gaine the price
822but the interest beside, and more
823than the interest too, or els they
824gaine nothing. These borrowers
825are in another predicament than
826those which borrowe for necessitie:
827and therefore if they bee not
828olde enough to answere for themselues,
829I am too young to answere

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830for them. There are other borrowers
831as I haue heard, which for
832some secrete cause would seeme
833barer and needier than they are, either
834because they would not bee
835charged deeplie with Subsidies, or
836els because they would compou~d
837with their Creditors for a little:
838therefore they will haue alwaies
839some thing for Vsurie, that their
840Creditors may thinke them bare
841of money, or that other may pitie
842the~ in their charges. These are like
843those Foxes which haue wealth
844enough to pay their debts, and yet
845lie in prison because they would
846defraud their Creditors. I doubt
847not but there bee moe sorts than I
848knowe, I cannot hunt euerie corner
849because I want experie~ce: but
850this is my conclusion, I would
851haue no man pay interest vnto Vsurers
852but for necessitie, euen as a

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853trauailer giueth his pursse to a
854theefe, because he cannot choose.
855Thus you haue heard what I can
856say of them which take Vsurie,
857and them which giue Vsurie.