The white devilThe white deuil

Either prodigality or penury or dissembled riches borrow on usury: to rack the poor with over-plus, all (but Devils) hold monstrous: to lend the Prodigal, is wicked enough, for it feeds his issue with ill humours, and puts ⟨p. 52⟩Stibium into his broth, who was erst sick of the vomiting disease, and could not digest his (Fathers ill-gotten) Patrimony. For the rich, that dissemble poverty, to borrow on usury, (for there is that maketh himself poor and hath great riches) they do it, either to defeat creditors, ¹or to avoid taxations and subsidies, or some such sinister respects. The gentleman that borroweth on usury, by racking his rents makes his Tenants pay his usury. The Farmer so borrowing, by enhancing his corn, makes the poor pay his usury. The Trades-man, raiseth his wares, that the buyer must pay his usury. I will not tax every borrower: it is lawful to suffer injury, though not to offer it: & it is no sin for the true man to give his purse to the thief, when he cannot choose. To redeem his lands, liberty, life, he may (as I suppose) give interest; but not for mere gain only which he may get by that wicked money; lest he encourage the usurer; for a receiver upholds a thief. This is the privy-pocket, whose death is the more grievous because he is reprieved till the last Sessions: a Gibbet is built in hell for him, and all the gold in the world cannot purchase a pardon. I know there is mercy in Christs blood to any repentant and believing sinner, but (excepted Zacheus) show me the usurer, that repents: for as humility is the repentance of pride, and abstinence the repentance of surfeit, so is restitution the repentance of usury: he that restores not, repents not his usury: and then (non remittitur peccatum, ²nisi restituatur ablatum) the sin is retained, till the gains of usury be restored. This is (durus sermo, sed verus sermo) a hard saying, but true: then we may give all; do, if they be so gotten: Dabit Deus meliora, maiora, plura: God will give better things, God will give greater things, God will give more things; as the Prophet to Amasiah: The Lord is able to give thee more than this.

Either prodigallity or penury or dissembled riches borrow on vsurie: to racke the poore with ouer-plus, all (but Deuils) hold monstrous: to lend the Prodigall, is wicked enough, for it feeds his issue with ill humours, and puts