Of the lawful and unlawful usury ammo[n]gest Christians, addedOf the lawful and vnlawful vsurie amo[n]gest Christians, added

Need is a sharp shaft. These wretches forced by need come unto thee, of whose wretchedness thou cruelly & filthily takest thy vantage. The usurer replieth again: But when as they received money of me upon condition of usury, they were glad and did give thanks. What injure can this be, which causeth gladness and thanks giving: I answer, that these wretches rejoice & give thanks, not because they do feel a benefit, but because they suppose that by this damage of usury, they may ease the grievous necessity, which doeth oppress them presently. ⟨image 19⟩Surely they desire rather simply to borrow money, than to take it upon usury. But for because so great inhumanity prevaileth, that they can no where find such liberality as lendeth freely, they are glad to take money upon usury: but this kind of gladness at the last turneth into greatest heaviness. And when they flee from charybdis, they fall into scylla, from the rock into the gulf. Chrysostom doeth well compare this gladness of taking usury money, unto the biting of a serpent called aspis: for even as he, which is bitten of the Aspis, doeth gladly fall asleep, & by the sweetness of deadly slumber dieth, because in sleeping the poison passeth to every member: so he that taketh money of the usurer is presently glad, as though he had a benefit, howbeit usury, having speedy passage to all that he hath, turneth all into debt. And Cato ⟨image 19⟩the elder, being demanded what it was to take usury, answered, the same that it is to kill a man. Thirdly they, which seem to have some taste of Christs gospel, do bring that, not by thee which they may amend them selves, but by the which they would cloak their ungodliness: but all the sum of the law and the prophets, as Christ witnesseth, standeth in this, that what I would should be done unto me, the same I do also unto others. Unto mi self I would wish no other condition, but for one hundred florins, to repay every year five. What sine is it for me then to take so much of others? For I my self take upon this condition so oft, as need is. So many I give to others, and again so many I take of others. I answer, it is most ungodliness to abuse Christs word, which are so compared to maintain not covetousness ⟨image 20⟩but brotherly love. Thou as is evident, dost the same to others, which thou requirest of others.