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

If thou do this of a charitable spirit, set thyself in the place of the pore & needy, & cloth thyself with the affection of his need, thinking, what thou, being in his case, wouldest that the rich should do unto thee, whether that they, should lend unto the with usury or without usury? Undoubtedly thou wouldest rather without usury. For it should be more profitable unto thee, than if thou shouldest be burdened with chargeable usury. Wherefore that saying of christ: Do unto others, as thou wouldest that others should do unto thee, it must thou understand to be so spoken, as what thou wouldst wish done unto thee, being in such case as thy neighbour is, the same must thou do unto him, with the same friendly loving affection, with the which thou art mī dead towards thyself. Search thine own conscience & judge indifferently ⟨image 20⟩whether thou mayst say truly that thy pore needy neighbour is so loved & helped of thee, as thou placed in his case wouldest be loved & helped of others. Wherefore seeing thou canst not truly say this of thyself, what availeth it deceitfully to dally with the saying of Christ our saviour? Also thou givest usury unto others, & takest of others. I hear this, & I beseech the tell me for what cause thou givest: & for what need: for the sane, for the which they do give of whom thou takest? No, no. They bear the damage of usury forced by need thou bearest no damage, but for hope of greater gain, not for need but for covetousness, givest .v. for an .c. to gain x. xv. xx: and thou so givest & takest, as many sacrificing priests are wont to offer a halfpenny to keep up in the church the gains of offering, & to provoke the people to offer by their e•sample: & by that way for laying down one penny they take up ten. ⟨image 21⟩So very well do usurers & Simoniacs agree, because they are both carried by one sprite of covetousness. Fourthly wham as the usurer feeleth himself in a strait, & seeth no way to defend usury, he turneth towards other arts & saith: if usury be such a thing, • I do sin if I take, then I know what I will do. I will lend no part of my money unto any man. I will keep it unto my self, le•t that I should be an usurer. I answer, this is that escaping of usury, for the which the Emperors laws would not utterly forbid usury. Wilt thou keep thy money to thy self?