A preparative to marriage The sum whereof was spoken at a contract, and enlarged…A preparatiue to mariage The summe whereof was spoken at a contract, and inlarged…

Sixthly they say, because Usury ¹comes of biting, the biting Usury is only forbidden, and none but the biting Usury: why then all Usury is forbidden, for all Usury cometh of biting, to show that all Usury is unlawful.

Sixtly they say, because Vsurie ¹comes of biting, the biting Vsurie is onely forbidden, and none but the biting Vsurie: why then all Vsurie is forbidden, for all Vsurie commeth of biting, to shewe that all Vsurie is vnlawfull.

1. 16.

Lastly, they allege the Law of the land for it, and say, the Queens ¹Statute doeth allow us to take upon Usury ten in the hundred. These are like the Jews which said, We have a law, and by our law he shall dye: when they ²could not say by Gods law he shall die, then they said by our law he shall dye: so when they cannot say by Gods law we may take Usury, they say by mans law we may take Usury, this is the poorest defence of all the rest: for if Gods law forbid thee, can any law of man excuse thee? As it would not serve Adam to say, the woman bad me, so it will not serve ³the Usurer to say, the Law doth licence me. But he cannot say, the Law doth license me: for though peradventure our law do tolerate more than should be tolerated, yet ⟨image 152⟩I would have you know, that our law doeth not allow ten in the hundred, nor five in the hundred, nor one in the hundred, nor any Usury at all: but there is a restraint in our law, that no Usurer take above ten in the hundred, it doeth not allow ten in the hundred, but punisheth that tyrant which exacteth above ten in the hundred. It is much like that toleration which we read of divorces. For the hardness of mens hearts, Christ saith, that