The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…

Sixthly they say, because Usury comes 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, so the wise God hath given it a name to condemn it.

Sixtly they say, because Vsurie comes 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, so the wise God hath giuen it a name to condemne it.

Lastly, they allege the law of the land for it, and say, the Queens statute doth allow us to take upon Usury ten in the hundred. These are like the Jews, which said, We have a law, ¹& by our law he shall die: when they could not say by Gods law he shall die, then they said, by our law he shall die: 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 ⟨p. 183⟩serve Adam to say,² The woman bad me, so it will not serve the usurer to say, the law doth license me: for though peradventure our law do tolerate more then should be tolerated, yet I would have you know, that our law doth 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 doth 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,³ Christ saith that Moses did suffer the man & wife to part asunder: so for the hardness of mens hearts, our Moses, our Prince is fain to suffer as it were a kind of usury, because otherwise no men would lend.