A12406:452
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…
The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.
London: printed by Richard Field for Thomas Man, 1593
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
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.
Lastly, they alleage the lawe of the lande for it, and say, the Queenes statute dooth allowe vs to take vpon Vsurie ten in the hundred. These are like the Iewes, which said, We haue a law, 1& by our law he shall die: when they could not saie by Gods law he shall die, then they saide, by our law hee shall die: so when they cannot saie by Gods law we maie take Vsurie, they saie by mans lawe wee may take vsurie, 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⟩