A general discourse against the damnable sect of vsurers grounded vppon the vvorde of God, and confirmed by the auctoritie of doctors both auncient, and newe; necessarie for all tymes, but most profitable for these later daies, in which, charitie being banished, couetousnes hath gotten the vpper hande. VVhereunto is annexed another godlie treatise concernyng the lawfull vse of ritches. Seene and allowed accordyng to her Maiesties iniunctions.

¶ The 5. Chapter. Of bying and selling.

THat is properly called bying* 1.1 and selling, when thinges are changed not for thinges, but for mony. This kinde of bar∣gainyng* 1.2 is neither the moste auncient, nor the most vsed. For both it was vnknowen to the first inhabiters of this* 1.3 world, and is, at this daye, in no vse among diuers nations. But only necessitie found out the same. In this contract, hee whiche receiuyng mony doth translate his goodes into the possession of another, is saide to sell, and the thing translated is called* 1.4 ware. Againe, he which paying money receiueth ware, is said to bye. Here wee must regard not so much what* 1.5 the money is worth in it selfe, as how it is valued by pu∣blike* 1.6 auctoritie, custome, and estimation. For money is valued rather by lawe, than by nature. And therefore equalitie must here be considered, not in the substance of money, but in the estimation, or common vse therof. This contract according to the foundations laid aboue cap. 3. doth require an equalitie without fraude bee∣twene the byer and the seller. Whosoeuer doth of pur∣pose circumuent his brother in bargaining, contrarie to the precept of Paule, hath violated the equalitie which* 1.7

ought to bee betwene the buyer and the seller. And therefore ought good men to take greate heede, that* 1.8 thei vse no couen either in ware or price. Let the seller name the goodnesse of his ware truely, or at the leaste accordyng to his knowledge, without dissimulation:* 1.9 And let the buier giue his due price: that à proportion maie bee obserued betwene the price and the ware. But* 1.10 some wil perhaps demaūde what I call à due or lawfull price? I aunswere simplie, euery price agreed vpon be∣twene the buyer and seller, is not à due or lawfull price, but that whiche is either appointed by indifferent and wisemen in aucthoritie, or paied according to the com∣mon estimation of the thyng, at suche tyme as the bar∣gaine is made. He therefore whiche to daie buyeth à bushell of Corne, accordyng to the common price for three shillynges, the same man maie sell the same at an∣other tyme for sixe shillynges, if the price bee raised to so muche. Contrariwise, if after certaine monethes it bee commonly bought for twelue pence▪ he offendeth that aske three shillynges, although he paied three for the same. For here à consideration must bee had of time and place, also of the plentie or scarsitie of thynges.

But there bee three sortes of men whiche doe gree∣uouslie* 1.11 abuse this trade: Ingrossers, whiche get as many cōmodities as thei can into their priuate handes, and so price thinges to their owne fancies: Regraters, & such as hauyng plentie, will make no sale, excepte either thei maie haue their owne askyng, or suche à scaresitie doth happen as thei maie price, and receiue money as thei liste. In whiche number are thei whiche haue aboun∣dance of Butter, Oxen, wine, Corne, and other thynges frō their owne encrease. When any shall haue neede to buye of these men, thei are enforced, will thei nill thei, to giue as muche as they doe demaunde. Whereby it

happeneth many times, that the seller, where there is no price published by the Magistrate, makes other men to paie extremely for his ware. Now when other riche men shall followe their example, that whiche other∣wise perhaps would bee vttered for twelue pence, is solde for eight shillynges. But one will saie to me, the* 1.12 ware is myne, why maie I not sell it as I liste? Hath not the buyer choise either to buye, or not to buye? Doe I offende in settyng à price of myne owne? Cloake the same by what title you liste, your synne is excedyng greate. For thou doest not so muche hinder the buyer, as thou dooest hurte the Commonweale, whiche is in worser case thereby, than if thou shouldest like a com∣mon theefe inuade the same. For by thy couetousnesse many pine awaie in miserie for wāt of foode. He which hurteth but one man, is in a damnable case, what shall bee thought of thee, whiche bryngest whole houshol∣des to their graues, or at the leaste art a meanes of their extreame miserie? Thou maiest finde shiftes to auoide the daūger of men, but assuredly thou shalte not escape the iudgemente of God. He cannot bee deceiued by a∣ny coulored shifte, nor caried awaie by any shewe of person.

Buyers many-tymes are greatly to be blamed, which* 1.13 either in consideration of daies of paiement, or to pur∣chase their friendship of whom thei buy, wil giue more than à thyng is worthe, and get vp their losse, by some other shifte whiche couetousnesse can teache.

The question aboute redeemyng a bargaine, is aun∣swered* 1.14 out of Leuiticus, where the Lorde doeth com∣mende vnto his people the Lawe of redeemyng. But then I iudge this kinde of bargaining to be good, when it agreeth to the foundation aboue declared: Doe not vnto another, whiche thou wouldest not haue doen to thy

self. Vppon this foundation the conscience of a godlie man maie depend in this couenaunt of redeemyng, and in all other thynges.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bying and sel∣ling what.
• * 1.2

  Bying and sel∣ling is not the moste auncient trade of liuing.
• * 1.3

  Bying and sel∣ling not vsed euerie where.
• * 1.4

  A seller who? VVare.
• * 1.5

  A byer.
• * 1.6

  The value of money is kno∣wen not by it selfe, but by the estimation ther∣of by magistra∣tes. Equalitie muste be obserued be∣twene the byer and the seller.
• * 1.7

  1. Thes. 4.
• * 1.8

  The duetie of the seller.
• * 1.9

  The duetie of the byer.
• * 1.10

  VVhat is a law∣full price.
• * 1.11

  Spoylers of the market who.
• * 1.12

  Against enha••∣sers of the price of thinges.
• * 1.13

  A fault in by∣ers.
• * 1.14

  Redeeming of bargaines.