A fruitfull commentarie vpon the twelue small prophets briefe, plaine, and easie, going ouer the same verse by verse, and shewing every where the method, points of doctrine, and figures of rhetoricke, to the no small profit of all godly and well disposed readers, with very necessarie fore-notes for the vnderstanding of both of these, and also all other the prophets. The text of these prophets together with that of the quotations omitted by the author, faithfully supplied by the translatour, and purged of faults in the Latine coppie almost innumerable, with a table of all the chiefe matters herein handled, and marginall notes very plentifull and profitable; so that it may in manner be counted a new booke in regard of these additions. VVritten in Latin by Lambertus Danæus, and newly turned into English by Iohn Stockwood minister and preacher at Tunbridge.

Vers. 5.

Saying, When will the new moneth be gone, that we may sell corne? and the Sabboth, that wee may set foorth wheate, and make the Ephah small, and the shekle great, and falsifie the weights by deceit?

* 1.1AN explanation or making more plaine of that which went be∣fore, by the which the kindes of deceits and cruelty practised and deuised by the rich against their poore and needy brethren, are reckoned vp, and declared. And in this place there are rehearsed foure. The first,* 1.2 That these vnsatiable or neuer filled couetous wretches could not away with so much as the Sabboth and newe moones (that is, feast dayes at that time of the moone holden) be∣cause that on those dayes they ceased from merchandise and traf∣fique, that is, from their deceits and vse of buying and selling. For they complayn, that there are too many holy dayes, and that they are held too long, because that in all that time they could haue no gaines, norsell any thing. This was in those dayes notorious coue∣tousnes, and also is at this day, when as men finde fault that the worship and seruice of God doth take from them occasions and commodities of lucre and gaine, and that the times appointed by the word of God for this matter are too long, and nothing but idle ceasings from worldly busines. The second kinde, They did dimi∣nish & lessen the publike or common weights,* 1.3 because they would not make so good weight in selling and measuring of their wares, as by the common weights they ought, but would giue lesse weight then was meet, the which notwithstanding so lessened and curtold, they would haue to be taken for good and lawfull, and to be coun∣ted for full measure of their wares. This also is notorious couetous∣nes, the which doth falsifie and corrupt the common weights, so farre as it may. The third kinde is, that they doe increase the price of the coyne within themselues,* 1.4 to make it to bee of more valewe then it ought. Therefore when ought is to be payd vnto them by the poore man, or him that is their debtor, they will haue more paid them in money for a crowne, then three pound french. They would haue the Floren among the Merchants to bee of more valew then twenty Souses. They alleadge for themselues, that the price or valew of the coyne is risen since the time that they sold their wares, or since the poore men receiued that money. The fourth kinde is, Their shameles corrupting,* 1.5 or changing of the common weights

and measures, the which they did by subtiltie and false dealing. For those former falsifiers of the weights did keep the rates of the co••∣mon weights iust, but they would not deliuer so much in weight and measure. But these fellowes did subtillie falsifie the common weights in making of them lesse, and yet would shewe them for iust and true weights. This also is shameles couetousnesse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The making more plaine of that which went before.
• * 1.2

  1. They thinke much to re∣fraine from traffick on the Sabboth, and feast dayes.
• * 1.3

  2. They did lessen the common weightes, not in the weights themselues, but in making too little weight & measure in their wares.
• * 1.4

  3. They raise the price of the coyne.
• * 1.5

  4. They doe make the common weights lesse thē they ought to be.