Secundo violenter auferendo, et haec maior iniuria est, Iob, vim fecerunt depraedantes pupillos. Inter istos sunt mali principes et reges, principes eius in medio eorum quasi rapientes praedam. Isti enim faciunt contra intentionem Domini volentis iustum regimen et dicentis, per me reges regnant etc. Et aliquando talia faciunt per modum furti, aliquando per violentiam, Isa. I, principes tui infideles socii furum, aliquando condendo leges et statuendo ad lucrandum tantum, Isa., vae qui condunt leges iniquas; et Augustinus dicit quod omnis mala dominatio furtum est, unde dicit quid sunt regna nisi quaedam latrocinia? The second is by taking with violence, and this is an even greater injury: they have violently robbed the fatherless (Job 24:9). Among those that do such things are wicked kings and rulers: her princes in the midst of her, are like wolves ravening the prey (Ezek 22:27). They act contrary to the Lord’s will who wishes a rule according to justice: by me kings reign and lawgivers decree just things (Prov 8:15). Sometimes they do such things stealthily and sometimes with violence: your princes are faithless companions of thieves (Isa 1:23). At times they steal by enacting laws and enforcing them for profit only: woe to those who make wicked laws (Isa 10:1). And Augustine says that every wrongful usurpation is theft when he asks: what are thrones but forms of thievery? Tertio mercedem non solvendo, Lev., non morabitur opus mercenarii tui usque mane apud te. Et hoc intelligitur quod homo cuilibet dare debet quod suum est, sive principes sive praelati sive clerici etc., Rom., reddite omnibus debita, cui tributum etc. Tenemur enim regibus custodientibus pacem nostram dare mercedem. Third, theft is committed by not paying wages that are due: the wages of him whom you have hired shall not abide by you until the morning (Lev 19:13). This means that a man must pay every one his due, whether he be prince, or prelate, or cleric, etc.: render therefore to all men their dues. Tribute, to whom tribute is due, custom, to whom custom is due (Rom 13:7). Hence, we are bound to give a return to rulers who guard our safety. Quarto fraudem in mercationibus committendo, unde prohibetur Lev., non habebis diversas mensuras vel pondera, Prov. pondus et pondus, mensura et mensura etc. Hoc est etiam contra caupones qui miscent aquam vino. In hoc etiam prohibetur usura, Ps., Domine quis habitabit etc. Hoc etiam est contra campsores qui multas falsitates dicunt et committunt. Est etiam contra venditores pannorum et aliarum rerum. Sed dices forsitan, quare non possum dare pecuniam sicut equum vel domum? Dicendum quod in illis est peccatum quae bis venduntur. In domo autem duo sunt, scilicet substantia et usus, et aliud est habere domum et aliud uti domo, unde separatim possum vendere usum sine domus venditione, et ita in omnibus huiusmodi. Unde si aliqua sunt quae consistant in ipso usu tantum et usus est eorum distractio, non potest fieri id quod est de domo. Denariis autem utimur consumendo et frumento destruendo, et ideo si usum vendis bis vendis. The fourth kind of theft is fraud in buying and selling: you shall not have diverse measures or weights (Deut 25:13). Diverse weights and diverse measures, both are abominable before God (Prov 20:10). This is also directed against the keepers of wine-shops who mix water with the wine. Usury is also forbidden: Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle, etc. (Ps 15 [14]:1). This is also against money-changers who speak and commit many frauds, and against the sellers of cloth and other goods. But you may object: why can I not give money, just like a horse or a house? To this it must be said that in money the sin is that an item is sold twice. In a house there are two items: the substance and the use. It is one thing to have a house, and another to use the house. So I can sell separately the use of a house without selling the house itself. The same for such like. But for things that consist in the use alone, and the use alienates the item, the same distinction cannot be made as with a house. We use money by alienating it, and food by consuming it. Therefore if you sell the use, you are selling twice. Quinto dignitates emendo sive sint temporales sive spirituales. De primo Iob XX, divitias quas devoravit evomet; omnes enim tyranni qui vi tenent regna vel provinciam vel feudum fures sunt, et omnes tales tenentur ad restitutionem. De secundo Ioan., qui non intrat per ostium etc., et ideo omnes simoniaci fures sunt, etc. Fifth, theft is committed by those who buy promotions to positions of temporal or spiritual honor. The riches which he swallowed, he shall vomit up (Job 20:15), has reference to temporal position. Thus, all tyrants who hold a kingdom or province or land by force are thieves, and are held to restitution. Concerning spiritual dignities: he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold but climbs up another way is a thief and a robber (John 10:1). Therefore, they who commit simony are thieves. XXVII. De eodem XXVII. XXVI. The Seventh Commandment, Continued Non furtum facies etc. Hoc praecepto sicut dictum est prohibetur omne male ablatum, et debent nos inducere multas rationes ad cavendum ab hoc. You shall not steal (Exod 20:15). This commandment, as has been said, forbids taking things wrongfully, and we can bring forth many reasons why it is given. Prima sumitur ex gravitate; assimilatur enim hoc peccatum homicidio, Eccli., panis egentium vita pauperis, et qui defraudat illum vir sanguinis est, et iterum, qui effundit sanguinem et qui defraudat mercenarium fratres sunt. The first is because of the gravity of this sin, which is likened to murder: the bread of the needy is the life of the poor; he who defrauds them of it is a man of blood (Sir 34:25). And again: he who sheds blood and he who defrauds the laborer of his hire are brothers (Sir 24:27). Secunda ex periculi qualitate; nullum enim peccatum est ita periculosum, quia nullum peccatum remittitur sine poenitentia et satisfactione. De omnibus aliis cito poenitet quis, sicut patet de homicidio cessante ira et de fornicatione cessante passione, et sic de aliis. De hoc vero peccato, licet aliquando quis poeniteat non tamen de facili satisfacit, et maxime cum non solum teneatur reddere quod accepit sed etiam damnum quod fecit patrono ex hoc, et cum hoc etiam tenetur facere poenitentiam de peccato. Ideo dicitur, vae qui multiplicat non sua; densum dicit quia non de facili homo egreditur. The second reason is the peculiar danger involved in theft. For no sin is so dangerous since no sin can be forgiven without penance and satisfaction. After committing other sins a person may quickly repent, for instance, of murder when his anger cools, or of fornication when his passion subsides, and so on for others; but even if one repents of this sin, one does not easily make the necessary satisfaction for it. This is owing to the obligation of restitution and the duty to make up for what loss is incurred by the rightful owner. And all this is above and beyond the obligation to repent for the sin itself: woe to him who heaps together what is not his own; for how long will he load himself with thick clay? (Hab 2:6). For thick clay is that from which one cannot easily extricate himself. Tertio ex talium inutilitate. Non enim sunt utilia, neque spiritualiter, Prov. non proderunt thesauri impietatis; divitiae enim spiritualiter prosunt ad eleemosynas et sacrificia, Prov. redemptio animae viri proprie divitiae; sed de non propriis dicitur, ego Dominus diligens iudicium, Eccli., qui offert sacrificium de substantia pauperum etc. Nec temporaliter, quia parum durant, Habac., vae ei qui congregat avaritiam malum domui suae, Eccli., qui acervat divitias etc., Prov. custoditur iusto substantia peccatoris. The third reason is the uselessness of stolen goods. For they are not useful spiritually: treasures of wickedness shall profit nothing (Prov 10:2); wealth can indeed be useful spiritually for almsgiving and offering of sacrifices: the ransom of a man’s life are his riches (Prov 13:8). But it is said of stolen goods: I am the Lord that love judgment, and hate robbery in a holocaust (Isa 41:8). And again: he who offers sacrifice of the goods of the poor is as one who sacrifices the son in the presence of his father (Sir 34:24). Nor are stolen goods useful temporally, for they last only a little while: woe to him who gathers an evil greed to his house (Hab 2:9), who heaps together riches by usury and loan (Prov 28:8), the substance of the sinner is kept for the just (Prov 13:22). Quarto ex nocumenti singularitate. Faciunt enim perdere alia; sunt enim sicut ignis aliis commixtus, Iob, ignis devorabit tabernacula eorum qui libenter munera recipiunt. Scias insuper quod talis non solum animam suam amittit, sed etiam filiorum quia illi tenentur reddere. The fourth reason is that the results of theft are peculiarly harmful to the thief in that they lead to his loss of other goods. It is not unlike the mixture of fire and straw: fire shall devour the tabernacles of those who love to take bribes (Job 15:34). And it ought to be known that a thief may lose not only his own soul, but also the souls of his children, since they are bound to make restitution. Capitulum 8 Chapter 8 XXVIII. Octavum praeceptum XXVIII. The Eighth Commandment Non loqueris contra proximum tuum falsum testimonium. Prohibuit iam Dominus quod nullus iniurietur proximo suo opere, nunc autem praecipit quod non iniurietur verbo, et hoc est non loquaris etc. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exod 20:16). The Lord has forbidden anyone to injure his neighbor by deed; now he forbids us to injure him by word: you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Hoc autem potest esse dupliciter vel in iudicio vel in communi locutione. In iudicio autem tribus modis secundum quod tres personae possunt facere contra hoc praeceptum. This may occur in two ways, either in a court of justice or in ordinary conversation. In the court of justice it may happen in three ways, according to the three persons who may violate this commandment. Persona scilicet accusantis falso, Lev., non eris criminator et susurro in populo. Et nota quod sicut non debes dicere falsum, ita non debes tacere verum, Matt., si peccaverit in te frater tuus etc. The first person is the plaintiff who makes a false accusation: you shall not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people (Lev 19:16). And note well that it is not only wrong to speak falsely, but also to conceal the truth: if your brother offends you, go and rebuke him (Matt 18:15). Persona testificantis mentiendo, Prov., testis falsus non erit impunitus. Hoc enim peccatum includit omnia praecedentia, quia aliquando talis est homicida, aliquando fur, etc. Debent autem isti puniri poena quae datur Deut., et Prov. iaculum et sagitta et gladius qui profert falsum testimonium contra proximum suum. The second person is the witness who testifies by lying: a false witness shall not be unpunished (Prov 19:5). For this sin includes all the preceding ones, inasmuch as the false witness may himself be the murderer or the thief, etc. And such should be punished according to the punishment given in Deuteronomy. And again: a man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a dart and a sword and a sharp arrow (Prov 25:18). Persona iudicis male sententiando, Lev., non iniuste diiudicabis nec aspicias personam potentis. The third person is the judge who sins by giving an unjust sentence: you shall not judge unjustly, nor respect the person of the mighty (Lev 19:15). In communi autem locutione peccant aliquando contra hoc praeceptum quinque genera hominum. In ordinary conversation there are five kinds of men who sometimes sin against this commandment. Detractores, Rom., detractores Deo odibiles, et dicit Deo odibiles, quia nihil est ita carum homini sicut fama, Eccl., melius est nomen bonum quam etc.; detractor autem aufert hoc, Eccl., sicut si mordeat serpens etc. Unde si famam non restituit salvari non potest. The first is detractors: detractors, hateful to God (Rom 1:30). And it says hateful to God because nothing is so dear to a man as his good name: a good name is better than precious ointments (Eccl 7:2). But detractors take away this good name: if a serpent bite in silence, he is no better that backbites secretly (Eccl 10:11). Therefore, if detractors do not restore this reputation, they cannot be saved. Detractores libenter audientes, Eccli., sepi aures tuas spinis etc. Quinimmo debet dicenti ostendere vultum torvum, Prov., ventus aquilo dissipans pluvias. The second is those who listen to detractors willingly: hedge in your ears with thorns (Sir 28:28). One ought to turn away, showing a stern countenance: the north wind drives away rain as a stern countenance a backbiting tongue (Prov 25:23). Susurratores qui scilicet recitant quidquid audiunt, Prov., sex sunt quae odit Dominus etc. et eum qui seminat inter fratres discordiam, Eccli., susurro et bilinguis maledictus in populo. The third is gossipers who repeat whatever they hear: six things there are which the Lord hates, etc. and one who sows discord among brethren (Prov 6:16, 19). The whisperer and the double tongued is accursed among the people (Sir 28:15). Blanditores, Ps., laudatur peccator in desideriis etc., Isa., popule meus qui beatum te dicunt ipsi te decipiunt, Ps., corripiet me iustus etc., oleum autem etc. The fourth is flatterers: the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul (Ps 10:3). O my people, they who call you blessed deceive you (Isa 3:12). The just one will correct me, etc., the oil of the sinner will not anoint my head (Ps 142:4 [141:5]). Murmuratores, et hoc maxime abundat in subditis, Cor., neque murmuraveritis etc., Sap., custodite vos a murmuratione, Prov., patientia lenietur princeps etc. The fifth is complainers, and this is very common among subjects: do not murmur (1 Cor 10:10); guard yourselves from complaining (Wis 1:11); the prince is softened by patience (Prov 25:15). XXIX. De eodem XXIX. The Eighth Commandment, Continued Non loqueris etc. In hac prohibitione prohibetur omne mendacium, Eccli., noli velle mentiri omne mendacium assiduae. Et hoc propter quatuor. Do not speak false witness against your neighbor (Exod 20:16). The prohibition of this commandment includes every form of falsehood: refuse to utter any lie; for the habit of lying serves no good (Sir 7:14). There are four reasons for this. Primo propter diaboli assimilationem. Talis enim efficitur diaboli filius, nam homo ex verbis suis cognoscitur de qua regione et patria sit, Ioan., nam et loquela tua etc. Inter homines quidam sunt de genere diaboli qui et dicuntur diaboli filii, qui scilicet sequuntur mendacium, quia diabolus mendax est et pater eius. Ipse enim mentitus est primo, Gen. I, nequaquam moriemini etc. Quidam vero filii Dei, qui scilicet loquuntur veritatem, quia Deus veritas est. The first is that lying likens one to the devil, because a liar is as the son of the devil. Now, we know that a man’s speech betrays from what region and country he comes from, thus: even your accent betrays you (Matt 26:73). Even so, some men are of the devil’s kind, and are called sons of the devil because they are liars, since the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Thus, the devil lied when he said, no, certainly you shall not die (Gen 3:4). But, on the contrary, those who speak the truth are children of God, because God is truth (John 14:6). Secundo propter societatis dissolutionem. Homines enim naturaliter simul vivunt, quod esse non posset si sibi verum non dicerent, Pet., deponentes omne pondus mendacii loquimini veritatem. The second reason is that lying induces the ruin of society. Men naturally live together in society, and this is soon rendered impossible if they do not speak the truth to one another. Putting away every weight (Heb 12:1) of falsehood to speak the truth. Tertio propter famae amissionem. Qui enim assuescit mendaciis non creditur sibi etiam cum verum dicit, Prov. ab immundo quid mundabitur? etc. The third reason is that the liar loses his reputation. He who is accustomed to telling lies is not believed even when he speaks the truth: what can be made clean by the unclean? And what truth can come from what is false? (Sir 34:4). Quarto propter animae perditionem. Occidit enim homo mendax animam suam, Sap. I, os quod mentitur etc., Ps., perdes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium. Unde patet quod est peccatum mortale. The fourth reason is because a liar kills his soul, for the mouth that lies kills the soul (Wis 1:11). And again: you will destroy all who speak lies (Ps 5:6 [7]). Accordingly, it is clear that this is a mortal sin. Unde advertas quod ipsorum est mortale et veniale. Mortale autem est mentiri in his quae sunt fidei, quod pertinet ad praelatos et magistros et praedicatores. Et hoc est gravius omnibus aliis speciebus mendacii, Pet., in vobis erunt magistri mendacii. Et aliqui aliquando talia dicunt ut scire videantur, Isa., super quem lusistis filii sceleris etc. Some lies are mortal, others are venial. It is a mortal sin, for instance, to lie in matters of faith. This concerns prelates, and teachers, and preachers, and is the gravest of all other kinds of lies: there shall be among you lying teachers, who shall bring in sects of perdition (2 Pet 2:1). And certain ones say such things sometimes that they may seem to know: upon whom have you jested, you wicked children (Isa 57:4). Item aliquando in damnum proximi, Eccli., noli mentiri adversus fratrem tuum. Then there are those who lie to wrong their neighbor: devise not a lie against your brother (Sir 7:13). Et haec duo mendacia mortalia sunt. These two kinds of lies, therefore, are mortal sins. Aliqui etiam mentiuntur pro seipsis et hoc multipliciter. Aliquando ex humilitate et hoc in confessione quandoque, de quo ait Augustinus: sicut cavendum est ne homo taceat quod fecit, ita ne dicat quod non fecit; Iob, nunquid Deus indiget vestro mendacio? Est qui nequiter se humiliat. There are also some who lie for their own advantage, and this in a variety of ways. Sometimes it is out of humility in confession, about which Augustine says: just as one must avoid concealing what he has committed, so also he must not mention what he has not committed. And again: does God have any need of your lie? (Job 13:7). He humbles himself badly. Aliqui ex verecundiae levitate, cum scilicet quis credit verum dicere et dicit falsum, et hoc advertens verecundatur de retractatione, Eccli., non contradicas verbo veritatis etc. There are others who tell lies out of shame, namely when one tells a falsehood believing that he is telling the truth, and on becoming aware of it he is ashamed to retract: in no wise speak against the truth, but be ashamed of the lie of your ignorance (Sir 4:30). Aliqui ex utilitate, quando scilicet volunt aliquid adipisci vel ab aliquo evadere, Isa., posuimus mendacium spem nostram, Prov., qui nititur mendacii pascit ventos. Others lie for desired results as when they wish to gain or avoid something: we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected (Isa 28:15). And again: he who trusts in lies feeds the winds (Prov 10:4). Aliqui propter alterius commodum, quando scilicet volunt aliquem a morte vel periculo vel damno aliquo liberare. Et hoc cavendum est sicut dicit Augustinus, Eccli., non accipias faciem contra faciem tuam. Finally, there are some who lie to benefit another, that is, when they wish to free someone from death, or danger, or some other loss. This must be avoided, as Augustine says. Accept no person against your own person, nor against your soul a lie (Eccl 4:26).