1. There is a great question about Lying, which often arises in the midst of our every day business, and gives us much trouble, that we may not either rashly call that a lie which is not such, or decide that it is sometimes right to tell a lie, that is, a kind of honest, well-meant, charitable lie. This question we will painfully discuss by seeking with them that seek: whether to any good purpose, we need not take upon ourselves to affirm, for the attentive reader will sufficiently gather from the course of the discussion. It is, indeed, very full of dark corners, and hath many cavern-like windings, whereby it oft eludes the eagerness of the seeker; so that at one moment what was found seems to slip out of one’s hands, and anon comes to light again, and then is once more lost to sight. At last, however, the chase will bear down more surely, and will overtake our sentence. Wherein if there is any error, yet as Truth is that which setteth free from all error, and Falsehood that which entangleth in all error, one never errs more safely, methinks, than when one errs by too much loving the truth, and too much rejecting of falsehood. For they who find great fault say it is too much, whereas peradventure Truth would say after all, it is not yet enough. But whoso readest, thou wilt do well to find no fault until thou have read the whole; so wilt thou have less fault to find. Eloquence thou must not look for: we have been intent upon things, and upon dispatch in putting out of hand a matter which nearly concerns our every day life, and therefore have had small pains, or almost none, to bestow upon words.

CAPUT PRIMUM.

1. Materiae pertractandae difficultas. Magna quaestio est de mendacio, quae nos in ipsis quotidianis actibus nostris saepe conturbat: ne aut temere accusemus mendacium, quod non est mendacium; aut arbitremur aliquando esse mentiendum, honesto quodam et officioso ac misericordi mendacio . Quam quaestionem tam sollicite pertractabimus, ut quaeramus cum quaerentibus: utrum autem aliquantum inveniamus, nihil nobis temere affirmantibus, lectori bene attendenti satis indicabit ipsa tractatio: latebrosa est enim nimis et quibusdam quasi cavernosis anfractibus saepe intentionem quaerentis eludit; ut modo velut elabatur e manibus quod inventum erat, modo rursus appareat, et rursus absorbeatur. Ad extremum tamen sententiam nostram velut certior indago comprehendet. In qua si ullus error est, cum ab omni errore veritas liberet, atque in omni errore falsitas implicet; nunquam errari tutius existimo, quam cum in amore nimio veritatis et rejectione nimia falsitatis erratur. Qui enim severe reprehendunt, hoc nimium dicunt esse: ipsa autem veritas fortasse adhuc dicat, Nondum est satis. Sane quisquis legis, nihil reprehendas, nisi cum totum legeris; atque ita minus reprehendes. Eloquium noli quaerere: multum enim de rebus laboravimus, et de celeritate absolvendi tam necessarii quotidianae vitae operis; unde aut tenuis, aut prope nulla fuit nobis cura verborum.