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you might set free, to demand a wage from him for this release. Away with you, he says, may it not be so. What are you saying? Releasing from the greater, you do not wish to demand money; but for the lesser you display such inhumanity? Do you not see how great a punishment is laid upon the matter? Do you not hear that this was also forbidden in the Old [Testament]? But what is the argument of the many? Having taken the interest, I give to the poor, he says. Speak well, man; God does not want such sacrifices. Do not outwit the law. It is better not to give to the poor, than to give from this source; because the silver collected from just labors you often make unlawful through wicked offspring; just as if someone were to force a good womb to give birth to scorpions. And why do I speak of the law of God? Do not even you call it filth? If you who profit vote such things, consider what vote God will cast concerning you. And if you wish to ask the secular lawgivers, you will hear that to them too the matter seems a proof of the utmost shamelessness. Indeed, for those holding high office, and serving in the great council, which they call the Senate, it is not right to be disgraced by such gains; but there is a law among them that forbids such profits. How then is it not worthy of horror, if you do not assign as much honor to the commonwealth of heaven as the lawgivers did to the Senate of the Romans; but heaven will bear less than earth, and you are not even ashamed of the irrationality of the matter itself? For what could be more irrational than this, than when someone is forced to sow without earth and rain and plow? For this reason those who devised this wicked farming reap tares 58.558 that are handed over to the fire. For are there not many just trades? those of the fields, those of the flocks of sheep, those of the herds of cattle, those of livestock. those of the hands, those of the care of one's possessions? Why are you mad and rave, cultivating thorns for nothing? But the fruits of the earth have failures, and hail and blight and floods? But not as many as interest does. For whatever such things may happen, the loss concerns the revenue; but the capital stands, the field. But in this case, many have often suffered shipwreck in their capital; and even before the loss they are in continual despair. For the lender never enjoys his possessions, nor is he glad for them, but when the interest is brought in, he does not rejoice that there has been an income, but is grieved that the interest has not yet reached the capital; and before this evil offspring is fully born, he forces it to give birth itself, making the interest into capital, and forcing the untimely and aborted offspring of vipers to come forth. For such is interest; more than those wild beasts, it devours and tears the souls of the wretched. This is a bond of injustice; this is a noose of violent transactions. For I give, he says, not so that you may receive, but so that you may give back more. And God does not even command us to take back what is given; for He says, "Give to those from whom you do not expect to receive"; but you demand even more than what was given, and what you did not give, this you compel the one who received it to pay down as if it were owed. And you think that your substance increases from this; but instead of substance, you are kindling the unquenchable fire. So that this may not happen, let us cut out the wicked womb of interest, let us maim the unlawful birth-pangs, let us dry up this destructive belly, and let us pursue true and great profits alone. And what are these? Hear Paul saying, that "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Let us then be rich with this wealth alone, so that we may both enjoy security here, and attain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ἀπαλλάξῃς, μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖν τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς ταύτης αὐτόν. Ἄπαγε, φησὶ, μὴ γένοιτο. Τί λέγεις; Τοῦ μείζονος ἀπαλλάττων, οὐ βούλει χρήματα ἀπαιτεῖν· ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ ἐλάττονος τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυσαι τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅση τῷ πράγματι κεῖται τιμωρία; οὐκ ἀκούεις ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τοῦτο κεκώλυται; Ἀλλὰ τίς τῶν πολλῶν ὁ λόγος; Λαβὼν τὸν τόκον, πένητι δίδωμι, φησίν. Εὐφήμει, ἄνθρωπε· οὐ βούλεται τοιαύτας θυσίας ὁ Θεός. Μὴ σοφίζου τὸν νόμον. Βέλτιον μὴ διδόναι πένητι, ἢ ἐντεῦθεν διδόναι· ὅτι τὸ ἐκ δικαίων πόνων συλλεγὲν ἀργύριον πολλάκις ποιεῖς εἶναι παράνομον διὰ τὰ πονηρὰ γεννήματα· ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις νηδὺν καλὴν ἀναγκάζοι τίκτειν σκορπίους. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον; Οὐχὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς ῥύπον αὐτὸ καλεῖτε; Εἰ δὲ οἱ κερδαίνοντες τοιαῦτα ψηφίζεσθε, ἐννόησον τίνα ὁ Θεὸς περὶ ὑμῶν οἴσει τὴν ψῆφον. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ τοὺς ἔξωθεν νομοθέτας ἐρέσθαι, ἀκούσῃ ὅτι κἀκείνοις τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀναισχυντίας τὸ πρᾶγμα δεῖγμα εἶναι δοκεῖ. Τοὺς γοῦν ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ὄντας, καὶ εἰς τὴν μεγάλην τελοῦντας βουλὴν, ἣν σύγκλητον καλοῦσιν, οὐ θέμις τοιούτοις κέρδεσι καταισχύνεσθαι· ἀλλὰ νόμος ἐστὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὁ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀπαγορεύων κέρδη. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄξιον φρίκης, εἰ μηδὲ τοσαύτην ἀπονέμοις τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν πολιτείᾳ τιμὴν, ὅσην τῇ βουλῇ Ῥωμαίων οἱ νομοθέται· ἀλλ' ἔλαττον οἴσει τῆς γῆς ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὴν αἰσχύνῃ τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀλογίαν; Τί γὰρ τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀλογώτερον, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅταν τις χωρὶς γῆς καὶ ὑετοῦ καὶ ἀρότρου βιάζηται σπείρειν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ζιζάνια 58.558 θερίζουσι τὰ τῷ πυρὶ παραδιδόμενα οἱ τὴν πονηρὰν ταύτην ἐπινοήσαντες γεωργίαν. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶ δίκαιαι ἐμπορίαι πολλαί; αἱ τῶν ἀγρῶν, αἱ τῶν ποιμνίων, αἱ τῶν βουκολίων, αἱ τῶν θρεμμάτων. αἱ τῶν χειρῶν, αἱ τῆς ἐπιμελείας τῶν ὄντων; Τί μαίνῃ καὶ παραπαίεις εἰκῆ γεωργῶν ἀκάνθας; Ἀλλ' ἔχουσιν ἀποτυχίας οἱ τῆς γῆς καρποὶ, καὶ χάλαζαν καὶ ἐρυσίβην καὶ ἐπομβρίας; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοσαύτας, ὅσας οἱ τόκοι. Καὶ γὰρ ὅσα ἂν γένηται τοιαῦτα, περὶ τὴν πρόσοδον ἡ ζημία· τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον ἕστηκεν, ὁ ἀγρός. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἐν τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τὸ ναυάγιον ὑπέμειναν· καὶ πρὸ τῆς ζημίας δὲ ἐν διηνεκεῖ εἰσιν ἀθυμίᾳ. Οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἀπολαύει τῶν ὄντων ὁ δανειστὴς, οὐδὲ εὐφραίνεται ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἀλλ' ὅταν ὁ τόκος ἐνεχθῇ, οὐ χαίρει, ὅτι πρόσοδος γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ λυπεῖται, ὅτι οὐδέπω τὸ κεφάλαιον ἔφθασεν ὁ τόκος· καὶ πρὶν ἢ τέλειον τεχθῆναι τὸ κακὸν γέννημα τοῦτο, καὶ αὐτὸ τίκτειν ἀναγκάζει, τοὺς τόκους κεφάλαιον ποιῶν, καὶ βιαζόμενος τὰ ἄωρα καὶ ἀμβλωθρίδια προενεγκεῖν γεννήματα τῶν ἐχιδνῶν. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ οἱ τόκοι· τῶν θηρίων ἐκείνων μᾶλλον κατεσθίουσι καὶ σπαράττουσι τὰς τῶν ἀθλίων ψυχάς. Τοῦτο σύνδεσμος ἀδικίας· τοῦτο στραγγαλιὰ βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων. ∆ίδωμι γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐχ ἵνα λάβῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα πλείονα ἀποδῷς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεὸς οὔτε τὸ διδόμενον κελεύει λαβεῖν· ∆ίδοτε γὰρ, φησὶ, παρ' ὧν οὐ προσδοκᾶτε λαβεῖν· σὺ δὲ καὶ τοῦ διδομένου πλέον ἀπαιτεῖς, καὶ ὅπερ οὐκ ἔδωκας, τοῦτο ὡς ὀφειλόμενον ἀναγκάζεις καταθεῖναι τὸν εἰληφότα. Καὶ σὺ μὲν νομίζεις τὴν οὐσίαν σοι πλεονάζειν ἐντεῦθεν· ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς οὐσίας τὸ πῦρ ἀνάπτεις τὸ ἄσβεστον. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, ἐκκόψωμεν τὴν πονηρὰν νηδὺν τῶν τόκων, πηρώσωμεν τὰς παρανόμους ὠδῖνας, ἀναξηράνωμεν τὴν ὀλέθριον ταύτην γαστέρα, καὶ τὰ ἀληθῆ καὶ μεγάλα κέρδη διώκωμεν μόνα. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτά ἐστιν; Ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Μέγας πορισμὸς ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρκείας. Τοῦτον τοίνυν πλουτῶμεν τὸν πλοῦτον μόνον, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀδείας ἀπολαύσωμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.