25. For first to be eschewed is that capital lie and far to be fled from, which is done in doctrine of religion; to which lie a man ought by no consideration to be induced. The second, that he should hurt some man unjustly: which is such that it profits no man and hurts some man. The third, which so profits one as to hurt another, but not in corporal defilement. The fourth, that which is done through only lust of lying and deceiving, which is an unmixed lie. The fifth, what is done with desire of pleasing by agreeableness in talk. All these being utterly eschewed and rejected, there follows a sixth sort which at once hurts nobody and helps somebody; as when, if a person’s money is to be unjustly taken from him, one who knows where the money is, should say that he does not know, by whomsoever the question be put. The seventh, which hurts none and profits some: except if a judge interrogate: as when, not wishing to betray a man who is sought for to be put to death, one should lie; not only a just and innocent, but also a culprit; because it belongs to Christian discipline neither to despair of any man’s amendment, nor to bar the way of repentance against any. Of which two sorts, which are wont to be attended with great controversy, we have sufficiently treated, and have shown what was our judgment; that by taking the consequences, which are honorably and bravely borne, these kinds also should be eschewed by brave and faithful and truthful men and women. The eighth sort of lie is that which hurts no man, and does good in the preserving somebody from corporal defilement, at least that defilement which we have mentioned above. For even to eat with unwashen hands the Jews thought defilement. Or if a person think this also a defilement, yet not such that a lie ought to be told to avoid it. But if the lie be such as to do an injury to any man, even though it screen a man from that uncleanness which all men abhor and detest; whether a lie of this kind may be told provided the injury done by the lie be such as consists not in that sort of uncleanness with which we are now concerned, is another question: for here the question is no longer about lying, but it is asked whether an injury ought to be done to any man, even otherwise than by a lie, that the said defilement may be warded off from another. Which I should by no means think: though the case proposed be the slightest wrongs, as that which I mentioned above, about a single measure of wheat; and though it be very embarrassing whether it be our duty not to do even such an injury to any man, if thereby another may be defended or screened from a lustful outrage upon his person. But, as I said, this is another question: at present let us go on with what we have taken in hand: whether a lie ought to be told, if even the inevitable condition be proposed that we either do this, or suffer the deed of lust or some execrable pollution; even though by lying we do no man harm.

CAPUT XIV.

25. Mendaciorum octo genera. Nam primum est ad evitandum capitale mendacium longeque fugiendum, quod fit in doctrina religionis: ad quod mendacium nulla conditione quisquam debet adduci. Secundum autem, ut aliquem laedat injuste: quod tale est, ut et nulli prosit, et obsit alicui. Tertium, quod ita prodest alteri, ut obsit alteri, quamvis non ad immunditiam obsit corporalem. Quartum, quod fit sola mentiendi fallendique libidine, quod merum mendacium est. Quintum, quod fit placendi cupiditate de suaviloquio. His omnibus penitus evitatis atque rejectis, sequitur sextum genus, quod et nulli obest, et prodest alicui: velut si quispiam pecuniam alicujus injuste tollendam, sciens ubi sit, nescire se mentiatur quocumque interrogante. Septimum, quod et nulli obest, et prodest alicui: excepto si judex interrogat: velut si nolens hominem ad mortem quaesitum prodere, mentiatur; non solum justum atque innocentem, sed et reum; quia christianae disciplinae sit, ut neque de cujusquam correctione desperetur, neque cuiquam poenitendi aditus intercludatur . De quibus duobus generibus, quae solent habere magnam controversiam, satis tractavimus, et quid nobis placeret ostendimus: ut suscipiendis incommoditatibus, quae honeste ac fortiter tolerantur, haec quoque genera devitentur a fortibus et fidelibus et veracibus viris ac feminis. Octavum est genus mendacii, quod et nulli obest, et ad hoc prodest, ut ab immunditia corporali aliquem tueatur, duntaxat ea quam superius commemoravimus. Nam etiam non lotis manibus manducare, immunditiam putabant Judaei (Matth. XV, 2, 20). Aut si et hanc quisquam immunditiam vocat; non tamen talem, pro qua evitanda mentiendum sit. Si autem mendacium tale est, quod alicui faciat injuriam; etiamsi ab hac immunditia, quam omnes homines abhorrent ac detestantur, muniat hominem; utrum et hoc genere mentiendum sit, si talis fiat injuria per mendacium, 0506 quae non sit in eo genere immunditiae, de quo nunc agimus, alia quaestio est: non enim jam de mendacio quaeritur; sed quaeritur utrum alicui facienda sit injuria etiam non per mendacium, ut illa ab altero immunditia depellatur. Quod nullo modo putaverim: quanquam proponantur levissimae injuriae, veluti est illa quam de uno modio amisso supra commemoravi; et multum perturbent, utrum non debeamus facere cuiquam vel talem injuriam, si ea potest alius, ne stuprum patiatur, defendi aut muniri. Sed, ut dixi, alia quaestio est.

CAPUT XV.

Auctoritates divinae, quibus mendacium prohibetur, aliaque praecepta ex factis sanctorum intelligenda. Praeceptum praebendi alteram maxillam percutienti. Praeceptum non jurandi omnino. Praeceptum non cogitandi de crastino. Praeceptum ne Apostoli secum aliquid portent in via. Nunc illud quod instituimus, peragamus: utrum mentiendum sit, si etiam inevitabilis conditio proponatur, ut aut hoc faciamus, aut stuprum patiamur, vel aliquam exsecrabilem inquinationem; etiamsi mentiendo nulli faciamus injuriam.