Ms. f° VII r

APPENDICES

sessiones prout expediebat divisa? sunt. Ex hoc autcm contigit, (juod unus habuit de uiia re ultra suam necessitatem, alius vero de eadem re habuit parum aut nihil, et de alia re e contrario fuit. Sicut pastor1 (piis habundavit ovibus, et pane indiguit, et agrieola e converso. Cœperunt erg-o homines mercari sine moneta. et dabat unus alteri ovem pro frumento, et alius de labore suo pro pane vel lana, et sic de aliis rébus, quod adhuc long-o tempore postea fuit in quibusdam civitatibus institutum, prout narrât Justinus.

Sed tamen in hujusmodi permutatione et transportatione rerum , mu Use difficultatos acciderunt ; subtilisati sunt erg-o homines usum invenire monetye, qu* esset instrumentum permutandi ad invicem naturales divitias, quibus de per se subvenitur naturaliter humanae necessitati. Nam ipsae pecunia? dicuutur arlificiales divitiae, contingit enim his abundantem mori lame, sicut cxemplilicat Aristoteles de vege cupido, qui oravit ut quidquid ipse tang-eret, au ru m esset; quod Dii annuerunt, et sic famé periit, ut dicunt poetse ;

erth and possessions as it expédient ther bien divided. Of tins forsoth it happith and fallith that oon hath more of oothyng than hym needith, Another forsoth of the same hath Util or noug-ht, and of another thyng even the contrary. So as a strong-e shepherd habundith plentivously of sheepe and nedith or lakkith brede, and the plowg-hman or cathtilier the contrary. Therfor men tooke and big-an to marchaundise and chaung-e without money and yaf oon to another a sheepe for wheete and another of his labour for brede or wul, and so of other thyng-es, that long tyme after hiderto yit in sum citées was ordeigried so as tellith Justius. But as in this maner permutacioun and transportacioun or beryng- over of thyng-es many difficultés fillen, subtile men ther wern to fynde thuse of money, the whiche was an instrument of permutacioun and chaung-e to itself is natural Richessis, of whiche and bi itsilf undirg-œth and helpith to mannes nécessite. For whi theo moneys they seyen to be artificial Richessis, forsoth of thiese happith and ■ fallith that sum plentivous and

i, Wol : forsan,

MM'K.NDICKS

quoniam per pecuniam non immédiate succuritur indigrentiee vitaejsed est instrumentum artificialitéjr adinventum pro n.tl nialihus divitiis levius permutandis. Et absque alia probatione clare potest apparére, quod numisma est valde bonum eommunitati civili, et Reipublica3 usibus opportunum, imo necessarium, ut probat Aristoteles V Ethicorum, quanquam de hoc dicat Ovidius ; Effodiuntur opes irritamenta n/alorum, Inque necens ferram ferroque nocentius auru/n, Prodierat Hoc enim facit perversa malorum cupiditas, non ipsa pecunia, quœ est humano convictui multum accommoda, et cujus usus per se bonus est. Inde ait Cassiodorus : Pecuniœ ipsœ quamvis usa ceieberri/no viles esse uideantur, animadvertendum est quanta tamen a veteribus ratione colleetœ sunt. Et alio loco dicit, quod constat monetarios in muni publicum specialiter esse inventos.

habundannt of Richesse to die for hunier, so as Aristotil exemplifîeth of a covetouskyngwhichcpraied as whatsumever he towched was g-old, that the Goddis told and warned hym and so with hunger he perisshed,as poetis seyn.|£For whi bi money not inmediatly socourith indigence of lif, but is an Instrument artifîciaal to the help for natural and kyndely Richessis the more lightly of permutacioun and chaunge.

And without any other proef clierely may be shewed that money is a wounder grete profite toa comune civile, and to thyng publique to covenable uses, therfor the more necessary, as provith Aristotil inhis V booke of Etikes, an das Ovide saith ! of this Tournes shed out with warthful thynges of evil men and shrewes differith, etc, C For soth this doeth the froward covetise of men nat the money it silf whiche is to mannes felowship Right grete and comodious and of whos vse bi it silf is g-oode. Therof spekith Cassiodorus that money in itsilf to what holsum use thow wilt use it su m seemeit vile and foule, It is to be advertised in

i. Tout ce passage est fort altéré dans la traduction.

APPENDICES

tlie foule h ow moche so with anncient and of ol Reasons ther bien g-adred. And in another place he saith that coig-nours 1 specialy oug"ht to bien inventours and fvnders into the use of publique and coma ne weele.

Capitulum V '

The V chapitre 2

Gui incumbit facere numisma.

Adhuc autem fuit antiquitus ordinatum, et propter deceptionem cavendam, quod non liceret cuilibet facere monetam, aut hujusmodi fig-uram vel imag-inem imprimere in suo proprio argento et auro, sed quod moneta vel characteris impressio fieret per unam personam publicam, seu per plures a communitate ad hoc deputatas ; quia, sicut praemissum est, moneta est de natura sua instituta est inventa pro bono communitatis. Et quoniam princeps est persona magûs publica, et majoris

i. Ed. Wol. p. XCIX.

To whom it longitk to make nummysmes or newe priâtes.

Forsoth yit hiderto it was of anncient tyme resonabely ordeig"ned and for to be ware the disceit, that nat to every man it be lieful to make money or to this maner fîg-ure or Imag"e to impresse or prynte in his owne propir g-old or silver, but that money and of carectis to impresse shalbe made bi a publique persone or by moo of the comunalte to this députées.

Forvvhi as it is premysed money of his nature is institute ordeigned and founde forg-ood of the comunalte and forwhi a prince is a publique persone

i. Le traducteur a lu évidemment inventores, pour inuentos, ce qui n'offre plus aucun sens.