Ms. fo VII re

sessiones prout expediebat divisæ sunt., Ex hoc autem contigit, quod unus habuit de una re ultra suam necessitatem, alius vero de eadem re habuit parum aut nihil, et de alia re e contrario fuit. Sicut pastor quis habundavit ovibus, et pane indiguit, et agricola e converso. Cœperunt ergo homines mercari sine moneta, et dabat unus alter: ovem pro frumento, et alius de labore suo pro pane vel lana, et sic de als rebus, quod adhuc longo tempore postea fuit in quibusdam civitatibus institutum, prout narrat Justinus.

Sed tamen in hujusmodi permutatione et transportatione multæ difficultates subtilisati

rerum , acciderunt ; ergo homines usum invenire

sunt

monelæ, quæ esset instru mentum permutandi ad invicem naturales divitias, quibus de per se subvenitur naturaliter humanæ necessitati, Nam ipsæ pecuniæ dicuntur artificiales divitiæ, conüngit enim his abundantem mori fame, sicut exemplificat Aristoteles de rege cupido, qui oravit ut quidquid ipse tangeret, aurum esset ; quod Dii annuerunt, et sic

fame periit, ut dicunt poctæ ;

1, Wol : forsan.

APPENDICES

erth and possessions as it expedient ther bien divided. Of this forsoth it happith and fallith that oon hath more of oothyng than hym needith, Another forsoth of the same hath litil or uought, and of another thyng even the contrary. So as a stronge shepherd habundith plentivously of sheepe and nedith or lakkith brede, and the plowghman or cathtilier the contrary. Therfor men tooke and bigan to marchaundise and chaunge without money and yaf oon to another a sheepe for wheete and another of his labour for brede or wul, and so of other thynges, that long tyme after hiderto yit in sum citees was ordeigned so as tellith Justius. But as in this maner permutacioun and transportacioun or beryng over of thynges many difficultes fillen, subtile men ther wern to fynde thuse of money, the whiche was an instrument of permutacioun and chaunge to itself is natural Richessis, of whiche and bi itsilf undirgæth and helpith to mannes necessite. For whitheo moneys they seyen to be artificial Richessis, forsoth of thiese happith and fallith that sum plentivous and

APPENDICES

quoniam per pecuniam non immediate succuritur indigentiæ vitæ,sed est instrumentum artificialiter adinventum pro naturalibus divitiis levius permutandis. Et absque alia probatione clare potest apparere, quod numisma est valde bocivili, et Reipublicæ usibus opportunum, imo necessarium, ut probat Aristoteles V Ethicorum, quanquam de hoc dicat Ovidius ; Æffodiuntur opes irritamenta malorum, Inque nocens ferrum ferroque nocentius Prodierat.

Hoc enim facit perversa malo-

num communitati

aurum,

rum cupiditas, non ipsa pecunia, quæ est humano convictui multum accommoda, et cujus usus per se bonus est. Inde ait Cassiodorus : Pecuniæ ipsæ quamuwis usu celeberrimo viles esse vwideantur, animadverlendum est quanta tamen a veleribus ratione collectæ sunt. Et alio loco dicit, quod constat monetarios in usum publicum specialiter esse inventos.

habundannt of Richesse to die Aristotil exemplifieth of a covetouskyng

for hunger, so as

whiche praied as whatsumever he towched was gold, 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 artficiaal to the help for natural and kyndely Richessis the more lightly of permutacioun and And without any other proef

chaunge.

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 in his V bookeof Etikes, an das Ovide saith ‘of this Tournes shed out with warthful thynges of evil men and shrewes differith, etc, € 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 goode. Therof spekith Cassiodorus that money in itsilf to what holsum use thow wilt useitsum seemeit vile and foule, It is to be advertised in