(ajes about 'Buying and SeUin,g. 121 or three [hillings' or more in the pound of the rich, may fea caufc ro ·let a poorer perCon have ir for lt:fs : Buc never ask above what itsreafonable to take. 3• And if you once peremptorily fay,.{ will tak.f no /cfi, then it is not fit to go from your word. 4· And if you do meet with fuch foo)s or proudGat. lants, who will not deal with you unlefs you a5k dear, it i$ juft that when they have given you more than it is worth, you tell them fo, and offer them the overplus again. And for them that cxp:.-a thlt you abate much of your asking, it is an inconvenience· to be born, which will be ever to your advan· rage when you are once better known. 9· 4• Q>e!l. 4· How ]hall the wortb of a commodity be judged of1 · . ~eft. 4· A 11 fw. 1. When the Law fcrteth a rate upon any thing (as o_n bi"cad and drink withus) it mull be obfervcd. 2. If you go to the Marl<!t, the Market-price is much eo be obfaved. 3· If it be in an equal contraCt, with one that is oot in want, you m1y cfiimate your goods as they cofi you, or are worth to you, though it be above the common price; feeing the hU)'er is free to take or leave them. 4· But if that which you hav:e to fcll,be extraordinary defirable, or worth to fome one pcrfon, more than to you or anothu man, you rnufi not mal<c too great an advantage of his convenience or ddire ; but be glad that you can pleafure him, upon equal, fair and honcfi terms. 5· If there be a fccret worth in your commodity whic.h theMarket will take no notice of (as it is ufual in aHorfc ), it is lawful for you to take according to that true worth, if you can get it. But it is a falfc Rule of them, rhat think their commodity ifworth as much as any one will give. 9· 5· Q!_efi. 5· Is it Jawfulto make a thing {am better than it U, by trimmi11g, adorHing or.fetting ~tft. 5• tf;e brjt fide outward or in fight ; or to ccnctal tiJe faultJ of wbat I am to ftU. Ar{w. lt is lawful to dn.fs, poli(h, adorn or fet out your commodity, to make it fcem ar it H in~ deed, but not to make it feembetter than it is; except in fome very few unufual cafes: As ifyou deal with fame phantaflic:al fool, who will not buy ih nor give you the true wonh except it be fo fct our, and made in fame refpcds to feem better than it is. It is lawful fo fu to fcrvc their curiofiry or humour, as to get the worth of your commodity. But if you do it to get more than the worth by dLceiving, it is a fin. And fuch gloffing ha'th fo notable an appearance of deceir, that for that fcan~ dal it !hould be avoided. · 2· And as for concealing the fault tlle cafe is the fame: You ought not to dec:eive your neighbour, but to do as you would be done by : And therefore muft not conceal any fault which he de!ireth, or is concerned to know: Except it be when -you deal with one who rriakcth a far greater matter of that fault 1han there is caufe, and would wrong you in the price if it were known : Yea, and that cxclptio;t will not hold neither, except in a cafe when you muft needs feU, and they mufi buy it: Bc– caute r. You may not have another mans money again{\ his will, though it be no more than the thing is. worrh. 2. Bccaufe it will be fcandalous when the fault is known by him that buyeth ir. 9· 6. Q>efl 6. What if the fault was concealed from me when I bought it , or if I was decEived ~e/1. 6 • er over-reacht by him that flld it me, and gave more than the wortb, may I not rrpair my lofl by doing · as I war done by l . An[w. No : no more than you may cut anothers purfe, becaufc yours was cut: You rnufi do ai you would be done by, and not as you are done by. What you may do with the fame rn1n that deceived you, is a harder quefiicm : But doubtlefs you may not wrong an honefl: man, becaufe you were wronged by a knave. §. 7· Object. But it Htaken for graJJWl in the Mar~CI, that every man wiU get as much a1 he ca 11 have, and that Caveat emptor is tbe only {ecurity; and tbertfore n•ery ma;1truftetb to bir onov. wit, and 1;0t to the fellers honefty, and [o refOlveth to run the haz ard. Anfw.lt is not fo among Chrifiians, , nor Infidels who profc::fs either truth or com~on honelly. If you c:ome among a company of Cut-purfes, where the match is made, Look thou to thy pur{(: and I .will look to mine, and he that can get mofl Jet him take it? then indeed you have no re(\fon to trufl another : But there are no Tradefmen orBuyers who will profcfs that they lock not to be trufi– cd, or will fay, 1will lye and deceive you if I can. Among Thieves and Pints fuch total dillrufi may be allowed : But.among fober pcrfons in Civil Societies and Convcrfe, we muH in reafon and charity c:xpect fome truth and honefly, and not prefume them to be all lyars and deceivers, that we may feem to have allowance to be fuch ourfclves. Indeed we truA them, not abfolurcly as Sainrs, but with a mixture of di!hufi, as fallible and faulty men: And fo as to trufl our own circumfpe– Gtion above their words when we know not the pc:rfons to be very jufi. But we have no caufe to make a Market a p1ace of mcer deJ;eit, where every one faith, TruJl not roe, and 1 will not trufi thee; but let us all take one another for cheaters and lyars, and.get what we can? Such cenfures fa.. vour not of Charity, or of Juft intentions. < ~; 8. Q>eft. 7· What if I forefee a plen~ an.d ch~apntfi in a time of dtar~h, wbicb the buyer{ortfotth ~·ft· 7• not, ( aJ if I k.,now that th(rt are Shzps commg m wttb ftort of that commodzty, whzch WJll ma~e it ciJtap) am I bound to ttO the buyer of it, and hiHdtr my own gain l Anfw. There may be fome inlhnccs in trading with enemies, or with Rich men, that regard not fuch matters,.or with men that arc fuppofcd to know it as well as you, in which you arc not bound to tell ~hem. But in your ordinuy equ.d tu.ding, .when you have reafon. to think that the buyer knowetft u not, and would not give fo dear if he knew it, you are bound to tc1l him: :Bccaufe you muft l~ve. your neighbo~r as your fclf, and do as you would be done 'by, and not take advantage of h1s 1gnorancc.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=