&<!!<JI. 8. ~·ft·9· ~ejl. 10. Qceft. Ir· ~eji.I2· [afes abollt 1Buyi1~~ ~nd Selling. ~· 9· Q!efi. 8. If I forefee a dearth, may I not k.!ep my commodity till tbtnl Anfir?. Yes; unlcfs it be to the hurt of th'C Cornmoo-wealth, as ifyour keeping it in be the caufe of rhct dearth; and y6ur bringing ir forth would help to prevent it. ' ~· 10. Q!cfi. !J· May one •fe n~any word! in b•ying and felling l Anf:v. You mull ufc n.o more than are true, and jutl, and ufcful: but there arc more words need– ful with fomc perfans whO arc talkative and unfatisfied, than with others. 9· I I· Q.:,elt JQ, May I buy as chtap as I can get it, or give hfs than the thi;:g i1 worth? An[w. lt H be worth more to you than the Market price (through your necdlity) you arc not bound to g~vt above the ~a~ket P,tice: If it be worth ltfs to you than the marke.t pJice, you arenot botmd to gwe I_l1on: .than HIS worth to ~ou, as fuircd to your ufe ~ But you mufi not defire nor[ttft.. to get anot hers goods or labour for lds than it is worth in both thife refpeC\:s ( in common elli~ mate, and to y0u ). 9· 12· Q!dt. ''' Mr.~y I tak_e adi!antage of anotbert NrctJ!ity tn buy for lr[t than the rrortb, or fcll f :Jr more: A1 c. g. a poor ma;t mujl need! l!ave money fuddenly f or bi1 good1 tbough he fiU them bnt for half the n:orth: and I bavc no need of them: Am 1 bound to give bim tbe worth '«hen I have na need? 11nd wbtn it i1 a greut kjndncfs to him to give him any thing.i1t tbat J1raight? So alfo rrhm I have no defire tofeU my Horfo, and .JitolberJ necrffity mal{eth him wiL'i;rg to give more tban be i1 worth may I not talz.e ill ) Anfw. To the firfi cafe: You mufi difiinguilh between an act ~f Juftia and of Ch•rity: and be– tween your mtd of the thing, and the worth of it to you. Though you have no need of the poor mans goods, yet if you buyt~m, both ]ufiice and Charity require that you give him as much as they are worth lo yGu, though not fo much as they are worth in the market : yea, and that you buy the.m of him in his ncceffity : For ifyou give him but what they are .w'ortb to you, you are no lofer. by it : And you 0\ould do another good, when it is not to your own hurt or !of•. By [what they are wonh to you J 1mean, fo muc.h as that you be no lofer. As if it' be meat or drink , though youhave no pref<nr need, perhapsyou will !hortly have n<ed, and if you buy not thar, you mufi buy as much of fomew~at elfc. In jlri/1 Juftice you may be a fa ver, but not a gaintr, by buying of the poor in their neccOHy. 2· But if you buy a durable commodity, for lcfs !han it is wouh , you fh.ould take it but as apledge, and allow the feller liberty to redeem it, if he can, that he may get more after of another. 3· And to the poor in fuch nccdlity, Charity mufi be cxercifcd as well as J.. j!icr. There– fore if you arc able to lend them money to fave them the lolS of underfelling, you fhould do it : ( I acccunt th:a man only able who hath money whiCh no greater fcrvicc ofGod rcquireth ) . And if you arc not able your felf, you fbould endeavOur to get fome othus to relieve him, it you cJnwirh.. out a greater inconvenience. And fOr rhe fccond ca[t", it is anfwered before: You may not take more than it is worth, (Ver the more for al}.o1hcrs ncccffi1y; nor in any other cafe than you might have done it iri, if there hzd been no fuch necdliryof his. 9· I~· C?lldl:. 12· !tlay I not mak_e advanuge of a~tothers i~;zorance or error in b.1rgai~i"g? Anjrv. Not to get more than your commodity is worth, nor to get his goods tor lefs th:iln the worth; no nor to get the true worth againfi his wiU, or with jc&ndat: But if ic be only to gee a trueworth of your commodity when he is willing, but would be offended if his jgnorance in fomc poinc were cured, you may fo far make ufe of his ignorance to a lawful cud,. as is f•id b(fore in the cafe of COitcealiug j;JUit!. 9• 14. Q£cfi. I3· !vlay lflrivtlo get before a1101her 1 10 get a .gootl bargaiu ll'hich he defiretb l .Anfw. Yes, if you do it not out of a greedy mind, nor to the injury of one that is poorer thm your ttlf: You !hould rather further the fupply of your neighbours greater needs: OrhcrwiG: fpced and induthy in your Calling is no fault, nor yet the croffing o£ acoverous mans deti.res; You are not bound to let every mm have what he would have? 9· 15. ~eft. 14• lvluy I buy a thing ou~of anothers h,md, or hire a ferva•zt, rvhich another H 11bout, or is treating with ? Or may 1 eaU a Cbapman from another tg buy of me ? Anfo;. There <lre tOme cafes in which you may not do it, and fome in which you may. You may not do it out of greedy covetoufnefs; nor to the injury of the poor : nor when the other hath gone fo far in the bargaindut it cannot be hondlly broken; For then you injure the third perfon, and tempt the other to a tin : nor may you do it fo as to difiurb that due and Civil order, which lhould be among moderate men in trading. And it is a great matter how the thing is accounted of by the cuHomcof the Countrey or Market where yeu bargain : For where it is of ill report, and ac– ~unted as unjuft, the fcandal fhould make you avoid fuch a comfe. But yet in fomc cafes ir is lawful, and in fame a nerdful duty. lt is l•rrf•l when none of the forefaid rcafons ( or any fuch 01her ) arc againfi it : It is a du1y when Cbarity tO the poor or opprefTed doth requ1re it. AS<. g. a poor man mu(\ needs fell his Land, his Horfe, his Corn or Goods : ACovetous oppref– for offcreth him Jefs than it is worth. The poor man mufi take his offer if he cm get no more: t he oppreffor faith that it is injuflice for any one to take his bargain out of his hand, or offer money ·till he have done: In this cafe it may be a duty, to offer the poor man the wcrth of hi's commodi– ty, and· fitve him from the opprdfor. A cove~ous man offl!reth a Servant or Labourer lefs thm their fcrvicc or labour is worth ; and will accufe you, if you interrupt his bargain and would offer his Servant more: In this cafe it may be your 'duty to help the {ervant to a better MJllcr. A Chapman is ready to be cheated by an unconfcionablc Tradtfman, to give much more for a con:~ modity than its worth: Charity may oblige you in fuch a cafe to cffer it him cheaper. In a word,
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