Answ. My duty towards my neighbour is to love him as myself, and to do to all men as I would they should do unto me:......To be true and just in all my dealings:...... To keep my hands from picking and stealing;...... Not to covet nor desire other men's goods; but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life, unto which it shall please God to call me.

From the Thirty-nine Articles.

ARTICLE XXXVIII.

Of Christian Men's Goods, which are not

common.

The riches and goods of Christians are not common, as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability.

Ye have heard, in the exposition of the Sixth Commandment, how we should behave ourselves towards our own wives, and our neighbours' wives also by the which Commandment, as God hath fortified wedlock, that no man shall besiege or assault it, so by the virtue and strength of this Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," he defendeth our neighbours' goods and riches, whereby he liveth himself, his wife, children, and family. For this Precept teacheth us, how we should order ourselves towards our neighbours' goods and cattle, that by fraud or stealth we convey nothing from him, that by violence or ex

tortion we take nothing from him, but study to defend and increase his riches, with as good a will as we would do our own.

And here note, good children, that this word, theft, doth not only signify open robbery, extortions, and manifest pooling, but also all manner of crafts and subtle ways, by the which we convey our neighbour's goods from him, contrary to his knowledge or will, although the guile have never so fair a colour of virtue and honesty. And to the intent you may the better understand this thing, I shall declare it unto you by certain examples.

And first, I will begin with magistrates or common officers. God hath commanded us to pay to princes and governors of the commonwealth, rents, services, tributes, customs, toll, subsidies, pensions, and other yearly revenues, whereby they may be the more able to sustain and bear the charges of the common administration, and also to punish them that be ill, and to defend those that be good. But when the magistrates do overcharge their subjects, and exact more of them than is needful to the maintenance of the common charges, and so impoverish and oppress them, whom they ought from all injury and wrong to save and defend, then this sore exaction is a notable and heinous kind of theft in the sight of God.

Likewise, it is when they do wring money out of their subjects' hands unjustly and against their wills.

And tributes or subsidies, if they take none but such only, as of right are due unto them, yet if they bestow not the same as they ought to do, but wastefully spend that money, which was gathered for the maintenance of the common charges, and consume it in riot and unlawful pleasures, then they commit theft before God. Also God shall judge them thieves, when for covetousness they leave such things undone, which be necessary to be done for the common profit. As when they appoint not good and meet men to be rulers under them, bishops, parsons, curates, and schoolmasters, because they grudge to give them an honest and sufficient living, but will take out of the common sort to minister such high offices, those that will serve for the least money. And rulers of cities be thieves when they suffer the necessary buildings of the city, as churches, guildhalls, the town walls, common bridges, conduits, or suchlike, to decay or fall to ruin. For so through their negligence or covetousness, the common money is not employed to such uses, for the which it was gathered.

Also, bishops, pastors, preachers, and curates, be thieves, when for men's favour, and their own lucre, they hide the truth of God's word, and teach lies and their own dreams, and sell all things for money. As of late time, here in England, many of them had gains by dirges, services to sing for souls, trentals, pilgrimages, pardons, and such-like deceits. This kind of deceit, in uttering false ware for good, is theft before God:

for men thereby be deceived, which would give no money at all for such merchandise, if they were taught and warned of their abuses.

Likewise, lawyers, advocates, serjeants, attornies, and proctors, are thieves before God, when' they for their own gains do counsel a man to wage the law, making him to believe that his matter is good, when indeed they think it naught. Or, when for money they will so craftily handle or plead a matter, that they with their shifts and colours will purposely hide the truth, and make a good cause to seem bad, and a bad cause to appear good: wherewith they shall so deceive the judge, that they will cause him unjustly to give sentence on their side. And the judge himself is a thief before God, when he for bribes, or any corruption, doth wittingly and willingly give wrong judgment: for he taketh from the party that hath the good cause his just title and interest, and giveth it to the other party that hath no right to it at all. And this is also no small theft, when men craftily defraud the true heirs of their inheritance, or forge false testaments, and will not bring to light the true will, but hide and suppress it.

Furthermore, merchantmen, brokers, chapmen, merchants, factors, are thieves when they require unreasonable gains in selling of their merchandise, or when they utter corrupt and naughty ware for good, when they deceive their neighbours with false weight and measure, when with forged letters and feigned news they persuade others to be