sin, but we must also avoid all occasion of the same, and, as St. Paul counselleth us, we must refrain from all outward appearance of evil. Wherefore, good children, live virtuously, keep God's Commandments, obey your parents and elders, that you may be well spoken of, and be taken for honest persons: for this doth not only please God, but also is very profitable for you; for this is the highway that shall bring you to riches, honour, and promotion, to have a good report and credit among your neighbours. And in no wise follow you the example of some light and shameless unthrifts, which care not what men say of them, and pass not, if all men speak evil by them for they be ashamed of no kind of mischief. But such God will punish, and commonly they shall have an evil end.

But ye, good children, shall endeavour yourselves to preserve both your own good name, and your neighbour's also, and to beware that ye bear no false witness against other men; that is to say, that ye defame not them, or impair their good name by your lies and slanders.

For this word, "witness," in this place, betokeneth all that thing which is spoken of our neighbours, when they go to law, or contend about any matter. As when one doth arrest another, and saith, "I lent this fellow so much money, and now he denieth the same:" then if any third person come in and say, "I was present, and did see when this man lent him this sum of money," (whereas he saw no such thing

indeed) then this false witness doth to his neighbour double injury. For first; he causeth that his neighbour is compelled to pay that money which he never borrowed: secondarily, he causeth him to lose his good name and credit, and to be called a shameless liar; insomuch that every man will point at him, when he goeth in the streets, and say, "Lo yonder goeth that unfaithful person, which borrowed money of his neighbour, and denied the same." The which thing, when it chanceth, the party of whom this evil bruit * is spread, is undone in this world, and suffereth greater damage by the loss of his name than if he should lose all his riches.

Wherefore it is not without a cause that God so earnestly forbiddeth us to bear false witness. For as by true witness-bearing, discord, strife, and contention is ended, both in the law and out of the law; so by false testimonies, strife, discord, and variance is sown and scattered, and wrong thereby greatly maintained. Wherefore God in this Commandment forbiddeth us, that with lies we slander our neighbour, that we give no occasion to hatred, discord, or debate, but that we study to speak the truth, and (as much as it shall lie in us) to reconcile men together: for this is an excellent virtue, which highly pleaseth God. For Christ saith in the Gospel, "Blessed are they that make peace, for they shall be called the children of God."

Wherefore, good children, beware chiefly that you be no liars, nor false witness bearers, but for any occasion you spare not to speak the truth at all times and places, and specially when you be brought for witnesses into common courts or open judgments. For God himself hath ordained laws, courts, and officers, to defend the good and to punish the evil: without the which, there can be no peace or quietness in this world. They be the succour and sanctuary of fatherless and motherless children, of widows, and of all oppressed persons. And he, that should go about to overturn this common refuge of all persons, that suffer wrong, it can no other ways be, but he must needs sin against the ordinance of God, and grievously hurt his neighbour. But no man doth pervert and overturn justice, courts, and judgments, more than a false witness: wherefore this is a very heinous sin before God. For a false witness doth forswear himself against the Second Commandment: he doth as much as lieth in him to overturn and destroy courts and judgments, founded and established by God; he despiseth and deceiveth the judge; he hurteth his neighbour both in his name and goods; he stoppeth the peace, friendship, and agreement, the which should have been made between the parties by the judge's true judgment; he maintaineth wrong, and continueth hatred, debate, and contention, of the which followeth brawling, fighting, and oftentimes manslaughter. The which heinous sins God will not suffer to escape unscourged, but

horribly will punish them. Wherefore let every man avoid false witness bearing, as they would fire, the plague, or poison.

By this Commandment also God withdraweth us from all evil suspicions, that we think no evil of our neighbour, neither expound his words or deeds to the worst, that we suspect him not without a cause, nor utter to others our suspicions conceived against any man, as long as we know not certainly the truth. For they, which, grounding themselves upon suspicions, do raise evil tales or untrue bruits against their neighbour, they do bear false witness against him, and do more hurt than open liars: for they that lie openly, or that in the face of court bear false witness against a man, may be accused and punished for their offence; but men cannot so easily avoid the venom of such persons, which secretly, by poisoned words, or other means, cause their neighbour to be suspected. For they so secretly handle the matter, that they bring their neighbour into slander, and yet they will not be known, that it cometh by them. And this is no small offence, contrary to this Eighth Commandment. Wherefore utterly eschew this vice, and be not suspicious of your neighbours, taking all things that you hear or see in them to the worst, but rather to the best...

Now to make a brief rehearsal of such things, as have been spoken heretofore. You shall understand, good children, that by this Eighth Commandment are forbidden all lies, frauds, and all

may be hurted, or by the which strife and contention may be provoked or continued, whether it be in courts of law, or out of courts. Hereby also we be commanded not to be suspicious, nor to expound our neighbour's words or deeds to the worst, nor maliciously to blow abroad their faults, or in telling of them to make them worse than they be in deed, but we ought always to set our minds on such things as pertain to the glory of God, and profit of our neighbour and in all places to speak well and charitably of every man. We must also maintain unity, peace, and concord, take all things to the best, bear with our neighbour's frailty, and hide his faults, when we can. not amend them. This is the true meaning of this precept. Wherefore, good children, when you shall be demanded, How understand you the Eighth Commandment? you shall answer, We ought to fear and love our Lord God above all things, and for his sake to abstain from all lying, backbiting, slandering, and ill reporting, by the which our neighbour's good name, fame and credit may be impeached or decayed, and rather to excuse, hide, or gently to interpret another man's! fault, than maliciously to make the worst of the same, and with the loud trump of the tongue to blast it abroad, to the knowledge of all the town or place wherein we dwell.