medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I don't exactly know anything about mediaeval attitudes to usury, but I do
recall the following tale.
Since I have found it in my memory and not in my notebooks, I have no idea
whether it is authentic or not, nor what its provenance:
"Three knights were riding along the highway (singing Tirra-Lirra, for all I
know) when they overtook a couple scurrying along on foot. They reigned in
and greeted the couple and asked them who they were and where they were
going.
With some reluctance, the man replied that he was - or had been - the parish
priest of a village, but that he had grown weary of his duties and in any
case he had fallen in love with the woman who was the wife of one of his
parishioners. They were running away together and hoped to settle in the
next town in the guise of a married couple.
The knights roared with laughter at this account, clapped the man on the
shoulder and called him a fine fellow. And how, they asked next, did he plan
to support himself and his "wife" when they reached the town. Emboldened,
the renegade priest admitted they had run away just after the tithes had
been collected and he had the money with him, in a great purse on his belt
and they were going to live on that. The knights laughed the louder and
called him an enterprising fellow and wished him well. Then the man added
that he proposed to set up as a money-lender with the proceeds of the tithes
and live on the interest. At once the atmosphere changed. The knights were
outraged. This man was proposing to commit usury - a sin. In their fury they
beat the man up, raped his woman and rode off with the purse, congatulating
themselves that they had upheld high moral standards.
Comment, anyone ?
Provenance ? Source ?
Is this genuine mediaeval ?
Modern fiction ?
Reformation propaganda ?
Brenda M. C.
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