Title — Liber Sextus
Title V: On Usury
Chapter I
First, as far as the words “And because,” he renews and commands to be observed the Lateran council enacted against usurers; there he commands all lords and corporate bodies of lands not to permit foreigners in their lands to hire houses for practicing usury or to retain houses already hired, and that no one lease houses to them for this purpose, as far as the words “But those who”; there he imposes a penalty upon clerics acting contrary to this, as far as the words “Moreover”; there he imposes a penalty upon laypersons, and he does this as far as the end. Johannes Andreae.
Gregory X, in the general Council of Lyon.
Desiring to restrain the abyss of usury, which devours souls and exhausts resources, under threat of the divine curse we command the constitution of the Lateran council enacted against usurers to be inviolably observed. And because, the less opportunity for lending at usury that is available to moneylenders, the more the freedom of practicing usury will be removed, by this general constitution we establish that neither a college, another corporate body, nor an individual person, of whatever dignity, condition, or status, shall permit foreigners and others not originating from their lands, who publicly practice or wish to practice the lending of money at usury, to hire houses for this purpose in their lands, to retain houses already hired, or otherwise to dwell there; rather, they shall expel all manifest usurers of this kind from their lands within three months, never thereafter to admit any such persons. No one shall lease houses to them for practicing usury or grant houses under any other title whatsoever.
But those who act contrary to this, if they are ecclesiastical persons—patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops—shall know that by the fact itself they will incur a sentence of suspension; lesser individual persons, one of excommunication; and a college or other corporate body, one of interdict. If they sustain it with hardened mind for a month, their lands, for as long as the same usurers remain in them, shall from that time be subject to ecclesiastical interdict. Moreover, if they are laypersons, they shall, every privilege ceasing, be restrained by their ordinaries from excess of this kind through ecclesiastical censure.
DE USURIS.
Primo innovat et observari praecipit Lateranense concilium contra usurarios editum, usque ad vers. Et quia, ubi praecipit omnibus dominis et universitatibus terrarum, ne permittant alienigenas in terris suis conducere domos ad exercendum foenus, vel conductas habere, et quod aliquis eis ad hoc domos non locet, usque ad vers. Qui vero, ubi imponit poenam clericis contra facientibus, usque ad versic. Ceterum, ubi imponit poenam laicis, et hoc facit usque in finem. Ioann. Andr.
Gregorius X. in generali concilio Lugdunensi.
Usurarum voraginem, quae animas devorat et facultates exhaurit, compescere cupientes, constitutionem Lateranensis concilii contra usurarios editam sub divinae maledictionis interminatione praecipimus inviolabiliter observari. Et quia, quo minor foeneratoribus aderit foenerandi commoditas, eo magis adimetur foenus exercendi libertas: hac generali constitutione sancimus, ut nec collegium, nec alia universitas vel singularis persona, cuiuscunque sit dignitatis, conditionis aut status, alienigenas et alios non oriundos de terris ipsorum, publice foenebrem pecuniam exercentes aut exercere volentes, ad hoc domos in terris suis conducere vel conductas habere, aut alias habitare permittant, sed huiusmodi usurarios manifestos omnes infra tres menses de terris suis expellant, nunquam aliquos tales de cetero admissuri. Nemo illis ad foenus exercendum domos locet, vel sub alio titulo quocunque concedat. Qui vero contra fecerint, si personae fuerint ecclesiasticae, patriarchae, archiepiscopi, episcopi suspensionis, minores vero personae singulares excommunicationis, si autem collegium seu alia universitas, interdicti sententiam ipso facto se noverint incursuros. Quam si per mensem animo sustinuerint indurato: terrae ipsorum, quamdiu in eis iidem usurarii commorantur, extunc ecclesiastico subiaceant interdicto. Ceterum si laici fuerint, per suos ordinarios ab huiusmodi excessu omni cessante privilegio per censuram ecclesiasticam compescantur.
Chapter II
Ecclesiastical burial shall be denied to manifest usurers, although they have ordered usury to be restored, unless satisfaction is first made or suitable security is given according to the form of this decree. Those who bury them contrary to this constitution incur the penalty of the Lateran council. Their testaments made otherwise are invalid, nor ought anyone to take part in them, absolve them, or admit them to confession. This states the point. Johannes Andreae.
The same.
Although manifest usurers have in their last will ordered satisfaction to be made concerning the usury which they had received, with the amount expressed or without distinction, ecclesiastical burial shall nevertheless be denied them until full satisfaction has been made concerning the usury itself, according as their resources permit; or until suitable security for making restitution has been given to those to whom restitution is to be made, if they are present, or to others who can acquire a right of action for them; or, if they are absent, to the ordinary of the place or the one acting in his stead, or to the rector of the parish in which the testator dwells, in the presence of certain trustworthy persons of that parish—by authority of the present constitution it being lawful for the said ordinary, vicar, and rector to receive security of this kind in their name in the aforesaid manner, so that a right of action is thereby acquired for them—or to a public official at the mandate of the ordinary himself.
Moreover, if the amount of the usury received is manifest, we will that it always be expressed in the aforesaid security; otherwise, another amount is to be moderated according to the judgment of the person receiving security of this kind. Nevertheless, he shall not knowingly moderate it at less than is probably believed; and if he acts otherwise, he shall be bound to make satisfaction for the remainder. We establish that all religious and others who dare to admit manifest usurers to ecclesiastical burial contrary to the form of the present sanction are subject to the penalty of the Lateran council promulgated against usurers. No one shall take part in the testaments of manifest usurers, admit them to confession, or absolve them unless they have made satisfaction concerning the usury, or, according to the measure of their resources, furnish suitable security for making satisfaction, as stated before.
§ 1. Testaments of manifest usurers made otherwise shall likewise be invalid, but shall be null by the law itself.
Manifestis usurariis, licet mandaverint usuras restitui, ecclesiastica sepultura negabitur, nisi primo satisfiat, vel secundum formam huius decreti idonee caveatur. Sepelientes eos. contra hanc constitutionem Lateranensis concilii poenam incurrunt. Testamenta ipsorum aliter facta non valent, nec debet eis aliquis interesse, vel eos absolvere vel ad confessionem admittere. H. d. Ioann. Andr.
Idem .
Quanquam usurarii manifesti de usuris, quas receperant, satisfieri expressa quantitate vel indistincte in ultima voluntate mandaverint: nihilominus tamen eis ecclesiastica sepultura denegetur, donec de usuris ipsis fuerit, (prout patiuntur facultates eorum,) plenarie satisfactum, vel illis, quibus facienda est restitutio, si praesto sint ipsi, aut aliis , qui eis possint acquirere, vel, eis absentibus, loci ordinario aut eius vices gerenti, sive rectori parochiae, in qua testator habitat, coram aliquibus fide dignis de ipsa parochia, (quibus quidem ordinario, vicario et rectori praedicto modo cautionem huiusmodi eorum nomine liceat praesentis constitutionis auctoritate recipere, ita, quod illis perinde actio acquiratur,) aut servo publico de ipsius ordinarii mandato idonee de restitutione facienda sit cautum. Ceterum si receptarum usurarum sit quantitas manifesta, illam semper in cautione praedicta exprimi volumus, alioquin aliam recipientis cautionem huiusmodi arbitrio moderandam; ipse tamen scienter non minorem, quam verisimiliter creditur, moderetur, et, si secus fecerit, ad satisfactionem residui teneatur. Omnes autem religiosos et alios, qui manifestos usurarios contra praesentis sanctionis formam ad ecclesiasticam ausi fuerint admittere sepulturam, poenae Lateranensis concilii contra usurarios promulgatae statuimus subiacere. Nullus manifestorum usurariorum testamentis intersit, aut eos ad confessionem admittat, sive ipsos absolvat, nisi de usuris satisfecerint, vel de satisfaciendo pro suarum viribus facultatum praestent, ut praemittitur, idoneam cautionem. §. 1. Testamenta quoque manifestorum usurariorum aliter facta non valeant, sed sint irrita ipso iure.