Each line is one thing said. Authors named first use those words. Those after “in nearly the same words” say the same thing differently; point at a name to see their words.
What It Is
St. Augustine, whom St. Thomas follows: “it belongs to virtue to use well the things that we can use ill”
The manuals: “Liberality or largesse is a virtue moderating the love of money and rendering a man prompt to expend money according to the dictate of right reason.”
Wouters, by reason lit by faith: “Liberality is a moral virtue inclining man to give money and things estimable by money according to the prescription of reason illumined by faith.”
St. Bonaventure's, in Bontempi: “It is the virtue dispensing benefits, which is called benignity as regards the affection, but beneficence as regards the effect.”
Its name: “when a man quits hold of a thing he frees it [liberat], so to speak, from his keeping and ownership, and shows his mind to be free of attachment thereto”
Not justice itself: “Liberality is not a species of justice, since justice pays another what is his whereas liberality gives another what is one's own.”
Not mercy, nor beneficence: “But the giving of liberality arises from a person being affected in a certain way towards money, in that he desires it not nor loves it: so that when it is fitting he gives it not only to his friends but also to those whom he knows not.”
The love of it, first: “Hence the interior passions are the immediate matter of liberality, while exterior money is the object of those same passions.”
And keeping it for use: “it belongs to liberality not only to use money, but also to keep it in preparation and safety in order to make fitting use of it”
Its debt, the least of debts: “it considers a certain moral due. This due is based on a certain fittingness and not on an obligation: so that it answers to the idea of due in the lowest degree”
Its rewards: “By liberality we obtain forgiveness of sin, an eternal reward, and temporal blessings, besides a speedy answer to prayer and the friendship of our fellow-men.”
Giving to others above spending on self: “Hence parting with money by giving it to others proceeds from a greater virtue than when we spend it on ourselves.”
Gladly, and with reason: “Liberality bestows gladly, but according to right reason, for there is no merit in unwilling gifts, and no virtue in gifts bestowed unsuitably”
The covetousness against liberality, not against justice: “Secondly, it denotes immoderation in the interior affections for riches; for instance, when a man loves or desires riches too much, or takes too much pleasure in them, even if he be unwilling to steal.”
Each exceeds and falls short: “as regards affection for riches, the covetous man exceeds by loving them more than he ought, while the prodigal is deficient”