In this behest is forbidden robbery, theft, stealing, and usury, and unfair dealing with others, in order to have for his own. And he that acts against this behest is bound to give up what he has wrongly of other men’s, if he knows to whom. And if he knows not, he is bound to give it for God’s love, or to act by the advice of holy Church. And he that wrongly withholds other men’s thing for a sinful reason sins deadly, unless he give it up, where he owes, if he knows it and can do it, or unless he acts by the advice of holy Church.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
The eighth behest is this: ‘Thou shalt say no false witness against thy fellow-Christian.’
In this behest it is forbidden us that we should lie or forswear ourselves, either in judgment or out of judgment, in order to cause thy fellow-Christian harm; and that one should bring none as a witness in order to impair his (one’s fellow-Christian’s) fame, or his grace that he hath, for that is deadly sin. Against this behest those act that slander good men behind them willingly and wrongfully, which one calls the sin of detraction; and those also that praise the wicked and the deeds of their wickedness and of their follies, known, or seen, or heard. That is sin of flattery or of deceit, when one says it before them; or falsehood or leasings, when he that one speaks of is not present. For all those are false witnesses.
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.
The ninth behest is this: ‘Thou shalt not desire thy neighbour’s wife, nor desire her in thy heart.’ That is to say, thou shalt not consent to do sin with thy body.
This behest forbids to desire with will of heart to have carnal fellowship with all women out of marriage; and the sinful tokens that are made outwardly in order to lead to sin, as are sinful words of such a kind, or gifts, or sinful handling. And the difference between this behest and the sixth aforesaid is, that the sixth behest forbids the deed without, but this forbids the consent within. For the consent to have carnal fellowship with a woman (women), who is not his own for a wife, is deadly sin by the judgment of God’s Word, which says: ‘Whoever sees a woman and desires her in his heart, he hath sinned with her in his heart,’ that is to say, in open desire and in thought.
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT.
The tenth behest is this: ‘Thou shalt not desire a thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ This behest forbids the will to have other men’s thing(s) for a wicked reason.
In this behest is forbidden envy of other men’s goods, or of other men’s grace. For the same envy comes of sinful covetousness to have the goods or the very grace that he sees in others. And the same covetousness, when the consent and the thoughts [are] thereto, is deadly sin, and against this behest. Nevertheless light covetousness to have other men’s things for a good reason is no sin. And if there is any evil desire, without will and without consent to harm others, it is no sin; and if there is sin, it is light sin.