34 ARZSTOTLE’S POLITICS.
Cp. also Shakspere’s Merchant of Venice, Act i, Scene 3,-‘A
breed of barren metal.’
It has been customary, since Bentham wrote, to denounce Usury
Laws on the ground I) that they are ineffectual, or worse,
2) that they are unjust both to lender and borrower, because
they interfere with the natural rate of interest. But in primitive
states of society, as in India at the present day, they may have
been more needed and more easy to enforce. In a simple agri-
cultural population where the want of capital is greatly felt, and
land is the only security, the usurer becomes a tyrant : hence the
detestation of usury. The other and better side of usury, that is to
say, the advantage of transferring money at the market rate from
those who cannot use it to those who can, was not understood by
Aristotle any more than the advantage of exchanging commodities.
Cp. Plat. Rep. viii. 555 E ; Laws v. 742.- I. rh rorakn rrju piu tbph iharieepov :xu, rjv 6’ ipmipiav bvayraiav.
I) ‘To speculate about such matters is a liberal pursuit; the
practice of them is servile.’ In modern language ‘a gentleman
may study political economy, but he must not keep a shop.’ Cp.
infra 5 5, scpi IK&!J~OU 81 ra6rov ddhou piv sypptlrur mi VSU, rll 61 uarh
$pos drpLpohoyrio8al X~+YL+OV piv spds rhr c‘pyauias, +oprr~Av 6) T),
iv8tarpit9riv : and iv. 15. 9; 4, dhhh raiira Gia++pcr sphr pEIv rhr Xprjuas
o68b AS rlnciv’ OL ydp so Kpiuis yEyovrv +~T~~~OVUTW ncp: TO; &+a-
rose + 8; rrv’ nhXpv BL~UO~~LK~U ?ipayparriav : also iii. 8. $ I, re 62
nrpi iK6urptlv pLieoaov +~ouo+oivTL Kai pi pdvav dnopi:rovrL +p rb
mpi ~Karrov ajefLav.
Or again 2) ‘ Speculation is free ; but in practice \re are limited
by circumstances ; ’ i. e. speculation on such matters may go to
any extent or take any direction, but in practice !re must restrict
ourselves to the necessities of the case, e.g. the nature of the
soil, climate, neighbourhood, etc. 8 5 infra may be quoted in
defence of either explanation, the words xp+npov xpdr T&E Qyaular
supporting the second, $~oprirthv rb Zv8carpi~tru the first. +TrLpiav
connects with Fpmipov which follows : ‘ experience of live-stock is
one of the useful parts of money-making.’lrpdrrrru olKridu iuri r6 1.4 sapopGu pptlM TL Karahdsw, diih Gphotv rjvt