"de moneta", Nicholas Oresme, Bispo de Lisieux, 1377

"But it remains to show that gaining money by altering the coinage is even worse than usury. The usurer has lent his money to one who takes it of his own free will, and can then enjoy the use of it and relieve his own necessity with it, and what he repays in excess of the principal is determined by free contract between the parties. But a prince, by unnecessary change in the coinage, plainly takes the money of his subjects against their will, because he forbids the older money to pass current, though it is better, and anyone
would prefer it to the bad; and then unnecessarily and without any possible advantage to his subjects, he will give them back worse money. And even if he makes better money than before, it is only with a view to a future debasement, and that he may give them (meanwhile) less of the good money than the corresponding value of the old. In ei ther case he keeps back part for himself: In so far then as he receives more money than he gives, against and beyond the natural use of money, such gain is equivalent to usury; but is worse than usury because it is less voluntary and more against the will of his subjects, incapable of profiting them, and
utterly unnecessary."

Sobre o autor:

"Nicholas Oresme is supposed to have been born about the year 1320 at the village of Allemagne near Caen, but the earliest certain fact about him is that he was a 'bursar' of the college of Navarre in the University of Paris from 1348 to 4 October 1356, when he was appointed Master. He is described as a Norman. He studied in Theology, but it is not known when he took his degree of Master in Theology. Some time before 1370 he became one of the chaplains of Charles V (1364-80), since he undertook the translation of the Ethics (1370) and Politics and Economics of Aristotle at the king's request. The treatise on Money in its Latin and French forms is earlier than these translations, since it is mentioned in the preface to the Politics.! Oresme became bishop of Lisieux 16 November 1377 and was consecrated 28January 1378. He died at Lisieux II July 1382."

O livro (pdf e ebook).