A Treatise Against Lying, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Of the divers ſorts and kindes of Lyes.
THe next point which now commeth §. 1. The kinds of Lyes diverſly diſtinguiſhed.to bee handled, is the divers ſortes and kindes of lying and lyes. In which regard they are diverſly diſtinguiſhed. The firſt diſtinction is taken from the cauſes: for either they proceede from the Divels tentation, or the Worlds inſtigation, or from the corruption of our owne fleſh, if at leaſt, theſe may be ſaid to bee divers kindes in which theſe cauſes ordinarily concurre and meete together. And theſe which proceede from our fleſh and the luſts thereof, are either lyes which ariſe from ignorance and forgetfulneſſe of God and his Truth, or from infirmitie and immoderate feare of men, of which ſort was that of Abraham and Peter to avoide danger; or out of a naturall vanity and delight in lying, or finally, from covetouſneſſe which cauſeth men to lye for their gaine and advantage. The ſecond diſtinction is taken from the very forme and nature of a lye, which is as Aquinas ſaith, the moſt proper 2…. 2…. Quaeſt. 110. art. 2.and naturall diviſion. And ſo a lye either tranſcendeth and exceedeth the truth, and is called boaſting or arrogancy, or elſe it commeth ſhort of that which is true and extenuateth it, offending in the defect, and ſo is called an irony. And this is the Philoſophers diviſion, the which is thought to bee Ariſt. eth. lib. 4.the moſt proper, becauſe a lye is oppoſite to Truth, which conſiſteth in an equality and evenneſſe betweene the ſpeech and the thing, and therefore the oppoſition unto it, which is in a lye, is according to theſe two extreames, which are either the exceſſe or defect.
The third diviſion which is the moſt common §. 2. Lyes diſtinguiſhed into 3. kindes; merry, officious, and pernicious Lyes.and received is taken from the divers ends which men in their lying propound unto themſelves; for either their end is to delight themſelves and their hearers, and then it is called mendacium jocoſum, a merry lye; or their end is to profit and doe good to themſelves or others; the which is called mendacium officioſum, an officious lye; or finally their end is to doe hurt and miſchiefe, which is called mendacium pernicioſum, a pernicious lye. In which diviſion I purpoſe to inſiſt, onelyonly adding thereunto a fourth kinde, which is called mendacium modeſtum, or a modeſt lye, when men in a kinde of humility deny or extenuate their vertues and good parts. A merry lye is that wherein the lyer propoundeth A merry lye what it is.this end onelyonly, that hee may delight his hearer, and not deceive him, or ſo farre onelyonly to deceive, as that thereby he may delight him. For there are ſome (as Saint Augustine ſaith) who Contra mendacium ad Conſentium. lib. 1. cap. 10.deſire by their lyes to pleaſe men, not that they may injure or reproch any, but that they may bee ſweete and pleaſant in their talke. Now theſe differ from other lyars in this, that they delight to lye, rejoycing in the deceit it ſelfe; but theſe delight to pleaſe with the urbanity and ſweetneſſe of their ſpeech, who notwithſtanding, had rather pleaſe by uttering truthes; but when as they cannot eaſily finde true things which are acceptable to their hearers, they chooſe rather to lye, than to hold their peace. Now ſuch lyes are either ſo cunningly fram'd and coloured with likely hoods and ſimilitude of truth, that they deceive the hearer with their ſpecious ſhewes, and afterwards delight him, when he diſcerneth the jeſt and findeth his errour; or elſe ſpun with ſo courſe a threed by the teller of them, having no probability or ſhew of truth, that the hearer plainely diſcovereth them, and is onelyonly delighted with the artificiall abſurdities and prodigious hyperboles of the tale, which tranſcend all truth and likelyhood. So that the hearer is no way deceived by it, knowing that it is ſpoken in jeſt to move delight. An officious lye is when as the ſpeaker wittingly and willingly uttereth An officious lye what it is.an untruth, either out of Piety that hee may glorifie God, or out of Charity and love of Juſtice and Mercy, that he may thereby doe good to himſelfe or his neighbour, either to prevent or free him, or himſelfe from ſome loſſe, danger, diſgrace, or other miſchiefe; or to procure unto either ſome profit and benefit; and that without the hurt or dammage of any other. A pernicious lye, is A pernicious lye what it is.when as the ſpeaker intendeth by lying not onelyonly to deceive his hearer, but alſo to damnifie and hurt his neighbour in his perſon, name or ſtate, and that wittingly and willingly. In which kinde concurre all the ſinnefull evils that are in a lye in the higheſt degree. For firſt, hee that thus lyeth, not onelyonly ſpeaketh that which is falſe, but alſo falſely againſt his minde and knowledge. Secondly, hee thus ſpeaketh willingly, loving and delighting in his lye; and laſtly, with a purpoſe and deſire to deceive, and to doe hurt and miſchiefe by his deceit. In all which reſpects this ſort of lyes is above all others moſt abominable unto God, pernicious to our Neighbours, and damnable, to our owne ſoules. In the practice whereof men then grow to the higheſt pitch of this helliſh impiety, when with the Divell the Father of lyes, they not onelyonly uſe them for profit or neceſſity, but alſo love and delight in them more than in the truth; like thoſe of whom the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh. Thou loveſt evill Pſal. 52. 3, 4.more than good, and lying rather than to ſpeake righteouſneſſe. Thou loveſt all devouring words, O thou deceitfull tongue. And againe, They onelyonly conſult to caſt Pſal. 62. 4.him downe from his excellency, they delight in lyes.
Now this kinde admitteth of another diſtinction §. 3. Of religious lyes concerning matters of faith and doctrine.in reſpect of the divers ſubjects whereabout it is exerciſed, for either it is in points that concerne matters of faith and the doctrine of Religion, in which reſpect it may bee called a religious lye, or matters civill and politicall in humane affaires and the things of life, either publike or private, in which regard it may bee called a politicall or civill lye. The former is ſo much more pernicious than the latter, as the glory of God and the eternall ſalvation of our ſoules, which are hindred and impeached by it, are more precious and highly to bee eſteemed than our preſent corporall eſtate, and the momentany things of this life. Neither is any deceit ſo dangerous as this in matters of religion, ſeeing this (as wee ſay) toucheth our free hold and leadeth us into ſuch errours as will hinder our ever laſting ſalvation. In which reſpect theſe errours and untruthes in matters of religion the Apoſtle calleth the doctrine of Divels, becauſe as hee invented 1 Tim. 4. 8.it, and his inſtruments teach it, ſo is it no leſſe than he ſuch an enemy that hindreth our heavenly happineſſe: the confirming wherof by lying wonders is by the ſame Apoſtle made a marke of Antichriſt, who ſpeaking lyes in hypocriſie ratifieth his falſe doctrines with no leſſe falſe miracles. All which lyes 2 Theſ. 2. 9.are to be abhorred above all other which concerne our temporall goods or lives. So Saint Auguſtine, Contra mendacium ad Conſentium. lib. 1. cap. 13.If (ſaith he) a lye which is ſpoken againſt the temporall life of any man bee deteſtable, how much more that which is againſt life eternall, as every lye is, which is made in the Doctrine of religion? Enchirid. ad Laurent. cap. 18And againe, he doth not hurt ſo much who by lying putteth a traveller out of the right way, as hee that by a deceiving Lye, depraveth the way of Life.
A modeſt ly is when as a man denieth or extenuateth §. 4. Of a modeſt lye, and what it is.Gods graces in him, his vertues, good parts, and commendable actions, which hee knoweth to be in him or done by him. The which proceedeth either from humility, whereby a man undervalueth himſelfe and his gifts, either in the ſight and ſenſe of his contrary corruptions, or when he compareth the little which he hath received, with that that he wanteth, which he thinketh ſo far ſhort in proportion, that his little in compariſon ſeemeth nothing. And thus an humble man ſpeaking what he thinketh cannot properly be ſaid to lye, becauſe his tongue and heart agree, although hee uttereth an untruth, not ſpeaking as the thing is: or elſe it proceedeth from inward pride, which purſueth glory and praiſe, though not in the ordinary way, yet (as it were) by a backe doore or poſterne gate; diſprayſing thoſe things in themſelves which they know to bee praiſe-worthy, and denying or extenuating thoſe gifts and good parts, which they not onelyonly know to be in them in ſome good meaſure, but alſo in ſelfe-conceite much over-value them above their true worth. The which Art they uſe to draw on the hearer to croſſe their words, (though not their hearts) with exceſſive prayſes, which they thinke no more than their due, and would be much diſpleaſed if hee ſhould take them at their word, and croſſed in their ends and deſires, if he ſhould not croſſe them in their undervaluing of themſelves, and take occaſion thereby to faſten upon them the greater commendations.