Whether Treachery, Fraud, Falsehood, Perjury, Restlessness, Violence,
and Insensibility to Mercy Are Daughters of Covetousness?
Objection 1: It seems that the daughters of covetousness are not as
commonly stated, namely, "treachery, fraud, falsehood, perjury,
restlessness, violence, and insensibility to mercy." For covetousness
is opposed to liberality, as stated above (A. 3). Now treachery,
fraud, and falsehood are opposed to prudence, perjury to religion,
restlessness to hope, or to charity which rests in the beloved
object, violence to justice, insensibility to mercy. Therefore these
vices have no connection with covetousness.
Obj. 2: Further, treachery, fraud and falsehood seem to pertain to
the same thing, namely, the deceiving of one's neighbor. Therefore
they should not be reckoned as different daughters of covetousness.
Obj. 3: Further, Isidore (Comment. in Deut.) enumerates nine
daughters of covetousness; which are "lying, fraud, theft, perjury,
greed of filthy lucre, false witnessing, violence, inhumanity,
rapacity." Therefore the former reckoning of daughters is
insufficient.
Obj. 4: Further, the Philosopher (Ethic. iv, 1) mentions many kinds
of vices as belonging to covetousness which he calls illiberality,
for he speaks of those who are "sparing, tight-fisted, skinflints
[*_kyminopristes_], misers [*_kimbikes_], who do illiberal deeds,"
and of those who "batten on whoredom, usurers, gamblers, despoilers
of the dead, and robbers." Therefore it seems that the aforesaid
enumeration is insufficient.
Obj. 5: Further, tyrants use much violence against their subjects.
But the Philosopher says (Ethic. iv, 1) that "tyrants who destroy
cities and despoil sacred places are not to be called illiberal,"
i.e. covetous. Therefore violence should not be reckoned a daughter
of covetousness.
_On the contrary,_ Gregory (Moral. xxxi) assigns to covetousness the
daughters mentioned above.
_I answer that,_ The daughters of covetousness are the vices which
arise therefrom, especially in respect of the desire of an end. Now
since covetousness is excessive love of possessing riches, it exceeds
in two things. For in the first place it exceeds in retaining, and in
this respect covetousness gives rise to _insensibility to mercy,_
because, to wit, a man's heart is not softened by mercy to assist the
needy with his riches [*See Q. 30, A. 1]. In the second place it
belongs to covetousness to exceed in receiving, and in this respect
covetousness may be considered in two ways. First as in the thought
(_affectu_). In this way it gives rise to _restlessness,_ by
hindering man with excessive anxiety and care, for "a covetous man
shall not be satisfied with money" (Eccles. 5:9). Secondly, it may be
considered in the execution (_effectu_). In this way the covetous
man, in acquiring other people's goods, sometimes employs force,
which pertains to _violence,_ sometimes deceit, and then if he has
recourse to words, it is _falsehood,_ if it be mere words, _perjury_
if he confirm his statement by oath; if he has recourse to deeds, and
the deceit affects things, we have _fraud_; if persons, then we have
_treachery,_ as in the case of Judas, who betrayed Christ through
covetousness.
Reply Obj. 1: There is no need for the daughters of a capital sin to
belong to that same kind of vice: because a sin of one kind allows of
sins even of a different kind being directed to its end; seeing that
it is one thing for a sin to have daughters, and another for it to
have species.
Reply Obj. 2: These three are distinguished as stated in the Article.
Reply Obj. 3: These nine are reducible to the seven aforesaid. For
lying and false witnessing are comprised under falsehood, since false
witnessing is a special kind of lie, just as theft is a special kind
of fraud, wherefore it is comprised under fraud; and greed of filthy
lucre belongs to restlessness; rapacity is comprised under violence,
since it is a species thereof; and inhumanity is the same as
insensibility to mercy.
Reply Obj. 4: The vices mentioned by Aristotle are species rather
than daughters of illiberality or covetousness. For a man may be said
to be illiberal or covetous through a defect in giving. If he gives
but little he is said to be "sparing"; if nothing, he is
"tightfisted": if he gives with great reluctance, he is said to be
_kyminopristes_ ("skinflint"), a cumin-seller, as it were, because he
makes a great fuss about things of little value. Sometimes a man is
said to be illiberal or covetous, through an excess in receiving, and
this in two ways. In one way, through making money by disgraceful
means, whether in performing shameful and servile works by means of
illiberal practices, or by acquiring more through sinful deeds, such
as whoredom or the like, or by making a profit where one ought to
have given gratis, as in the case of usury, or by laboring much to
make little profit. In another way, in making money by unjust means,
whether by using violence on the living, as robbers do, or by
despoiling the dead, or by preying on one's friends, as gamblers do.
Reply Obj. 5: Just as liberality is about moderate sums of money, so
is illiberality. Wherefore tyrants who take great things by violence,
are said to be, not illiberal, but unjust.
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