by Daniel Defoe
CHAP. II. Of HONESTY.
Honesty is a virtue beloved by good men, and pretended to by all otherpersons. In this there are several degrees: to pay every man his own isthe common law of honesty: but to do good to all mankind, is thechancery law of honesty: and this chancery court is in every man'sbreast, where his conscience is a Lord Chancellor. Hence it is, that amiser, though he pays every body their own, cannot be an honest man,when he does not discharge the good offices that are incumbent on afriendly, kind, and generous person: for, faith the prophet Isaiah,chap. XXXII. ver. 7, 8. _The instruments of a churl are evil: hedeviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even whenthe needy speaketh right. But the liberal soul deviseth liberal things,and by liberal things shall he stand_. It is certainly honest to doevery thing the law requires; but should we throw every poor debtor intoprison till he has paid the utmost farthing, hang every malefactorwithout mercy, exact the penalty of every bond, and the forfeiture ofevery indenture, this would be downright cruelty, and not honesty: andit is contrary to that general rule, _To do to another, that which youwould have done unto you_. Sometimes necessity makes an honest man aknave: and a rich man a honest man, because he has no occasion to be aknave. The trial of honesty is this: Did you ever want bread, and hadyour neighbour's loaf in keeping, and would starve rather than eat it?Were you ever arrested, having in your custody another man's cash, andwould rather go to gaol, than break it? if so, this indeed may bereckoned honesty. For King Solomon tells us, _That a good name is betterthan life, and is a precious ointment, and which, when a man has oncelost, he has nothing left worth keeping_.