It repeated the age-old maxim:
...receive before you write, and write before you pay, So shall no
part of your accompt in any wise decay. The 1589 "Marchants Avizo"
by Johne Browne, merchant of Bristol, gave information on foreign
currencies and keeping of accounts, and included specimens of
various business documents such as insurance policies, and bills
of exchange. It also advised: Take heed of using a false balance
or measure...covet not over familiarity amongst men it maketh thee
spend much loss of time. Be not hasty in giving credit to every
man, but take heed to a man that is full of words, that hath red
eyes, that goeth much to law, and that is suspected to live
unchaste ... When thou promiseth anything be not stuck to perform
it, for he that giveth quickly giveth double ... Fear God...know
thy Prince...love thy parents ...give reverence to thy betters
...be courteous and lowly to all men... be not wise in thine own
conceit. The old prohibitions of the now declining canon law were
still observed. That is one should not seek wealth for its own
sake or beyond what was requisite for a livelihood in one's
station, exploit a customer's difficulties to extract an
extravagant price, charge excessive interest, or engross to
"corner the market".
The printing press had made possible the methodizing of knowledge
and its dissemination to a lay public. Knowledge associated with
the various professions, occupations, and trades was no longer
secret or guarded as a mystery, to be passed on only to a chosen
few.
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