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The Merchant from Patristics to the Honnête Homme in the Writings of Savary

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The Honorable Merchant – Between Modesty and Risk-Taking

Part of the book series: Ethical Economy ((SEEP,volume 56))

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Abstract

The first purpose is the attempt to expose the origins of the negative image of the merchant. Secondly, it searches for possible reasons for the change into a positive image, before, finally, two texts from the French seventeenth century are presented, which exemplify the good reputation of the merchant and his profession. Savary underlines the usefulness of trade, pointing out the necessity of redistributing unevenly distributed goods and approving of trade, capable of increasing joy of life and avoiding abundance that could lead to harmful idleness. Further, trade promotes friendship and provides the king with information about foreign countries. The parfait négociant described by Savary appears to be not primarily morally perfect, but perfectly efficient. That the merchant can behave morally as well as immorally has been undisputed since Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Neo-Scholasticism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book I, Chapter IX, 28, p. 48; cp. Brentano (1923), p. 81, pp. 34–76 and pp. 77–143.

  2. 2.

    “But those things which seem to be good, as riches, abundance, joy without pain, are a hindrance to the fruits of blessedness” St. Ambrose (1890), Book II, Chapter V, 16, p. 150.

  3. 3.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book I, Chapter XLIX, 251, p. 136.

  4. 4.

    St. Clement (1885), Paedagogos (The instructor), Second Book, Chapter III, p. 248.

  5. 5.

    St. Clement (1885), Paedagogos (The instructor), Third Book, Chapter II, p. 272.

  6. 6.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book II, Chapter V, 18, p. 150.

  7. 7.

    Matthew 6: 24–34.

  8. 8.

    Cp. Matthew 6: 19, 20, 24–34; Luke 12: 33, 34, 22–30; Mark 4: 19; Matthew 19: 21; Luke 18: 22; Luke 6: 20, 21, 24, 25.

  9. 9.

    Matthew 19: 21.

  10. 10.

    St. Augustine (1950), Book I, Chapter XX, p. 13.

  11. 11.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book I, Chapter XLIX, 254, p. 137.

  12. 12.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book I, Chapter XLIX, 252, pp. 136-137.

  13. 13.

    1 Timothy 6: 7–10.

  14. 14.

    St. Basil the Great (Homilia in divites, Sermon to the Rich). In: J.-P. Migne Patrologia Graeca 31: 293; cp. Brentano (1923), p. 84.

  15. 15.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book III, Chapter VI, 39, p. 218.

  16. 16.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book I, Chapter XXVIII, 137, pp. 93–94.

  17. 17.

    St. Ambrose (1890), Book II, Chapter XXVI, 130, p. 193.

  18. 18.

    Cp. Brentano (1923), p. 91.

  19. 19.

    Quote from ibid.

  20. 20.

    Cp. Brentano (1923), p. 214–217.

  21. 21.

    Cp. Gurjewitsch (2004), p. 274 f.

  22. 22.

    Cp. Taylor (2012); cp. Weber (2010).

  23. 23.

    Cp. Gurjewitsch, (2004), p. 297.

  24. 24.

    St. Augustine (2007b), Book II, Chapter 28, 43, p. 549.

  25. 25.

    Geyer (1951), p. 103.

  26. 26.

    Matthew 6: 19-21; St. Augustine (1959), p. 6.

  27. 27.

    1 John 2: 15-16; St. Augustine (1959), p. 7.

  28. 28.

    Cp. St. Augustine (1959), pp. 2–107.

  29. 29.

    Cp. St. Augustine (2007a), pp. 107–114.

  30. 30.

    Cp. Drecoll (2012), p. 192.

  31. 31.

    St. Clement (1885), Second Book, Chapter III, p. 247.

  32. 32.

    Cp. Wyrwa (1983), p. 317, p. 320.

  33. 33.

    Cp. Beierwaltes (2014), p. 91.

  34. 34.

    Aristotle (1962), Book XIII, 1097b – 1080b, pp. 205–211.

  35. 35.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 57 [4], p. 169.

  36. 36.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 72 [2], p. 213; cp. also Chapter 57 [5], p. 169.

  37. 37.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 3 [7], p. 34.

  38. 38.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 15 [9], p. 49.

  39. 39.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 39 [8], p. 117.

  40. 40.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 45 [2], p. 136.

  41. 41.

    Thomas Aquinas (1955), Book II, Chapter 45 [9], p. 139.

  42. 42.

    Aristotle (1944), 1257b, p. 45.

  43. 43.

    Aristotle (1934), 1107a, pp. 97–98.

  44. 44.

    Aristotle (1934), 1107b, p. 99.

  45. 45.

    Aristotle (1934), 1119b, p. 185.

  46. 46.

    Aristotle (1934), 1120a, p. 191.

  47. 47.

    Cf. Thomas Aquinas (2006), q. 66, a. 2–3, pp. 65–70.

  48. 48.

    Cp. Goez (1982), p. 22.

  49. 49.

    Cp. ibid., p. 24.

  50. 50.

    Cp. ibid., p. 27.

  51. 51.

    Cp. Strosetzki (2015, 2016).

  52. 52.

    Anonymus (1646), Epitre.

  53. 53.

    Ibid., Au lecteur.

  54. 54.

    Ibid., Epitre.

  55. 55.

    Ibid., p. 3.

  56. 56.

    Ibid., p. 6.

  57. 57.

    “Car comme il est. certain que le trafic est. la veritable la plus feconde source de toutes sortes de biens de commoditez necessaires à la vie, qui par un flux reflux continuel, fournist ce qui nous est. necessaire, restablist ce qui est. consommé; il ne faut point s’étonner de ce que nous tombons dans l’indigence, puisque à present cette souce nous est. tarie même nous est. ôtée par les étrangers. Eux seuls ont les facultés necessaires, les vaisseaux en abondance, les intelligences habitudes dans tous les pais, les pouvoirs les privileges pour exercer le Commerce avec avantage; […] la ruine du Commerce de la France est. la veritable cause de toutes les incommoditez du peuple.“Ibid., p. 124–126.

  58. 58.

    Ibid., p. 132.

  59. 59.

    Ibid., p. 141.

  60. 60.

    Ibid., p. 246.

  61. 61.

    Ibid., p. 134.

  62. 62.

    Ibid., p. 138.

  63. 63.

    Ibid., p. 189.

  64. 64.

    Ibid., pp. 192 f.

  65. 65.

    Ibid., p. 262.

  66. 66.

    Ibid., p. 280 f.

  67. 67.

    Cp. Savary (2010), p. 64.

  68. 68.

    Cp. ibid., p. 33.

  69. 69.

    Savary (2011), p. 196.

  70. 70.

    Ibid., p. 213.

  71. 71.

    Ibid.: „mettre leurs enfants dans les premières charges de la robe“.

  72. 72.

    Ibid., p. 240.

  73. 73.

    Ibid., p. 241.

  74. 74.

    Ibid., p. 593.

  75. 75.

    Ibid., p. 700.

  76. 76.

    Ibid., p. 245.

  77. 77.

    Ibid., p. 240, 542.

  78. 78.

    Savary (1726), p. 1112.

  79. 79.

    Bouhours (1671/1920), p. 172f.; cp. also Strosetzki (2013).

  80. 80.

    Gérard (1682), p. 220 f.

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  1. University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Christoph Strosetzki

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  1. Chair of Business Ethics, Technical University of Munich, München, Bayern, Germany

    Christoph Lütge

  2. Romanisches Seminar, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany

    Christoph Strosetzki

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Strosetzki, C. (2019). The Merchant from Patristics to the Honnête Homme in the Writings of Savary. In: Lütge, C., Strosetzki, C. (eds) The Honorable Merchant – Between Modesty and Risk-Taking. Ethical Economy, vol 56. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04351-3_1

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