Spondent quas non exhibent

Spondent quas non exhibent is a papal decretal issued by Pope John XXII in 1317 that prohibited fraudulent alchemy, targeting practitioners who sold fake gold or silver to deceive buyers rather than condemning the study of chemistry itself. It set penalties based on the value of the counterfeit metal produced, requiring offenders to pay fines calculated against the weight of real gold or silver, with imprisonment as an alternative for those unable to pay. Although later sometimes cited as evidence of hostility by the church to early chemistry, the decree targeted fraud specifically, and John XXII himself had studied chemistry and was regarded as a patron of learning and science; its main practical effect was to drive alchemical work underground rather than end it.