וְדַע עוֹד, דְּאִם מֻחְזָק בָּעִיר לְרָשָׁע (יד) מִפְּנֵי שְׁאָר עִנְיְנֵי עֲבֵרוֹת, שֶׁמֻּתָּר עֲבוּרָם לְגַנּוֹתוֹ, (טו) גַּם כֵּן דִּינָא הָכֵי, (ועַיּן בִּבְאֵר מַיִם חיִּים הפּרָטִים, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָזִה), וְאֵיזֶהוּ מֻחְזָק? כָּל שֶׁהֻסְכַּם בִּפְנִי אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר לְרָשָׁע, עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפּל לָהֶם בּוֹ סָפֵק (מֵחֲמַת שְׁמוּעוֹת הָרָעוֹת, שֶׁיּוֹצְאוֹת עָלָיו תָּמִיד מֵעִנְיְנִי נֵאוּף וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, דְּבָרִים שֶׁנִּתְפַּשֵּׁט יְדִיעַת אִסוּרָן בְּכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל), אֲבָל אִם יָצָא עָלָיו קוֹל בְּעָלְמָא בִּלְבַד, אָסוּר לִסְמֹךְ עַל זֶה לְגַנּוֹתוֹ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וַאֲפִלּוּ לְהַחְלִיט בַּלֵּב אָסוּר, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ לְעֵיל בִּכְלָל ז'. (וְאַף שֶׁיָּרֵאתִי מְאֹד לְהַעְתִּיק דִּין הַזֶּה מִפְּנִי בַּעֲלֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן, שֶׁכְּשֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ עַל אֶחָד שֶׁמֶץ דְּבַר מַה, תֵּכֶף יַחְזִיקוּ אֶת הָאִישׁ הַהוּא לְמֻחְזָק בְּרֶשַׁע וִיגַנּוּ אוֹתוֹ וְיִתְלוּ אֶת הַהֶתֵּר בַּסֵפֶר הַזֶּה, עִם כָּל זֶה לֹא הִשְׁמַטְתִּיו, כְּמַאֲמָרָם זַ"ל בְּבָבָא בַּתְרָא {דף פ"ט} עַל רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, אֲמָרָה וּמֵהַאי קָרָא אֲמָרָה, {הושע י"ד י'}: "כִּי יְשָׁרִים דַּרְכֵי ה' וְצַּדִּיקִים יֵלְכוּ בָם וּפוֹשְׁעִים יִכָּשְׁלוּ בָם").
And know also that if one is acknowledged in the city to be an evildoer, because of other transgressions which it is permitted to demean him for, the din is the same [i.e. it is permitted as long as there is benefit to be gained from what is said - See Beer Mayim Chaim]. And who is "acknowledged"? One whom the people of the city agree to be an evildoer beyond doubt (because of evil reports that are always spread about him in the area of fornication and the like, things which all of Israel know to be forbidden). But if a rumor in general were heard about him, it is forbidden to rely upon this to demean him, G–d forbid; and even to believe it in one's heart is forbidden, as we have explained above in Principle VII. (And even though I greatly feared to write this [heter] down because of "the men of the tongue," who, as soon as they hear about anyone a trace of something wrong, they immediately brand the man as "acknowledged" in wickedness, and they will demean him and attribute the heter to this book; notwithstanding this, I have not omitted it, in accordance with what Chazal said about Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai (Bava Bathra 89b): "He said it [(something "risky," analogous to the above)], and in accordance with this verse did he say it (Hosea 14:10): 'For the ways of the L–rd are just. The righteous shall walk in them, and the offenders [("the men of the tongue" in our instance)] shall stumble in them.'")
