Dan Michel's Ayenbite of Inwyt : or, Remorse of conscience : Richard Morris's transcription now newly collated with the unique manuscript British Museum MS. Arundel 57, volume 1, text / by Pamela Gradon.

ÞE BOȜES OF LOUEREDE.

Of þise stocke wexeþ zeue boȝes. Vor þise uirtue him sseweþ ine zeue maneres. ase me knauþ þane loue þet is be-tuene þe lemes of þe bodye ine zeue manyeres. Verst þe on leme uorberþ / and lokeþ an oþer / þet me naȝt him misdo / ne angrisi / ne harmi / be his miȝte. and ine þise we onderstondeþ [orderstondeþ MS.] þe innocence þet we ssolle loki þe on a-ye þe oþre. Vor þis heste is y-write ine þe herte of eurichen. þet þou ne do to oþren : þet / þet þou noldest þet he þe ne dede. ne þin riȝt hand

dede to þine left hand. Efterward þe on leme þoleþ zuetliche [MS. zuethiche] / of þe oþre þet he him deþ of angrice / and naȝt him ne awrecȝþ. ne non arizinge of wreþe ne uelþ þe leme þe on aye þe oþer / ne ne of-hyealdeþ. Ine þisen we onderstondeþ to uoluelle mildenesse þet heþ þri stapes. Þe uerste is þet man him ne awreke naȝt. Þe oþer þet me ne hyealde naȝt ire longe. Þe þridde / þet man ne uele none arizinge of ire / ne of hate aye his nixte uor naȝt þet he deþ. Efterward þe lemes bouȝeþ alle to hare ouerling. Vor hi doþ alle mid hare miȝte þet þe herte acseþ / and þet eȝe ham tekþ. Ine þan we onderstondeþ þe uirtue of boȝsamnesse huerof [typographic Fol. 45. b.] we habbeþ beuore y-speke / þet he ssel bi ine loue agrayþed / and ine charit� / ase zaiþ zaynte peter. Efterward þe on leme helpþ and serueþ þe oþren wyþ-oute grochinge and wyþ-oute wyþzigginge / and wyþ-oute auarice. Ine þisen we onderstondeþ þe uirtue þet me clepeþ charit�. Þanne a man huanne he helpþ and him a-cordeþ bleþeliche þe oþre mid þe helpe þet god him heþ y-yeue. oþer him ret / oþer tekþ / of his wytte þet he heþ. Oþer yefþ and to-delþ largeliche uor god þe guodes þet he heþ. Oþer he chasteþ and diȝt þe foles be þe autorit� þet he heþ. Ac þanne zayþ me þet he is uol of charit�. And þous hit hat zaynte peter / þet þe guodnesse þet god ous heþ y-lend þet we hise diȝte to oure nixte. Þanne tulles þe filozofe zayþ. 'we ssolle þenche þet al þet is ine þe wordle and wext : al hit is ymad man to helpe. an þe man uor to helpe þe on / þe oþren. byeþ beyete.' 'do we þanne' zayþ he / 'þet : hueruore we byeþ ybore / and þet kende ous tekþ. and zeche we alle þet commun profit.' Vor ase zayþ zaynte paul. 'we byeþ alle lemes of onelepi bodye.' Efterward / alle þe lemes ueleþ / and draȝeþ to ham þet me deþ to echen / by hit guod / by hit kuead. by hit blisse / by hit zorȝe. huanne me smit þane uot: þe mouþ zayþ / þou me blechest. Be þan we onderstondeþ þe uirtue

of zoþe pit� / þet we ssolle habbe communliche / þet heþ tuaye offices / ase zayþ zante paul. Blisuol sselt þou by / to þe guodes þet oþre habbeþ / and doþ. Zorȝuol sselt þou by / to þe kuedes þet oþre ueleþ and doþ. Efterward / yef þe on leme is zik / oþer y-wonded: alle þe oþre him helpeþ to þet he by held. Ine þise we onderstondeþ þe uirtue of dom / and of amendement. wiþ-oute huam / þet body of holy cherche ne may yleste. Vor þe leme uorroted ssolde ssende þe hole. Huo þet wile þanne conne hou he ssel his broþer chasti. his nixte / oþer his seriont wyþnime / and punissi: nime hede to him-zelue / huanne on leme is zik / oþer y-wonded. hou moche zorȝe heþ þe herte and grat compassion y-uelþ. and be þe greate loue þet he heþ ine him / he him deþ þe hand wel zueteliche. And aze zayþ senekes / 'ase of þe bodye / alsuo of þe herte me ssel zueteliche þe wonden agrayþi.' Vor of zoþe loue / and of grat compassion ssolle þe amendes by y-do. and mid greate drede he ssel þe honden do þerto. Verst he ssel þerto do þe smeringes / and þe plastres of zuete warningges. Efterward yef þet ne is naȝt worþ : þe poudres efterward and prekiinde / of harde wyþniminge. Efterward þe dedes of techinge. and yef he ne deþ wyþ-oute emparement: þanne behoueþ come þet zuord hit uor to dele / oþer be manzinge / oþer be hotinge out of contraye. oþer him do uram him-zelue. Efterward þe lemes worssipeþ þe on / þe oþer. and uorbereþ. uor ase zayþ zaynte paul. we ssolle bere ech oþren worþssipe / and [typographic Fol. 46. a.] reuerence. and nameliche þo / þet habeþ mest nyede : of uorberinge. þo byeþ þe meste foles / and þe fyebleste. zuiche me ssel mest uorbere. Þanne þe guode man and þe wyse bereþ / and uorbereþ alneway þe foles / and þe fiebles / ase þe buones bereþ þe tendre uless. and þe post þet hous. Þis is aye þe missiggeres þet zuo moche gredeþ bleþeliche þe kueades / and þe defautes þet hi zyeþ ine oþren. Efterward þe on leme wereþ þet oþer

ate nyede / and him zet uor him. uor ate niede me y-ziȝþ huo is urend. Huanne þe on uot slyt: þe oþer him helpþ. An haste huanne me wyle smite þet heaued: þe hand hire deþ be-uore. Ine þisen we onderstondeþ / uoluelde / and clene louerede. Þeruore zayþ god in his spelle. 'þet more louerede ne may by : þanne zette his zaule uor his urend.' Þise urendrede ous ssewede Iesu crist þe zoþe urend þet uor ous layde his zaule and his body to þe dyaþe. and þet dede he ous uor to yeuene uorbysne. ase zayþ zaynte peter / and sain Ion zayþ. yef god layde his zaule uor ous: and we ssolle legge oure zaules uor oure broþren / þet is uor oure nixte. yef we byeþ a riȝt leme of þe bodie / huerof is þet heaued. Huo þet þise uirtue hedde / ich wolde zigge openliche þet he ssolde by þe riȝte yblissed. þis is þe uirtue þet oure guode maister Iesu crist ous toȝte / þo he zede. 'Yblissed byeþ þe milde: uor hy ssolle by in sayzine of þe erþe.' Þet is to onderstonde ine þri maneres. Verst / of þe londe of þe libbinde þet is god zelf / þet is woniynge of þe libinde / þet is of þe halȝen / and of guode men. Ase þe erþe is woniynge of bestes and of men. And þeruor þet god þet is þe land of þe libbinde: he heþ his y-blissed in his saysine. uor hi ne makeþ none strengþe þet quemeþ god ine hire sayzyne / ase zayþ þe sauter. Þe milde zayþ / he ssel habbe þet land ine kende. and saynt augustin zuo zayþ / þet non ne ssel habbe god ine possession. Vor hi byeþ riȝtuolliche lhordes of hire herten. ac ire / and felonie his amaystreþ. Þe milde amaistreþ þe queade þeawes. 'And betere is worþ' / þet zayþ salomons / 'huo þet ouercomþ wel his herte : þanne þe ilke þet nimþ be strengþe / casteles and cites.' Efterward / þe milde byeþ lhordes of þe erþe / þet is of erþliche guodes. Vor yef hi hise lyezeþ: hi ne wreþeþ ham naȝt / ne ne troubleþ. Ac þo þet ham wreþeþ huanne hi hise lyezeþ / hi ne ne byeþ naȝt lhordes : ac raþre þrelles. and þeruore he zayþ / hit

is riȝt / þet þo þet habbeþ hier þe timliche guodes and gostliche / and ham-zelue ine possessioun. þet hi habbe ine þe ende : þet land of þe libbinde / þet is god him-zelf ine possessioun. Ac nou onderstand and loke / þet / þet god yefþ to þe poure þe heuene. and to þe milde : þet land / huer ssolle by þe bitere and þe felle wyþoute / ine þe zorȝe of helle.