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.

ÞET VIFTE HEAUED OF ÞE BESTE.

Þet vifte heaued / of þe beste / beuore y-zed. is the zenne / of auarice / and of couaytyse / þet is rote / of alle kueade. ase zayþ zaynte paul. Þet is þe maystresse / þet heþ / zuo greate scole / þet alle guoþ þrin / uor to lyerni. ase zayþ / þe wrytinge. Vor alle manere of uolk / studieþ ine auarice / and greate / and smale. kinges. prelates. clerkes. an lewede. and religious. Auarice / is disordene loue. zuo disordene / him sseweþ / in þri maneres generalliche. ine wynnynge: boldeliche. ine ofhealdinge: streytliche. ine spendinge: scarsliche. Þise byeþ þe þri boȝes principales: þet of þise rote wexeþ.

Ac specialliche / and propreliche / of þe rote of auarice / guoþ out / manye smale roten. þet byeþ / wel greate / dyadliche zennes. Þe uerste is gauelinge. Þe oþer / þyefþe. Þe þridde / roberye. Þe uerþe / chalenge. Þe vifte / sacrilege. Þe zixte / symonye. Þe zeuende / kuedhedes. Þe eȝtende is / ine chapfare. Þe

neȝende is / wycked creft. Þe tende is / ine kuade uolke. And ech of þise smale roten / him to-delþ / ine uele manyeres.

Þanne þe uerste rote / þet is gauelinge. him to-delþ / ine zeuen / outkestinges. Vor þer byeþ / zeue manere gaueleres : lenynde. þet leneþ zeluer. uor oþren. And aboue þe catel: nimeþ þe heȝþes. oþer ine pans. oþer ine hors. oþer ine corn. eþer ine wyn. oþer ine frut of þe grounde / þet hi nimeþ / ine wedde dyade. wyþ-oute rekenynge / þet frut ine paynge. And þet wors ys : hi wylleþ rekeny tuyes. oþer þries þet yer. uor to do arise þet gauel. and wylleþ / yet habbe yefþes aboue / uor eche terme. and makeþ / ofte / of þe gauel: principale dette. Þise byeþ gaueleres kueade / and uoule. Ac þer is anoþer lenere corteys. þet leneþ / wyþ-oute chapfare makiinde. alneway in heȝinge. oþer ine pans. oþer ine hors. oþer ine coupes of gold. oþer of zeluer. oþer robes. oþer tonnen mid [typographic Fol. 10. a.] wyn / oþer ine uette zuyn. seruices ulessliche. of hors. of carten. oþer prouendres to ham / oþer to hare children. oþer ine oþre þinges. and oueral to gauel / huanne me hit nimþ / by þe skele / of þe lone. Þis is þe uerste manere / of gauelynge / þet is ine leninge kueadliche. Þe oþre manere / of gauelynge / is ine þan / þet ne leneþ naȝt / to hare persone. ac þet hire uaderes / and þe uaderes of hare wyues / oþer hare eldringes / habbeþ yporchaced / be gauelinge. hit of hyealdeþ and nolleþ hit naȝt yelde. Þe þridde manere of gavelinge. is ine ham / þet habbeþ onworþ / to lene of hire hand: ac hi doþ lene / hare sergons. oþer oþre men / of hire pans. Þise byeþ þe mayster gaueleres. Of þe ilke zenne ne byeþ naȝt þe heȝe men quit / þet hyealdeþ and sosteneþ iewes and þe caorsins. þet leneþ / and destruiþ / þe con- traye / and hy nymeþ þe medes / and þe greate yefþes / and oþerhuil / þe ronsounes / þet byeþ of þe guodes / of þe poure. Þe uerþe manyere / is ine ham / þet

leneþ / of oþremanne zelure / oþer borȝeþ / to litel cost : uor to lene / to gratter cost. Þise byeþ / litle gaueleres / þet lyerneþ / zuych uoul creft. Þe vifte manere is / ine cheapfare / huanne me zelþ / þet þing. huet þet hit by: more þanne hit by worþ / uor þane time. an þet wors is / þe time-zettere ontrewe. huanne he yziȝþ þet uolk / mest nyeduol. þanne wyle he zelle / þe derrer tuyes / oþer þries zuo moche / þane þet þing / by worþ. Zuych uolk / doþ to moche kuead. Vor hire time-zettinge / hi destrueþ / and makeþ beggeres / þe knyȝtes: and þe heȝemen / þet uolȝeþ þe tornemens. and þet hy betakeþ / hyre londes / and hare eritage / ine wed. and dead wed / þet naȝt him ne aquytteþ. Þe oþre zeneȝeþ / to begge þe þinges / ase corn. oþer wyn. oþer oþerþing / lesse be þe haluedele / þanne hit his worþ. uor þe pans / þet he payþ beuore. and þanne / hit zelleþ / ham ayen / tuyes zuo moche / oþer þries : þe derrer. Þe oþre beggeþ þe þinges / huanne hi byeþ lest worþ to greate cheape / ine herueste / þet corn. ine uendonginge: þet wyn. oþre cheapfares uor to zelle ayen / al-huet hi byeþ / mest diere. and wilneþ / þane dyere time / uor to zelle þe derrer. Þe oþre / þet corn agerse. þe vines in flouringe / huanne þet hi byeþ / of uaire ssewynge. be zuiche uorwerde: þet hi habbe / huet cas yualle: hire catel sauf. Þe zixte manere / is of þan / þet takeþ hire pans to marchons / be zuo þet hi by uelaȝe / to þe wynnynge. and naȝt to þe lere. oþer þet hi betakeþ / hire bestes / to þe haluedele / be zuo þet hi by / of fer pris. Þet is to zigge / þet yef hi sterueþ / ine mene-time: do oþre ine hare stede / ase moche worþ. Þe zeuende manere / is ine þan / þet doþ / hare poure neȝȝeboures / ine hare nyedes. and uor þet hi habbeþ / ham y-lend / a lyte zeluer. oþer corn. oþer ydo zome cortaysye. And huanne hy hise yzeþ poure / and nyeduol: þanne makeþ hy / mid ham / marcat / to do hire niedes. and þe pans / þet hi token beuore / to þe

poure manne. oþer him lende / a lite corn. / hi habbeþ þri paneworþes of worke: uor ane peny.