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 ZIXTE HEAUED OF ÞE BESTE.

Þe zixte heaued / of þe kueade beste : is lecherie / þet is to moche loue / and desordene / ine lost of lenden: oþer / ine ulesslich lost. Of þise zenne uondeþ þe dyeuel / in vif maneres / Ase zayþ saynt gregorie. Auerst / ine fole ziȝþe. efterward / ine fole wordes. efterward / ine fole takinges. efterward ine fole kessinges. efterward / me comþ to þe dede. Vor of fole ziȝþe : me comþ to þe speche. and uram þe speche / to þe handlinge uram þe handlinge: to þe kesinge. uram þe kessinge : to þe dede. And þous sotilliche / makeþ þe dyeuel / guo uram on to oþer. Þis zenne / him to-delþ / uerst ine tuo maneres. uor þer is lecherie / of herte : and lecherie of bodie. Þe lecherie / of herte : zuo heþ / vour stapes. Vor þe gost / of fornicacion / þet serueþ / of þe uere / of lecherie / becleppe [to has been erased in the MS. before becleppe.] þe herten: makeþ uerst / come þe þoȝtes. and þe likinges. and þe

ymaginacions / of zenne / to herte : and makeþ þenche. Efterward / þe herte blefþ / ine þe þoȝtes. an suo deliteþ. yet ne deþ he naȝt / þe dede uor no þing. And ine þise bleuinge / and ine þe ilke lost : is þo oþer stape / þet may by / dyadlich zenne. Þe greate zenne may by / þe lost. Þe þridde / stape / is þe grauntingge of herte / and of þe scele / and of þe wylle. And zuyche grantinges : byeþ alneway / deadlich zenne. Efter þe grantinge: comþ þe wylnynge. and þe greate hete þet [typographic Fol. 13. b.] hy habbeþ uor to zeneȝy. and doþ more þanne tuenti zennes / yne þe daye / ine ziȝþe of leuedys / and of maydynes / þet sseweþ ham / uayre ydiȝt. þet ofte hy sseaweþ / and diȝteþ ham / þe more quaynteliche / and þe more honesteliche / uor to maki musi / þe foles to ham. and ne weneþ naȝt / gratliche zeneȝy : uor þet hi ne habbeþ no wyl / to do þe dede. Ac uor-zoþe : hy zeneȝeþ / wel greuousliche. Vor be þe ancheysoun / of ham : byeþ uorlore / manye zaules. And þer byeþ / moche uolk / y-do to dyaþe / and to zenne. Vor ase zayþ / þe uorbisne. 'levedi / of uaire diȝtinge: is arblast / to þe tour.' Vor hi ne heþ leme / ine hire bodye: þet ne is / a gryn / of þe dyeule. ase zayþ salomon. þanne behoueþ hit / yelde scele / ate daye of dome / of þe zaules / þet be þe ancheaysoun / of ham / byeþ uorlore. þet is / to onderstonde : huanne hi yeueþ encheysoun / uor to zeneȝy / be hare wytinde.

Lecherie of bodie. him to-delþ : ine lecherie of eȝen. of yearen. of mouþe. of honden. an of alle þe wyttes / of þe bodye. And specialliche : of þe uoule dede. And hue [huo?=how.] is hit uoul dede zeþþe hit is kendelich ? uor þet god / hit uorbyet / ine his spelle. and his apostel pauel: þet þus zayþ. 'ech man habbe his oȝene: uor fornicacion.' þet ys to zigge : his oȝene wyf. To þo zenne / belongeþ / alle þe þinges / huer-by / þet uless him arist / and wylneþ / zuiche dede. ase byeþ þe mochele drinkeres. and eteres. þe zofte bed. cloþes likerouses. and alle

manyere eyse / of bodye / out of nyede. and specialliche : ydelnesse.

Þe zenne of dede / of lecherie: him to-delþ / ine uele boȝes / be þe stat of þe persones / þet hit doþ. and geþ an heȝ / uram kuede / to worse. Þe uerste is of man / oþer of wyfman / þet ne habbeþ / nenne bend. ne of wodewehod. ne of spoushod. ne of ordre. ne of religioun. ne of oþre manere. Þet is þe uerste zenne dyadlich: in dede/ of lecherie. Þe oþer is / to wyfmanne commune. Þis zenne / is more hard: uor hi is / more ald. and uor þet / zuyche wyfmen / byeþ oþerhuyl wyues. oþer of religion. and ne uorzakeþ nenne. ne uader / ne hroþer. ne zone / ne ken. Þe þridde is / of man sengle / mid wodewe. oþer ayeward. Þe uerþe is / wiþ sengle wifman. Þe vifte is / mid wyfman ymarissed. þet is þe zenne / of spousbreche. þet is wel kuead. uor þer is / brekinge of treuþe / þet þe on ssel bere / to þe oþre. efterward þer is / a sacrilege / huanne me brecþ / þe sacrement / of spoushod. hit yualþ oþerhuyl / desertesoun / of eyr / and ualse mariages. Þis zenne / him dobbleþ oþerhuil / huanne hi is / of man y-spoused: wyþ wymman þet heþ housebounde. Þe zixte is / huanne þe man / heþ his oȝe wyf / deþ þing / þet is uorbode / and disordene / aye kende of man. and ordre. and of spoushod. And mid oȝene zuorde : man may / him-zelue sle. Alsuo may he / mid his oȝene wyue / zeneȝi dyadliche. Þeruore smot god / to euele dyaþe onam / iacobis neuu. And þe dyeuel / þet hette asmodeus / astranglede / þe zeue houseboundes / of þe holy [typographic Fol. 14. a] mayde / sare. þet zeþþe wes / yonge thobyes wyf. Vor alle þe sacremens / of holi cherche / me ssel vsi / clenliche / and mid / greate worþssipe. Þe zeuende is of man / to his godmoder / oþer to his goddoȝter. oþer of godsone / to þe children of his godzyb / oþer of his godzybbe / uor þo children / ne moȝe naȝt come / to-gydere: wyþ-oute dyadlich zenne / ne be spoushod.

Þe eȝtende is of man / to his kenne. and þe ilke zenne / arist: and loȝeþ. be þet þe kenrede / is nyeȝ / oþer uer. Þe neȝende is / of þe manne / mid þe kenne / of his wyue. oþer ayeward / of þe wyue / mid þe kenne / of hare housebounde. Þe ilke zenne / is wel dreduol. Vor huanne þe man / heþ uelaȝrede / myd enye wyfmane: he ne may nanmore / be spoushod [MS. spuoshod] / habbe none / of hire kenne. and yef he / enye nimþ: þe spoushod / ne is naȝt. And yef he / nimþ wyf: and efterward / of þe half / of hire kenne: ha lyest / þe riȝt / þet he hedde / to his wyue / ine zuo moche / þet he ne may / efterward / wonye mid him / bote hy / hit ne bidde beuore. Þe tende is of wyfmen to clerkes y-hoded. Þis zenne / anheȝeþ: and loȝeþ. by þe hodes. and þe worþssiphede. Þe enlefte is / of man / of þe wordle / to wyfman / of religion. oþer ayeanward / of wyfman of þe wordle / to man / of religioun. Þe .xij. is of man / of religioun. and of wyfman / of religion. and þis zenne: an-heȝeþ / and loȝeþ. be þe stat / of þe persones / þet hit doþ. Þe .xiij. is of prelas / þet ssolden bi licnesse / and uorbysne / of holynesse / and of klennesse / to al þe wordle. Þe laste / is mest uoul / an lodlakest / þet ne is naȝt / to nemny. Þe ilke zenne / is aye kende / þet þe dyeuel tekþ to man. oþer to wyfman / ine uele maneres / þet ne byeþ naȝt / to nemni / uor þe materie / þet is to moche / abomynable. Ac ine ssrifþe / hit ssel nemni / þe ilke / to huam / hit is be-ualle. Vor asemoche / ase þe zenne / is more uoul / and more grislich: þe more is worþ / þe ssrifte. Vor þe ssame / þet me heþ / of þe zigginge : is grat del / of þe penonce. Þis zenne / is zuo onworþ to gode: þet he dede rine / uer berninde / and bernston stinkinde / ope þe cité of sodome / and of gomorre. and azenkte / vif cites / in-to helle. Þe dyuel him-zelf / þet hit

porchaceþ : heþ ssame / huanne man hit deþ. and þe eyr / is anuenymed / of þe dede.