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.

OF ÞRI ÞINGES NYEDUOLLE TO ÞE ERÞE.

Þyse þri þinges byeþ nyeduolle to alle þe þinges þet in þe erþe wexeþ. Guod molde. wocnesse norissynde. and renable hete. wydoute [So in MS.] þise þri þinges gostliche / ne moȝe þe ympen of uirtue / ne wexe / ne bere frut. þise þinges / makeþ þe grace of þe holy gost mid herte. and hi deþ al greny / and flouri. and bere frut. and hi makeþ alsuo / alse a paradis erþlich to lykerous. uol of guode traues / and of frut / and precious. Ac ase god zette paradys erþlich uol of guode trawes / and of frut. and amydde zette a trau / þet me clepeþ : þet trau of lyue. hueruore þet his frut hedde nyede to loky þet lyf / to þan þet hit ssolde ete / wyþoute steruinge / and wyþoute zyknesse. and wyþ-oute ealdinge. and wyþ-oute fyeblesse. Alsuo deþ gostliche to þe herte þe greate gardyner. þet is god þe uader. Vor he heþ y-zet þe trawes of uirtue / and amydde þet trau of lyue. þet is Iesu crist / þet zayþ ine his spelle. 'He þet eth my uless / and dringþ my blod : he heþ lyf eurelestinde.' þis trau greneþ and uayreþ be his uirtue : alle þo ine paradis. Be þe uirtue of þise trawe wexeþ / florisseþ / and makeþ frut : alle þe oþre trawes. Ine þise trawe al hit ys guod al þet þer is. þis trau is to alowe / and to louie / uor manye þinges. Vor þe rote. Vor þane wode. Vor þet flour. Vor þane smel. Vor þe leaues. Vor þet frut And uor. his uayre ssed. Þe rote of þise trawe / þet is þe wel greate loue / and to moche charité of god þe uader / hueruore he ous louede zuo moche / þet uor his kueade þrel to begge : he yaf his wel guode zone. and him deliurede to þe dyaþe / and to torment. Of þise rote spekþ þe profete / and zayþ. þet 'a yerd ssel guo out of þe rote of yesse.' þet word is worþ ase moche /

ase a becleppinge of loue. Þet wode / þet is his preciouse uless. Þe herte of þo traue : wes þe holy zaule / Ine huam wes / þe preciouse yolk of þe wysdome of god. Þe rinde / wes þe uayre conuersacioun / wyþoute. Þet zep: of þo traue / and þe tyeres / weren uour wel preciouses þinges / and of riȝt greate uirtue / þet of his preciouse lemes yourne. þet weren tyeares. zuot. weter. and blod. Þe lyeaues: weren þe holi wordes / þet helden of alle zycnesses. Þe floures : weren þe holy þoȝtes / þet alle weren uayre and oneste / and berinde frut. Þet frut / weren þe tuelf apostles / þet al þe wordle uedde an norissede be hare techinge / and by hare uorbisne / mid hare guode dedes / and þe benefices. þe boȝes / of þo traue / ine one wytte / byeþ alle þe ychosene þet [MS. euerte] euere were. and þet byeþ. and þet ssolle by. uor ase he zede to his apostles. 'Ich am' he zede 'þe vyne / and ye byeþ þe boȝes.' Ine anoþre wyt: þe boȝes weren þe uayre uirtues / and þe gloriouse uorbysnes / þet he ssewede be dede / and toȝte be mouþe þet weren þe uirtues uol-do and uolle of þe zoþe guodnesse / þet he [typographic Fol. 29. a.] ssewede to his priué urindes / þet weren þe tuelf apostles / þet he ledde in-to ane heȝe helle. priuelyliche. þer he zet ase zayþ þet godspel / and his deciples aboute him. Þanne he openede his mouþ / and his trezor þet he hedde ywreȝe ine his herte. and ham þus zeayde. Yblissed byeþ þe poure of goste / uor þe kyngdom of heuene is hyre. Yblissed byeþ þe mylde : uor hi ssolle by lhordes of þe erþe. Yblissed byeþ þo þet hyer wepeþ / uor hi ssolle habbe þet confort of god. Yblissed þo þet habbeþ honger and þorst of riȝt. uor hi ssol by uolueld. Yblissed byeþ þe merciuolle / uor hi ssolle uynde merci. Yblessed byeþ þe clene of herte / uor hi ssole yzi god aperteliche. Yblissed byeþ þe paysyble / uor hi ssolle by ycleped godes zones. Þise byeþ þe zeue boȝes of þe trawe of liue / of godes zone Iesu crist.

Ine þe ssede of þise trawe / him ssel guod herte sseduy / and yzy þe ilke uayre boȝes þet bereþ þet frut of liue eurelestinde. Ine þise zeue wordes is beloke alle heȝnesse / and alle perfeccion of grace and of uirtue of zoþe blyssedhede. asemoche ase me may habbe ine þise wordle. and habbe and onderstonde: ine þe oþre. Þise byeþ þe zeue ruieles of holy lyf / þet þe zoþe salomon tekþ to his children. Þis is þe zoþe fllozofie / þet þe mayster of angles tekþ to his deciples. Ine þise zeue wordes byeþ besset ase ziggeþ þe halȝen / al þe summe of þe newe laȝe / þet is þe laȝe of loue / and of zuetnesse. hy is wel yzed newe : uor hi ne may naȝt yealdy / ase dede þe yealde laȝe to þe yewes. hi is zoþliche newe / and desgised uram oþre laȝes. Laȝe is yzed þeruore þet hy hare-zelue ne bynt. ake þe oþre byndeþ / and þis onbynt. Þe oþere chargeþ: and þis onchargeþ. Þe oþre þreapneþ : and þis behot. Ine þe oþre to strif: ine þise to pays. Ine þe oþre to uorzuerie : ine þise to loue. Ine oþre corsynge: ine þise blissinge. Þanne is þys / al uol of blissinge. and þeruore hi byeþ yblyssed þo þet hyse healdeþ zayþ salomon. Vor þe ilke þet his heþ: he heþ ywonne þet trau of liue. Hueruore þise zeue þinges touore yzed byeþ ycleped blyssinges. uor hy makeþ man yblyssed ine þise wordle ase man may by ine þise lyue: and more yblyssed ine þe oþre.

Nou hest þou yherd huo is þet trau of lyue / þet is amydde paradis / þet god zet ine þe holy zaule. Ine þe ssede of þise trawe / wexeþ / and profiteþ / and bereþ frut. þe traw of uirtue þet god þe uader / þet is þe greate gardyner / zet ine þe gardyne / and his wetereþ of þe welle of his grace / þet his deþ greny / and wexe / and profiti. An hise halt ine grenehede / and ine lyue. þe ilke welle hym todelþ ine zeue streames. þet byeþ þe zeue yefþes of þe holy gost / þet wetereþ al þane gardin. Nou loke þe greate cortaysie of oure zuete maystre Iesu

crist godes zone / þet com to þe wordle to zeche / an to souy / þet / þet wes uorlore. Vor þet he wyste wel oure pouerté / and oure fyeblesse. and uor oure zennes / we ville. Ac be ous we ne moȝe naȝt arise / ne come [typographic Fol. 29. b.] ayen. ne out of zenne guo. ne uirtue to zeche / ne come to þe blissede lyue / þet is of his grace and of his yefþe ne comþ. Þeruore he naȝt ne let ous uor to somoni / þet we hym bydde and bezeche his yefþes. And moche ous behat: þet yef we hym bezechiþ þing þet ous is guod: þet we hit ssolle habbe. And more he ous deþ of cortaysye. Vor he is oure playtere / þet ous makeþ oure bezechinge : þet we ne couþe naȝt maky / yef he nere. Þe bezechinge þet he ous made of [MS. os] his uayre yblessede mouþe: uayre. guode. ssorte. an cleuiynde : þet wes þet pater noster. huerinne byeþ zeue bezechinges / be huichen we bezecheþ oure guode uader of heuene / þet he ous yeue þe zeue yefþes of þe holi gost / þet hi ous delyuri of þe zeue dyadliche zennes / and hise strepe of al of oure herten. and ine hare stede : zette and uorþdraȝe / þe zeue uirtues / þet ous lede to þe zeue blissinges of perfeccion / and of holy lyf. huerby we moȝe habbe þe zeuen behestes þet he makeþ to his ychosene. Huerof oure onderstondinge is myd þe holy gostes helpe. Verst speke of þe zeue benes of þe pater noster. Efterward of þe zeue uirtues þet byeþ ayens þe zeue dyadliche zennes / huer-of we habbeþ aboue yspeke. Þe zeue benes byeþ / ase zeue uayre maydenes / þet ne leteþ naȝt uor to lhade of þe zeue streames þe quikke weteres uor to wetery þe zeue trawes þet bereþ þet fruyt of liue eurelestinde.