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.

HYER BEGINÞ ÞET PATER NOSTER.

Þvs beginþ þet pater noster. 'Vader oure / þet art ine heuene.' Loke hou oure guode spekeman / and oure zuete mayster Iesu crist / þet is þe wysdom of god þe uader / and kan alle laȝes / and þe wones of his cort þe tekþ wel to playty / and wyslyche / and sotilliche / an ssortliche to speke. Vorzoþe þis uerste word þet þou zayst / yef hit is wel onderstonde / and yuolȝed / hit þe ssel yeue al þine playnte. Vor saynt bernard þus zayþ. Þet þe bene þet begynþ be þe zuete name of þe

uader. yefþ ous hope to onderuonge alle oure byddynges. Þis zuete word / vader / þet al þe remenont makeþ zuete / þe sseaweþ þet þou sselt yleue. and þe somoneþ to þan þet þou sselt do. and þise tuo þinges soueþ man: huanne he ylefþ wel / and a-riȝt. an he deþ efterward / þet he ssel. Huanne þou him clepest uader / þou beknaust þet he is lhord of house. þet is of heuene / and of erþe: and heaued / and ginnynge / and welle / huerof alle ssepþes / and alle guod comeþ. and þus þe beknaust his miȝte. Efterward / zeþþe þet he ys uader / he is diȝtere / and gouernour / and porueyour / to his mayné. an nameliche of his children / þet is of man / þet him-zelf heþ y-mad and yssape / to his anlik- nesse. and þus þou beknaust his wysdom. Alast þanne þet he is uader be kende / and be riȝte / he loueþ þet he heþ ymad / ase zayþ þe boc of wysdome. and is zuete and milde. and zuo loueþ / and draȝþ uorþ his children. and ham deþ hare prou. and betere þanne hi conne deuisi. and he his byat / and his chasteþ huanne hi misdoþ uor hare prou ase guod uader / and bleþeliche he his onderuangþ / huanne hi comeþ to hym.

Nou ich þe sseawy þanne þis word þet þou zayst : vader. his miȝte. his wysdom. his guodnesse. He þe beþengþ of oþerhalf þe zelue. þine noblesse. þine uayrhede. þine richesse. More gratter noblesse ne may ich habbe: þanne to by zone to ane zuo greate emperur þet is god. More gratter richesse ne may by : þanne to by kyng of alle þing. More gratter uayrhede ne may by : þanne to by him ariȝt ylich. Huych uayrhede is zuo grat : þet hit paseþ þoȝt of man / and of angle. Þanne þis word / uader / þe beþengþ þet þou art zone. uor þet þou þe paynest him uor to by ylych. ase guod zone ssel by ylich his guode uader. þet is to zigge: þet þou by bold / and of grat wyl / and strang / and miȝtuol wel to done. and þet þou by wys / and y-wer / large / and cortoys / zuete / and milde clene and wyþ-oute

uileynye / ase he is. and þet þou hatye zenne / and uoulhedes / and kueadhedes ase he deþ. zuo þet þou naȝt ne do aye kende. Þis vord þanne þe deþ beþenche / [typographic Fol. 30. b.] at alle þe times þet þou zayst þet pater noster: þet yef þou art ariȝt zone : þou sselt him anlykny be kende. be heste. and be riȝte. and þou him sselt loue. worþssipe. and reuerence. drede. seruice. and boȝsamnesse. Nou þench þanne huanne þou zayst þi pater noster / þet þou by him a guod zone and trewe / yef þou wylt þet he þe by guod uader. an milde. 'Þench huas zone þou art': me zayþ to þe newe knyȝte huanne he geþ into þe tornement. Nou þou yzyxt wel hou þis uerste word is zuete. and hou hit þe amonesteþ þet þou by bold and of guode wylle. and hit þe tekþ huych þou sselt by.

Nou ich þe acxy hueruore þou zayst 'uader oure.' and naȝt 'uader myn'? and þet þou him uelaȝest mid þe / huanne þou zayst: `yef ous' / and ne zayst naȝt 'yef me.'

Ich wile þe zigge yef þou wylt. Non ne ssel zigge / uader min. bote þe ilke þet ys his zone be kende wyþ-oute gynnynge / wyþ-oute ende / þe zoþe godes zone. Ac we ne byeþ naȝt his zones be kende / bote ase-moche þet we byeþ ymad to his anliknesse. ac alsuo byeþ þe sarasyns. ac we byeþ his zones be grace and by adopcion. Adopcioun zuo is a word of laȝe. uor by þe laȝes of þe emperurs / huanne an heȝ man ne heþ no child: ha may chiese þet child of a guod man yef he wyle. and maki him his zone be adopcioun. þet is be auoerie. zuo þet he ssel bi yhealde uor his zone auoud / and ssel bere his eritage. þise grace god ous made þe uader wyþoute oure ofseruinge. ase zayþ saynt pauel. Huanne he ous dede come to þe cristenedome we were poure and naked / and child [MS. chihd] of yre / and of helle. þanne huanne we ziggeþ 'vader oure' and we ziggeþ / 'yef ous.' we gadereþ alle oure broþren mid ous of adopcion / þet byeþ children of holy cherche. be þe byleaue þet hi onderuinge ine cristnynge.

Nou ous sseweþ / huer-of þis word / oure. þe largesse / and þe cortaysye / of god oure uader. þet ous yefþ more bleþeliche / ynoȝ / þanne lyte and to uelen : þanne to onen allone. Huer-of saynt gregorie zayþ. 'þe bene / þe more þet hi is commun : þe more hy is worþ. ase þe candele is betere bezet þet serueþ to ane halle and uol of uolk: þanne zy þet ne serueþ / bote to onlepy manne.' Þis word hat ous to yelde þonkes myd al oure herten. of þise grace þet he ous heþ ydo / huer-by we byeþ his children / and his eyrs. and þet moche ardontliche louye oure ealde broþer Iesu crist / þet ous uelaȝeþ wyþ him ine his grace.

Þis word ous amonesteþ þet we loki ine oure herte holylyche þane holy gost þet is oure wytnesse. Þis adopcion is ase weddes / ase zayþ saynte paul / huer-by we byþ zikere / þet we ssolle habbe þe eritage of oure uader. þet is þe blysse of paradys. Þis word ous tekþ and zayþ þet we byeþ alle broþren / grat / and smal / poure and riche. heȝ / and loȝ / of one uader / and of [typographic Fol. 31. a.] one moder. þet is of god / and of holy cherche. and non ne ssel oþren onworþi: ac louie ase broþer. and þe on ssel helpe þanne oþre: ase doþ þe lemes of þe zelue bodye. and ech bidde uor oþren ase zayþ saint Iocob. And zuo hit is oure ureme wel grat. Vor huanne þou zest þine bene ine þe uelaȝrede of al holy cherche : uor on paternoster þet þou zayst / þo wynst mo þanne an hondred þousond.

Þis word / oure. ous tekþ to hatye þri þing nameliche. Prede. wreþe. and auarice. Prede: deþ man out of uelaȝrede. uor he wyle by aboue alle oþren. Wreþe: deþ man out of uelaȝrede. uor huanne he werreþ wyþ enne: he werreþ wyþ alle þe oþre. Auarice: deþ man out of uelaȝrede. vor hi nele ne him / ne his þinges / communy mid oþren. And þeruore zuych uolk ne habbeþ part / ine þe holy pater noster. Þis word / 'oure' : ous sseweþ þet god is oure: yef we wylleþ. and þe

uader. and þe zone. and þe holy gost. þet is yef we lokeþ his hestes. and zuo zayþ ine þe godsspelle saint Ion.

'Vader oure / þet art ine heuene.' Huanne ich zigge / 'þet þou art ine heuene' : ich zigge tuo þing. þet he is kyng / and þet he is at paradis. Alsuo huanne ich zigge / 'þet art / ine heuene' : ich zigge þet he is / and þet he is ine heuene. Me vint ywryte ine þe oþre boc of þe laȝe. þet god him ssewede to Moyses ine ane helle / and him zede. guo in-to egipte / and zay to þe kynge faraon of mine half / þet he þe delyuri mi uolk þe children of ysrael / of þe þreldome / huerine he hise halt. 'lhord' / zayde moyses. 'yef me akseþ huet is þi name. huet ssel ich zigge ?' 'Ich am / þet am.' zayde god. Nou ziggeþ þe halȝen / and þe guode clerkes. þet amang alle þe heȝe names of oure lhorde: þis is þe uerste / and þe mest propre. and þet mest ariȝt ous tekþ uor to knawe / þet / þet god is. Vor alle þe oþre names huer hi spekeþ of his guodnesse. and of his wysdome. oþer of his miȝte. oþer he is zuich / and zuich. he is þe riȝt guod. þe riȝt trewe. þe riȝt wys. þe riȝt miȝti. and uele oþre maneres of speches þet me zayþ of him. þet ne ziggeþ propreliche þe zoþe of þe byinge of god. Ac we þet byeþ greate / an boystoyse to spekene of zuo heȝe þinge / speke we of god / zuo / ase we conne deuisi ane man / of huam me ne kan naȝt his name / ase me zayþ. he is kyng. he is erl. he is zuo grat. zuo uayr. zuo large. and uele of zuyche þinges / huer-by me may ywyte hou þet hit by þe man knawe. Ac ne ziggeþ naȝt ariȝt his name / ase we spekeþ of god: uele we uindeþ of wordes / þet ous sseweþ huet þet hit bi of him. Ac þer ne is non zuo propre [MS. propree] ase þis word / 'þet art.' þet zuo propreliche. zuo ssortliche. zuo cleuiyndelyche. zuo sotilliche / þe names nemneþ / ine zuo moche / ase onderstendinge him may strechche. Vor god is ase þe ilke / þet one is / ase zayþ saint Iob.

He one is / ariȝt to spekene. uor he one is / eurelestinde / wyþoute beginnynge. and wyþ-oute ende. þet me ne may zigge : of non oþre þing. Efterward he one is zoþliche. uor he is zoþ / and zoþnesse aboue alle þinges yssape. and zuo byeþ alle ssepþes ydele and ydelenesse. [typographic Fol. 31. b.] And ase zayþ Salomon and naȝt to þe zyȝþe of him. and to naȝte ssolden come: bote yef he his ne sostyenede be his uirtue. Ate laste he one is zetnesse an uestnesse ine onelepi poynte wyþ-oute him to trobli / wyþ-oute him to chongi / wyþ-oute him remue ine none manere. ase zayþ saynt Iacob. Alle oþre þinges byeþ chonginde / ine eche manere of hare kende. Þanne is he propreliche yclieped [MS. has ycheped] : þet art. Vor he is zoþliche wyþ-oute ydelnesse / zetnesse / wiþ-oute enye chonge eure to yleste: wyþ-oute ende. wyþ-out heaued. wyþ-oute / wes. wyþ-oute / ssel by. uor þer ne is no gelt.

Nou þou sselt onderstonde zuo þet þer ne is naȝt þet me moȝe betere ywyte / þanne þet: þet god is. Ac þer ne is noþing zuo strang to conne / ase huet / and huet þing is god. Þer-uore ich þe rede wel / þet þou ne musy naȝt to moche / hit uor to zeche. uor þou myȝtest lyȝtliche guo out of þe riȝte waye. Hit is ynoȝ uor þe / þet þou zigge: 'lyeue uader þet art ine heuene.' Zoþ hit is þet he is oueral yhered. ine erþe. ine ze. ine helle. ase he is ine heuene. Ac me zayþ he is ine heuene / uor þet he is þe eldeste / and þe meste yknawe / and þe meste beloued / and þe meste yworþssiped. Efterward he is ine heuene gostliche / þet is ine holy bodyes þet byeþ heȝe. clyre. and clene. ase is þe heuene. uor ine zuyche herten: he ys ald. and yknawe. and ydred. and yworþssiped and yloued.

Nou hest þou yherd þise uour wordes. Pater noster qui es in celis. Þet uerste þe somoneþ / to worþssipie god. Þet oþer: to louie god. Þe þridde: to drede god. Vor þaȝ he by uader oure: alneway heys bezide / and

naȝt chonginde. Þe uerþe þe to strengþi. uor asemoche ase he is zuo heȝ / and þou zuo loȝ. yef þou ne art bald / and of guode wylle : þou ne sselt naȝt come / huer he woneþ. Þet uerste word ous sseweþ þe langnesse of his eurebleuinge. þet oþer: þe brede of his charité. þe þridde: þe dyepnesse of his zoþhede. þe uerþe: þe heȝnesse of his magesté. Huo þet heþ wel þise uour þinges zoþliche wyþoute drede he ssel by yblyssed.