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 UERÞE BENE OF ÞE HOLY PATER NOSTER.

Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie. Mochel ous tekþ oure guode mayster / to spekene myldelyche / and wysliche. huanne he ous tekþ to zigge. Vayre uader / oure bryad of eche daye / yef ous to day. Huet may þe zone betere acsy to his uader: þanne bread wyþ-oute more / uor þane day to endy ? He ne acseþ none [typographic Fol. 33. b.] outrage / ne wyn. ne uless. ne uiss. ac bread wyþoute more he byt. naȝt uor ayer / ne naȝt uor al þe woke. ac wyþ-oute more: þane day to endy. Nou hit þingþ þet hit by wel lite þing þet we acseþ: ac uor zoþe hit is wel grat þing. Huanne me bit þe broþerhede / and þe uelaȝrede / and part / and riȝt / ine alle þe guodes of þe house. Alsuo hit is huose þet smackeþ of þise breade. He heþ þe broþerrede. and part / and uelaȝrede. and riȝt. and ine alle þe guode dedes þet byeþ ine heuene. Þet is þet bread of þe ilke holy couent. Þet bread of heuene. þet bread of angles. þet bread lostuol. þet bread of lyue eurelestinde. Vor hit yefþ guod lyf / and lokeþ þe zaule wyþ-oute steruinge. Huer-of zoþ zayþ ine þe godspelle. 'Ich am þet bread of lyue / þet com doun uram heuene. huo þet ssel ete of þo breade : he ssel eure lybbe wyþ-oute steruinge.' þet bryad is mete ariȝt. uor hit stoncheþ al þane honger of þe wordle / and uelþ man þet he heþ ynoȝ / zuo ne deþ non oþer mete. Þet is þet bread and þe mete / þet þou nymst / of þe

sacrement of þe wyeuede / þet þou sselt ete zuyþe / and glotounliche / ase tekþ þe writinge / ase deþ þe lecherous þane guode mete: þet oþerhuil uorzuelȝþ þane guode snode / wyþ-oute chewynge. þet is to zigge / þet þou sselt nyme þerne mete mid greate wylle of herte / and mid grat lost. And þou hit sselt ase hit by uorzuelȝe / wyþ-oute chewynge. and þet is to zigge. yleue ine grat/ þet / þet hit is þe zoþe bodi of Iesu crist and þe zaule. and þe godhede / al to-gydere / wyþ-oute to zeche: hou hit may by. Vor god may more do: þanne man moȝe onderstonde. Efterward me ssel þerne mete eft chyewe / ase þe oxe þet gers þet he heþ uorzuolȝe. Þet is to zigge þet me ssel recordi zueteliche and smalliche be little stechches / alle þe guodnesses of oure lhorde and al þet Iesu crist þolede ine erþe uor ous. And þanne vint þe herte þane riȝte smac of þe ilke mete. and onder-uangþ ane wel greate hete of þe loue of god. and ane wel greate wylnynge to do ynoȝ an to þolye uor him al þet he miȝte. and al þis deþ þe uirtue of þo breade. Vor þet is þet bread þet conforteþ and strengþeþ þe herte / to þet hy by wel strang uor to þolye / and do grat þing uor godes loue. Ac þet ne may naȝt by wyþ-oute þe uerþe yefþe of þe holy gost / þet is y-cleped þe yefþ of strengþe / þet armeþ godes knyȝt / and him deþ yerne to by martired. and makeþ ham leȝȝe betuene þe tormens. Nou miȝt þou wel yzy hou corteysliche / huanne we acseþ þet ilke bread: we acseþ þane yefþe of strengþe. Vor ase þet bread bodylich / sosteneþ and strengþeþ þet bodi: alsuo þe yefþe of strengþe / makeþ þe herte strang to þolye / and to done grat þing uor god. Þet ilke bread we hit clepiyþ oure / uor hit wes ymad of oure doȝe. yblissed [typographic Fol. 34. a.] by þe guode wyfman : þet of hiren þet flour þer to dede. þet wes þe mayde Marie. and yfryd ine þe panne of þe crouche / ase he zayþ ine þe sautere. uorzoþe uorzoþe yfryd ine his oȝene blode. uor þet dede he / ine þe greate wylle of his loue / þet he hedde to ous. And þet is þet

bread tuies y-bake / huermide he astoreþ his ssip. þet is holy cherche / uor to pasy þe greate ze / of þise perilouse wordle. Hit is oure. uor he hit ous let: at his yleaue nymynge / and at his laste bequide / Iesu crist þe wel large / ase meste greate tresor : þet he ous miȝte lete. and hit ous yaf ase þet uayreste iowel / þet he ous miȝte yeue. and þet we hit ssolde loky: uor his loue. Hit is uorzoþe oure / uor noþing ne may / hit ous benime toyens oure wylle. We hit clepieþ oure bread of echedaye. þet is to zigge / of eche daye. uor þet is þe echedayes dol / þet god yefþ to his wel wilynde: þet eche daye doþ his seruice / and ziggeþ his oures. þet is to alle guode herten / þet eche daye zueteliche be zoþe loue makeþ memorie / and beþenchinge of his passion.

Þet greate of þe prouendre / we nimeþ ine oure heruest ine heuene / huanne we him ssolle ysy onwryȝe / ine his uayrhede / ase he is. Hit is ysed þeruore echedayes: þet eche daye / hit is ous nyeduol. and echedaye me ssel hit nyme / oþer ate sacrement of þe wefde / ase doþ þe prestes : oþer gostliche be riȝte byleaue. Þet bread is wel precious / an wel noble / and wel ydiȝt. þet is kynges mete / huerinne byeþ ech manyere lykinges / and alle guode smackes / ase zayþ þe boc of wysdome. þet ne is naȝt mete to gromes / ne to yeue. ne to piecaille. ne to cheuaille. ne to cherles. ac to noble herten and gentil. an cortays. and clene. þet is to þe herte þet is gentil be grace. noble / be guod lyf. yclensed / and ywesse be zoþe ssrifte. Of þise uirtue spekþ saynt matheu þe wangeliste / and hit clepeþ ziker bread substanciel. þet is to zigge : þet paseþ / and ouergeþ alle substances / and alle ssepþes be ver. ine uirtue / and ine dingneté / and ine alle oþre maneres of worþ. ne me ne may betere write / ne more ynoȝ : þanne wit substances. Me zayþ þet mete is þe miȝtuoller / þanne he heþ ynoȝ of myȝte. and of norissinge. and þe more þet he is norissinde : me zayþ þet he

is þe substancieler. and þere-uore þet ine þise breade is more uirtue / and of guod / and of norture / þanne me moȝe þenche / oþer zigge. ne zayþ me naȝt þet hit is substanciel. alsuo me zayþ þet hit is ope substance / þet is / uirtuous / and substanciel aboue onderstondigge / and wenynge. Þet bread we byddeþ to oure uader. and him we biddeþ / þet he hit ous yeue to-day. ine þise daye / þet is ine þise dyadliche liue. zuo þet we moȝe maky ane guode iornee / and to abyde þe gledlaker oure ssepe. Þet is þe peny þet he yefþ to his workmen / huanne euen comþ. þet is þe ende of þe liue.