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 ÞE UIRTUE OF LOUE.

Þe uerste yefþe of þe holy gost: makeþ þe herte milde and dreduol. and þeruore heþ he þane name / þe yefþe of drede. Þe oþer makeþ þe herte zuete and milde / and piteus. and þeruore he hatte : þe yefþ of pit�. Þet is propreliche a dyau / and a triacle a-ye alle kueadnesse / and nameliche aye þet uenim of zenne of enuie / huerof we habbeþ beuore y-speke. Vor þis yefþe bestrepþ þe rote of enuie of þe herte / and hire helþ zikerliche. Þanne þe herte þet onderuangþ þise yefþe / onderuangþ ane zuete deau / þet his makeþ springe / ane zofte rote / and wel y-tempred / þet is guod loue. Þanne þer wext a trau uair and heȝ and wel berinde frut. þet is

a guod uirtue and uayr / þet me clepeþ ine latin / man- suetudo / oþer beningnitas. þet is zuyetnesse of herte. þet makeþ man zuete and milde / manhede: and charitable. louiinde / and louerede / uor hi deþ man parfitliche louie his nixte ase him-zelue. Þis trau heþ zeue stapes / huerby hit clyfþ an heȝ. þe ilke zeue stapes ous sseaweþ saynte paul / þer he ous amonesteþ and bit / þet we do oure payne / þet we by al on ine god. Þet is þet we habbe one herte / and enne gost / an one loue in god. Þe uerste scele hueruore we ssolle by al on. and þe heȝe / and þe loȝe / and þe riche and þe poure / is uor þan / þet we alle habbeþ enne uader ine heuene / þet is god þet ous made alle comunliche to his anlicnesse an to his ymage. Þeruore þanne þet we alle habbeþ enne sseppere / þet ous made alle of one materie / and heþ yssape. and to onelepi ende. þet is þet we by al on ine him / ase he zayþ ine his spelle. Mochil is grat scele þet we to-gidere louie. uor ech best ase zayþ salomouns loueþ his anliche. Þe oþer scele is uor we byeþ alle cristene ine one cristenedome / and riche and poure. þet is þet we byeþ alle y-wesse of onelepi leȝe. þet wes mid Iesu cristes preciouse blod. and yboȝt mid onelepi moneye. and asemoche costnede þe on : ase þe oþer. Moche ssel þanne þe on louie þe oþer and worssipie / þet god heþ [MS. heȝ] zuo moche yloued and y-prayzed / and ymad of suo greate dingnet�. Þe þridde scele / uor þet we healdeþ alle one beleaue / and we byeþ alle ybounde mid one laȝe þet is al uolueld / ase zaiþ sainte paul ine þise worde. 'Loue þine nixte ase þi-zelue.' Of þise dette ne is non quit / uor þing þet [typographic Fol. 45. a.] he deþ. Þise dette ssel ech to oþren. and huo mest his yelt: mest he ssel. Þe uerþe scele is. uor we habbeþ ennelepi lhord / þet is god of huam we hyealdeþ alle and body / and zaule / and al þet we habbeþ. alle he heþ imad communliche / alle yboȝt communliche / to allen porueyþ communliche / and alle ssel deme

communliche / and alle medi largeliche / þo þet habbeþ y-hyealde his hestes / and þos ssolle by to-gidere yloued treweliche. Þe vifte scele is / uor þet we byeþ alle uelaȝes ine þe ost of oure lhorde. and his kniȝtes / and his soudeurs / þet alle we abydeþ on-lepi ssepe / þet [Ms. þeþ] is þe blisse wiþ-oute ende / huer þe loue and þe uelaȝrede ssel by uoldo and y-confermed / þet hier ssel by wel y-hote. Þe zixte scele is uor þet we libbeþ alle of one goste gostliche / ase we libbeþ of on eyr bodylich. Be þa goste we byeþ alle godes children be adopcion / þet is be auouerie / and children of holy cherche / broþer germayn of uader and of moder / be ane broþerhede gostlich / þet asemoche is worþ betere : þanne þe broþerrede ulesslich. ase þe gost is more worþ: þanne þet bodi. Þe zeuende scele is uor þet we byeþ alle lemes of one bodye. huerof Iesu crist is þet heaued / and we byeþ þe lemes. þet we libbeþ alle of onelepi mete. Þet is of þe holy uless and of þe holy blod of Iesu crist þet ous zuo moche loueþ / and zuo moche halt ous worþ: þet he ous yefþ his blod to drinke / and his uless to etene. þeruore zuo ofte sainte paul deþ ous to be-þenche þise loue / þet he ous sseweþ. Vor more quic scele / ne more uayrer uorbisne he ous ne may sseawy of zoþe louerede. Yef þou wilt wel þenche to þise zeue sceles. þou sselt vinde. zeue stapes of loue / þet comeþ of þe yefþe of pit�.