Univ. Corr. Coll. Tutorial Series.
THE AYENBITE OF INWYT.
(REMORSE OF CONSCIENCE.)
A TRANSLATION
OF PARTS INTO MODERN ENGLISH.
BY
A. J. WYATT, M.A.,
TUTOR OF UNIVERSITY CORRESPONDENCE COLLEGE.
London: W. B. CLIVE & CO.
UNIV. CORR. COLLEGE PRESS WAREHOUSE,
Booksellers Row, Strand, W.C.
AYENBITE OF INWYT.
(REMORSE OF CONSCIENCE.)
THE PROLOGUE.
Almighty God gave ten behests in the law of the Jews,that Moses received in the hill of Sinai in two tables ofstone, that were written with God’s finger. And (Moses)himself, after his burial, commanded in his story to eachman that will be saved to keep and observe them. Andwhoso sinneth in any of the same behests, shall repentthereof, and be shriven, and pray for God’s mercy, if he willbe saved.
This book is written for Englishmen, that they may knowhow they shall shrive themselves and make them clean inthis life. This book is called by him who writes Ayenbiteof Inwyt. First are the ten behests that all men shallobserve.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
The first behest that God made and commanded is this:‘Thou shalt not have many gods;’ that is to say, ‘Thoushalt neither have, nor worship, nor serve any God but Me.And thou shalt not put thy trust but in Me.’ For the samethat puts his trust chiefly in a creature, sinneth deadly andacts against this behest. Such are they that worship theidols and make their god of a creature, whatsoever it be.
Against this behest sin those that love their goods toomuch, gold or silver, or other earthly things. Whosoeversin in these things set their heart and their hope so much4that they forget their Creator, and forsake Him who lendsthem all these goods. And therefore they should serve andthank, and love and worship Him above all things, as thisfirst behest teaches thee.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.
The second behest is as follows: ‘Thou shalt not takeGod’s name in vain;’ that is to say, ‘Thou shalt not swearfor naught and without good reason,’ which our Lord Himselfforbids us in His Gospel, that one should not swear,neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by other creature.Yet from good cause one may swear without sin, asin judgment, where one demands oath of truth, or out ofjudgment from other good cause, and with purity andreason. In no other manner is it right to swear. And,therefore, whosoever swears without reason the name of ourLord, and for naught, if he wittingly swears false heforswears himself, and acts against this behest, and swearsdeadly, for he swears against conscience, that is to say(understand), when he forswears himself by thought and bylong thinking. But he that swears true wittingly, andalways for naught or for some bad reason, not wickedly, butlightly and without slander, swears venially. Neverthelessthe habit is sinful, and may well turn to deadly sin unlesshe beware. But he that swears horribly by God or by Hissaints, and breaks him in pieces, and says slanders abou