The Ayenbite of Inwyt (Remorse of Conscience): A Translation of Parts into Modern EnglishMichel, Dan, active 14th century
Religion
The Ayenbite of Inwyt (Remorse of Conscience): A Translation of Parts into Modern English
Michel, Dan, active 14th century
Christian life -- Early works to 1800; Devotional literature
The fourth is the evil example, which he that plays gives to others that
see the game. The fifth is loss of time that one should occupy in good
works. And many other sins which it were a long matter to tell. One
thing I shall not forget, that he that wins cannot well withhold what he
wins, but shall give it for God’s love, except it be in such a way that
he had it by fraud or by force, like him that by force causes others to
play. In that case he should restore it to him that has lost it. Also I
speak of what one wins at a tournament.
These are the boughs of avarice: there are enough others. But they are
more for clerks than for laymen. And this book is made more for laymen
than for clerks, who know the writings.
THE SIXTH HEAD OF THE BEAST.
The sixth head of the evil beast is lechery; that is, excessive and
inordinate love, in lust of loins or in fleshly lust. As regards this
sin the devil tempts in five ways, as says St. Gregory. First in foolish
sight, afterwards in foolish words, afterwards in foolish handling,
afterwards in foolish kissing, afterwards one comes to the deed. For
from foolish sight one comes to the speech, and from the speech to the
handling, from the handling to the kissing, from the kissing to the
deed. And thus subtlely the devil makes (one) go from one to another.
This sin divides first into two kinds, for there is lechery of heart and
lechery of body. The lechery of heart has four steps. For the spirit of
fornication, which attends on the fire of lechery, embraces the hearts;
first makes the thoughts come, and the delights, and the imaginations of
sin to the heart, and makes (it) think. Afterwards the heart dwells on
the thoughts, and so is delighted; yet it does not the deed for
anything. And in this dwelling and in the same lust is the second step,
which may be deadly sin. The great sin may be the lust. The third step
is the consenting of heart, and of the reason, and of the will. And such
consentings are always deadly sin. After the consenting comes the desire
and the great heat that they have to sin, and do more than twenty sins
in the day, in sight of ladies and of maidens, who show themselves
fairly adorned, who often show and adorn themselves the more quaintly
and the more beautifully in order to make fools wonder at them, and
think not to sin greatly because they have no will to do the deed. But
forsooth they sin very grievously. For by reason of them are many souls
lost. And there is much folk brought to death and to sin. For, as says
the proverb, ‘Lady of fair adorning is arbalest to the tower.’ For she
has not a limb in her body that is not a trap of the devil, as Solomon
says. Then it behoves at the day of judgment to give account of the
souls that by reason of them are lost: that is to say, when they give
occasion to sin wittingly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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