The Ayenbite of Inwyt (Remorse of Conscience)
A Translation of Parts into Modern English
"The Ayenbite of Inwyt (Remorse of Conscience)" by Michel and Laurent is a confessional prose work written in 1340. Translated from the French "Somme le Roi" by Benedictine monk Michael of Northgate, this Middle English treatise explores Christian morality through allegory, depicting the seven deadly sins as heads of the Beast of the Apocalypse. Written in Kentish dialect for common readers, it's valued more for preserving 14th-century pronunciation than literary merit. Its archaic title—meaning "again-biting of inner wit"—later inspired James Joyce's "Ulysses."