The Boke of Margery Kempe: Proem

Here begins a short treatise and a comfortable for sinful wretches wherein they may have great solace and comfort to them and understand the high and unspeakable mercy of our sovereign Saviour Christ Jesus, whose name be worshipped and magnified without end, that now in our days to us unworthy deigns to exercise his noblesse and his goodness. All the works of our Savior be for our example and instruction, and what grace that he works in any creature is our profit if lack of charity be not our hinderance.

And therefore, by the leave of our merciful Lord Christ Jesus, to the magnifying of his holy name, Jesus, this little treatise shall treat somedeal in parcel of his wonderful works, how mercifully, how benignly, and how charitifully he moved and steared a sinful caitiff unto his love, which sinful caitiff many years was in will and in purpose through stearing of the Holy Ghost to follow our Saviour, making great behests of fastings with many other deeds of penance. And ever she was turned again aback in time of temptation, like unto the reedspear which bows with every wind and never is stable less than no wind blows, unto the time that our merciful Lord Christ Jesus having pity and compassion of his handiwork and his creature turned health into sickness, prosperity into adversity, worship into reproof, and love into hatred.

Thus all these things turning up side down, this creature which many years had gone while and ever been unstable was perfectly drawn and steared to enter the way of high perfection, which perfect way Christ our Saviour in his proper person exampled. Sadly he trod it and duely he went it before.

Then this creature, of whom this treatise through the mercy of Jesus shall show in part the living, touched by the hand of our Lord with great bodily sickness, where through she lost reason and her wits a long time til our Lord by grace restored her again, as it shall more openly be showed afterward. Her worldly goods, which were plenteous and abundant at that day, in little while after were full barren and bare. Then was pomp and pride cast down and laid on side. They that before had worshipped her since full sharply reproved her; her kindred and they that had been friends were now her most enemies.

Then she, considering this wonderful changing, seeking under the wings of her ghostly mother, Holy Church, went and obeyed her to her ghostly father, accusing herself of her misdeeds, and since did great bodily penance. And in short time our merciful Lord visited this creature with plenteous tears of contrition day by day, in so much that some men said she might weep when she would and slandered the work of God.

She was so used to be slandred and reproved, to be chid and rebuked of the world for grace and virtue with which she was endowed through the strength of the Holy Ghost that it was to her in a manner of solace and comfort when she suffered any disease for the love of God and for the grace that God wrought in her. For ever the more slander and reproof that she suffered, the more she increased in grace and in devotion of holy meditation of high contemplation and of wonderful speeches and dalliance which our Lord spoke and dallied to her soul, teaching her how she should be despised for his love, how she should have patience, setting all her trust, all her love, and all her affection in him only.

She knew and understood many secret and privy things which should befall afterward by inspiration of the Holy Ghost. And often times, while she was kept with such holy speeches and dalliance, she should so weep and sob that many men were greatly awonder, for they wiste [knew] full little how homely our Lord was in her soul. Nor herself could never tell the grace that she felt, it was so heavenly, so high above her reason and her bodily wits, and her body so feeble in time of the presence of grace that she might never express it with her word like as she felt it in her soul.

Then had this creature much dread for illusions and deceits of her ghostly enemies. Then went she by the bidding of the Holy Ghost to many worshipful clerks, both archbishops and bishops, doctors of divinity and bachelors also. She spoke also with many anchors and showed them her manner of living and such grace as the Holy Ghost of his goodness wrought in her mind and in her soul as her wit would serve her to express it. And they all that she showed her secrets unto said she was much bound to love our Lord for the grace that he showed unto her and counseled her to follow her movings and her stirrings and trustly believe it were of the Holy Ghost and of none evil spirit.

Some of these worthy and worshipful clerks took it in peril of their souls and as they would answer to God that this creature was inspired with the Holy Ghost and bade her that she should do them written and make a book of her feelings and her revelations. Some proffered her to write her feelings with their own hands, and she would not consent in no way, for she was commanded in her soul that she should not write so soon. And so it was twenty year and more from that time this creature had feelings and revelations ere than she did any written. Afterward whan it pleased our Lord, he commanded her and charged her that she should do written her feelings and revelations and the form of her livings that his goodness might be known to all the world.

Then had the creature no writer that would fulfill her desire nor give credence to her feelings unto the time that a man dwelling in Deutchland which was an Englishman in his birth and since wedded in Deutchland and had there both a wife and a child, having good knowledge of this creature and of her desire, moved I trust through the Holy Ghost, came into England with his wife and his goods and dwelled with the forsaid creature til he had written as much as she would tell him for the time that they were together. And since he died.

Then was there a priest which this creature had great affection to, and so she communed with him of this matter and brought him the book to read. The book was so evil written that he could little skill thereon, for it was neither good English nor Deutch, nor the letter was not shaped nor formed as other letters been. Therefore the priest believed fully there should never man read it, but it were special grace. Nevertheless, he behight [promised] her that if he could read it he would copy it out and write it better with good will. Then was there so evil speaking of this creature and of her weeping that the priest dared not for cowardice speak with her but seldom, nor not would write as he had behested [promised] unto the forsaid creature. And so he voided and deferred the writing of this book well onto a fourth year or else more, notwithstanding the creature cried often on him therefore. At the last he said onto her that he could not read it, wherfore he would not do it. He would not, he said, put him in peril thereof. Then he counseled her to go to a good man which had been much conversant with him that wrote first the book, supposing that he should can [be able to] best read the book, for he had some time read letters of the other man’s writing sent from beyond the sea while he was in Deutchland.

And so she went to that man, preying him to write this book and never to bewreyn [betray?] it as long as she believed, granting him a great sum of good for his labor. And this good man wrote about a leaf, and yet it was little to the purpose, for he could not well fare therewith the book was so evil set and so unreasonably written.

Then the priest was vexed in his conscience, for he had behested [promised] her to write this book, if he might come to the reading thereof, and did not his part as well as he might a do, and preyed this creature to get again the book if she might goodly. Then she got again the book and brought it to the priest with right glad cheer, praying him to do his good will, and she should prey to God for him and purchasing him grace to read it and write it also.

The priest, trusting in her prayers, began to read this book, and it was much more easy, as him thought, than it was beforetime. And so he read it over before this creature every word, she sometime helping where any difficulty was.

This book is not written in order, every thing after other as it were do, but like as the matter came to the creature in mind when it should be written, for it was so long ere it was written that she had forgotten the time and the order when things befell. And therefore she did no thing written but that she knew right well for very truth. When the priest began first to write on this book, his eyes missed so that he might not see to make his letter nor might not see to mind his pen. All other thing he might see well enough. He set a pair of spectacles on his nose, and then was well worse than it was before. He complained to the creature of his disease. She said his enemy had envy at his good deed and would let him if he might and bade him do as well as God would give him grace and not leave. When he came again to his book, he might see as well, him thought, as ever he did before by day light and by candle light both. And for this cause, when he had written a quire, he added a leaf thereto, and then wrote he this proem to express more openly than doth the next following, which was written ere than this. Anno domini 1436

A short treatise of a creature set in great pomp and pride of the world, which since was drawn to our Lord by great poverty, sickness, shames, and great reproofs in many diverse countries and places, of which tribulations some shall be showed after, not in order as it fell but as the creature could have mind of them when it were written, for it was twenty year and more from time this creature had forsaken the world and busily cleaved onto our Lord ere this book was written, notwithstanding this creature had great counsel for to do written her tribulations and her feelings, and a White Friar proffered her to write freely if she would. And she was warned in her spirit that she should not write so soon. And many years after she was bidden in her spirit for to write.

And then yet it was written first by a man which could neither well write English nor Deutch. So it was unable for to be read but only by special grace, for there was so much obloquy and slander of this creature that there would few men believe this creature.

And so at the last a priest was sore moved for to write this treatise, and he could not well read it of a four year together. And since by the request of this creature and compelling of his own conscience he assayed again for to read it, and it was much more easy than it was aforetime. And so he began to write in the year of our Lord a 1436, on the day next after Mary Maudelyn after the information of this creature.

Slightly modernized from The Book of Margery Kempe, ed. Lynn Staley. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Western Michigan University for TEAMS, 1996 . <http://www.holycross.edu/departments/visarts/projects/kempe/text/text1.htm>.