The Book of Margery Kempe

The parson of the church across from the Hospital takes pity on Margery and agrees to act as her temporary confessor, though the two speak different languages. God promises not to abandon Margery and that her despair will become delight.

The German priest at the church of St. John the Lateran speaks to Margery via an interpreter and prays that he may be able to understand her. After 13 days of prayer, “he understood what she said in English to him, and she understood what he said” (85). This understanding allows Margery to make a confession to him.

Margery’s intense weeping and crying cause people in Rome to doubt her. Some claim she is possessed, some claim she is acting out, and others suggest she has an illness. The priest tests Margery by taking her to an alternate and empty church to give her communion, but she sobs just as elsewhere, convincing the priest her actions are divinely inspired. This priest suffers abuse for his friendship with Margery.

The German priest tells Margery to wear black clothing again, instead of white. This change garners much criticism from women in Rome. An English priest in Rome confronts Margery, claiming she has the devil within. Christ tells Margery that when this priest “speaks against you he speaks against me, for I am in you and you are in me” (87).

Margery’s confessor commands that she serve an old woman as an act of penance. She does so faithfully, despite the uncomfortable living conditions: “She served her just as she would have done our Lady” (87).

God the Father tells Margery that she will be married to his Godhead. She is distressed that this mystical marriage will not unite her with Christ, since she feels especially close to him. God marries her in front of the Virgin and other saints.

Margery sometimes receives tokens from God, in the form of sweet scents or pleasant melodies that remind her of God’s protection. She begins to feel fiery love burning within her, which frightens her. God, however, tells her that this sensation is the Holy Spirit burning away her transgressions. God tells Margery that her silent contemplations please him more than any prayer.

God tells Margery that he will lie in bed with her as a husband lies next to his wife, but he also describes her as his mother and daughter. He says, “you can boldly take me in the arms of your soul and kiss my mouth, my head, and my feet as sweetly as you want” (92). God provides several aural tokens, including a dove’s voice, which she continues to hear for over 20 years.

God tells Margery to approach her confessor in Rome to request that she wear white clothing again. He agrees since it is God’s will. She wears white clothing for the remainder of her days. Margery subsequently gives away her money and embraces poverty at God’s command. Her escort, Richard, is distressed because some of the money was his. However, Margery says that she has faith God will return it to him.

Christ tells Margery that he will provide income for her. She leaves the church in which she has been sitting and soon meets a “good man” (93) who provides her with money. Margery later has a vision of the Virgin at a table requesting food for her. She soon encounters Margaret Florentyne, a former travel companion, who invites Margery to join her for meals each Sunday and who gives her food to take back to her lodgings. Others in Rome similarly provide for Margery. She also begs for food.

Margery encounters a poor woman with a baby who reminds her of the Virgin and Christ, causing her to cry out. Margery becomes popular and loved among many in Rome; the monks at the Hospital of St. Thomas, who previously turned her away from their lodgings, invite her back. She returns to a kind reception and meets her former maidservant, who does not return to her service.

Margery meets the ex-maidservant of St. Bridget who describes the saint’s meekness to her. She meets others who knew Bridget and visits some of the same places Bridget did on her pilgrimage. One day, while in St. Bridget’s chapel, God raises a series of storms: “Through such tokens this creature supposed that our Lord wished that his holy saint’s day should be hallowed, and the saint held in more respect than she was at the time” (97). God warns her about other disturbances, and the people of Rome ask Margery for her prayers. Christ “withdrew the storms, preserving the people from all misfortune” (98) as a result.

An English priest visiting Rome seeks out Margery. They become friends, and he calls her “‘mother’” (98). She reveals her contemplations to him; they spend much time together and he gives her the money she needs to travel home to England.

Some of her former travel companions disparage her to this priest. They complain that she makes confession to a priest who does not understand English. The English priest thus invites the group, Margery, and her confessor to dinner. Margery’s confessor cannot understand the conversation unless it is in Latin. However, he can tell them in Latin the words Margery speaks to him in English, vindicating her.

Christ tells Margery that he acts as her priest when she laments her inability to understand the languages of non-English priests. Her sobbing causes others to ask what is wrong with her, to which she replies, “The Passion of the Christ slays me” (100). Her weeping generates great love from people in Rome. St. Jerome later appears to Margery to tell her that her sobbing saves others’ souls. This knowledge relieves her.

It is time for Margery to return to England after the celebration of Easter. She and her fellow pilgrims fear brigandry along the way. She asks God to protect them. Jesus tells her not to fear because they will make it safely home. She bids farewell to her German confessor with the knowledge that they will meet again in the afterlife.

Margery is warned in a revelation during the journey that a storm is brewing. The heavy rain causes fear, but Christ comforts Margery’s soul. Later Margery weeps when a man offensively swears at her because of his sinfulness.

The following day the wind is favorable for sailing to England. Her priestly companion, however, warns Magery against traveling in such a small boat. She responds that God will protect her. A storm arises as they travel but God protects the travelers, who pray.

Margery soon meets another group of pilgrims who provide her with money for an offering “in reverence of the Trinity when she came to Norwich” (104). She meets the Vicar of St. Stephens with whom she and her companions dine. Later she visits an anchorite at the Chapel-in-the-Fields who had previously betrayed her to “humble herself and draw him to charity” (105). He asks Margery what happened to a child she is rumored to have conceived and given birth to while away on pilgrimage. She denies the rumor, but the anchorite refuses to believe her. He asks her to return to visit him so that he may act as her spiritual guide, but God tells her not to listen.

God confirms through the token of a storm that Margery should wear white. However, she does not have the funds to purchase new clothing. God promises to provide. She meets a man who loans her the money to buy the cloth out of which a white gown, tunic, hood, and cloak are made. She receives the Eucharist in her new white dress on Sunday.

Her husband arrives to escort her back to King’s Lynn, where Margery falls so ill that she is given last rites. She hopes to make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela if God wishes. God tells her that she will not die and she is soon healed.

Margery is criticized for her white clothing and crying, and she falls into debt. Some claim she is possessed because of her screaming while others believe it is due to epilepsy. Friends turn against her and criticize her for giving away her money when she needs the funds to travel to Santiago: “And suddenly a good man came and gave her forty pence […] while a woman gave her seven marks” (108). Margery finally departs for Santiago, fearful of thieves along the way. God promises her safety.

She arrives in Bristol where she meets Richard, the man who escorted her in Rome, where she returns money she owes him. Margery stays in Bristol for six weeks waiting for a ship and enjoys numerous meditations and contemplations while also fostering scorn from those who do not understand or like her shrieking and sobbing.

Margery joins a procession for Corpus Christi Day and is overwhelmed with weeping. She yells, “I die, I die,” shocking and dismaying some of her fellow Christians. However, others love her, including a man named Thomas Marchale who befriends her and invites her to dine with him. He provides her with 10 marks for her pilgrimage.

A ship finally arrives, but a wealthy man from Bristol refuses to let Margery board with Thomas. She is called before the Bishop of Worcester. Margery tells the bishop’s retinue that they are “the devil’s men” when he arrives at his hall. She chastises them for their sinful behavior. The bishop tells Margery he knows she is a good woman because of her background and invites her and Thomas Marchale to dine with him. The bishop blesses her and provides her with some gold when it is time for her to set sail.

Margery prays for God’s protection before boarding the ship, since her fellow pilgrims promise to throw her overboard if they encounter storm. They arrive safely in Santiago after a week. Margery’s fellow pilgrims treat her well for the two weeks they are in Spain, and she experiences numerous contemplations related to the Passion.

Margery make a pilgrimage to the Blood of Hailes upon her return to England, where most of the clerics welcome her. However, “they swore many great and horrible oaths” (112) for which she chastises them, and they are thankful for her guidance.

Margery and Thomas Marchale travel to Leicester where the mayor accuses her of being a Lollard and threatens to arrest her. Margery replies that she is content to be imprisoned for her love of God. The jailers have no place to hold her. One sympathetic jailer, wishing not to put her in with men where her chastity would be threatened, offers to keep her in his own home. He and his wife keep her in a locked room but allow her to attend Mass and join them for meals.

Margery’s jailer brings her to the Steward of Leicester. Margery answers his questions satisfactorily, after which he takes her into a private room and threatens to rape her. He also threatens to imprison her unless she tells him if her revelations are divine or demonic. She retorts that she is unafraid of being imprisoned for her love of God:

[The angry steward] struggled with her, making filthy signs and giving her indecent looks, through which he frightened her so much that she told him how she had her speech and conversing from the Holy Ghost and not from her own knowledge (115).

The steward stops his assault and returns her to her jailer’s custody. Two companions, including Thomas Marchale, are also imprisoned for their association with Margery.

The next day God shows his wrath through a series of storms. The people of Leicester “feared it was because they had put the pilgrims in prison” (116). They release Margery’s friends and take them before the mayor where they attest to her goodness. The mayor releases them, and the storms conclude. Margery’s companions leave Leicester for their own safety. They fear Margery will be burned for heresy.

Margery is questioned about the Articles of Faith before the Abbot of Leicester. She says that when a priest consecrates the Eucharistic bread and wine it becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is no longer material bread or wine. Her answers please the abbot and his men.

The mayor, however, accuses Margery of lying, and she reiterates her stance. She rebukes the mayor and tells him God will have vengeance on him. The mayor questions why she dresses in white and suggests she plans to “lure [their] wives away from [them], and lead them off with [her]” (118). Margery refuses to answer him but explains why she wears white to the clerics in attendance, who are satisfied with her explanation. The mayor refuses to let her leave Leicester without a letter from the Bishop of Lincoln that releases the mayor of any responsibility for Margery’s doings.

Margery receives a letter detailing her circumstances from the Abbot of Leicester that she carries to the Bishop of Lincoln. Supporters from Leicester see her off from the edge of town, but she soon remembers that she has left her bag, containing a relic that she carries with her from Jerusalem, in town. She sends a man named Patrick to fetch it for her, but he is not able to retrieve the bag, only the relic, due to a confrontation with the mayor. The Bishop of Lincoln agrees to give her the letter and rebukes the mayor. The mayor returns her bag and allows her passage. She employs Patrick to escort her to York.

Margery tries to visit an anchoress in York with whom she is acquainted but the woman refuses to see her because Margery’s detractors have swayed her. Christ tells Margery that she will face many troubles, which she accepts: “And in the process of time, that day of which she suffered no tribulation, she was not as cheerful and glad as when she suffered tribulation” (122). She faces slanderous attacks and a churchman who calls her a “‘wolf’” (122) for dressing in white. She refuses to respond so he swears in anger. Margery reprimands him for not keeping the Commandments, and he disappears.

Margery explains to a York priest the meaning of the biblical line, “Be fruitful and multiple.” She interprets the passage to reference growing in virtue, which pleases the cleric. Another priest orders her to go before the Chapterhouse of York Minster because she has stayed in York longer than the 14 days she originally promised. Margery thus appears before the clerics of York who question her about the purpose of her visit and whether John Kempe had permitted her to travel. They also question her on the article of faith to which she responds satisfactorily. The churchman who brought her before the Chapterhouse says Margery must then go to the Archbishop of York and be imprisoned until her appearance. The laity in attendance, however, come to her defense so that she is not jailed.

A monk gives a public sermon in York attacking Margery. She, however, appreciates the suffering his slander engenders. A group soon brings her to the Archbishop of York where many in his household call her a heretic. Margery reprimands them, and they depart in shame. The archbishop questions why she dresses in white. She confesses that she is not a “virgin,” and he orders her to be fettered as a heretic.

The archbishop later questions her on the Articles of Faith, finding her in accordance with orthodox doctrine, but says that he has heard she is wicked. Margery responds that she has been told he is a wicked man, which infuriates the cleric. She also refuses to leave the area at his command and requests he permit her to remain in York. He acquiesces, noting that she may remain in York for one or two more days, but she must swear not to teach. Margery refuses and argues that the Gospel permits her to speak about God. The cleric quotes St. Paul’s command that women may not preach. Margery claims she does not preach because she has no pulpit: She merely engages others in conversation. She then tells a fable about a corrupt priest that impresses the archbishop, who gives her his blessing and releases her. She returns to York.

Margery travels to Bridlington to speak with one of her confessors and then moves on to Hull. She is forced to leave after “malicious people” (131) request her host force her out of town.

She is arrested for heresy again when she arrives at Hessle to wait for a boat to cross the River Humber. Men and women come out of their homes to slander her as a Lollard and call for her execution. The men holding her tell her to give up her religious life and be a traditional wife and domestic. They jail her in Beverly where she looks out the window of her room, teaching those outside who question why she is being mistreated. The women outside of her room raise a ladder to give Margery wine when she is thirsty.

The divine tells Margery that her suffering pleases him and not to fear men’s scorn. Her pain will become bliss in the afterlife. She is taken to the Chapterhouse at Beverly where she meets the Archbishop of York again. A friar comes forth to disparage her. The yeomen who arrested her also make false claims against her, including denying she ever made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Margery accuses them of lying.

The archbishop has Margery held in the home of a man who treats her well, and numerous clerics come to visit her. The archbishop eventually calls for her again. He tells Margery he has learned new, terrible information about her. She replies that if he examines her and finds fault, she will submit to his discipline. The archbishop’s Suffragan asks her if she visited Lady Westmoreland, accusing her of advising another noblewoman to leave her spouse while on this visit. Margery denies the account and tells a story that pleases the archbishop’s household. The men beg the cleric to release her. Margery asks for a letter from the archbishop that proves her innocence, and he consents. One of the cleric’s men leaves her at the Humber.

Margery gets arrested and imprisoned for heresy again when she crosses the river. She is, however, quickly released when one of the witnesses to the affair with the Archbishop of York defends her. She travels to Lincoln where she experiences abuse; clerics question the source of her knowledge and the replies it is the Holy Spirit.

Margery eventually arrives in West Lynn where she sends for her spouse, confessor, and others. She tells them she cannot return to her home until she receives a letter and seal of approval from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Margery and John Kempe travel to London where they successfully acquire the letter. She and John get arrested at Ely on their return journey home; when they produce the Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter, however, their jailer releases them. Margery suffers slander and abuse when she gets home. One man even tosses a bowl of water over her on the street.

Margery contracts dysentery and believes she will die, but Christ reassures her she will live. She suffers from various illnesses and pains for many years and begs God for mercy. Sometimes her meditations on the Passion provide relief from her physical ailments. Her weeping increases after her illness ends, so much so that she has to receive communion privately in one of the parish church’s side chapels due to the disturbance. Christ tells her that he will make the grace he gives to her via her sobbing “known to all the world” (141).

A new monk arrives in town who forbids Margery from receiving communion in the chapel. Margery’s confessor states this change means she must receive the Eucharist in the main church where she loudly cries. On Good Friday she envisions the Passion and the Virgin’s suffering. Margery screams, sobs, and writhes in response. This behavior persists for a decade. She also sobs for her own sins and those of others, the impoverished, and non-Christians and tells God that she wishes for him to forgive their sins.

Margery asks God to send a satisfactory churchman to preach to her. Christ responds that a cleric from afar will arrive to fulfill her need. Soon such a priest arrives who forms a positive relationship with Margery because “he found great spiritual comfort in her, and was caused to look up much good scripture […] had it not been for her” (145). Likewise, he educates Margery by reading books to her, including works of the church fathers. This reading continues for eight years while the priest endures criticism for his friendship with her.

Margery’s contemplation increases because of this priest’s reading and sermons. God sends revelations about those who were saved and others who were not, which troubles Margery and causes her to doubt God: “She would give no credence to the counsel of God, but rather believed it was some evil spirit out to deceive her” (146). God thus “withdr[aws]” the blissful thoughts he once sent to her (146) and instead punishes her with unpleasantries and demonic visions. Confession provides no relief. She asks the divine why he has forsaken her. An Angel appears to tell her that these evil thoughts are God’s “chastisement” (148), but that he has not abandoned her and will remove the thoughts after 12 days. Margery vows to be obedient to God’s will.

The priest who acted as reader for Margery becomes ill, and she cares for him. She prays for him during Mass, and God assures her that the priest will recover. The divine also inspires her to visit St. Stephen’s Church in Norwich where a “good Vicar” (149) was interred. She feels the fire of love and weeps on the ground. Later, she sobs inside the church.

Parishioners question why she is behaving this way. Some of the church’s clerics take her to a tavern for a drink and treat her kindly. A local woman also invites Margery to dine, so she goes to the woman’s church where she sees an image of the pietà. She thus envisions the Passion and the Virgin’s suffering, which causes Margery to weep and cry. She tells the church’s priest that Christ’s “death is as fresh to [her] as if he had died this same day” (150). The local woman says that Margery sets a good example and treats her kindly. Margery returns home shortly afterward to discover that the ill priest has recovered.