SHE desired many times that her head might be smitten off with an axe upon a
block for the love of our Lord Jesu. Then said our Lord Jesu in her mind: "I
thank thee, daughter, that thou wouldest die for My love; for as often as thou
thinkest so, thou shalt have the same meed in heaven, as if thou suffredest the
same death, and yet there shall no man slay
thee.
[140]The habergeon or the hair-shirt, the
former term being applied to an instrument of penance as well as to a piece of
armour. Cf. Chaucer, The Persones Tale (ed. Skeat, SS 97): "Thanne
shaltow understonde, that bodily peyne stant in disciplyne or techinge, by word
or by wrytinge, or in ensample. Also in weringe of heyres or of stamin, or of
haubergeons on hir naked flesh, for Cristes sake, and swiche manere penances.
But war thee wel that swiche manere penances on thy flesh ne make nat thyn
herte bitter or angry or anoyed of thy-self; for bettre is to caste awey thyn
heyre, than for to caste away the sikernesse of Jesu Crist. And therfore seith
seint Paul: 'Clothe yow, as they that been chosen of God, in herte of
misericorde, debonairetee, suffraunce, and swich manere of clothinge'; of
whiche Jesu Crist is more apayed than of heyres, or haubergeons, or
hauberkes."
[141]Wynkyn de Worde has: "sholde."
[142]Wynkyn de Worde has: "profyte."
[143]Cf. St. Catherine of Siena, Letter to
William Flete (ed. Gigli, 124): "There are some who give themselves perfectly
to chastising their body, doing very great and bitter penance, in order that
the sensuality may not rebel against the reason. They have set all their desire
more in mortifying the body than in slaying their own will. These are fed at
the table of penance, and are good and perfect, but unless they have great
humility, and compel themselves to consider the will of God and not that of
men, they oft times mar their perfection by making themselves judges of those
who are not going by the same way that they are going."
[144]Perhaps, simply, "say many
prayers"--without any special reference to the rosary.
[145]Annoy.
[146]Wynkyn de Worde has: "mote."
[147]Wynkyn de Worde has: "lownesse."
[148]With-out-forth=outwardly. Cf. Chaucer,
The Persones Tale, (ed. Skeat, SS 10): "And with-inne the hertes of folk
shal be the bytinge conscience, and with-oute-forth shal be the world al
brenninge."
[149]Everyche=each one.
[150]According to the legend, certain
"indulgences," to be gained by all who visited the Holy Places at Jerusalem,
were first granted by Pope St. Sylvester at the petition of Constantine and St.
Helena. There seems no evidence as to the real date at which these special
indulgences were instituted. Cf. Amort, De origine, progressu, valore, ac
frauctu Indulgentiarum, Augsburg, 1735, pars i. pp. 217 et seq.
[151]Plenary.
[152]All the indulgences attached to the
Holy Places.
[153]Probably Racheness in the parish of
South Acre, where "there was a leper hospital, with church or chapel dedicated
to St. Bartholomew, of early foundation" (Victoria History of the County of
Norfolk, ii. p. 450).
"I assure thee in thy mind, if it were
possible for Me to suffer pain again, as I have done before, Me were lever to
suffer as much pain as ever I did for thy soul alone, rather than thou
shouldest depart from Me everlastingly.
"Daughter, thou mayst no better please God, than
to think continually in His love."
Then she asked our Lord Jesu Christ, how she
should best love Him. And our Lord said: "Have mind of thy wickedness, and
think on My goodness.
"Daughter, if thou wear the habergeon or the
hair,[140] fasting bread and water, and if
thou saidest every day a thousand Pater Nosters, thou shalt[141] not please Me so well as thou dost when thou art in
silence, and suffrest Me to speak in thy soul.
"Daughter, for to bid many beads, it is good to
them that can not better do, and yet it is not perfect.[142] But it is a good way toward perfection. For I tell
thee, daughter, they that be great fasters, and great doers of penance, they
would that it should be holden the best life.[143] And they that give them unto many devotions,
"Daughter, if thou knew how sweet thy love is to
Me, thou wouldest never do other thing but love Me with all thine heart.
"Daughter, if thou wilt be high with Me in
heaven, keep Me alway in thy mind as much as thou mayst, and forget not Me at
thy meat; but think alway that I sit in thine heart and know every thought that
is therein, both good and bad.
"Daughter, I have suffered many pains for thy
love; therefore thou hast great cause to love Me right well, for I have bought
thy love full dear."
"Dear Lord," she said, "I pray Thee, let me never
have other joy in earth, but mourning and weeping for
She had great wonder that our Lord would become
man, and suffer so grievous pains, for her that was so unkind a creature to
Him. And then, with great weeping, she asked our Lord Jesu how she might best
please Him; and He answered to her soul, saying: "Daughter, have mind of thy
wickedness, and think on My goodness." Then she prayed many times and often
these words: "Lord, for Thy great goodness, have mercy on my great wickedness,
as certainly as I was never so wicked as Thou art good, nor never may be though
I would; for Thou art so good, that Thou mayst no better be; and, therefore, it
is great wonder that ever any man should be departed from Thee without end."
When she saw the Crucifix, or if she saw a man
had a wound, or a beast, or if a man beat a child before her, or smote a horse
or another beast with a whip, if she might see it or hear it, she thought she
saw our Lord beaten or wounded, like as she saw in the man or in the beast.
The more she increased in love and in devotion,
the more she increased in sorrow and contrition, in lowliness[147] and meekness, and in holy dread of our Lord Jesu, and
in knowledge of her own frailty. So that if she saw any creature be punished or
sharply chastised, she would think that she had been more worthy to be
chastised than that creature was, for her unkindness against God. Then would
she weep for her own sin, and for compassion of that creature.
Our Lord said to her: "In nothing that thou dost
or sayest, daughter, thou mayst no better please God than believe that He
loveth thee. For, if it were possible that I might weep with thee, I would weep
with thee for the compassion that I have of thee."
Our merciful Lord Jesu Christ drew this creature
unto His love, and to the mind of His passion, that she might not endure to
behold a leper, or another sick man, specially if he had any wounds appearing
on him. So she wept as if she had seen our Lord Jesu with His wounds bleeding;
and so she did, in the sight of the soul; for, through the beholding of the
sick man, her mind was all ravished in to our Lord Jesu, that she had great
mourning and sorrowing that she might not kiss the leper when she met them in
the way, for the love of our Lord: which was all contrary to her disposition in
the years of her youth and prosperity, for then she abhorred them most.
Our Lord said: "Daughter, thou hast desired in
thy mind to have many priests in the town of Lynn, that might sing and read
night and day for to serve Me, worship Me, and praise Me, and thank Me for the
goodness that I have done to thee in earth; and therefore, daughter, I promise
thee that thou shalt have meed and reward in heaven for the good wills and good
desires, as if thou haddest done them in deed.
"Daughter, thou shalt have as great meed and as
great reward with Me in heaven, for thy good service and thy good deeds that
thou hast done in thy mind, as if thou haddest done the same with thy bodily
wits withoutforth.[148]
"And, daughter, I thank thee for the charity that
thou hast to all lecherous men and women; for thou prayest for them and weepest
for them many a tear, desiring that I should deliver them out of sin, and be as
gracious to them as I was to Mary Magdalene, that they might have as much grace
to love Me as Mary Magdalene had; and with this condition thou wouldest that
everich[149] of them should have twenty
pounds a year to love and praise Me; and, daughter, this great charity which
thou hast to them in thy prayer pleaseth Me right well. And,
She said: "Good Lord, I would be laid naked upon
an hurdle for Thy love, all men to wonder on me and to cast filth and dirt on
me, and be drawen from town to town every day my life time, if Thou were
pleased thereby, and no man's soul hindered. Thy will be fulfilled and not
mine."
"Daughter," He said, "as oftentimes as thou
sayest or thinkest: Worshipped be all the holy places in Jerusalem, where
Christ suffered bitter pain and passion in: thou shalt have the same pardon
as if thou were there with thy bodily presence, both to thyself and to all
those that thou wilt give to.[150]
"The same pardon that was granted thee aforetime,
it was confirmed on Saint Nicholas day, that is to say, playne[151] remission; and it is not only granted to thee, but also
to all those that believe, and to all those that shall believe unto the world's
end, that God loveth thee, and shall thank God for thee. If they will forsake
their sin, and be in full will no more to turn again thereto, but be sorry and
heavy for that they have done, and will do due penance therefore, they shall
have the same pardon that is granted to thyself; and that is all the pardon
that is in Jerusalem,[152] as was granted
thee when thou were at Rafnys."[153]
That day that she suffered no tribulation for our
Lord's sake, she was not merry nor glad, as that day when she suffered
tribulation.
Our Lord Jesus said unto her: "Patience is more
worth than miracles doing. Daughter, it is more pleasure to Me that thou suffer
despites, scorns, shames, reproofs,
"Lord," she said, "for Thy great pain have mercy
on my little pain."
When she was in great trouble, our Lord said:
"Daughter, I must needs comfort thee, for now thou hast the right way to
heaven. By this way came I and all My disciples; for now thou shalt know the
better what sorrow and shame I suffered for thy love, and thou shalt have the
more compassion when thou thinkest on My passion."
"O my dear worthy Lord," said she, "these graces
Thou shouldest shew to religious men and to priests."
Our Lord said to her again: "Nay, nay, daughter,
for that I love best that they love not, and that is shames, reproofs, scorns,
and despites of the people; and therefore they shall not have this grace; for,
daughter, he that dreadeth the shames of this world may not perfectly love
God."
called Margery Kempe of Lynn