Candidates for the Role of Priest-Scribe:

Textual Representations

The Dominican Anchorite

The “ankyr” at the Friar Preachers who serves as Margery’s principal confessor.

Passages Involving the Dominican Anchorite

Courtesy of Mapping Margery Kempe Website

(Christ speaks) And I byd the gon to the
ankyr at the Frer Prechowrys, and schew hym my prevyteys and my cownselys whech
I schewe to the, and werk aftyr hys cownsel, for my spyrit schal speke in hym to the."
Than this creatur went forth to the ankyr, as sche was comawndyd, and schewyd hym
the revelacyons swech as wer schewyd to hir. Than the ankyr wyth gret reverns and
wepyng, thankyng God, seyd, "Dowtyr, ye sowkyn evyn on Crysts brest, and ye han
an ernest peny of hevyn. I charge yow receyveth swech thowtys whan God wyl geve
hem as mekely and as devowtly as ye kan and comyth to me and tellyth me what thei
be, and I schal, wyth the leve of ower Lord Jhesu Cryst, telle yow whether thei ben of
the Holy Gost or ellys of yowr enmy the devyl." (392-401,Ch 5)

And so sche had ther rygth gret cher, and hir husbond becawse of hir, as long as thei
wold abyden in the cyté. Aftyrward thei comyn ageyn to Lenne, and than went this
creatur to the ankyr at the Frer Prechowrys in Lenne and teld hym what cher sche had
had and how sche had sped whyl sche was in the contré. And he was rygth glad of hir
comyng hom and held it was gret myracle hir comyng and hir goyng to and fro. And
he seyd to hir, "I have herd mych evyl langwage of yow syth ye went owt, and I have
ben sor cownseld to leve yow and no mor to medyl wyth yow, and ther is behyte me
gret frenschepys wyth condycyon yf I leve yow. And I answeryd for yow thus: `yyf
ye wer in the same plyte that ye wer whan we partyd asundyr, I durst wel say ye wer
a good woman, a lovere of God, and hyly inspyred wyth the Holy Gost. `And I wyl not
forsake hyr for no lady in this reme for to speke wyth the lady and levyn hir, for rathyr I
schuld leve the lady and speke wyth hir, yyf I mygth not don bothen, than I schuld don
the contrarye."' Rede fyrst the twenty-first chapetre and than this chapetre aftyr that. (851-863, Ch. 16)

Nevyrthelesse the ankyr of the Frer Prechowrys in Lenn, whech was principal gostly
fadyr to this creatur as is wretyn beforn, toke it on charge of hys sowle that hir felyngys
wer good and sekyr and that ther was no disseyt in hem. And he be the spiryt of
prophecye teld hir, whan sche schuld gon to Jerusalemward, sche schuld have mech
tribulacyon wyth hir mayden and how owyr Lord schuld asayn hir scharply and prevyn
hir ful streytly. Than seyd sche ageyn, "A, good ser, what schal I than do whan I am
fer fro hom and in strawnge cuntreys and my mayden be agens me? Than is my bodily
comfort ago, and gostly comfort of any confessowr as ye beth wot I not wher to have."
"Dowtyr, drede ye nowt, for owyr Lord schal comfort yow hys owyn self, hoose
comfort passyth alle otheris, and, whan al yowr frendys han forsakyn yow owyr Lord
schal makyn a brokyn bak man to lede yow forth wher ye wyl be." And so it befel as
the ankyr had prophecyed in every poynt, and, as I trust, schal be wretyn more pleynly
aftyrward. Than this creatur in a maner compleynyng seyd to the ankyr, "Good ser,
what schal I do? He that is my confessowr in yowr absens is rygth scharp unto me.* He
wyl not levyn my felyngys; he settyth nowt by hem; he heldyth hem but tryfelys and
japys. And that is a gret peyn unto me, for I lofe hym wele and I wold fawyn folwyn
hys cownsel." The ankyr, answeryng agen to hir, seyd, "It is no wondyr, dowtyr, yf he
kan nowt belevyn in yowr felyngys so sone. He knowyth wel ye han ben a synful
woman, and therfor he wenyth that God wold not ben homly wyth yow in so schort
tyme. Aftyr yowr conversyon I wold not for al this world ben so scharp to yow as he
is. God for yowr meryte hath ordeynd hym to be yowr scorge and faryth wyth yow as
a smyth wyth a fyle that makyth the yron to be bryte and cler to the sygth whech
beforn aperyd rusty, dyrke, evyl colowryd. The mor scharp that he is to yow the mor
clerly schinyth yowr sowle in the sygth of God, and God hath ordeyned me to be yowr
norych and your comfort. Beth ye lowe and meke and thanke God bothe of on and of
other." On a tyme beforn this creatur went to hir praerys for to wetyn what answer
sche schuld gevyn to the wedow. Sche was comawndyd in hir spyryt to byddyn the
wedow levyn hir confessowr that was that tyme, yf sche wold plesyn God, and gon to
the ankyr at the Frer Prechowrys in Lenn and schewyn hym hir lyfe. Whan this creatur
dede this massage, the wedow wold not levyn hir wordys ne hir gostly fadyr neythyr,
les than God wold gevyn hir the same grace that he gaf this creatur, and sche chargyd
this creatur that sche schuld no mor comyn in hir place. And for this creatur teld hir
that sche had to fele lofe of affecyon to hir gostly fadyr, therfor the wedow seyde it
had ben good to this creatur that hir lofe and hir affeccyon wer set as hir was. (998-1031, Ch. 18)

*Master Robert Spryngolde

And than this lady sent
hir dowtyr wyth other meny wyth hir to the ankyr whech was princypal confessowr to
this creatur that he schuld forsakyn hir and ellys he schuld lesyn hir frenshep. The
ankyr seyd to the massangerys that he wold not forsakyn this creatur for no man in
erthe, for to swech creaturys as wold inqwiryn of hym hir maner of governawns and
how he held of hir he seyd sche was Goddys owyn servawnt and also he seyd sche
was the tabernakyl of God. And the ankyr seyd unto hir owyn persone for to strengthyn
hir in hir feyth, "Thow God toke fro yow al teerys and dalyawns, belevyth nevyrtheles
that God lovyth yow and that ye schal be ryt sekyr of hevyn for that ye have had
befortyme, for teerys wyth lofe is the grettest geft that God may gevyn in erth and al
men that lovyn God owyn to thankyn hym for yow." (1054-1064, Ch. 19)

Sche tawt this creatur and informyd hir so wondyrfully that sche was abaschyd
to speke it or telle it to any, the maters wer so hy and so holy, saf only to the ankyr
whech was hir princypal confessowr, for he cowde most skyl in swech thyngys. And
he chargyd this creatur be vertu of obedyens to tellyn hym what that evyr sche felt, and
so sche dede. (1144-1147, Ch. 21-of Mary’s revelation)

Sythen sche toke hir
leve at hir husbond and of the holy ankyr, whech had teld hir beforn the proces of hir
goyng and mech dysese that sche schuld sufferyn be the wey, and, whan alle hir
felaschep forsoke hir, how a brokebakkyd man schuld ledyn hire forth in safté thorw
the help of owyr Lord. (1387-1391, Ch. 26)

Than thowt sche of hir
confessorys wordys whech was an holy ankyr, as is wretyn befor, that seyd to hir whil
sche was in Inglond in this maner, "Dowtyr, whan yowr owyn felawshep hath forsakyn
yow God schal ordeyn a brokebakkyd man to lede yow forth ther ye wil be." (1774-1777, Ch. 30)

And so dede o man whech sche trostyd gretly on and proferyd hymself to gon wyth hir
into the contré, wherthorw sche was rygth glad, trostyng he wold wel supportyn hir
and helpyn hir whan sche had nede, for he had ben dwellyng long tyme wyth an
ankyr, commensowr in dyvinyté and an holy man, and that ankyr was this womans
confessowr. And so hys servawnt toke leve be hys owyn steryng to gon wyth this
creatur into the contré, and hir owyn mayden went wyth hir also long as thei ferd wel
and no man seyd nothyng ageyns hem. But, as sone as the pepyl thorw entysyng of
owyr gostly enmy and be the sufferawns of owyr Lord spak ageyn this creatur for sche
wept so sor, and seyd sche was a fals ypocryte and falsly deceyved the pepyl, and
thretyd hir to be brent. Than the forseyd man was holdyn so holy a man and that sche
trustyd so mech upon uttyrly reprevyd hir, and fowely despysed hir, and wold no
forther gon wyth hir. (743-754, Ch. 15)

Than this creatur went to the ankyr and
teld hym how sche had felt, and he seyd the felyng was of God and the dede in the self
was good, thow the sowle had no nede therof, and cownseld it schuld be fulfylled.
Than this creatur teld this mater to hir gostly fadyr* that he schuld speke to the wedow,
and so it was long tyme that this creatur herd no mo of this mater. Aftyrward owyr
Lord Jhesu Crist seyd to this creatur, "that thyng I bad schuld a be don for the sowle
it is not don. Aske now thi gostly fadyr." And so sche dede, and he seyd it was not
don. Sche seyd agen, "My Lord Jhesu Crist teld me so rygth now." (1070-1077, Ch. 19)

*Robert Spryngolde

Now hast
thu, Lord, takyn fro me the ankyr, I trust to thi mercy, the most special and synguler
comforte that evyr I had in erde, for he evyr lovyd me for thy lofe and wold nevyr
forsakyn me for nowt that any man cowd do er seye whylys he levyd. And Maistyr
Aleyn is putt fro me and I fro hym. Syr Thomas Andrew and Syr John Amy arn
benefysed and owt of town. Maistyr Robert dar unethys spekyn wyth me. Now have I in a maner no comfort neithyr of man ne of childe." (3995-4001, Ch. 69)

Than sche, consyderyng this wondyrful chawngyng, sekyng undyr the
wengys of hyr gostly modyr, Holy Cherch, went and obeyd hyr to hyr gostly fadyr,*
accusyng hyrself of her mysdeds, and sythen ded gret bodyly penawns. (28-30, Proem)

*Most likely the Dominican Friar, her first and principal confessor

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