|
Margergy Kempe: In Search of the Scribe
The Language
of Self Identity: The Scribe in
the Text What we can
glean about the Scribe from the Book
of Margery Kempe 1. The scribe is MALE. The scribe refers to himself with masculine
pronouns in the third person: “the prest was vexyd in his consciens
for he had behestyd hyr to wrytyn this booke” (Proem).
2. The scribe refers to himself as a PRIEST and only as
a PRIEST. Various characters such as Robert
Spryngolde and Master Allen have their positions elaborated with phrases like
“doctor of divinity,” “ghostly father,” and “confessor;” Margery’s scribe
identifies himself only as “priest.” *Not just anyone could call themselves
“priest;” one had to be chosen and ordained by a bishop (see priest, Catholic Encyclopedia).
The title “priest” thus grants the scribe a degree of spiritual authority. 3. Margery has a rapport with her scribe,
having “great affection” for him (Proem). *Robert Spryngolde is the only other
named character in the text who Margery is described as having “affecyon” to
(Ch.
88). *Margery also has
greatest “affecyon” to an unnamed person, also in Chapter
88, who appears to be a priest (is said to have given sermons). Margery
apparently loves this priest to such an extent that she initially imagines
herself to be unable to “wythdrawyn [her] affecyon fro hym.” 4. The Scribe can
read both ENGLISH and GERMAN. The scribe can differentiate between “good
Englysch ne Dewch” and bad when reading the ill-written first manuscript of The
Book (Proem). 5. The Scribe
apparently had a PUBLIC REPUTATION to uphold. Margery and her scribe have something of a temporary falling out when
the priest-scribe “ durst not for cowardyse speke wyth her but seldom,”
refusing to “put hym in perel” of
such “evel spekyng of this creatur and of hir wepyng” (Proem).
*This must have occurred after Margery’s trip to in 1414, since her weeping is cited as the reason for their
falling out and her weeping began after her pilgrimage. 6. The Scribe
returns to the project of copying the Book due to being “vexed in his
conscience” (Proem). *This MORAL UNCERTAINTY is characteristic of Margery’s scribe
in a way that is unique from any other well-developed character in the Book;
where Robert Spryngolde is consistently sharp and the Anchorite at the Friar
Preachers is consistently kind and supportive, the priest-scribe is
consistently unsure: he constantly asks
Margery for advice, he has problems making
character judgments, and he wavers between supporting Margery with his
scribal practices and shunning her because of her reputation. 7. The Scribe was
not absolutely certain of his faith in Margery; he occasionally goes against
her advice. The priest-scribe lends a young gentleman money despite Margery’s
warnings against the quality of his nature (Ch.
24). 8. The Scribe
cares about APPEARANCES. The priest-scribe trusts the young gentleman because he has “fair
features” and “appears” priestly (Ch.
24). 9. The Scribe
wears EYEGLASSES. *Eyeglasses were inexpensive items and a large majority of the
English population during this time was myopic. 10. The Scribe often visited a
sick burgess (“a mayr’s pere”) in
The priest-scribe visits this burgess to beg for alms to give to the young gentleman. Margery advises the burgess and his wife not to give alms.
11. Has visited PENTENNEY ABBEY.
The peddler that tries to sell the priest-scribe a religious book claims to be from Penteney Abbey; the priest-scribe replies that he has been there but has not seen the peddler (Ch. 24).
12. The Scribe refers to Margery as “Mother” (“modyr”)when addressing her in person, but addresses her only once within the text.
"he preste whech
*The English Priest Margery meets in Rome is the only other character to refer to Margery as “Mother” (Ch. 43) though the German Priest receives her “as if for his mother or for his sister” (Ch. 33).
13. The Scribe refers to Lord William of Alnwick as “my Lord of Norwich Alnwick” twice in Chapter 25.
*The footnote to the Barry Windeatt edition of the Book (see bib) cites: “Alenwyk: William of Alnwick (d. 1449), Bishop of Norwich 1426-36; ‘a relentless persecutor of the Lollards in his diocese’ (DNB); portions survive from a court book of heresy cases against suspected Lollards (1428-31), kept by Alnwick’s officials (Tanner 1997); Bishop of Lincoln from 1436-49.” The priest-scribe’s formal reference to the Bishop as “my Lord” suggests that he may have been under Alnwick’s jurisdiction.
14. The Scribe claims to be of LESSER FORTUNE than
many of the other priests in his church in
"Fadyr,"
seyde the preste becawse of reverens, *This suggests either 1) that the priest-scribe is unbeneficed or 2) that the priest-scribe was recently beneficed. If we concede that the priest-scribe is unbeneficed, we must ask how he made his living; there is no direct evidence that Margery is paying him, though we know from the Proem that Margery is willing to pay for a scribe (the priest-scribe recommends a man to Margery during the period of time that he refused to continue with the project, and Margery prays for him to write the book, “grawntyng hym a grett summe of good for hys labowr.”). If the priest-scribe is unbeneficed, however, the probability of determining his identity is slim if he cannot be determined to be one of the aforementioned characters in the Book; payroll records list beneficed priests. 15. The Scribe was alive during the period of 1436 to 1438 in order to complete the transcription of Margery’s Book.
“Afftyr that owr Sovereyn Savyowr had take the persone whech wrot first the tretys aforn seyd to hys manyfold mercy, and the preiste of whom is beforn wretyn had copiid the same tretys aftyr hys sympyl cunnyng. . . gan to writyn in the yer of owr Lord 1438 in the fest of Seynt Vital Martyr” (Book 2, Ch. 1)
*We can rule out the Dominican
Anchorite at the Friar Preachers in
Involving the Scribe Home The Scribe Candidates Notes Back
to In Search of the Scribe Home |
