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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
Passages Involving the Scribe
Courtesy of Mapping
Margery Kempe Website
Than was ther a
prest whech this creatur had gret affeccyon to, and so sche
comownd wyth hym of this
mater and browt hym the boke to redyn. The booke was so evel wretyn that he
cowd
lytyl skyll theron, for it was neithyr good Englysch ne Dewch, ne the lettyr
was not
schapyn ne formyd as other letters ben. Therfor the prest leved
fully ther schuld nevyr
man redyn it, but it wer special grace. Nevyrthelesse, he behyte hir that if
he cowd
redyn it he wolde copyn it owt and wrytyn it betyr wyth good wylle. Than
was ther so
evel spekyng of this creatur and of hir wepyng that the prest durst not for
cowardyse
speke wyth her but seldom, ne not wold wryten as he had behestyd unto the
forseyd
creatur. And so he voyded and deferryd the wrytyng of this boke wel onto a
fourth yer
or ellys mor, notwythstandyng the creatur cryed often on hym therfor. At the
last he
seyd onto hir that he cowd not redyn it, wherfor he wold not do it. He
wold not, he
seyd, put hym in perel therof. Than he cownseld hir to gon to a good man
whech had
ben mech conversawnt wyth hym that wrot fyrst the booke, supposyng that he
schuld
cun best rede the booke, for he had sum tym red letters of the other mannys
wrytyng
sent fro beyonden the see whyl he was in Dewchland. And so sche went to that
man,
preyng hym to wrytyn this booke and nevyr to bewreyn it as long as sche
leved,
grawntyng hym a grett summe of good for hys labowr. And this good man wrot
abowt
a leef, and yet it was lytyl to the purpose, for he cowd not wel fare
therwyth the boke
was so evel sett and so unresonably wretyn. Than the prest was vexyd in
his consciens,
for he had behestyd hyr to wrytyn this boke, yyf he mygth com to the redyng
therof,
and dede not hys part as wel as he mygth a do, and preyd this creatur to
getyn ageyn
the booke yf sche myth goodly. Than sche gat ageyn the book and browt it to
the
preste wyth rygth glad cher, preyng hym to do hys good wyl, and sche
schuld prey to
God for hym and purchasyn hym grace to reden it and wrytyn it also. The preste,
trustyng in hire prayers, began to redyn this booke, and it was mych mor esy,
as hym
thowt, than it was beforntym. And so he red it ovyr beforn this creatur every
word,
sche sumtym helpyng where ony difficulté was. (lines 72-99 1st
text/scribe @ Grace)
And so at the last a preste was sor mevyd
for to wrytin this tretys (line 125 2nd text/ proem)
The prest whech wrot this
boke for to prevyn this creaturys
felyngys many tymes
and dyvers tymes he askyd hir qwestyons and demawndys of thyngys that wer
for to
komyn, unsekyr and uncerteyn as that tyme to any creatur what schuld be the
ende,
preyng hir, thei sche wer loth and not wylly to do swech thyngys, for to prey
to God
therfor and wetyn, whan owyr Lord wold visiten hir wyth devocyon, what schuld
be
the ende, and trewly wythowtyn any feynyng tellyn hym how sche felt, and
ellys wold
he not gladlych a wretyn the boke. And so this creatur, sumdel for
drede that he wold
ellys not a folwyd hir entent for to wryten this boke, compellyd, dede as
he preyd hir
and telde hym hir felyngys what schuld befallyn in swech materys as he askyd
hir yyf
hir felyngys wer trewth. And thus he prevyd hem for very trewth. And yet he
wold not
alwey gevyn credens to hir wordys, and that hyndryd hym in this maner
that folwyth.
It befel on a tyme that ther cam a yong man to this prest, whech yong man the
preste
nevyr sey beforn, compleynyng to the preste of poverté and disese whech he
was
fallyn in be infortunyté, expleyntyng the cawse of infortunyté, seying also
he had
takyn holy orderys for to be a preste. For a lytil hastynes, hymself
defendyng as he
mygth not chesyn les than he wold a be ded thorw pursute of hys enmys, he
smet a
man or ellys tweyn, wherthorw, as he seyde, wer ded or ellys lyche for to be
ded. And
so he was fallyn into irregularité and mygth not executyn hys orderys
wythowtyn
dispensacyon of the cowrt of Rome,
and for this cawse he fled fro hys frendys and
durst not comyn in hys contré for drede to be takyn for her deth. The
forseyd preste,
gevyng credens to the yong mannys wordys, inasmech as he was an amyabyl
persone,
fayr feturyd, wel faveryd in cher and in cuntenawns, sad in hys langage and
dalyawns,
prestly in hys gestur and vestur, havyng compassyon of hys disese, purposyng
to
getyn hym frendys into hys relevyng and comfort, went to a worshepful
burgeys in
Lenn, a meyrs pere and a mercyful man, whech lay in gret seknes and long tyme
had
don, compleynyng to hym and to hys wyfe, a ful good woman, of the myschef of
this
yong man, trustyng to have fayr almes as he oftyntyme had for other that he
askyd for.
It happyd the creatur of whom this boke is wretyn to ben ther present and
herd how the
preste compleyned for the yong man and how the preste preysed hym. And
sche was
sor mevyd in hir spiryt ageyns that yong man, and seyd thei haddyn many powyr
neybowrys whech thei knewyn wel anow hadyn gret nede to ben holpyn and
relevyd,
and it was mor almes to helpyn hem that thei knewyn wel for wel dysposyd
folke and
her owyn neybowrys than other strawngerys whech thei knew not, for many
spekyn
and schewyn ful fayr owtward to the sygth of the pepyl, God knowyth what thei
arn in
her sowlys. The good man and hys wyfe thowtyn that sche seyd rygth wel, and
therfor
thei woldyn grawntyn hym non almes. At that tyme the preste was evyl plesyd
wyth
this creatur, and, whan he mett wyth hir alone, he rehersyd how sche had
lettyd hym
that he mygth non almes getyn for the yong man whech was a wel dysposyd man
as
hym thowt and commendyd mech hys governawns. The creatur seyd, "Sere,
God
knowyth what hys governawns is, for, that I wot of, I sey hym nevyr and yet I
have
undyrstondyng what hys governawns schuld be, and therfor, ser, yf ye wyl do
be my
cownsel and aftyr that I fele, latyth hym chesyn and helpyn hymselfe as wel
as he can
and medyl ye not wyth hym, for he schal dysceyve yow at the last." The
yong man
resortyd alwey to the preste, flateryng hym and seyng that he hath good
frendys in
other placys whech schuld helpyn hym yyf thei wysten wher he wer, and that in
schort
tyme, and also thei woldyn thankyn tho personys that had supportyd hym in hys
dysese.
The preste, trustyng it schuld be as this yong man teld hym, lent hym sylver
wyth
good wyl to helpyn hym wyth. The yong man preyed the preste to have hym
excused
if he sey hym not of too days er thre, for he schuld gon a lytyl wey and
comyn ageyn
in schort tyme and bryng hym agen hys sylver rygth wel and trewly. The
preste,
havyng confidens in hys promysse, was wel content, grawntyng hym good lofe
and
leve unto the day whech he had promysed to come ageyn. Whan he was gon, the
forseyde creatur havyng undyrstondyng be felyng in hir sowle as owyr Lord
wold
schewyn that he was an untrewe man and no mor wold come ageyn, sche for to
preve
whethyr hir felyng was trewe or fals askyd the preste whethyr the yong man
was that
he had preysed so mech. The preste seyd he walkyd a lytil way and trustyd
that he
wold come ageyn. Sche seyd sche supposyd that he wold no mor se hym, ne no
mor
he dede nevyr aftyr. And than he repentyd hym that he had not don aftyr hir
cownsel.
In schort tyme aftyr this was passyd, comyth another fals schrewe, an elde
man, to the
same preste and proferyd hym a portose, a good lytyl boke, for to selle. The
preste
went to the forseyd creatur, preying hir to preye for hym and wetyn whedyr
God
wolde he schulde by the boke er not, and, whyl sche preyd, he cheryd the man
as wel
as he cowde, and sythen he cam ageyn to this creatur and askyd how sche felt.
"Syr,"
sche seyth, "byith no boke of hym, for he is not to trustyn upon, and
that schal ye wel
knowyn yyf ye medyl wyth hym." Than the preste preyde the man that he
mygt se this
boke. The man seyde he hath it not upon hym. The preste askyd how he cam
therby.
He seyd he was executor to a preste whech was of hys kynred, and he chargyd
hym to
sellyn it and dysposyn it for hym. "Fadyr," seyde the preste
becawse of reverens,
"why profyr ye me this boke rathar than other men or other prestys whan ther
arn
many mo thryftyare, richare prestys in this cherch than I am, and I wel
wot ye had
nevyr no knowlach of me before this tyme?" "Forsothe, syr," he
seyde, "no mor I had,
nevyrtheles I have good wyl wyth yowr persone, and also it was hys wyl that
awt it
befor that, yef I knew any yong preste that me thowt sad and wel dysposyd,
that he
schuld han this boke before any other man and for lesse prys than any other
man that
he myt prey for hym. And these cawsys mevyn me to come to yow rather than to
another man." The preste askyd wher was hys dwellyng. "Ser,"
he seyde, "but fyve
myle fro this place in Penteney Abbey." "Ther have I
ben," seyd the preste, "and I
have not sey yow." "No ser," seyd he ageyn, "I have be
ther but lytyl whyle and now
have I ther a lyvery, thankyd be God." The preste preyd hym that he
mygth have a
sygth of the boke and lokyn yf thei mygth acordyn. He seyde, "Sere, I
hope to be her
ageyn the next woke and bryng it wyth me and, ser, I behote yow ye schal have
it
before any other man yyf yow lyke it." The preste thankyd hym for
hys good wyl, and
so they partyd asundyr, but the man wold nevyr comyn at the preste aftyr, and
than the
preste knew wel that the forseyd creaturys felyng was trewe. (entirety of Ch.
24)
Than the preste whech
aftyrward wrot this boke went to the creatur of whom this tretys makyth
mencyon, as
he had don beforn in the tyme of ple, and askyd hir how sche felt in hir
sowle in this
mater whethyr thei schuld have a funte in the chapel or nowt.
"Syr," seyd the creatur,
"drede ye not, for I undyrstond in my sowle, thow thei woldyn geve a
buschel of
nobelys, thei schuld not have it." "A modyr," seyd the
preste, "my Lord of Norwych
hath proferyd it hem wyth certeyn condycyons, and thei have a tyme of
avysement for
to sey nay or ya whethyr thei wyl, and therfor I am aferd thei wyl not deny
it but be ryt
glad to have it." (1365-1373, Ch. 25)
Whan this booke was first in wrytyng, the sayd
creatur was mor at hom in hir
chambre wyth hir writer and seyd fewer bedys
for sped of wrytyng than sche had don
yerys beforn. And, whan sche cam to chirche and schulde heryn messe, purposyng to
seyn hir mateyns and swech other devocyons as sche
had usyd afor tyme, hir hert was
drawyn awey fro the seying and set mech on meditacyon. Sche beyng aferd of
displesawns of owr Lord, he seyd to hir sowle, "Drede the not, dowtyr,
for as many
bedys as thu woldist seyin I accepte hem as thow thu seydist hem, and thi
stody that
thu stodiist for to do writyn the grace that I have schewyd to the plesith
me ryght
meche and he that writith bothe. For, thow ye wer in the chirche and wept
bothyn
togedyr as sore as evyr thu dedist, yet schulde ye not plesyn me mor than
ye don wyth
yowr writyng, for dowtyr, be this boke many a man schal be turnyd to me and
belevyn
therin. (88)
*speaks of the German who wrote it down first
Also, whil the forseyd creatur was ocupiid abowte the writyng
of this tretys, sche
had many holy teerys and wepingys, and oftyntymys ther cam a flawme of fyer abowte
hir brest ful hoot and delectabyl, and also he that was hir writer cowde
not sumtyme
kepyn hymself fro wepyng. (89)
*not sure which this refers to, but most likely
"hir writer" - not referred to as "prest"
Her endith this tretys, for God
toke hym to hys mercy that wrot the copy of this boke, and, thow that
he wrot not
clerly ne opynly to owr maner of spekyng, he in hys maner of wrytyng and
spellyng
mad trewe sentens the whech, thorw the help of God and of hirselfe that had
al this
tretys in felyng and werkyng, is trewly drawyn owt of the copy into this
lityl boke. (89)
*speaks of the German who wrote it down first
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, he held it expedient to
honowr of the
blisful Trinité that hys holy werkys schulde be
notifyid and declaryd to the pepil, whan
it plesyd hym, to the worschip of hys holy name. And than he gan to writyn
in the yer
of owr Lord 1438 in the fest of Seynt Vital Martyr
sweche grace as owr Lord wrowt in
hys sympyl creatur yerys that sche levyd aftyr, not alle but summe of hem, aftyr
hyr
owyn tunge. (Book 2, Ch 1)
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