Here begynneth a shorte treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our lorde Jhesu cryste, or taken out of the boke of Margerie kempe of lyn[n].

Here begynneth a shorte treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our lorde Jhesu cryste, or taken out of the boke of Margerie kempe of lyn[n].

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[Page]¶ Here begynneth a shorte treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our lorde Jhesu cryste / or taken out of the boke of Margerie kempe of lyn̄.

She desyred many tymes that her hede myght be smyten of with an axe vpon a blocke for the loue of our lorde Ihesu. Thenne sayd oure lorde Ihesu in her mynde. I thanke the doughter that thou woldest dye for my loue / for as often as thou thȳkest so thou shalt staue the same mede in heuen / as yf thou suffredest the same dethe / & yet there shall no man slee the.

¶ I assure ye in thy mynde / yf it were possyble me to suffre payne ageyne / as I haue done afore / me were leuer to suffre as moche payne as euer I dyde for thy soule alone / rather than thou sholdest departe fro me euerlastynge.

¶ Doughter thou mayst no better please god than to thȳke contynually in his loue. Than she asked our lorde Ihesu cryste / how she sholde best loue him

¶ And our lorde sayd / haue mynde of thy wyckednes and thynke on my goodnes.

¶ Doughter yf thou were the haberyon / or ye here fastynge brede & water / & yf yu saydeste euery day a thousande pater nr̄. thou sholde not please me so well as thou dost whan yu art in scylence / & suffrest me to speke in thy soule

¶ Doughter for to byd many bedes / it is good to [Page]them that cannot better do / & yet it is not profyte. But it is a good way towarde perfeccyon. For I tell the doughter / they that be grete fasters / & grete doers of penaūce. they wolde that it shold be holde the beste lyf / And they that gyue them to many deuocyons / they wolde haue that ye best lyfe. And tho that gyuen moche almesse / they wolde that it were holden the best lyfe. And I haue often tolde ye doughter / that thynkȳge / wepynge / & hye cōtemplacyon is ye best lyf in erthe / & thou shalt haue more meryte in heuen for one yere thynkynge in thy mynde than for an hondred yere of prayeng wt thy mouth & yet thou wylte not beleue me. for thou wylte byd many bedes.

¶ Doughter yf thou knewe how swete thy loue is to me / yu woldest neuer do other thȳge but loue me with all thy herte.

¶ Dought yf thou wylt be hye wt me in heuen kepe me alway in thy mynde as moche as yu mayst & forgete not me at thy mete / but thynke alway yt I fyt in thy herte & knowe euery thought yt is therin both good and badde.

¶ Doughter I haue suffred many paynes for thy loue / therfore yu hast gret cause to loue me ryght wel for I haue bought thy loue full dere.

¶ Dere lorde I praye the late me neuer haue other Ioye in erth but mournynge & wepynge for thy loue / for me thynketh lorde / though I were in hel / yf I myght wepe there & mourne for thy loue as I do[Page] here / hell sholde not noye me / but it sholde be a maner heuen / for thy loue putteth away al maner of drede of our gostly enemye / for I had leuer be there as longe as yu woldest & please the / than to be in this worlde & dysplease the / therfore good lorde as thou wylte so mote it be.

¶ She had grete wonder that our lorde wolde become man / & suffre so greuous paynes for her yt was so vnkynde a creature to hym. And than wt grete wepȳge she asked our lorde Ihū how she myghte beste please hȳ. & he answered to her soule saynge doughter haue mynde of thy wyckednes & thynke on my goodnes / than she prayed many tymes & often these wordes. Lorde for thy goodnes haue merci on my grete wyckednes / as certeynly as I was neuer so wycked as yu arte good ne neuer may be thoughe I wolde. for yu arte so good yt yu mayst no better be & therfore it is gret wonder yt euer ony man sholde be departed fro the without ende.

¶ Whan she sawe the crucyfyxe / or yf she sawe a man had a woūde or a best. Or yf a man bete a childe afore her / or smote an hors / or an other beste wt a whype / yf she myght se it or here it. she thought she sawe our lorde beten or woūded lyke as she sawe in the man or in the beste.

¶ The more she encreased in loue & in deuocyon / the more she encreased in sorowe & contrycyon / in lownesse & mekenesse / & in holy drede of our lorde Ihesu & in knowlege of her owne freylte. So that [Page]yf she sawe ony creature be punysshed / or sharpely chastysed / she wolde thynke that she had ben more worthy to be chastysed than yt creature was for her vnkyndnes ayenst god. Than wolde she wepe for her owne synne. & for compassyon of that creature.

¶ In noo thynge that yu doost or sayest doughter yu mayst noo better please god / than beleue that he loueth the. For yf it were possyble yt I myght wepe wt the. I wolde wepe with the for the compassyon yt I haue of the.

¶ Our mercyfull lorde Ihesu cryste drewe this creture vnto his loue / & to the mynde of his passyon / that myght not endure to beholde a lepre / or an other seke man / specyally yf he had ony woūdes apperynge on hym. Soo she wepte as yf she had seen our lorde Ihesu with his woundes bledȳge: & so she dyde in the syght of the soule / for thrugh the beholdynge of the seke man / her mynde was all rauysshed in to our lorde Ihesu / that she had grete mournynge and sorowȳge yt she myght not kysse ye lepre whan she met them in the way for the loue of our lorde whiche was all contrarye to her desposycyon in the yeres of her youthe & prosperyte / for than she abhorred them moost.

¶ Doughter yu haste desyred in thy mynde to haue many preestes in the towne of lyn̄ / that myght sȳ ge & rede nyght and day for to serue me / worshyp me / & prayse me / and thanke me for the goodnes yt I have do to the in erth / & therfore doughter I promyse[Page] the thou shalt haue mede & rewarde in heuen for the good wylles & good desyres / as yf thou haddest done them in dede.

¶ Doughter yu shalte haue as grete mede & as grete rewarde with me in heuen. for thy good seruyce & thy good dedes that thou haste do in thy mynde as yf thou haddest do ye same with thy bodely wyttes without forth.

¶ And doughter I thanke the / for the charyte that thou haste to all lecherous men & wȳmen / for thou prayest for them & wepest for them many atere desyrynge yt it sholde delyuer them out of synne / & be as gracyous to them as I was to Mary maudeleyne / yt they myght haue as moche grace to loue me as Mary maudeleyne had / & with this condycōn yu woldest yt eueryche of them sholde haue .xx. li. a yere to loue & prayse me / & doughter this grete charyte whiche yu hast to them in thy prayer pleaseth me ryght well / And doughter also I thanke the for ye charyte whiche yu hast in thy prayer whan yu prayest for all Iewes & sarasyns / & al hethen people yt they sholde come to crysten fayth / yt my name myght be magnyfyed in them Furthermore doughter I thanke the for general charyte yt yu hast to al people that be now in this worlde / & to al tho that. are to come vnto the worldes ende / yt thou woldest be hacked as smalle as flesshe to the potte for theyr loue / soo yt I wolde by thy deth saue them all fro dampnacōn yf it pleased me. And therfore doughter / for all these [Page]good wylles and desyres thou shalt haue ful mede & rewarde in heuen byleue it ryght wel & doute neuer a dele.

¶ She sayd good lorde I wolde be layde naked vpon an hurdel for thy loue al men to wonder on me & to cast fylth & dyrt on me: & be drawen fro town to towne euery day my lyfe tyme yf yu were pleased therby / & no mānes soule hyndred / thy wyll be fulfylled and not myne.

¶ Doughters as oftentymes as yu sayest or thȳkest worshypped be all the holy places in Iherusalem where cryst suffre bytter payne & passyon in thou shalt haue haue the same pardon as yf yu were wt thy bodely presence / both to thy selfe & to al the yt thou wylt gyue to.

¶ The same pardon yt was graūted the afore tyme. it was confermed on saynt Nycolas daye / yt is to say / playne remyssyon / & it is not only graūted to ye / but also to all tho yt beleue / & to all tho yt shall beleue vnto the worldes ende / that god loueth ye / & shall thanke god for the yf they wyl forsake theyr synne / & be in full wyll no more to tourne agayne therto. But be sorye & heuy for yt they haue done & wyll do due penaunce therefore / they shall haue the same pardon yt is graūted to thy selfe. & yt is all ye pardon yt is in Ierlm / as was graūted ye whan yu were at Rafnys.

¶ That day that she suffred noo trybulacyon for oure lordes sake she was not mery ne gladde / as[Page] that daye whan she suffred trybulacyon.

¶ Pacyence is more worthe than myracles doyng

¶ Doughter it is more plesure to me yt thou suffre despytes / scornes / shames / & repreues / wrōges / dyseases / than yf thyne hede were stryken thre tymes a day euery day in seuen yere.

¶ Lorde for thy grete payne haue mercy on my lytell payne.

¶ Whan she was in grete trouble / our lorde sayd / doughter I must nedes comforte ye. for now yu hast ye ryght way to heuen / By this way came I & all my dyscyples / for now yu shalt know ye better what sorowe & shame I suffred for thy loue / & yu shalte haue the more compassyon whan thou thynkest on my passyon.

¶ O my dere worthy lorde: these graces yu sholdest shewe to relygyous men & to prestes.

¶ Our lorde sayd to her ayen / nay nay doughter / for yt I loue best yt they loue not / & yt is shames / repreues / scornes / & despytes of ye people / & therfore they shall not haue this grace / for doughter he that dredeth ye shames of this worlde may not parfyghtly loue god.

¶ Here endeth a shorte treatyse called Margerie kempe de Lyn̄. Enprynted in Fletestrete by Wynkyn de worde.

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Information about this book

Title statement

Here begynneth a shorte treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our lorde Jhesu cryste, or taken out of the boke of Margerie kempe of lyn[n].

Kempe, Margery, b. ca. 1373.

Edition statement

1501

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Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A04792

ID [STC]

STC 14924

ID [STC]

ESTC S104749

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99840481

ID [PROQUEST]

99840481

ID [VID]

4992

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A04792)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 4992)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 81:09)

Source

— Here begynneth a shorte treatyse of contemplacyon taught by our lorde Jhesu cryste, or taken out of the boke of Margerie kempe of lyn[n]., Kempe, Margery, b. ca. 1373..

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[8] p.

[Enprynted in Fletestrete by Wynkyn de worde,. [London] :: [1501]]. (Caption title.) (Imprint from colophon; publication date from STC.) (Signatures: A⁴.) (Reproduction of the original in the Cambridge University Library.)

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