Margery Kempe: Medieval Woman and Unconventional Mystic

Margery Kempe was, like many of her female contemporaries, unique in that she deviated from the strict doctrines of organized religion and made her voice heard in writing in an era of strict male-dominance. However, she was different even from her predecessors, such as Julian of Norwich, Birgitta of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena, in that over the entirety of her spiritual life she never presented her teachings and unique beliefs through the official outlet of any branch of the church, choosing instead to remain an individual, free agent of God. While her unconventional style of communicating with God and her fellow sinners has caused some historians to doubt her credibility, there is no doubt that it has secured her place as one of the most influential and controversial figures of medieval mysticism.

Born in 1373 to a wealthy family, Margery led a conventional secular life for many years. Her father, John Burnham, was a wealthy and influential citizen, five times the mayor of the town of Lynn (Atkinson 15). Born into such a family, Margery enjoyed the benefits of privileged life, and her personality and lifestyle reflected her upper class upbringing; she was known in Lynn for her ostentatious style of dress and her extravagant spending. In about 1393, Margery was married to John Kempe, also a prominent citizen of Lynn, and soon after their marriage, Margery became pregnant with her first child.

The childbirth was traumatic and difficult, and fearing she would die, Margery sent for a confessor in the hopes of confessing to him a secret sin (which she never did disclose). However, the priest was impatient and short with her, and she was unable to confess. The strain of the attempted confession and the trauma of the childbirth were too much; Margery went mad, explaining that "for the dread she had of damnation on the one side, and his [the confessor's] sharp reproving of her on the other side, this creature went out of her mind and was wondrously vexed and laboured with spirits for half a year, eight weeks and odd days" (Kempe 1). She became so violent and unreasonable that she had to be confined to a pantry, whereupon she bit through the veins in her wrists and had to be restrained to protect herself and others. Finally, her madness subsided when she had a vision. In the vision, Jesus appeared before her, asking, "Daughter, why hast thou forsaken me, and I never forsook you?" (Kempe 2). This was the first of the myriad visions she would come to experience over the course of her spiritual life, and it was the turning point that led down the path to mystical conversion.

The effects of the vision were immediate; Margery instantly regained her sanity and her senses, and was able to go about her life in Lynn. However, she suffered a seeming relapse into her old, superficial way of life. She retained her vain and extravagant ways and was often known to boast of her family's wealth. She even tried her hand at entrepreneurship, opening a brewery in Lynn. Her business enjoyed some degree of success, becoming briefly the largest brewery in Lynn, but after three or four years foundered entirely. In her second attempt at business, she became a miller. However, this venture, too, soon failed. Taken aback and humbled by these failures, and taking them as a sign of Christ's rebuke for her desire for worldly goods, Margery continued along her path of spiritual reform begun by her first vision of Christ. She underwent a radical transformation in her lifestyle, and entered into the period of penitence that was to define the remainder of her life.

Her second experience with the divine, and the turning point of Margery's life that ultimately led her to traverse the path of mysticism came in the form of a heavenly melody:

"On a night, as this creature lay in her bed with her husband, she heard a sound of melody so sweet and delectable, that she thought she had been in Paradise, and therewith she started out of her bed and said: -

"Alas, that ever I did sin! It is full merry in Heaven" (Kempe 5).

This melody was the catalyst for her metamorphosis, and marked the end of her old way of life, and the beginning of the lifestyle of penitence that she was to follow until her death. It was common in medieval mystical experience for one to experience heavenly music; however, Margery is unique in that her conversion was precipitated solely by the melody, without any accompanying speech or appearance by a divine figure.

Subsequent to hearing the heavenly melody, Margery's lifestyle underwent radical changes; she began a strict regimen of purgation, wearing a haircloth, fasting, and seeking to be observe a strict policy of celibacy. Also, she began to exhibit what was to become possibly her most defining characteristic: frequent and intense weeping and sobbing . According to Margery, this was caused by the occurrence of the melody; she wept out of longing for the bliss of Heaven that the music had partially revealed to her: "This melody was so sweet that it surpassed all melody that might be heard and caused her to have full plenteous and abundant tears of high devotion, with great sobbings and sighings after the bliss of Heaven Ever after this inspiration, she had in her mind the mirth and the melody that was in Heaven" (Kempe 5).

The occurrence of this weeping was not restrained to mere reminiscence of the melody, but was frequent and often seemingly inexplicable, occurring many times throughout the day. Frequently, Margery would weep when reminded of the Passion, when she saw images of Christ, the Virgin, or the crucifix, and even upon simply hearing any form of music or mirth, as it reminded her of that pivotal melody. Margery even went so far as to weep violently upon encountering attractive men, as they reminded her of Jesus.

Unsurprisingly, Margery's noticeable and frequent weeping attracted attention among her peers in Lynn. Many accused her of hypocrisy, believing that she wept merely to draw attention to herself and to make an overt display of her piety. Still others went so far as to suggest that she was a victim of demonic possession, though fortunately for her, such accusations never resulted in any negative legal repercussions. However, her tears did make her unpopular, and at times she would question their purpose, asking God why he had given her such a noticeable and awkward characteristic. It was at these times that Margery would often be graced with further visions and communication with divine figures, including Jesus, the Virgin, and the saints.

In her book, Margery states that God explained to her that she was "ordained to be a mirror;" through her weeping, she hoped to instill in others some sense of the gravity of their own sins, thereby causing them to repent and weep as well. In her visions, God granted her much power and responsibility, telling her, "I have ordained thee to kneel before the Trinity, to pray for all the world, for many hundred thousand souls will be saved by thy prayers." Further encouragement and affirmation of the power and importance of her tears stemmed from yet another vision of God, in which He addressed her unique gift in lofty terms, stating that "there is no sinful man living on earth that, if he will forsake his sins and live after thy counsel, such grace as thou promisest him, I will confirm for thy love."

While Margery's holy tears were one of her most defining characteristics, she was by no means their inventor. Historically, there existed considerable support and precedence for the value of tears in the medieval Christian tradition. John Cassian, monk and ascetic writer at the turn of the 5th century, defined compunction as a necessary part of effective prayer. The Benedictine Rule also established the relationship of tears and prayer, stating that "God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words." However, "tears of compunction" existed generally in the more organized sphere of organized religion. The fact that Margery made such tears a continual penitence for her sins in everyday life makes them unique from the concept of any preexisting institution for holy tears.

Another of the major changes made in her transition to a life of penitence was to become celibate. However, for a married woman living in the turn of the 15th century, celibacy was one show of piety that was not easy to maintain; there existed a legal right to intercourse within the bonds of marriage, supported by canonical law. Celibacy required the consent of both spouses, something which John Kempe was unwilling to give. He was alacritous in his unwillingness; over the course of her marriage, Margery bore fourteen children in all. While she cites instances in her book in which she was able to pray to God to take away her husband's desire for her, in the end it was through financial means that Margery was able to stem her husband's physical urges and enter the life of complete celibacy and penitence she desired. Upon the death of her father, she inherited a substantial sum of money. She was able to use her inheritance as a bargaining chip with her husband, offering to pay his debts (also substantial) in return for his vow of chastity. He agreed, and taking advantage of her newfound physical and economic liberty, Margery embarked upon her first pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage is another defining aspect of Margery Kempe, and an additional trait that sets her apart from her female contemporaries. Margery's freedom to move about the world stands in sharp contrast with Julian of Norwich's complete seclusion and immobility in an anchorage, and emphasizes her uniqueness. Margery cannot simply be defined as a mystic, as pilgrimage was a huge part of her doctrine and her distinctive approach to spiritual life. Anthropologist Victor W. Turner explained it best when he postulated that "if mysticism is an interior pilgrimage, pilgrimage is exteriorized mysticism." In Margery Kempe's life, the two are inseparable; she cannot be defined solely as a mystic or pilgrim. She went on a physical journey to expand her own experience with the sacred, or in her own words, "to visit those places where our Lord was quick and dead" (Kempe 17). Much of her unique approach to her spirituality arose from her experiences along her pilgrimages. It was on her first pilgrimage to Jerusalem that she acquired on of her most defining traits: her continual weeping.

However, her pilgrimages were not easy ones; she encountered a multitude of hardships along her journeys, ranging from dangerous oversea passages to outright hostility from her fellow pilgrims (mostly incited by her habitual and irritating weeping). She was arrested more than once, and was actually chased from shrine of St. Thomas Beckett, due to her boisterous weeping. In Rome, she was forced to live on the streets, plagued by vermin, after being ejected from the Hospital of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and she was frequently abandoned by her fellow pilgrims on the road.

Despite her hardships, Margery was benefited greatly from her experiences along her pilgrimages. Early in her first pilgrimage, Margery visited the nearby town of Norwich to speak with her fellow female mystic, Julian of Norwich. The two spoke at some length; Margery reported staying and visiting with Julian at her cell for two days. From these conversations with the esteemed holy woman, Margery drew inspiration and a heightened sense of assurance in her own message and abilities. Julian reassured Margery that her tears truly were a gift from God, stating that "when God visiteth a creature with tears of contrition, devotion, and compassion, he may and ought to believe that the holy ghost is in his soul." Further evidence of Julian's support for the institution of holy tears comes from her own book, The Shewings of Julian of Norwich, in the following passage:

"This weping meneth not al in poryng out of tears by our bodily, but also to more gostly underdstondyng. For the kindly desire of our soule is so gret and so onmesurable, that if it were goven us to our solace and to our comfort al the noblyth that ever God made in Hevyn and in erth, and we saw not the fair blissfull chere of Hymselfe, yet we should not stinten of moning ne of gostly weping, that is to sey, of peynfull longing till whan we sen verily the faire blisfull chere of our Maker."

In essence, this passage states that if one were to attain a glimpse of the bliss of Heaven and the glory of God, one would not cease weeping for the longing of it until one was able to ascend to Heaven and see "verily the faire blisfull chere" that awaits. This ideology is one with which Margery could readily identify, as the source of her weeping was the sound of a melody from Heaven, and ever after hearing it, she wept for the longing she felt for Paradise.

Aside from the reassurance and affirmation found in speaking with Julian of Norwich, Margery also received encouragement from divine sources along her pilgrimage. For instance, upon visiting St. Jerome's tomb in Rome, she experienced a vision in which the saint appeared and told her, "Blessed art thou, daughter, in the weeping that thou weepest for the peoples' sins, for many shall be saved thereby. And daughter, dread thee nothing, for it is a singular and special gift that God hath given thee - a well of tears which man shall never take from thee."

The vision of St. Jerome gave rise to one of Margery's most unique traits: the idea of a well of tears. The concept of a well of tears is a fairly apt metaphor to describe Margery's outlook on her faith. It is unique from other medieval conceptions of the sources of Holy Tears, typically a fountain or river of tears which washes away sin but does not accumulate. In contrast to these more typical metaphors, Margery's well reflects her own unique personality and concept of God. Her God acted similarly to a banker or merchant prince (Atkinson). Margery herself possessed a well of tears which she could which she could draw to absolve herself and others of sins, like a treasury that contained salvation; the tears were her capital. Reminding God that her own sins had been forgiven, she suggested to Him that her tears might be used to absolve the sins of others. In her book, she expressed the wish that she could "give the people contrition and weeping, as well as I could give a penny out of my purse." This particular outlook on penitence and conceptualization of God as a banker is perhaps indicative of Margery's own background as a wealthy and prominent citizen of Lynn, and her lifestyle prior to her conversion.

Margery Kempe, while unconventional and controversial in her unusual ascent to mysticism, is without doubt a noteworthy member of the canon of medieval mystics. Though she didn't amass a significant following or public record of her works, she still attained notice, both historically and in the world in which she lived, making her, if not the most famed, the most unique and unusual of all her female mystical contemporaries.

Works Cited

Atkinson, Clarissa W. Mystic and Pilgrim: The Book and the World of Margery Kempe.

Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1983.

Collis, Louise. Memoirs of a Medieval Woman:The Life and Times of Margery

Kempe. New York:Thomas Y. Crowell Company,1964.

Crampton, Georgia Ronan. The Shewings of Julian of Norwich.

Kalamazoo, Michigan:Medieval Institute Publications, 1994.

A Crying Mystic. 2000.

http://mw.mcmaster.ca/scriptorium/kempe.html

Goucher. The Boke of Margery Kempe and the Book of Showings of Julian of Norwich 2005.http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/Margery%20Kempe%20and%20Julian%2 0of%20Norwich.html

Holloway, Julia Bolton. The Mystic's Internet.

http://www.umilta.net/mystics.html#MargeryKempe

Kane, Julia. Margery Kempe. 15 Dec. 2005.

.

Kempe, Margery. The Book of Margery Kempe.

Ed. B.A. Windeatt. NY: Penguin. 1985.

Nelson, Lynn Harry. Margery Kempe (1373- post 1438).

Raguin, Virginia. Mapping Margery Kempe. 25 Sept. 2003.

http://www.holycross.edu/departments/visarts/projects/kempe/text/main.htm