[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 y ^e 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 y ^e here fastynge brede & water / & yf y ^u saydeste euery day a thousande pater nr̄. thou sholde not please me so well as thou dost whan y ^u 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 y ^e best lyfe. And tho that gyuen moche almesse / they wolde that it were holden the best lyfe. And I haue often tolde y ^e dou­ghter / that thynkȳge / wepynge / & hye cōtemplacyon is y ^e 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 w ^t 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 / y ^u woldest neuer do other thȳge but loue me with all thy herte.

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

¶ Doughter I haue suffred many paynes for thy loue / therfore y ^u 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 y ^u 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 y ^t was so vnkynde a creature to hym. And than w ^t 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 y ^u arte good ne neuer may be thoughe I wolde. for y ^u arte so good y ^t y ^u mayst no better be & therfore it is gret wonder y ^t 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 w ^t 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 y ^t creature was for her vnkyndnes ayenst god. Than wolde she wepe for her owne synne. & for compassyon of that creature.

¶ In noo thynge that y ^u doost or sayest doughter y ^u mayst noo better please god / than beleue that he lo­ueth the. For yf it were possyble y ^t I myght wepe w ^t the. I wolde wepe with the for the compassyon y ^t 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 y ^t she myght not kysse y ^e 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 y ^u 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 y ^t 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 y ^u 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 y ^e 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 y ^t it sholde delyuer them out of synne / & be as gracyous to them as I was to Mary maudeleyne / y ^t they myght haue as moche grace to loue me as Mary maudeleyne had / & with this condycōn y ^u woldest y ^t eueryche of them sholde haue .xx. li. a ye­re to loue & prayse me / & doughter this grete charyte whiche y ^u hast to them in thy prayer pleaseth me ryght well / And doughter also I thanke the for y ^e charyte whiche y ^u hast in thy prayer whan y ^u prayest for all Iewes & sarasyns / & al hethen people y ^t they sholde come to crysten fayth / y ^t my name myght be magnyfyed in them Furthermore doughter I thanke the for general charyte y ^t y ^u hast to al people that be now in this worlde / & to al tho that. are to come vnto the worldes ende / y ^t thou woldest be hacked as smalle as flesshe to the potte for theyr loue / soo y ^t 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 y ^u were pleased therby / & no mānes soule hyndred / thy wyll be fulfylled and not myne.

¶ Doughters as oftentymes as y ^u 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 y ^u were w ^t thy bodely presence / both to thy selfe & to al the y ^t thou wylt gyue to.

¶ The same pardon y ^t was graūted the afore ty­me. it was confermed on saynt Nycolas daye / y ^t is to say / playne remyssyon / & it is not only graūted to y ^e / but also to all tho y ^t beleue / & to all tho y ^t shall beleue vnto the worldes ende / that god loueth y ^e / & 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 y ^t they haue done & wyll do due penaunce therefore / they shall haue the same pardon y ^t is graūted to thy selfe. & y ^t is all y ^e pardon y ^t is in Ierlm / as was graūted y ^e whan y ^u 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 y ^t 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 y ^e. for now y ^u hast y ^e ryght way to heuen / By this way came I & all my dyscyples / for now y ^u shalt know y ^e better what sorowe & shame I suffred for thy loue / & y ^u shalte haue the more compassyon whan thou thynkest on my passyon.

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

¶ Our lorde sayd to her ayen / nay nay doughter / for y ^t I loue best y ^t they loue not / & y ^t is shames / re­preues / scornes / & despytes of y ^e people / & therfore they shall not haue this grace / for doughter he that dredeth y ^e 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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