Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Kempe Pizan
Kempe Pizan
Kempe/Pizan Project
Ladies, which contains a chapter about Margery Kempe. The manuscript is typical of
Pizan’s work, as it falls within the bounds of her style and values. By embellishing the
virtues and victimization of Kempe’s character, as well as omitting her faults, the author
of this chapter has ensured Kempe’s position as a member of the City. In fact, this story
falls into Pizan’s section about the Lady Justice, which discusses women of high religious
fortitude; this seems fitting. Whereas Reason relates to women of superior intellect, and
Rectitude to those of great strength and action, Justice is the allegorical lady to whom
women of remarkable faith are connected. As one can see in Kempe’s story, especially in
Pizan’s apparent version, Kempe’s greatest work comes from the example she sets with
her public confessions of Christ and commitment to his words. With this agenda in mind,
Of Margery Kempe
Lady Justice continued speaking of the ladies building the tower, and wished to
describe to me, Christine, a record of another such lady. She said, “The lady Margery
Kempe married and consummated, and her womb grew full. She then began to see
demons all round her, and it caused her great agony. Christ appeared to her and she used
her faith to ward off the demons. She began to live chastely, and begged her husband to
honor the good request. So she focused on living a life of piety, by wearing a hair shirt
and abstaining from meats. An anchorite in Lynn, as was God’s will, was taken as her
confessor.
“Many visions and meditations took Margery to speak with Christ, including a
visit to care for a young Virgin Mary and to see the births of John the Baptist and the
Holy Son. Because of her great faith, she was also allowed to bear witness to the Three
Kings, and to travel with the Virgin’s family to Egypt. At a different time, the Virgin
visited Margery and told her that she and her family will find seats at the table in Heaven.
Margery was also used as an example of God’s grace. When a stone in the cathedral of St.
Margaret fell on Margery’s head, she was left unscathed, to display the protection that she
“She then wished to strengthen her spirit further by traveling to blessed grounds.
Her husband agreed to travel with her, as well as to maintain a chaste marriage. While on
her travels, she was sent by Christ to visit several religious sites, including an abbey that
held a sinful monk. Margery told the monk about his sins, and gave him hope for
repentance, which he made. The power of Christ in her life was so powerful that she
would weep loudly while sitting at Mass. She wished to sacrifice herself and be a martyr,
and Christ told her that her willingness to do so made her as righteous as if she had
actually done so. He then commanded her to visit the holy cities of Rome, Jerusalem, and
Santiago de Compostela. She pursued this endeavor, and even sought permission to travel
there from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Like her dealings with other members of the
church, Christ influenced the Archbishop to give her support. Throughout her travels,
Margery encouraged many to engage in holy acts, such as the giving of alms to the
church and the poor. Her faith was so great that she could be considered of the same
chastity as a consecrated virgin. In this way, she spiritually saved herself for a time to be
a bride of Christ.
“Unfortunately, she often was accompanied by those less pious than she. As she
would speak of the holiness of the Gospel and the influence it had over her, others would
frequently grow envious of her piety. Many times, Margery was persecuted for her faith;
“When she finally journeyed to Jerusalem, Margery found herself spiritually and
emotionally bound to the holy ground beneath her feet. Encountering the sites of both
Christ’s death and resurrection, she wept tears of grief and joy, reflecting on the gifts that
she had been given from her Heavenly Father. She also bore witness to several other
places of great significance, including the birthplace of John the Baptist and the grave of
“Margery then moved on to Rome. Despite finding room at the Hospital of St.
Canterbury, she was removed because of the harsh and misinformed words of a local
priest. However, she carried on with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. She soon found that
St. John the Evangelist had been sent by Christ to be her confessor, and this gave her
encouragement. After spending time spreading the message of Christ and the stories of
her blessed visions, Margery came to live in poverty, as a means of sacrifice and penance.
This was not a result of her spending all her wealth, but rather extending it to the poor
and the needy. In this fashion, she came upon several more individuals who enjoyed her
company and testament. She also enjoyed their exhortations, including those spoken by
Latin and German speakers. The language barrier was not one which stopped her from
finding encouragement; rather, she extracted great joy from simply being in the presence
“Margery eventually left Rome to return home and meet her husband. During this
time, she faced obstacles such as storms and disease, but through faith she persevered.
She soon traveled through Leicester, where several men in the church wished to question
and even persecute her for faith. Although they were controlled by the evil in their hearts,
the men were not able to put down Margery’s spirits; and through the power of God,
some hearts were turned to allow her safe passage. A similar situation occurred when she
arrived in York, and several men wished not to take communion with her. Again, God
ensured that she would be able to partake in His body. Eventually, she arrived back in
London to receive yet another blessing and dispensation from the Archbishop, before
returning home. While in Lynn, God blessed Margery by sending a new priest; one who
was moved by His Spirit and Margery’s words. Unfortunately, others at the church still
wished to exercise their evil hearts by persecuting her further. Christ often returned to
encourage and guide her. As time went on, then, her fellow disciples came to understand
the strong emotional ties she had with the Spirit. Her tears during sermons were allowed
and admired. Margery became a pillar of her church, caring for the sick and the needy,
including her own injured husband. During this time, her meditation on Christ grew
“The final test of her faith came when her husband and sons died, and made one
last journey with her daughter-in-law. This travel was not only one which ensured the
girl’s physical safety, but also one which influenced her spiritual life. Spending time with
the faithful Margery showed her the way in which Christ could be the most important
factor in her life, and the girl was grateful. Soon after, she returned home to live out the
rest of her days in peace, preaching and caring for other faithful servants of Christ.”
One can see that the emphasis on Kempe’s faith in this chapter is fitting to her
positioning in the towers of the City of Ladies. Still, one must wonder why this chapter
has not appeared in other versions of the book. By and large, the style and format fits
Pizan’s works, but smaller details are not entirely fitting. Despite the omission of any of
Kempe’s faults, for instance, the chapter still spends quite a bit of time discussing the
suffering she endures. Although Pizan does mention the victimization of her ladies as a
means to polish their images, she does not focus as much as this chapter does. If Pizan
had truly written this chapter, it would have provided more details on Kempe’s good