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

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 thynkest 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 the 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 thynke 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 the here fastynge brede & water / & yf thou saydeste euery day a thousande pater nr̄. thou sholde not please me so well as thou dost whan thou art in scylence / & suffrest me to speke in thy soule

¶ Doughter for to byd many bedes / it is good to 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 penaunce . they wolde that it shold be holde the beste lyf / And they that gyue them to many deuocyons / they wolde haue that the best lyfe . And tho that gyuen moche almesse / they wolde that it were holden the best lyfe . And I haue often tolde the doughter / that thynkynge / wepynge / & hye contemplacyon is the 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 with 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 / thou woldest neuer do other thynge but loue me with all thy herte .

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

¶ Doughter I haue suffred many paynes for thy loue / therfore thou 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 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 thou 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 that was so vnkynde a creature to hym . And than with grete wepynge she asked our lorde Ihu how she myghte beste please him . & 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 thou arte good ne neuer may be thoughe I wolde . for thou arte so good that thou mayst no better be & therfore it is gret wonder that euer ony man sholde be departed fro the without ende .

¶ Whan she sawe the crucyfyxe / or yf she sawe a man had a wounde or a best . Or yf a man bete a childe afore her / or smote an hors / or an other beste with a whype / yf she myght se it or here it . she thought she sawe our lorde beten or wounded 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 yf she sawe ony creature be punysshed / or sharpely chastysed / she wolde thynke that she had ben more worthy to be chastysed than that creature was for her vnkyndnes ayenst god . Than wolde she wepe for her owne synne . & for compassyon of that creature .

¶ In noo thynge that thou doost or sayest doughter thou mayst noo better please god / than beleue that he loueth the. For yf it were possyble that I myght wepe with the. I wolde wepe with the for the compassyon that 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 woundes apperynge on hym . Soo she wepte as yf she had seen our lorde Ihesu with his woundes bledynge : & 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 sorowynge that she myght not kysse the 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 thou haste desyred in thy mynde to haue many preestes in the towne of lyn / that myght synge & rede nyght and day for to serue me / worshyp me / & prayse me / and thanke me for the goodnes that I have do to the in erth / & therfore doughter I promyse the thou shalt haue mede & rewarde in heuen for the good wylles & good desyres / as yf thou haddest done them in dede .

¶ Doughter thou 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 the same with thy bodely wyttes without forth .

¶ And doughter I thanke the / for the charyte that thou haste to all lecherous men & wymmen / for thou prayest for them & wepest for them many atere desyrynge that it sholde delyuer them out of synne / & be as gracyous to them as I was to Mary maudeleyne / that they myght haue as moche grace to loue me as Mary maudeleyne had / & with this condycyon thou woldest that eueryche of them sholde haue .xx. li. a yere to loue & prayse me / & doughter this grete charyte whiche thou hast to them in thy prayer pleaseth me ryght well / And doughter also I thanke the for the charyte whiche thou hast in thy prayer whan thou prayest for all Iewes & sarasyns / & al hethen people that they sholde come to crysten fayth / that my name myght be magnyfyed in them Furthermore doughter I thanke the for general charyte that thou hast to al people that be now in this worlde / & to al tho that . are to come vnto the worldes ende / that thou woldest be hacked as smalle as flesshe to the potte for theyr loue / soo that I wolde by thy deth saue them all fro dampnacyon yf it pleased me . And therfore doughter / for all these 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 thou were pleased therby / & no mannes soule hyndred / thy wyll be fulfylled and not myne .

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

¶ The same pardon that was graunted the afore tyme . it was confermed on saynt Nycolas daye / that is to say / playne remyssyon / & it is not only graunted to the / but also to all tho that beleue / & to all tho that shall beleue vnto the worldes ende / that god loueth the / & 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 that they haue done & wyll do due penaunce therefore / they shall haue the same pardon that is graunted to thy selfe . & that is all the pardon that is in Ierlm / as was graunted the whan thou were at Rafnys .

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

¶ Pacyence is more worthe than myracles doyng

¶ Doughter it is more plesure to me that thou suffre despytes / scornes / shames / & repreues / wronges / 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 thee . for now thou hast the ryght way to heuen / By this way came I & all my dyscyples / for now thou shalt know the better what sorowe & shame I suffred for thy loue / & thou shalte haue the more compassyon whan thou thynkest on my passyon .

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

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