The Book of Margery Kempe Isolation Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Page)

Quote #10

Notwithstanding the grace that he showed for her, still, when the dangers were past, some people slandered her because she cried, and some said that our Lady never cried [...] Then she fled from people into the Prior's Chapel, so that she should give them no further occasion. (I.67.203)

Even though the people of Bishop's Lynn believe that Kempe has just saved their church from fire through her prayers, they still disrespect her. Slander in these days—as Kempe finds out many times—isn't simply a matter of having a bad reputation. It can mean accusation of heresy, which can lead to burning. So it's often a matter of safety, rather than emotional refuge, for Kempe to remove herself from a hot situation.

Quote #11

"And now Master Aleyn is barred from seeing me, and I from him. Sir Thomas Andrew and Sir John Amy have got benefices and are out of town. Master Robert scarcely dares speak to me. No I have in a way no comfort from either man or child." (I.69.208)

Because the townspeople have a love-hate relationship with Kempe, it's important for her to maintain her allies. But now she's at a low point in her life. The dissolution of her spiritual relationship with Master Aleyn is particularly awful for her—for both of them, if we can believe her story—and she finds that she has to make do with the friends in her soul (those would be Jesus, Mary, and the saints).