6 fest of Seynt Vital Martyr, April 28.
12 usyng marchawndyse, using merchandise, in the sense of being employed in trading goods.
27-28 hys face wex . . . a lepyr, his face grew full of pimples and pustules as if it had been a leper's.
36 as sche had mad no fors, since she would make no concession.
37 whan he sey non other bote, when he saw no other remedy.
52 Pruce in Dewchelonde, Prussia in Germany.
61 nevyr purposyng to passyn the see whil sche levyd, never intending to cross the sea while she lived.
66 vanyté, vanity; daggys, long pointed ends along the hems of tunics or gowns; see chapter 2.
72 for dred of symulacyon, for fear of (his) simulation (of the appearance of virtue).
84 to certifyin hir, to notify her.
113 conseyte, plan; eldmodyr, stepmother.
119 schrevyn, shriven, confessed.
140 jurné, journey; Lenton, Lent.
159 Walsyngham, Walsingham, one of the most important pilgrim sites in England.
186 that awt . . . wyth hir, who ought most to have been with her.
203-04 Passyon Weke, Passion Week, the week beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter.
208 cowde, knew; chefsyawns, protection, relief.
215 bannyd, reproached; wariid, cursed.
219 lesse than thu the sonar, unless you soon.
274 Wilsnak, Wilsnack in Brandenberg, Germany.
282 heeke, a small boat containing hatches.
283 myth sche han . . . of that lond, she could not get leave to go out of that land. In 1433 there were uneasy trade relations between England and Prussia that had an impact on shipping and, inevitably, upon English travellers in Prussia.
285 heerys of Pruce, Teutonic knights.
288 prevyly, secretly; apertly, openly.
297 Strawissownd, Stralsund in Pomerania, Germany.
298 ryth wretyn, written correctly.
305-06 for ther was . . . tho cuntreys, for there was open war between the English and those countries. Kempe refers here to the hostilities over trade during the 1430s.
316 the yrkar, the more irked.
323 arayd, dressed; fyten, fight.
329 dysewsyd of, unused to; three scor yer of age, i.e., sixty years old.
330 cotidianly, quotidianly, daily; pase, pace; fryke, vigorous; lusty, eager.
331 it lukkyd hem, they happened; ostage, hostel.
347 Akunward, Aachen in Prussia; waynys, carts.
353-54 Frer Menowrys, Franciscans.
354 thrist, thirst; bodyn, bade.
359 utas, octave; Corpus Cristi, the Feast of Corpus Christi, which occurs on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.
367 Sawter, Psalter, the Psalms.
367-68 "Qui seminant . . . and flebant", allusion to verses from Psalm 126:5-6: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
374 utas of, octave of (festive week after).
377 proferyd, offered; wolde, wished.
388 ther sche was at oste, where she was at hostel.
389 sterte, tail (?), probably a reference to continental jokes about the English having tails; perhaps a derogatory and salacious word for an Englishwoman.
406 dedyn of her, took off their.
407 pykyd hem, picked them (for lice); abydyn hem, abide with them.
409 was abavyd, was afraid, embarrassed.
416 owr Ladys smokke, the smock Mary wore at Christ's birth, one of Aachen's four important relics.
417 Seynt Margaretys Day, July 20; it lukkyd, it happened.
429-30 yf sche myth . . . yerne as thei, if she could endure going as quickly as they.
431 lettyng, loitering, hindering.
446 alle in fer, all in company.
453 softly, easily; beyng evyl for thryst, craving drink.
467 latyn hir payn, let her pay.
469-70 sche had mad forward, she had made an agreement.
489 hast, haste; drowyn ther, drew where.
491-92 an hep of brakys, a heap of ferns.
494 thei made aseth, they made compensation.
497 ful febyl herberwe, not many hostels.
501-02 Therfor sche . . . no nyth les, Therefore she went to bed gladly (easily) no night unless.
508 as sche myth ateyn, as she was able.
514 abydyng schepyng, awaiting shipping.
518 speryd and spyid, inquired and espied.
528-29 preservyn hir fro . . . in her presens, save her from sea-sickness in their presence.
531 her alderys mervelyng, all marvelling at her.
540 unsperd and unbotenyd, unfastened and unbuttoned.
548 clad in a . . . sekkyn gelle, clad in a cloth of canvas like a garment made of sack.
551 chefsyawns, financial transaction, borrowing.
552 bar a kerche befor hir face, bore a handkerchief before her face, i.e., to disguise herself until she had proper clothing.
553 Mar. Kempe of Lynne, only here does Kempe sign her book.
566 divers of fyschys, different varieties of fish.
567-68 "A, thu fals flesch . . . han thi wille", A, you false flesh, you would now eat red herring (eat the lesser fish as a sign of false humility), but you shall not have your will.
583 jangelyd, gossiped, talked idly.
587 leevyng of gret metys, leaving coarse meats.
595 aseeth makyng, making satisfaction; ageyn, against.
596 swerars, swearers; bannars, cursers.
611 Lammes Day, Lammas Day, August 1, the feast of Saint Peter in Chains, a day on which rents were traditionally collected, a day associated with the agricultural harvest, and a day that commemorated Peter's freedom from his prison chains and thus our liberation from sin. In addition, the pope had set aside the day for special pardon for pilgrims who honored St. Bridget by visiting the abbey.
612 Schene, the Carthusian monastery at Shene, founded by Henry V in 1415; Kempe's reference, however, is to Mount Syon, the Brigettine abbey at Isleworth, where the Lammas Day pardon was a special indulgence.
638-39 to the seward, seaward.
652 aqwityn, acquit, pay back.
654 her botherys, both of their.
656 obediencer, a person who vows obedience to some person, office, or rule.
664 ympne, hymn; "Veni creator spiritus", "Come Holy Spirit," the pentecostal hymn.
666 Pentecost Day, the festival that occurs on the seventh Sunday after Easter and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit; induyn, endue, endow.
681 inseare, one who sees into.
686 lyvys er dedys, alive or dead; her, here; eyne, eyes.
712 partabyl of, able to share in.
728 titharys, tithers; vowtererys, adulterers.
756 fres and salt, fresh and salt; cheselys, pebbles.
757 gresys, grasses; kyrnellys, kernels.
758 fedir, feather; er her, or hair.
773 leef, dear; der, precious.
782 Mary Egipcyan, St. Mary of Egypt, the third-century prostitute who, in grieving for her sins, lived forty years as a desert saint; Seynt Awstyn, Saint Augustine of Hippo.
790 Lazer, Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, whom Jesus raised from the dead.
795 Gramercy, lit., Grant mercy.
801 Salthows, the name of the man who
copied the manuscript, probably in the mid-fifteenth century.
Secundus liber
46 correpcyon. p has been written over an original c.
185 in. MS: in in, with the first in expuncted.
226 we. we is written in red on top of the original me. sorw. sorw is written above perel, which is expuncted.
258 therfor. for is written on the line below ther.
276 ther. up expuncted and crossed through after ther.
379 han. j crossed out after han.
387 whom sche myth. MS: whom sche sche myth with second sche crossed out in red. rest on. MS: reston.
412 Akun. Written on the line below comyn to.
424 of. MS: of of, with the second of crossed out in red.
528 and. MS: &&, with the first & crossed through in red.
569 And swech . . . a seyd. These words are crossed through in red.
588 sche. t crossed through after sche.
594 thei. Not in MS. Meech's emendation.
628 the. e is written in superscript; th is added in red.
642 Lynne. so crossed through after Lynne.
644 ful. ful is written in superscript between answeryng and schortly.
658-59 The second part of the Book ends nine lines into the first leaf of folio 120. The final words, "worschepyd be God, " are closed by a period and followed by "Amen." On the same line in red ink is another "Amen." The remainder of the page has been left blank. The scribe began the prayers on the verso side of folio 120, using a large capital T ("Thys" . . .), suggesting that the prayers are a separate section of the manuscript.
676 spechys. c written over an original h.
689 fro. MS: fro fro, with first fro crossed out in red.
709 mercy. s crossed through after mercy.
715 the. MS: hym crossed through in red; the is written above in red.
719-20 And as thu hast spred thi mercy to hem that arn in erthe. The syntax is faulty here. Meech suggests that the sentence may originally have been something like this: And as thu hast spred thi mercy [to hem that arn in Heuyn, so spred thi mercy] to hem that arn in erthe (p. 250).
754 many. he and more letters are destroyed at the end of the line following many.
755 wythowtyn. ow is partially destroyed; tyn is completely destroyed; in the second wythowtyn, tyn is completely destroyed.
756 cheselys. y is partially destroyed; s is completely destroyed.
758 of1. man is expuncted after of.
778 fadrys. dr partially destroyed.
779 and. and completely destroyed.
780 in yow alle. alle is completely destroyed.
781 hast. h is completely destroyed; a is partially destroyed.
801 Jhesu mercy quod Salthows. This
scribal thanksgiving is centered and written on the bottom of the last
leaf.