Richard Rolle
Richard Rolle was an influential English hermit and mystic who lived from the 1290s until 1349. Noted for his contemplative writings, Rolle composed works in both Latin and English, contributing significantly to late medieval literature. His major Latin texts, notably "Emendatio vitae" (The Meaning of Life) and "Incendium amoris" (The Fire of Love), were later translated into English, making them accessible to a broader audience. Rolle's English writings include meditations on Christ's life, a psalter commentary, lyrical poetry, and several prose selections, which reflect a compassionate tone compared to his earlier works.
Rolle served as the spiritual guide for a nun named Margaret Kirkby, whom he is believed to have helped through intercession, alleviating her seizures until his death. His writings emphasize the benefits of the contemplative life and the pursuit of closeness to God. After his passing, Rolle's grave became a site of pilgrimage, with reports of miraculous events, leading to preliminary steps toward his canonization, although he was never formally canonized. His influence persisted well into the Tudor period, shaping the works of later English writers with his thematic depth and stylistic techniques.
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Richard Rolle
Author
- Born: c. 1290
- Birthplace: England
- Died: 1349
Biography
Richard Rolle, a contemplative English hermit who lived from the 1290’s to 1349, composed in both Latin and English. His writings are among the most important of the late medieval period.
Rolle’s early pieces were primarily written in Latin. His two main works, Emendatio vitae (The Meaning of Life) and Incendium amoris (The Fire of Love), were translated into English by Richard Misyn in 1434 and 1435, and they have remained in circulation since then. The early Latin writing of Rolle had an influence on his English works, which continued their themes but substituted a caring tone for the judgmental tone of the Latin. His most popular works are his English compositions: two meditations on the life of Christ, a commentary of the psalter, seven individual lyrics, four short prose selections, and three epistles.
Rolle was the spiritual director of a cloistered nun, Margaret Kirkby. Kirkby is said to have received a cure from her seizures due to Rolle’s intercession. The author is believed to have written most, if not all, of his English writings for her edification. Rolle had promised Kirkby that she would be relieved of her seizures while he lived and she remained without pain until he died in 1349.
His writing demonstrates the advantages of the contemplative life and the factors that bring a soul closer to God. In his early life, Rolle was an astute child and good student. He excelled at academics, meriting the attention of the archdeacon of Durham, who enlisted the boy to study at Oxford. Although Rolle aspired to religious orders, he left Oxford before he completed a degree, thereby eliminating his chances of being ordained. He returned to the estate of his family’s overlord, John de Dalton, where his concern became the care of souls.
While living in seclusion, Rolle composed the body of his works. While it is believed that he translated a large portion of the Bible, it was only his translation of the book of Psalms that was ever found in publication. Eventually Rolle lived as a hermit in the village of Hampole, where he remained until his death. After his death, people visited his grave in hope of witnessing miracles, and the Catholic Church took the first steps toward canonizing Rolle, but he was never officially canonized. Rolle’s manuscripts as well as the later translations of his work show his influence on both the late medieval and early modern English writers. Tudor authors borrowed both his techniques and ideas. The themes and figurative language of his writing establishes Rolle as an influential mystic of the fourteenth century.