Mary Rich, Countess of Warwick, and the Gift of Tears

Anselment examines Mary Rich's, Countess of Warwick, gift of tear, as an understanding of her distinctive expression of 17th century piety, part of the 'practice of piety' that one study of early modern women considers 'an all-encompassing lifestyle.' Her 1300 folios of diar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Seventeenth century Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 336 - 357
Main Author ANSELMENT, RAYMOND A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Durham Taylor & Francis Group 01.09.2007
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
17th century
Body fluids
Nobility
Rich, Mary
Spirituality
Traditions
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Summary:Anselment examines Mary Rich's, Countess of Warwick, gift of tear, as an understanding of her distinctive expression of 17th century piety, part of the 'practice of piety' that one study of early modern women considers 'an all-encompassing lifestyle.' Her 1300 folios of diary, that she began in writing in 1666 until her death in Apr 1678, is her contribution to the tradition of saintly weeping long associated not only with holiness but with striving to be worthy of being among the beloved of God. Besides the tears of wordly sorrow quite common in 17th century diaries and remembrances, she wept the tears of godly sorrow, tears of devotion that fulfilled in pious practice spiritual precepts.
ISSN:0268-117X
2050-4616
DOI:10.1080/0268117X.2007.10555598