The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester :: :: University of Virginia Library

This noble prynces / the doughter of Syon,
The floure of vertu / and vyrgyn gloryous,
Blessed saynt Werburge / full of deuocyon,
Descended by auncetry / and tytle famous

Of foure myghty kynges / noble and vyctoryous,
Reynynge in this lande / by true successyon,
As her lyfe hystoryall / maketh declaracyon.

39

The yere of our lorde / frome the natyuyte
Fyue hundreth .xiiii. and also .iiii. score,
Whan Austyn was sende / frome saynt Gregorye
To conuert this regyon / vnto our sauyoure,
The noble kynge Cryda / than reygned with honoure
Vpon the mercyens / whiche kynge was father
Vnto kynge Wybba / and Quadriburge, his syster.

40

This Wybba gate Penda / kynge of mercyens;
Whiche Penda subdued / fyue kynges of this regyon,
Reygny[n]ge thyrty yere / in worshyp and reuerens,
Was grauntfather to Werburge / by lynyall successyon.
By his quene Kyneswith / had a noble generacyon,
Fyue valeant prynces / Peada, and kynge Wulfer /
Kynge Ethelred / saint Marceyl / saint marwalde in-fere;

41

And two holy doughters / blessed and vertuous:
Saynt Keneburge / and saynt Keneswyde the vyrgyn—
Whiche ladyes were buryed / full memorous
At peturborowe abbay / and now there lyen in shryne.
The sayd kynge Ethelrede / by sufferaunce deuyne
Had a prynce Cochede / whiche after reygned kynge,
That translated Werburge / the .x. yere of her buryenge.

42

Saynt Merwalde specyfyed / vncle to saint Werburge,
By his quene saint Ermenberge, a princes doughter of kent,
Gate .iii. holy vyrgyns / saint myldred, & saint mylburge,
Saynt Mylgyde the thyrde / of vertu equypolent;
With a sone Mereum / whiche frome the holy sacrament
Of baptym was taken / by myracle expresse
To the blys of heuen / to reygne there endelesse.

43

The seconde sone of Penda / we meane kynge Wulfere,
A noble valyant prynce / by lynyall dyscent
Reygnynge vpon the Mercyens with royalte & power,
Maryed saynt Ermenylde / þe kynges doughter of kent;
Where[by] throughe the grace of god omnypotent
He had fayre yssue / saynt Werburge / saynt Kenrede,
Saynt wulfade / saynt Ruffyn / in story as we rede.

Regnum Northumbrorum / ex parte matris.

44

The seconde realme of whom saynt Werburge dyd descende,
Was of saynt Edwyn / kynge of Northumberlande;
Whiche maryed Quadryburge / his ryghtes to defende,
Doughter of Cryda / kynge of Merslande.
Bytwene them descended / as we vnderstande,
Two comly prynces / the fyrst we call Eadfryde,
The seconde sone, in batayle slayne, was named Offryde.

45

Kyng Eadfryde gate Hereryc, yt was kynge of Deiram.
This Hereryc by Beorswyde, his quene fayre & fre,
Had saynt Hylde, the abbesse / saynt Bede sayth ye same,
Lady, also foundresse / of the abbay of Whytbye.
This sayd kynge Hereryc / had another lady,
The quene of eest-Englande / saynt Heryswith she hyght,
Mother to saynt Sexburge / & thre other ladies bryght.

46

This holy Sexburge / full of grace and goodnes,
Was maryed to Ercombert / a noble kynge of Kent.
Bytwyx them descended / a precyous ryches:
The blessyd Ermenylde / humble and pacyent;
Whiche for her vertue / was maryed full excellent
To Wulfer, kynge of Merciens / with great solempnyte,
And mother was to werburge / a swete floure of chastite.

Regnum Estanglorum / ex parte matris.

47

The thyrde noble kyngedome / of her parentage
Was the realme of eest-England / whylom in great degre.
Tytylus, kynge of the same / vyctoryous and sage,
Gate Redwald his fyrst sone / a chrysten prynce was he.
This Redwalde had .ii. sones / flourynge in chyualrye:
The fyrst was Kenuherus / a noble man of fame,
The seconde Eorpwaldus / called by his name.

48

This foresayd kynge Tytylus / had a seconde sone,
Called Egnicius / accepted as a martyre.
Whiche sayd Egnicius / by lynyall progressyon
Had .iii. noble prynces / that worthy euer were:
The fyrst was called Ethelwod / þe seconde Adelhere,
The thyrde was saynt Anna / a kynge moost vertuous
In batayle slayne vnryghtfully / now a martyr gloryous.

49

This forsayd kynge Anna / maryed, as we rede,
The holy prynces Hereswith / for loue and amyte.
They had a noble yssue / to encrease theyr mede:
The blessed Sexburge / saynt Audry of Elye,
Saynt Ethelburge the thyrd— / in Bryges now lyeth she—
Saynt Withburge the .iiii., ye martyr saynt Iurwyne,
And Aldulph, after kynge / whiche regned a longe tyme.

50

The lady saynt Sexburge / eldest of them all,
A gracyous matrone / endurynge all her lyfe,
Was maryed to Ercombert / þe kynge of Kent royall.
They brought fourth a progeny / noble to dyscryue:
The blessed Ermenylde / vertuous mayd and wyfe:
Whiche lady was mother / by grace of god almyght
Vnto blessed Werburge / our confort and our lyght.

Regnum Cancie et Francie / ex parte matris.

51

The .iiii. myghti kyngdome / of whom this royal princes
Saynt Werburge descended / was the realme of kent;
Where reygned fyrst Hengystus / by vyctory & prowes,
Whiche was the fourth man / by lygnage euydent
Procedynge fro Woden / a prynce full prepotent,
Of whom our progenytours / Angles / Iutes / & Saxons,
Lynyally succeded / kynges of dyuers nacyons.

52

This foresayd prynce Woden / as dyuers auctours sayne,
Was the .xv. fro Noe / by naturall progressyon,
Of his eldest sone Sem / descendynge playne,
In saxons tongue Geaf / after ryte and custome,
Not of the lygne of Iaphet / by theyr opynyon.
Retourne we to Hengyst / and to his successoures
And speke of theyr royalte / to please the audytoures.

53

Ermenrycus, kynge of kent / reygned with great power
The yere of our sauyoure / fyue hundreth fyue & thyrte,
Vnto whome Engystus was great-graundfather.
This sayd kynge Ermenryc / had yssue fayre and fre:
A doughter called Ricula / which maried was to sledde,
Of Estsex and Mydylsex / gouernoure and kynge;
Of whom a myghty kynred / by proces was comynge.

54

This Ermenryc gate Ethelbryct full vertuous,
Whiche kynge reygned in kent / the yere of our sauyour
Fyue hundreth fyue & fyfty / & baptysed was gracyous
By blessyd bysshop Austyn / of Englande called doctour;
He was fyrst crysten kynge / & pryncypall protectour
Of the fayth within this lande / and founder was also
Of dyuers holy places / and monasteryes both-tow.

55

This sayd kynge Ethelbryc / for the great habundaunce
Of ryches and honour / was maryed solemply

To the prynces Berta / the kynges doughter of Fraunce.
And of them proceded a vertuous progeny:
Eadburg & Ethelburg saintes— / whiche Ethelburg, truly,
By Edwyne, kyng of North / had .iiii. princes honorable,
And .iii. holy doughters / gracyous and commendable.

56

Also kynge Ethelbryct / had to his successoure
Kynge Eadbalde / in Kent reygnynge a longe space;
He maryed lady Emma / of fraunce the chosen floure,
And by her had yssue / saynt Enswyde full of grace,
Also prynce Ermenred, his seconde sone / whiche wace
Maryed to quene Oslaua: / of them dyd procede
Two holy martyrs / Ethelbryct and Etheldrede.

57

This prynce Ermenred / had .iiii. ladyes bryght,
Lyke the .iiii. floodes of Paradyse / shynynge in vertu:
The eldest of the systers / saynt Ermenberge hyght,
The seconde saynt Ermenburge / the spouses of Ihesu,
The thyrde saynt Adeldryde / all vyces dyd subdu,
The .iiii. saynt Ermengyde / sayth theyr lyues hystoryall;
Thre of them holy vyrgyns / the fourth matrone we call.

58

This foresayd Eadbalde / a souerayne myghty kynge,
By Emma of Fraunce / had to his enherytoure
The noble kynge Ercumbert / full gracyous in lyuynge;
Whiche maryed Sexburge / with worshyp & honoure,
The kynges doughter of eest-England specyfyed afore.
This prynce loued vertue / prayer and deuocyon,
Commaundynge all his realme / to kepe þe fast of Lenton.

59

Ercombert .xxx. yere / regnynge in his regaly
Had a noble progeny / in grace and all goodnes:
His prynce hyght Egbryct / his seconde sone Lothary;
Whiche prynce reygned but ten yere / kynge expresse,
Lothary succeded hym / raynynge .xii. yeres doubtlesse.

Also he had two doughters / saynt Ermenylde þe quene,
The other hyght saynt Erkengode / a moynes serene.

60

This lady Ermenylde / was maryed royally
To the aforesayd Vulfer / kynge of Mercyens;
Bytwene them descended / full gracyously
A noble Margaryte / of hye magnyfycens,
A roose of Paradyse / full of prehemynens:
Moost blessed Werburge / the gemme of holynes,
Our synguler suffrage / and sterre of our clerenes.