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

This blessed lady / and royall prynces,
Descendynge of noble / and hye parentage,
Was doughter to Vulfer / the legende dothe rehers,
Kynge of Mercelande / and of famous lynage,
Her mother Ermenylde / ioyned to hym in maryage;
They dwelled somtyme / a lytell frome Stone
At a place in Stafforde-shyre / amyddes his regyon.

99

They had bytwene them / other chyldren thre:
Vulfade and Ruffyn / martyrs full gloryous,
Synt Kenrede his prynce / of greate auctoryte,
Tumylate at Rome / a confessour gracyous.
The lyues of these thre / we wyll not now dyscus,
But speke of the ghostly / and meke conuersacyon
Of blessed Werburge / now at this season.

100

For as declareth / the true Passyonary,
A boke wherin / her holy lyfe wryten is—
Whiche boke remayneth / in Chester monastery—
I purpose by helpe / of Ihesu, kynge of blys,
In any wyse to reherse / any sentence amys,
But folowe the legende / and true hystory,
After an humble style / and from it lytell vary.

101

This blessed Werburge / from her natyuyte
Folowynge the counseyll / of her noble parentes,
Dysposed her selfe / euer to humylyte,
Obedyent to them / with all reuerens,
Loth to dysplease / or make any offens
Or dysquyet any reasonable creature—
Thus was her maner / in youthe, be ye sure.

102

Sadde and demure / of her countenaunce,
Stable in gesture / proued in euery place,
Sobre of her wordes / all vertu to auaunce,
Humble / meke / and mylde / replete with grace.
Many vertuous maners / in her founde there was,
And dyuers gyftes naturall / to her appropryate,
As was conuenyent / for so noble a state.

103

And as she encreased / moore and more in age,
A newe plant of goodnes / in her dayly dyd sprynge,
Great grace and vertue / were set in her ymage.
Wherof her father / had moche merueylynge;
Her mother mused / of this ghostly thynge:
To beholde so yonge / and tender a may
From vertu to vertu / to procede euery day.

104

No merueyll it is / who-so taketh hede
In naturall thynges / the dyuers operacyon.
Dothe not a royall rose / from a brere procede,
Passynge the stocke / with pleasaunt dylectacyon?
The swete ryuer passeth / by due probacyon
His heed and fountayne: / ryght so dothe she
Transcende her parentes / with great benygnyte.

105

And tho her bretherne / delyted for to here
For theyr soule-helthe / ghostly exortacyon,
yet she them passed / manyfolde more clere
In loue of our lorde / and meke conuersacyon.
And lyke as Phebus / in his heuenly regyon
Passed other stretes / shynynge moost pure,
So dothe this vyrgyn / aboue the cours of nature.

106

Lordes / dukes / barons / within the kynges hall
Merueyled on her maners / and constaunte sobrynes;
The plente of wysedome / and dyscrecyon withall

In so tender age / they neuer knewe expresse;
Her mynde so perfyte / auoydynge all ylnes;
But they knewe well / it pretended by all reasone
Synguler grace and goodnes / to her comynge soone,

107

Affyrmynge on this wyse / yf she wolde contynu
With suche vertuous maner / in yeres of hye dyscrecyon,
That she sholde do honour / by the grace of Ihesu
Vnto all her kynrede / and synguler consolacyon,
An ensample of vertu / and humylyacyon,
Theyr conforte / theyr tresure / and sterre full bryght,
And chefe lumynary / shynynge day and nyght.

108

Fyrst in the mornynge / to chyrche she wolde go,
Folowynge her mother / the quene, euery day,
With her boke and bedes / and departe not them fro,
Here all deuyne seruyce / and her deuocyons say
And to our blessed sauyour / mekely on knees pray,
Dayly hym desyrynge / for his endeles grace and pyte
To kepe her frome synne / and preserue her in chastyte.

109

Where youthe is dysposed / of naturall mocyon
To dysportes and pleasures / full of vanyte,
This mayde was euer / of sadde dysposycyon,
Constaunt and dyscrete / styll and womanle,
Gladde in her soule / to here speke of chastyte,
Clennes and sobrenes / and ioyfull for to here
Ghostly exortacyons / to her herte moost dere.