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The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester

By Henry Bradshaw. Englisht. A.D. 1513, printed by Pynson A.D. 1521, and now re-edited by Carl Horstmann
Bradshaw, Henry

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Here begynneth the holy lyfe and history of saynt werburge / very frutefull for all christen people to rede.
  
The Prologe of .J. T. in the honour & laude of saint Werburge / and to the prayse of þe translatour of the legende folowynge.
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Here foloweth the lyfe of the gloryous virgyn saynt werburge / also many miracles that god hath shewed for her. / & fyrst the prologe of the auctour.
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[Whan Phebus had ronne his cours in sagittari]
collapse sectionI. 
[BOOK I.]
 i. 
The prologe of the translatour of this lytell werke, þe lyfe of saynt Werburge. [Ca. i.]
 ii. 
A descrypcyon of the realme of Mercyens / of bondes and commodytes of the same. [Ca. ii]
 iii. 
A descrypcyon of the Geanalogy of saynt Werburge, and how she descended of foure kynges of this lande / & of the royall blode of Fraunce. [Ca.iii.]
 iiii. 
A descrypcyon of the actes & chyualry of kynge Penda, graundfather to saynt Werburge / & of his noble and vertuous yssue and progenye. Ca. .iiii.
 v. 
How after dethe of Penda & his sone, prynce Peada, his seconde sone Vulfer / father to saynt Werburge, was electe to be kynge of all the Mercyens. Ca. v.
 vi. 
A lytell descrypcyon of the noble maryage bytwene Kynge Vulfer & saynt Ermenylde, ye kynges doughter of Kent / & of the solempnyte done at þe same season. Ca. vi.
 vii. 
A breue declaracyon of the holy lyfe and conuersacyon of saynt Werburge / vsed in her tender youthe / aboue the comyn cours of nature. Ca. vii.
 viii. 
How this yonge vyrgyn saynt Werburge was desyred of dukes & erles in maryage / and of the answere she gaue to them / in auoydynge worldly pleasures. Ca. viii.
 ix. 
How þe false Werbode desyred kynge Vulfer to haue Werburge, his doughter, in maryage. And how ye kynge graunted therto. Ca. ix.
 x. 
How the quene saynt Ermenylde wolde not consente therto / & how her bretherne saynt Wulfade and Ruffyn were agaynst the sayd maryage. Ca. x.
 xi. 
How the false Werbode complayned vpon Vulfade and Ruffyn to kynge Vulfare by malyce and enuy / and was the cause of theyr dethe. Ca. xi.
 xii. 
How kynge Vulfer was conuerted & toke great repentaunce for his offences. And by the counseyll of saynt Ceade was a deuoute man / and a good benefactour to holy chyrche / and a founder of dyuers holy places relygyous. Ca. xii.
 xiii. 
Of the feruent desyre & great deuocyon yt saynt Werburge hadde to be relygyous / & of þe dayly supplycacyons she made to the kynge, her father, for the same. Ca. xiii.
 xiiii. 
Of the meke answere saynt Werburge gaue to her father whan she was moeued to maryage. Ca. xiiii.
 xv. 
How saynt Werburge was made a moynes after her desyre at the monastery of Ely vnder saynt Audry / lady and abbesse. Ca. xv.
 xvi. 
Of the great solempnyte kynge Vulfer made at the ghostly maryage of saynt Werburge his doughter / to al his louers / cosyns / and frendes. Ca. xvi.
 xvii. 
Of the holy professyon & ghostly conuersacyon saynt Werburge vsed at Ely in relygyon / vnder saynt Audry her abbesse and cosyn. Ca. xvii.
 xviii. 
A lytell treatyse of the lyfe of saynt Audry, abbesse of Ely / and of her holy couersacyon and great deuocyon / vnder whome saynt Werburge was made nonne / and professed. Ca. xviii.
 xix. 
A breue rehersal of þe lyfe of saynt Sexburge / graundmother to saynt Werburge. And of her comynge to Ely to her syster Audry from Shepay monastery. Ca. xix.
 xx. 
How saynt Ermenylde after the dethe of kynge Vulfer, her husbande, was made a nonne at Ely / vnder her mother saynt Sexburge abbesse / and Werburge her deuoute doughter. Ca. xx.
 xxi. 
How kynge Ethelrede, seynge the holy conuersacyon of Werburge, his nece / made her lady and abbesse at Wedon / Trentam / and Hambury. And by her counseyll and exsample was made monke at Bardeney abbay. Ca. xxi.
 xxii. 
The holy conuersacyon of kynge Kenred, brother to saynt Werburge / & how he refused his crowne / and was made monke at Rome / & ther departed a holy confessour. Ca. xxii.
 xxiii. 
Of þe feruent & ghostly deuocyon of saynt Werburge / & vertuous governaunce of her places / & of þe great humilite she vsed to her sisters / & al other creatures. Ca. xxiii.
 xxiiii. 
How at Wedon wylde gees were pynned by her commaundyment / & also releshed & put at lyberte. Ca. xxiiii.
 xxv. 
How a tyraunt without pyte punyshynge an Innocent was punyshed / & after made hole. Ca. xxv.
 xxvi. 
How dyuers prynces folowynge sensualyte, intendynge to violate this vyrgyn bi power / bi myracle were put to confusyon. Ca. xxvi.
 xxvii. 
How saynt Werburge gaue knowlege to her systers of her departure, & how she ordered in vertue her sayd monasteryes afore her dethe. Ca. xxvii.
 xxviii. 
Of þe ghostli exortacyon saynt Werburge made to her systers in her sekenesse / and how deuoutely she receyued þe sacramentes of holy chyrche byfore her deth. Ca. xxviii.
 xxix. 
Of the departure of saynt Werburge vnto heuen at the abbay of Trentam / fro this myserable lyfe / & what lamentacyon her systers made for her dethe. Ca. xxix.
 xxx. 
How the hamburgenses toke the blessed body of Werburge frome Trentam by myracle & brought it to Hambury / & of þe buryall of werburge / & of manyfolde myracles shewed for her merytes .ix. yere after her translacyon. Ca. xxx.
 xxxi. 
A litle breue rehersall of her lyfe / and howe for her myracles shewed þe couent of Hambury purposed to translate her body / by the helpe of Mercyens. Ca. xxxi.
 xxxii. 
Of the solempne translacion of this glorious virgyn saynt Werburge / and of the great myracles done at the sayd season by the myght of god and merite of this gracious lady. Cap. xxxii.
 xxxiii. 
Howe the body of saynt Werburge contynued hole / and substanciall at Hambury after the translacion by the space of two hundreth yeres / tyll the danes were comon to this lande / or it felle and was resolued vnto powder. The .xxxiii. Chapitre.
 II. 
[BOOK II.]
  
A balade to the auctour.
  
An other balade.
  
An other balade to saynt werburge.

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previous section Of the feruent desyre & great deuocyon yt saynt Werburge hadde to be relygyous / & of þe dayly supplycacyons she made to the kynge, her father, for the same. Ca. xiii. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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Of the feruent desyre & great deuocyon yt saynt Werburge hadde to be relygyous / & of þe dayly supplycacyons she made to the kynge, her father, for the same. Ca. xiii.

191

As this myghty prynces / encreased in age,
So dayly encresed / her good condycyons,
That greatly enioyed / her honorable lynage
Consyderynge in her / suche vertuous dysposycyons;
In vygyls / prayers / and ghostly medytacyons
Set all her mynde / power / myght / and mayne,
To serue our sauyour / day and nyght, certayne.

192

She well consydered / with due dyscrecyon
Of this present lyfe / the great wretchydnesse,
How dredefull it is / full of varyacyon,
Deceuable / peryllous / and of no sykernesse;
The tyme vncertayne / to be knowen, doubtlesse;
For here is no cytee / nor sure dwellynge place,
All thynge is transytory / in short proces and space.
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193

Wherfore this vyrgyn / gladde and benyuolent,
Folowynge the counseyll / of blessed Mathewe,
Was on of fyue vyrgyns / euer redy present,
Had her lampe replete / with oyle full of vertue,
Redy for to mete / her spouse, swete Ihesu,
With charytable werkes / in her soule contynuall—
Therfore she was taken / to his blys eternall.

194

She well consydered / the wordes of the gospell
‘Who refuses pleasures / and naturall generacyon
For the loue of Ihesu / rewarded shalbe well
With a hundreth-folde grace / here for theyr guerdon,
And after this lyfe / haue eterne fruycyon’:
Whiche she remembred / and euer fro that day
On her father wolde call / and mekely to hym say:

195

‘Reuerent myghty prynce / and lorde honorable,
Moost dere byloued father / my synguler helpe & socour,
My trust / tresure / and solace / to me moost amyable,
Instauntly I beseche you / for loue of our sauyoure
And of his mother mary / of vyrgyns the floure,
With all the company / that in heuen be,
My humble petycyon / now graunt it vnto me.

196

‘Well-byloued father / this is my fully mynde,
My instaunte desyre / and humble supplycacyon:
By the grace of god / maker of all mankynde,
And by your lysence / helpe / and tuycyon
I purpose to enter / into holy relygyon
And vtterly refuse / all pleasures transytory,
To be professed / at the house of Ely.’

197

‘O my dere doughter’ / sayd this noble kynge,
‘My pleasure / solace / and hope of my gladnesse,
Moost dere byloued / and my synguler swete derlynge,
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I well consyder / your vertue and sadnesse,
your instaunt request / and humble gentylnesse,
And of your desyre / inwardly I am gladde;
But yet your mocyon / makes my herte full sadde.

198

‘All my ioye and conforte / now resteth in the,
Syth thy dere bretherne / from vs ben agone;
Thou arte the trusty treasure / to thy mother and me,
Our synguler solace / and sure consolacyon.
Wherfore, swete derlynge / as for my heyre alone
I wolde the mary / and a quene the make,
If thou wyll consent / and my counseyll take.

199

‘Consyder and beholde / thrugh all this lande,
Take the a maryage / at thyne owne pleasure,
A prynce moost valyaunt / moost noble to be founde:
And of helpe and ayde / I shall the assure,
With ryches / royalte / welthe / and tresure,
Clothes of golde / and royall ryche apparell
And all thynges necessary / as man can of tell.

200

‘Remembre also / how after course of kynde
Aege dothe sore greue / thy moder and me also.
Therfore naturall loue (swete chylde) dothe me bynde
To gyue the best counseyll / what thou shall do,
To honour and worshyp / how thou may come to:
Whiche great renowne / and hye astate, certayne,
To se the a quene / wyll make vs yonge agayne.

201

‘God ordeyned matrymony / fyrst in Paradyse
Bytwene man & woman / whan he the worlde dyd make,
That mankynde myght encrese / multyply, and ryse,
Eche persone at pleasure / a spouse for them to take;
Now ioyned by holy chyrche / all other to forsake,
The chylde of the father / to take his dyscyplyne,
And after that to teche / his yssue theyr doctryne.
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202

‘Also man and beest / haue dysposycyon naturall
To brynge forth theyr lykenesse / by generacyon;
But man, hauynge reason / and fre wyll with-all,
As lawe requyreth / hath his procreacyon
Vnder true matrymony / by his owne eleccyon,
Orels to obserue / and lyue in pure vyrgynyte,
For the greater meryte / and rewarde of glorye.

203

‘And yf all maydens / shulde kepe theyr chastyte
As ye now do / how shulde the worlde encrese?
Swete louely creature / ryght ioyfull wolde I be
To kysse a chylde of thyne / hauynge thy lykenesse,
And se the also coronate / as a myghty pryncesse!
Enclyne, dere derlynge / thy mynde to myne entent,
And all these sayd honours / wyll folowe consequent.’
previous section Of the feruent desyre & great deuocyon yt saynt Werburge hadde to be relygyous / & of þe dayly supplycacyons she made to the kynge, her father, for the same. Ca. xiii. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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