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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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Of the meke answere saynt Werburge gaue to her father whan she was moeued to maryage. Ca. xiiii.

204

The holi mayd / whan she knewe her fathers mynde,
Her soule was replete / with woo & pensyuenesse,
And sore began to wepe / after cours of kynde—
The salte teeres dystylled / for payne and heuynesse
By her ruddy chekes shynynge / full fayre, doubtelesse,
Pyteous to beholde. / but whan the foresayd mayde
Ceased of her sorowe / thus to hym she sayde:

205

‘Moost beest byloued father / nexte to god almyght,
your kynde gentyll mocyon / wolde moeue inwardely
The mynde of any creature / to folowe you ryght,
Or any stony stomake / to relent and apply,
And resolue eche harde herte / to waylynge dolefully,
Consyderynge on euery parte / with good dyscrecyon
To accepte or refuse / this harde eleccyon.
57

206

‘Father, I haue ben to you / meke and obedyent
Euer syth I had / yeres of dyscrecyon,
Gladde to obserue / your hye commaundyment
With loue interyor / and humble intencyon—
And so wyll contynue / with lowly submyssyon,
In this present lyfe / whyle I do endure;
Of my loue and prayer / euer ye shalbe sure.

207

‘But, moost louely father / I pray you hertfully
Take no dysplesure / pardon what I shall say.
My soule / my herte / and mynde / is set stydfastly
To serue my lorde god / nyght and also day,
Neuer to be maryed / by no maner of way:
For sothly I haue vowed / my true vyrgynyte
Vnto Ihesu / the seconde persone in trynyte.

208

‘That is my spouse / and blessed sauyour,
For whose loue refused / in certaynte haue I
All worldely pleasures / welth / ryches and honour,
With all voyde busynesse / and cures transytory;
My loue on hym is sette / so sure and feruently,
That nothynge shall separate / my hert hym fro,
Sekenes nor helthe / pleasure / peyne / ne wo.

209

‘Also my full entent / was neuer otherwyse
Than to be handmayde / to my lorde Ihesu
And of my soule and body / to make hym sacryfyce,
For my ghostly welthe / all vyces to subdue.
He is my dere spouse / solace / helthe moost true,
On hym is all my herte / and hase ben set alway,
And euer shalbe / vnto my endynge day.

210

‘In this wretched worlde / we can not longe endure
And of this present lyfe / we are in no suerte;
As we haue deserued / so we shalbe sure
58

After this pylgrymage / rewarded for to be.
For mercy and grace / therfore mekely call we
Whyle we haue tyme and space— / for than it is to late
Whan dethe with his darte / sayth to vs chekemate.

211

‘Wherfore, dere father / I shewe you now agayne
All my hole herte / desyre and entent,
Whiche euer hath ben / and so shalbe, certayne,
For to be relygyous / chast / and obedyent,
Namely at Ely / for theyr vertue excellent.
Father, I requyre you / for chrystes loue and charyte,
My meke supplycacyon / now graunte it vnto me.’

212

The kynge well consydered / his doughters desyre,
Her constaunte true mynde / and pure deuocyon:
Graunted her petycyon / with synguler loue entyre,
Trustynge by her prayer / and dayly supplycacyon
Vnto heuen-blysse / the rather for to come.
Her mother Ermenylde / was gladde of this tydynge
And lauded full lowly / our lorde and heuen kynge.
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