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

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

Here begynneth the holy lyfe and history of saynt werburge / very frutefull for all christen people to rede.

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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.

222

Kynge Vulfer, her father / at this ghostly spousage
Prepared great tryumphes / and solempnyte,
Made a royall feest / as custome is of maryage,
Sende for his frendes / after good humanyte,
Kepte a noble housholde / shewed great lyberalyte

Bothe to ryche and poore / that to this feest wolde come—
No man was denyed / euery man was well-come.

223

Her vncles and auntes / were present there all:
Ethelred and Merwalde / and Mercelly also—
Thre blessed kynges / whome sayntes we do call;
Saint keneswyd / saint keneburg / theyr systers both-two,
And of her noble lygnage / many other mo
Were redy that season / with reuerence and honour,
At this noble tryumphe / to do all theyr deuour.

224

Tho kynges mette them / with theyr company:
Egbryct, kynge of kent / brother to the quene,
The seconde was Aldulphe / kynge of the eest party,
Brother to saynt Audry / wyfe and mayde serene,
With dyuers of theyr progeny / and nobles, as I wene;
Dukes / erles / barons / and lordes ferre and nere
In theyr best aray / were present all in-fere.

225

It were full tedyous / to make descrypcyon
Of the great tryumphes / and solempne royalte
Belongynge to the feest / the honour and prouysyon
By playne declaracyon / vpon euery partye;
But, the sothe to say / withouten ambyguyte,
All herbes and floures / fragraunt, fayre and swete
Were strawed in halles / and layd vnder theyr fete.

226

Clothes of golde and arras / were hanged in the hall,
Depaynted with pyctures / and hystoryes manyfolde,
Well wrought and craftely / with precyous stones all
Glyterynge as Phebus / and the beten golde
Lyke an erthly paradyse / pleasaunt to beholde.
As for the sayd moynes / was not them amonge
But prayenge in her cell / as done all nouyce yonge.

227

The story of Adam / there was goodly wrought

And of his wyfe Eue / bytwene them the serpent,
How they were deceyued / and to theyr peynes brought;
There was Cayn and Abell / offerynge theyr present,
The sacryfyce of Abell / accepte full euydent;
Tuball and Tubalcain / were purtrayed in that place,
The inuentours of musyke / and craftes by great grace.

228

Noe and his shyppe / was made there curyously,
Sendynge forthe a rauen / whiche neuer came agayne,
And how the douue retourned / with a braunche hastely,
A token of conforte and peace / to man, certayne;
Abraham there was / standynge vpon the mount playne
To offer in sacryfyce / Isaac, his dere sone,
And how the shepe for hym / was offered in oblacyon.

229

The twelue sones of Iacob / there were in purtrayture,
And how into Egypt / yonge Ioseph was solde,
There was inprysoned / by a false coniectour,
After in all Egypte / was ruler (as is tolde);
There was in pycture / Moyses wyse and bolde,
Our lorde apperynge / in busshe flammynge as fyre
And nothynge therof brent / lefe / tree / nor spyre.

230

The ten plages of Egypte / were well embost,
The chyldren of Israell / passynge the reed see,
Kynge Pharoo drowned / with all his proude hoost;
And how the two tables / at the mounte of Synaye
Were gyuen to Moyses / and how soone to ydolatry
The people were prone / and punysshed were therfore,
How Datan and Abyron / for pryde were lost full youre.

231

Duke Iosue was ioyned / after them in pycture,
Ledynge the Isrehelytes / to the lande of promyssyon,
And how the sayd lande / was dyuyded by mesure
To the people of god / by equall sundry porcyon;
The Iudges and bysshops / were there euerychone,

Theyr noble actes / and tryumphes Marcyall
Fresshly were browdred / in these clothes royall.

232

Nexte to hye borde-lorde / appered fayre and bryght
Kynge Saull, and Dauyd / and prudent Salomon,
Roboas succedynge / whiche soone lost his myght,
The good kynge Esechyas / and his generacyon;
And so to the Machabees / and dyuers other nacyon
All these sayd storyes / so rychely done and wrought,
Belongyng to kyng Vulfer / agayn yt tyme were brought.

233

But ouer the hye desse / in the pryncypall place,
Where the sayd thre kynges / sate crowned all,
The best hallynge hanged / as reason was:
Wherin were wrought / the .ix. ordres angelycall
Dyuyded in thre Ierarchyses / not cessynge to call
‘Sanctus / sanctus / sanctus / blessed be the trynyte,
Dominus deus sabaoth / thre persones in one deyte.’

234

Nexte in ordre suynge / sette in goodly purtrayture,
Was our blessed lady / floure of femynyte,
With the twelue apostles / echeone in his fygure,
And the foure euangelystes / wrought moost curyously,
Also the dyscyples / of chryst in theyr degre,
Prechynge and techynge / vnto euery nacyon
The faythtes of holy chyrche / for theyr saluacyon.

235

Martyrs than folowed / ryght manyfestly:
The holy innocentes / whome Herode had slayne,
Blessed saynt Stephan / the prothomartyr truly,
Saynt Laurence / saynt Vyncent / sufferynge great payne,
With many other mo / than here ben now, certayne;
Of whiche sayd martyrs / exsample we may take
Pacyence to obserue / in herte for chrystes sake.

236

Confessours approched / ryght conuenyent,

Fresshely enbrodred / in ryche tysshewe and fyne:
Saynt Nycholas, saynt Benedycte / and his couent,
Saynt Ierom / Basylyus / and saynt Augustyne,
Gregory the great doctour / Ambrose & saynt Martyne;
All these were sette / in goodly purtrayture—
Them to beholde / was a heuenly pleasure.

237

Vyrgyns them folowed / crowned with the lyly,
Amonge whome our lady / chefe presydent was;
Some crowned with rooses / for theyr great vyctory:
Saynt Katheryne / saynt Margarete / saynt Agathas,
Saynt Cycyly / saynt Agnes / and saynt Charytas,
Saynt Lucye / saynt Wenefryde / and saynt Apolyn;
All these were brothered / the clothes of golde within.

238

Vpon the other syde / of the hall sette were
Noble auncyent storyes / & how the stronge Sampson
Subdued his enemyes / by his myghty power;
Of Hector of Troy / slayne by fals treason,
Of noble Arthur / kynge of this regyon;
With many other mo / whiche it is to longe
Playnly to expresse / this tyme you amonge.

239

The tables were couered / with clothes of Dyaper,
Rychely enlarged / with syluer and with golde;
The cupborde with plate / shynynge fayre and clere.
Marshalles theyr offyces / fulfylled manyfolde.
Of myghty wyne plenty / bothe newe and olde,
All-maner kynde / of meetes delycate
(Whan grace was sayd) to them was preparate.

240

To this noble feest / there was suche ordynaunce,
That nothynge wanted / that goten myght be
On see and on lande / but there was habundaunce
Of all-maner pleasures / to be had for monye;
The bordes all charged / full of meet plente,

And dyuers subtyltes / prepared sothly were
With cordyall spyces / theyr ghestes for to chere.

241

The Ioyfull wordes / and swete communycacyon
Spoken at the table / it were harde to tell,
Eche man at lyberte / without interrupcyon,
Bothe sadnes and myrthes / also pryue counsell,
Some adulacyon / some the truthe dyd tell;
But the great astates / spake of theyr regyons,
Knyghtes of theyr chyualry / of craftes the comons.

242

Certayne, at eche cours / of seruyce in the hall
Trumpettes blewe vp / shalmes and claryons,
Shewynge theyr melody with / toynes musycall.
Dyuers other mynstrelles / in crafty proporcyons
Made swete concordaunce / and lusty dyuysyons—
An heuenly pleasure / suche armony to here,
Reioysynge the hertes / of the audyence full clere.

243

A synguler mynstrell / all other ferre passynge,
Toyned his instrument / in pleasaunte armony
And sange moost swetely / the company gladynge,
Of myghty conquerours / the famous vyctory,
Wherwith was rauysshed / theyr spyrytes and memory;
Specyally he sange / of the great Alexandere,
Of his tryumphes and honours / endurynge .xii. yere.

244

Solemply he songe / the state of the Romans,
Ruled vnder kynges / by polycy and wysedome,
Of theyr hye iustyce / and ryghtfull ordynauns
Dayly encreasynge / in worshyp and renowne,
Tyll Tarquyne þe proude kynge / with yt great confusyon
Oppressed dame Lucrece / the wyfe of Colatyne;
Kynges neuer reygned in Rome / syth that tyme.

245

Also how the Romayns / vnder thre dyctatours

Gouerned all regyons / of the worlde ryght wysely,
Tyll Iulyus Cesar / excellynge all conquerours,
Subdued Pompeius / and toke the hole monarchy
And the rule of Rome / to hym-selfe manfully;
But Cassius Brutus / the fals conspyratour,
Caused to be slayne / the sayd noble emperour.

246

After the sayd Iulyus / succeded his syster sone,
Called Octauyanus / in the imperyall see;
And by his precepte / was made descrypcyon
To euery regyon / lande / shyre / and cytee,
A trybute to pay / vnto his dygnyte:
That tyme was / vnyuersall peas and honour:
In whiche tyme was borne / our blessed sauyoure.

247

All these hystoryes / noble and auncyent
Reioysynge the audyence / he sange with pleasuer,
And many other mo / of the newe testament,
Pleasaunt and profytable / for theyr soules cure,
Whiche be omytted / now not put in vre.
The mynysters were redy / theyr offyce to fulfyll
To take vp the tables / at theyr lordes wyll.

248

Whan this noble feest / and great solempnyte,
Dayly endurynge / a longe tyme and space,
Was royally ended / with honour and royalte,
Eche kynge at other / lysence taken hace,
And so departed from thens / to theyr place;
Kynge Vulfer retourned / with worshyp and renowne
Frome the house of Ely / to his owne mansyon.