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.

The Prologe of .J. T. in the honour & laude of saint Werburge / and to the prayse of þe translatour of the legende folowynge.

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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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.

284

The holy matrone / and quene saynt Sexburge,
A kynges doughter / & moder to kynges twayne,
Syster to saynt Audry / & graundmother to Werburge,
Of noble parentage / is comen, certayne,
Of two realmes descendynge / lynyally and playne:
By her father / from the realme of eest-Englande
And by her mother / frome Northumberlande.

285

Her father saynt Anna / as sayth myne auctour,
Was kynge of the eest parte / sone to Egnicius;
Whiche Anna was maryed / with moche honour
To Hereswith / doughter to kynge Herericius
And syster to saynt Hylde / the vyrgyn gracyous;
To whome saynt Edwyn / the gloryous martyr,
Kynge of Northumberlande / was great-graundfather.

286

This sayd kynge Anna / lyued a longe space
In welthe / worshyp / honour / and prosperyte
With his quene Hereswith / by synguler grace,
Obseruynge Iustyce / pacyence / and equyte,
Kepte the preceptes / of god almyghte,
Mercyfull and lyberall / to the poore in payne;
Whiche kynge by Penda / was murdred and slayne.

287

As the ryuer passeth / oftetymes the heed-fountayne,
The lytell graffe or ympe / transcendeth the tree,
Lykewyse theyr chyldren / encresed, certayne,

In mekenes / pacyence / and perfyte charyte
Aboue theyr parentes / in vertue and benygnyte;
So that theyr name / lynage / and hye astate
By them was magnyfyed / praysed and decorate.

288

Kynge Anna and Hereswith / had a noble yssue:
Syxe goodly chyldren / pleasaunt to beholde—
None fayrer in this lande / myndynge all vertue
And to all good maners / dysposed manyfolde;
yet was theyr fayrenes / not equall to be tolde
To theyr deuocyon / and synguler goodnes;
Whose names expressed / ben afore, doubtles.

289

Sexburge, the eldest / of the systers all,
Instructe by her parentes / in vertuous dyscyplyne,
Folowynge theyr counsell / in herte full specyall
Prepared her soule / after theyr doctryne
Fer aboue the age / of so yonge a femynyne;
So that euery day / by grace and wysdome
In her dyd growe / some plant of deuocyon.

290

In all this realme / dylated was her fame;
That, whan she approched / vnto lawfull aege,
Prynces / dukes / erles / herynge of her name
Desyred to haue Sexburge / in maryage,
And busyly laboured / vnto her parentage.
This mayd was maryed / with honour full excellent
Vnto Ercombert / the noble kynge of Kent.

291

To whome kynge Ethelbryct / graundfather was,
The fyrst chrysten kynge / of Saxons and chefe floure,
Baptysed by saynt Austyn / thrughe heuenly grace;
He was to holy chyrche / a specyall benefactour:
Monasteryes and pryores / founded with great honoure.
Kynge Eadbalde his sone / exemple of hym toke,
Whiche was father to Ercombert / as sayth my boke.

292

This lady Sexburge / cyrcumfulsed with grace,
After her desyre / and vertuous entent
Had leuer the monastery / than the fayre palace,
The chyrche to vysyte / than with maryage be lent;
But to her parentes / she was euer obedyent,
Folowynge theyr counseyll / and of her frendes dere
In lawfull maryage / toke the sayd kynge her fere.

293

A noble generacyon / she hadde by the kynge:
Egbryct and Lothary / two prynces prepotent,
And two holy doughters / in vertue shynynge,
Ermenylde and Erkengode / by lynyall descent.
This Ermenylde, maryed / with honour equyualent
Vnto kynge Vulfer / had a royall yssue:
The gloryous Werburge / replete with vertue.

294

Her syster Erkengode / refused vtterly
Honours / worshyp / and worldly possessyon,
Ryches / maryage / and pleasures transytory,
Went vnto Fraunce / with humble deuocyon,
At the Cytee of Burges / entred relygyon,
Where Ethelberge her aunt / was ruler and abbesse;
Togyder they lyued / in perfyte holynesse.

295

This honorable Sexburge / and blessed matrone,
Refusynge worldly honours / and solempnyte
Preferred mekenesse / and perfyte deuocyon
Aboue all ryches / power and dygnyte,
Auoyded ambycyon / obserued humylyte,
Vpon poore people / euer had compassyon
And them releued / with due mynystracyon.

296

She made her palace / manytymes an hospytall,
Her pryuate cubycle / a deuoute oratory;
As a kynde mother amyable / in courte and in hall

Mekely fulfylled / the seuen werkes of mercy;
Oftetymes in the chyrche / selde amonge company;
yet euer whan she myght / haue tyme and space,
Magnyfyed and praysed / our lorde in secrete place.

297

She instructe her husbande / in ghostly vertu,
To great lolynesse / and synguler perfeccyon.
So by her counseyll / with the grace of Ihesu
Frome infydelyte / purged was that regyon;
Destroyed theyr ydolles / theyr sectes euerychone,
Restaured temples / vnto chrystes honour,
Founded monasteryes / by her cost and labour.

298

The kynge by her mocyon / commaunded straytly
All his people and subiectes / vpon sharpe correccyon
To obserue prayer / and penaunce deuoutely
And truly for to fast / the holy tyme of Lenton.
The archbysshop Theodorus / and fathers of relygyon,
Consyderynge her pacyence / and benygnyte
Reioysed in her dedes / and praysed the trynyte.

299

Whan the famous Ercombert / the sayd kynge of Kent,
Foure & twenty yere had reygned / in honour full royall
With blessed Sexburge / his quene excellent,
Than he departed / frome this lyfe mortall.
The quene prepared / the obsequyes funerall,
With great lamentacyon / and great royalte,
As was conuenyent / for his state and degre.

300

After that Sexburge / refused worldely pleasure,
Entred relygyon / professed chastyte,
At Shepay monastery / in Kent full sure,
Buylded at her cost / full honorable.
After electe Abbesse / and ruler of that companye;
To whome she was / a myrrour of mekenes
And exemple of vertue / and proued holynes.

301

As she was occupyed / in medytacyon,
An heuenly messanger / to her was sent,
Shewynge how for synne / and transgressyon
Englande shulde suffer / great punysment
And be subdued / with greuous torment.
Wherfore she lefte / in good rule that place
And dyd electe to them / an other abbace.

302

Sexburge toke lycence / of her systers all,
Commendynge them / vnto the trynyte,
And so departed / fro her chyldren spyrytuall;
With labour attayned / to the hous of Elye,
There to be subiecte / to Her syster Audrye
And to her doctryne / apply her entent,
Vnto relygyon / euer founde obedyent.

303

Saynt Audry was gladde / of her systers comynge;
In lyke maner / were all the hole congregacyon,
With myrthes and solace / in soule reioysynge
To haue the presence / of so worthy a persone.
There lyued togyder / in perfyte deuocyon,
Tyll blessed Audry / frome this lyfe mortall
Departed was / to the lyfe eternall.

304

After whose buryall / Sexburge was electe
To be abbesse and ruler / ouer that couent.
Whiche to all vertue / her mynde dyd erecte;
And the .xvi. yere after / with labours dylygent
She translate saynt Audry / that noble presydent,
Beynge hole incorrupte / also substancyall
In body and in vesture / by grace supernall.