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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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.

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The famous prynce / and foresayd Ethelrede,
Brother to kyng Vulfer / as lawfull enherytour
To the sayd kyngedome / dyd nexte hym succede,
Electe of his peeres / with worshyp and honour,
Permytted by his chyrche / to be theyr gouernour,
Bycause prynce Kenrede / his brother sone,
Was yonge and not able / to rule his kyngdome.

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This sayd kynge Ethelrede / clerely consyderynge
With due cyrcumstaunce / the hye perfeccyon
Of Werburge, his nece / and vertuous lyuynge,
Her great holynesse / and ghostly conuersacyon,
Dayly encresynge / with feruent deuocyon,
The excellent fame / and myracles full ryght
Shewed by our sauyour / bothe day and nyght:

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These good exsamples / grounded in vertu,
Moeued kynge Ethelrede / in soule and in mynde:
And clerely conuerted / throwe the grace of Ihesu
To despyse this worlde / wretched and blynde,
Pryncypally by grace / wryten as we fynde,
For her great goodnes / and vertues excellent
He made her lady / ruler / and presydent

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Ouer all the nonnes / of euery monastery
Within his realme / to gouerne and to guyde,
To instructe and informe / and to exemplyfy,
To encrese deuocyon / vpon euery syde,
Vertue to exalte / to subdue vyce and pryde;

That holy relygyon / pleasaunt to chryst Ihesu,
Myght dayly encrese / frome vertu to vertu.

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Also he gaue Werburge / great possessyon,
Landes / and rentes / ryches withall,
To edyfy and repayre / places of relygyon
After her desyre / with fauour specyall.
Wherwith she buylded / famous memoryall
Two fayre monasteryes / Trentam and Hambury,
Possessed with rentes / landes / and lyberte.

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Also by sufferaunce / of the sayd kynge, truly,
She translate the kynges maner of Wedon,
Whiche was in Hamptonshyre / vnto a monastery
Of holy women / obseruynge relygyon,
Suffycyently endowed / with lybertes / possessyon.
Of whiche sayd places / she had the gouernaunce,
As worthy maystres / all vertue to auaunce.

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The yere of grace / syxe hundreth foure score and nyen,
As sheweth myne auctour / a Bryton Giraldus,
Kynge Ethelred / myndynge moost the blysse of heuen,
Edyfyed a collage-chyrche / notable and famous
In the subbarbes of Chester / pleasaunt and beauteous,
In the honour of god / and the Baptyst saynt Iohan,
With helpe of bysshop Vulfryce / and good exortacyon.

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Also at the humble / and synguler supplycacyon
Of blessed Egwyn / bysshop of worcestur,
This kynge gaue a place / for a fundacyon
To buylde a monastery / to relygyous brethur
At Eusam vpon Auen / for heuenly tresur,
With a large precynct / to compas all the abbay,
More quyetly to serue / our sauyour nyght and day.

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After this tyme / Ethelrede the kynge

By his counseyll maryed / a beautefull lady,
Called quene Ostryde / a woman of good lyuynge,
Borne in the North parte / doughter to kynge Oswy—
To whome saynt Oswalde / was vncle, truly.
The yssue bytwene them / after to succede
Was a noble prynce / nomynate Colrede.

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Agaynst his enemyes / the kynge gate vyctory,
Fortunate in batayle / sore oppressed Kent.
In all this regyon / famous was his chyualry;
Namely he subdued / at the water of Trent
Egfryde of Northumberlande / a kynge auncyent,
His brother-in-lawe / whan Egfryde agaynst reason
Entred his landes / by subtyll intrusyon.

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But after that Ostryde / his quene, was slayne
By people of the North parte / moost cruelly,
The kynge frome that tyme / by grace, certayne,
Chaunged his maners / and lyuynge dayly
Frome temporall cures / and busynesse worldly
To ghostly werkes / and contemplacyon,
Sekynge for heuen / with pure deuocyon.

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Specyally he folowed / saynt Werburge counsell,
Vsynge hym after / her swete ghostly doctryne;
The clere exsamples / as we afore dyd tell,
Moeued his conscyence / to ghostly dyscyplyne
With suche contrycyon / by specyall grace deuyne,
That all vayne pleasures / and honours transytory
Were clere expulsed / and put out of memory.

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This kynge refused / his septre and crowne,
Clothes of Tyshew / and purpull full royall,
With ryches / lybertes / pleasures / possessyon,
For the loue of Ihesu / in herte pryncypall /
And for the meryte / of his soule-helthe withall.

So whan he had reygned / nyne and twenty yere,
He chaunged his habyte / sayth the story clere;

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At a relygyous place / nomynate Bardenay,
In Lyncolne-shyre / vnder his domynyon,
Synguler byloued / of hym alway,
Desyred the habyte / with meke supplycacyon
And was receyued / professynge relygyon,
Euer after to obserue / the essencyals thre:
Obedyence / chastyte / and wylfull pouerte.

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He assygned his crowne / and temporall dygnyte
Vnto prynce Kenrede / his brother sone,
As true enherytour / to haue regalyte.
For in pure obedyence / prayer and medytacyon
Ethelrede encresed / with feruent deuocyon;
And as declareth / wyllyam of Maluysbury,
After was made abbot / of the sayd monastery.