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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 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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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.

326

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.

327

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:

328

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

329

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

330

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.

331

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.

332

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.

333

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.

334

After this tyme / Ethelrede the kynge
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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.

335

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.

336

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.

337

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.

338

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

339

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.

340

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.
previous section 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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