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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 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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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.

341

So whan kynge Etheldrede / by heuenly grace
At Bardenay abbay / professed relygyon,
Than prynce Kenrede / his successour was
And toke the Empyre / the septre and the crowne
With moche worshyp / royalte / and renowne,
As nexte of inherytaunce / by law naturall
To be kynge of Mercyens / by dyscent lynyall.

342

This noble kynge Kenrede / replete with vertu,
Brother to Werburge / obserued truly
The commaundymentes of god / & his lawes moost tru,
89

Obedyent to our sauyour / and lorde almyghty,
Loued holy chyrche / moost tenderly,
Mynystred Iustyce / to his subiectes all,
Mercyfull to the poore / pyteous and lyberall.

343

In all his realme / was no dyuersyte,
Malyce was subdued / rancour and debate,
Vertue encreased / true loue and charyte,
Enuy was exyled / and all pryuy hate;
Thefte / murthur / robry / were founde at no gate,
True men myght lyue / without vexacyon;
Pollers / promoters had no domynacyon.

344

He gaue to our sauyour / and bysshop Egwyn
For ghostly meryte / with moche honoure
Of tenementes and landes / playnely to determyne,
Within worcetur-shyre .iiii. score and foure,
To maynteyne the monastery / spoken of before,
Euesham vpon Auen / byfore lawfull wytnes,
As the legende of Egwyn / truly dothe expres.

345

To the courte of Rome / kynge Kenred went;
So dyd Offa kynge / of the eest-Saxons,
Also bysshop Egwyn / by one assent,
Deuoutly to vysyte / all the hole stacyons
Of the cytee of Rome / with humble supplycacyons,
Thankynge our lorde / of his mercy
Hath them preserued / and all theyr company.

346

This holy bysshop / and kynge Kenrede
Offered to our holy father / pope boneface
With mekenes, deuocyon / for ghostly mede
Afore his collage / wytnes in that case,
The foresayd monastery / and relygyous place,
Frome that day euer after / to be clerely exempte,
To the popes holynes / immedyatly obedyent.
90

347

Whan they had optayned / perfyte expedycyon
Of all theyr bulles / after theyr entent,
They toke lycence / and had the popes beneson,
And towarde Englande / retourned and went,
Praysynge our lorde / with herte and loue feruent
For theyr good spede / and prosperous Iournay,
Preserued in good helthe / all to theyr countray.

348

After all this done / Kenrede the sayd kynge
Commaunded to be had / a counseyll generall,
By letters myssyue / his peeres and lordes cytynge
Shortly to be present / with hym, one and all,
As well the spyrytualte / as the temporall.
The Seyn was kepte / at a place called Alue,
And thyder assembled / his prelates of degre.

349

Berthtunaldus / the archebysshop of Canturbury,
The archbysshop of yorke / called Wylfryde,
With bysshops / suffreganes / archdekens many,
Dukes / erles / barons / vpon euery syde,
Knyghtes / esquyers / and comunes that tyde
Were redy to knowe / the kynges mynde and pleasure,
Well ordred in place / and scylence kepte sure.

350

This gloryous Kenrede / crowned with golde,
Clothed in purpull / rose vp fro his place,
After due salutacyon / the cause mekely he tolde
Why he for them sende / and wherfore it was:
That they shulde testyfy / with hym in this case
What landes he gaue / towarde the fundacyon
Of the sayd monastery / with grete deuocyon,

351

And how for that abbay / he went to Rome
And made the place subiecte / immedyatly
To our father boniface / and gate an exempcyon
91

For euer to remayne / to the sayd monastery,
With pardons and pryuyleges / there redde openly,
And many other benefytes / of great commodyte,
Wryten in theyr grauntes / who lyst them to se;

352

Requyrynge the lordes / spyrytuall and temporall
To graunte to the same / with good entent
And it to confyrme / and roborate specyall
With charters and dedes / and seales patent.
To whose petycyon / they dyd all consent,
Made confyrmacyons and grauntes them amonge,
With a terryble sentence / who dothe the place wronge.

353

Kynge Kenrede, consyderynge / the great holynes
Of his noble parentes / his vncles euerychone,
Theyr royall progeny / the sufferaunt goodnes,
From this lyfe transytory / to heuen agone;
Namely the vertue / and feruent deuocyon
Of his syster Werburge / and his auntes all
Moeued his mynde / to seke for lyfe eternall:

354

And, as saynt Bede sayth / whan this noble kynge
Had regned fyue yere / in great prosperyte,
He forsoke this worlde / and chaunged his lyuynge,
Refusynge his crowne / septre / and dygnyte,
All vayne honours / ryches and regalyte,
And made his vncles sone / prynce Coelrede,
To take his empyre / after hym to succede.

355

So with all gentylnes / and humylyte
The kynge of his subiectes / toke leue specyall,
Commendynge his people / to the trynyte
Them to conserue / spyrytuall and temporall.
Of his departure / dolorous were they all.
Thus for the loue / of our sauyoure
He refused this worlde / pleasures and honoure.
92

356

And went to Rome agayne / the yere of grace
Seuen hundreth and eyght / by full computacyon,
Vysytynge the stacyons / frome place to place;
There was professed / to saynt Benettes relygyon,
Vsed vygyls / fastynges / prayer / medytacyon;
Where this holy monke / frome this lyfe transytory
With vertu departed / to eternall glory.
previous section 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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