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

Another sygne was shewed / by the kynge of blys
Of a wanton prynce / folowynge sensualyte
And his fragyll appetyte / in doynge amys;
Entendynge by vyolence / power / and auctoryte
To depryue Werburge / of her vyrgynyte,
Espyed a season / to fulfyll his entent,
Whan she was solytary / and no man there present.

398

By force than he began / this mayd to assayle.
But she trustynge in god / to be her protectour,
Escapynge his presence / cast her sacrat vayle

102

For lyghtnesse and ease / to fle from the traytour:
The sonne-beame receyued it / whiche hanged that houre.
Whiche myracle sene / the prynce fledde away;
That vyrgyn was preserued / by grace that day.

399

An other myracle / was done in Kent
In the vyllage of Hoo / yet full memorous.
A sensuall prynce / of wycked consent
Purposed to maculate / this vyrgyn gloryous,
Consyderynge her persone / so fayre and beauteous;
Taryed the season / to fynde her solytary,
By power to oppresse / this gracyous lady.

400

Whan the tyme was comen / he thought conuenyent,
After her furyously / he ranne a fast pace.
She, knowynge his mynde / and vnchast entent,
Seynge no remedy / by man in that place
Called to our sauyoure / for his helpe and grace,
Sayenge: ‘blessed lorde / for thy endeles pyte
Defende me this daye / and saue my chastyte!’

401

And as she fledde / frome this cruell persone,
She ranne for socour / to a great oke-tree.
By grace the sayd tree / opened that same season,
Sufferynge this mayd / to haue sure and fre entree;
Wherby she escaped his / wycked tyrannye.
Whiche tree to this day / endurynge all the yere
By myracle is vernaunte / fresshe / grene / and clere.

402

Of the sayd oke-tree / is a famous opynyon:
That no man may entre / the sayd concauyte
In deedly synne bounden / without contrycyon;
But in clene perfyte lyfe / who-soeuer he be,
May entre the sayd oke / with fre lyberte.
And nygh to that place / a chyrche is now dedycate
In the honour of god / and werburge immaculate.

103

403

Many other myracles / our blessed sauyour
Shewed for this vyrgyn / of his goodnes,
Conforte to the people / in sekenes and langour
That to her wyll seke / in theyr dystresse.
Her excellent vertue / and great holynesse
By sygnes and myracles / were dayly manyfest
To many a creature / with peynes opprest.

404

The fame wherof sprange / so fast aboute,
Notyfyed playne / in all this regyon:
The people approched / withouten doubte
To knowe her blessed / and holy conuersacyon
And of these myracles / to haue probacyon,
By the syght wherof / they myght all gloryfy
With ioy and gladnesse / our lorde god almyghty.

405

There was no sekenesse / nor infyrmyte
That mankynde had / nor vexacyon,
But by her prayer / and humylyte
Makynge for them / to our lorde intercessyon
They were restaured / to helthe and saluacyon
All, by the meryte / of this vyrgyn pure,
A synguler refuge / vnto euery creature.

406

To the dombe was gyuen / speche and language,
To blynde theyr syght / to defe theyr herynge,
To halte and lame people / helthe, in euery aege,
By deuyne grace / and her ghostly lyuynge.
The people approchynge / nygh to her in dwellynge,
By cally[n]ge to her / in the name of Ihesu
Had theyr petycyon / by her synguler vertu.

407

Some other that were / fully possessed
With wycked spyrytes / vexynge the mynde,
Or with sekenes incurable / myserably greued,

104

By her dayly prayer / aboue course of kynde
Of theyr dyseases / they shulde remedy fynde,
And from her departe / in soule with gladnesse
Whiche to her came / sory in peyne and wretchednes.