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.

[Whan Phebus had ronne his cours in sagittari]

[BOOK I.]

II.

[BOOK II.]

A balade to the auctour.

An other balade.

An other balade to saynt werburge.

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How saynt Werburge gaue knowlege to her systers of her departure, & how she ordered in vertue her sayd monasteryes afore her dethe. Ca. xxvii.

408

This blessed abbesse / and vertuous floure,
The well of clennes / and humylyte,
Called to mynde / the wordes of our sauyour
Rehersed by Mathewe / in his euangely:
‘The vyctoryall crowne / of eterne glory
Is gyuen to them / that be redy eche houre,
Wysely attendynge / whan they be sende fore.’

409

This texte was euer / in her memoryall,
Prompte alway redy / as a true spouses
To wayte on her spouse / whan he wyll call,
Her lampe replete / with oyle of mekenes.
Synguler gyftes / she had of chrystes goodnes:
Inspyred with the spyryte / of prophecy,
Secrete thynges to come / knowynge therby.

410

She knewe the season / was hastely comynge
Of her departure / fro this lyfe mortall.
Wherfore she ordred / sadly euery thynge
Within her monasteryes / and charges spyrytuall,
Vysytynge her couent / with her presence personall
Gaue knowlege to them / that soone and hastely
She shulde departe / frome this lyfe transytory.

411

Afore her were called / the systers of yche place,
And were apoynted / who shulde succede

105

After to be gouernour / ruler / and abbesse
To the pleasure of god / and theyr ghostly mede;
Specyally commendynge / vertue, as we rede,
What meryte they shall haue / of god almyghty
In spyrytuall cures / that done well theyr duty.

412

All other offycers / within eche monastery
Were assygned by Werburge / theyr presydent,
And vnder obedyence / charged full depely
Theyr offyce to execute / vertue to augment,
For the synguler profyte / of all the couent.
She gaue to yche place / landes and possessyon
Suffycyently to serue / all the congregacyon.

413

Whan she had ordeyned / eche place in charyte,
Dyschargynge her conscyence / chargynge them all
To obserue relygyon / with perfyte humylyte
After her exemple / and doctryne pryncypall,
She had perfyte knowlege / by grace supernaturall
Her body shulde rest / in the place of Hamburgens
After her departure / by deuyne prouydens.

414

Wherfore she commaunded / the couent of Hambury
Wysely to attende / with all theyr dylygence
Vpon the ende / of her lyfe transytory,
Wheresoeuer it be / to come with benyuolence
And incontynent take / her body with reuerence
And brynge it shortly / vnto theyr monastery,
There to be tumylate / after her desydery.

415

As it pleaseth our lorde / and celestyall sufferayne
To sende to his seruaunte / his vysytacyon—
The day was apoynted / the houre incertayne
Of her departure / frome worldly vexacyon:
The messanger of dethe / the ende of trybulacyon,

106

Oppressed this lady / moost worthy fame
Ryght at her monastery / nomynat Trentame.

416

She thanked her maker / sayenge day and nyght
‘Well-come be the vysytacyon / of god almyghty.’
She called her systers / present afore her syght,
Her entente rehersynge / to them tenderly,
Desyrynge all them / to folowe dylygently
The lawes of god / with honour and reuerence
And to her counseyll / to gyue fully credence;

417

Sayenge: ‘dere byloued systers / in our sauyour,
O spyrytuall chyldren / my derlynges moost dere,
Whiche haue refused / all worldly honour
To serue our lorde / with herte and mynde clere,
Suffer no synne / in your soule to apere,
But wasshe it away / by bytter contrycyon,
With prayer, penaunce / and true confessyon.

418

‘And trust ye well, your true obedyence,
your chast lyuynge / and wylfull pouerte,
your dayly prayers / vygyls / and abstynence
That ye haue obserued / her vnder me,
Shalbe recompensed / a thousande-folde, trule,
Whan ye shalbe taken / fro this lyfe transytory;
your rewarde shalbe / with immortall glory.

419

‘As for my dethe / whiche approches nere,
I drede nothynge / tho nature ferefull be:
I knowe for certayne / who departeth well here
Is newe-borne agayne / to Ioye and felycyte.
Iche chrysten man hath / a threfolde natyuyte:
Fyrst of his parentes / by cours of nature
Borne to many troubles / and sorowes, sure;

420

‘By the seconde byrthe / whiche is more excellent,

107

At fonte of baptym / we haue regeneracyon,
By fayth professed / to god omnypotent
And made the chyldren / of ghostly saluacyon,
To auoyde by grace / all wycked temptacyon,
To be inherytours / of Ioy perpetuall,
Folowynge the counseyll / of holy chyrche withall;

421

‘The thyrde byrthe / moost ferefull and to be dredde,
Is whan the soule / departeth fro the body
To payne or blysse / and leues the corps dedde
To tourne agayne to erthe / to wast and putryfy.
In this thyrde byrthe / by callynge aferre for mercy
Our soule shall lyue in blysse / euerlastynge,
Crowned with vyctory / for our chast lyuynge.

422

‘The swete byrde, closed / in a cage a longe season,
Gladly entendeth / to fly at lyberte;
The prysoner fetered / and cast in depe dongeon
Euer supposes / to be rydde frome captyuyte:
The soule of mankynde / moost dygne of dutye,
Naturally desyreth / proued by reason,
To be delyuered / frome bodyly pryson.’