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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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.

423

The day knowen / to her by reuelacyon
Of her departure / by sygnes euydent,
She sende for all / the hole congregacyon,
And in presence / of all her holy couent
She called for the blessed sacrament;
To whome she sayd / with wordes expresse
With wepynge teeres / and great mekenesse:

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424

‘Well-come my lorde / well-come my kynge,
Well-come my sufferayne / and sauyour,
Well-come my conforte / and ioy euerlastynge,
My trust / my treasure / my helpe and socour,
Well-come my maker / and my redemptour,
The sone of god / moost in maieste,
Withouten begynnynge / and endeles shalbe.

425

‘I byleue that thou / for all mankynde
Frome heuen descended / of thy charyte
And was incarnate / scrypture dothe mynde,
In the vyrgynall wombe / of blessed marye,
And suffered dethe / to make vs all fre,
Descended to hell / roose the thyrde day,
Ascended to heuen / and our raunson dyd pay;

426

‘And I knowlege to the / with pure entent:
On Shorpthursday / after thy passyon
Thy moost blessed body / in sacrament
Thou gaue to vs / for our communyon,
To be our defence / and ghostly tuycyon,
Now present here / in forme of breed,
To Iudge mankynde / bothe quycke and deed.

427

‘O sufferayne sauyour / replete with grace,
I the beseche / haue pyte vpon me
And in my soule / make a dwellynge-place,
Expulce all vyce / synne and mysery;
Defende my soule / frome our aduersary,
Saue and protecte me / from peynes infernall
And brynge thrugh thy mercy / to ioye perpetuall.’

428

Thus with reuerence / and great humylyte
She receyued / the blessed sacrament,
The seconde persone / in trynyte,

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In perfyte fayth / hope / and loue feruent,
With great contrycyon / as it was apparent,
Her herte lyfte vp / to-warde heuen on hye
Abydynge the wyll / of god almyghty.

429

She exorted / her systers euerychone
That were there present / in companye,
Desyrynge them all / with supplycacyon
To remembre her / sayenge with humylyte:
‘My systers in god / now knowe may ye
My dayes ben ferre past / comynge is the houre.
Wherfore I betake you / fyrst to our sauyour;

430

‘Prayenge you tenderly / for the loue of me
In deuyne seruyce / loke ye contynu;
Obseruynge pacyence / mekenes / and chastyte,
Encresynge in relygyon / by the grace of Ihesu—
“Who-so perceuers / in herte and mynde true
Vnder obedyence / to the extreme day,
Is sure to be saued” / scrypture so doth say.

431

‘Also remembre / that all worldly royalte,
Honour / ryches / pleasure / possessyon,
If ye consyder / are but a vanyte,
Nothynge assured / to trust thereupon;
Wherfore dyspose you / to vertue alon
Whyle ye endure / in this lyfe mortall,
Tyll that ye come / to Ioy perpetuall.

432

‘Secondly’ she sayd / ‘systers, I you pray
Kepe well the order / of perfyte charyte,
Neuer declynynge / fro it by no way,
As ye haue taken / exemple of me;
Iche loue other / and worshyp in theyr degre,
So that no murmure / nor dyssymulacyon
Be founde amonge / this holy congregacyon.

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433

Be euer lowly / humble / and obedyent
With due reuerence / worshyp and honoure,
Folowe the mynde / of your presydent,
Vnto your heed / and ghostly gouernoure.
Kepe well chastyte / that precyous floure,
So that no thought / of sensualyte
Corrupte your mynde / to breke vyrgynyte.

434

Se that ye vse / dyscrete temperaunce,
Abstenynge frome vayne superfluyte;
Se that amonge you / be founde no varyaunce,
Kepe well the degrees / of humylyte.’
These and many other / exemples of charyte
She taught her couent / of synguler deuocyon,
How they shulde optayne / to hye perfeccyon.

435

Thyrdly she prayed / sayenge with mynde dylygent:
‘O blessed sauyour / I desyre the
Saue and defende / my hole couent
And theyr monasteryes / of thy great pyte
Frome peryll of peryshynge / and frome enmyte,
That all the subiectes / of our congregacyon
May well obserue / theyr holy professyon.

436

‘And graunt me, swete lorde / throwe thy goodnes:
Who-so in thy name / vpon me dothe call
In langour / mysery / in peyne / or sekenes,
Also women with chylde / in peynes thrall,
May haue remedy / and helpe specyall;
And people in pryson / halte / blynde / and lame
By me may magnyfy / thy gloryous name.’

437

Than she requyred / with humylyte
The spyrytuall sufferage / of holy vnccyon,
Her soule to conforte / frome all aduersyte;

111

She toke her leue / and kyssed them ycheon.
Alas, what herte / myght shewe the lamentacyon,
The wepynge / waylynge / and wofull heuynes
At the departure / of theyr swete maystres?