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.]

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.

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.

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.

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

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.

83

In meane whyle the kynge / mynded maryage,
By the sufferaunce of our lorde god omnypotent,
Issue to encrease / acordynge to his lygnage,
After hym to succede / kynge and presydent.
He mynded moost / the kynges doughter of Kent,
Prynces Ermenylde / nomynate she was;
A beautefull creature / replete with great grace.

84

Certaynly her father / was called Ercomberte,
As afore is specyfyed / the kynge of Kent,
Her mother Sexburge / humble in her herte;

Of whome Ermenylde / a lady excellent,
Lynyally descended / by tytle full auncyent;
Her graundfather Edbalde / kynge Ethelbryctes sone,
The fyrst crysten prynce / of Saxons nacyon.

85

Of foure myghty kyngdomes / she is descended:
From the royall blode of Fraunce / also of Kent
Vpon her fathers party / as afore is notyfyed;
And on her mothers syde / by lyne auncyent
Frome the eest-Englande / famous and excellent,
Also of Northumberlande / flourynge in honour,
Conuerted and baptysed / vnto our sauyour.

86

This sayd Ermenylde / this floure of vertue,
Was euer dysposed / from her natyuyte
Vnto the dyscyplyne / of our lorde Ihesu;
Enspyred with his grace / and benygnyte,
Refused this worlde / ryches and vanyte;
He vsed the maners / of sadde dysposycyon,
Passynge fragyll youth / and naturall reason.

87

Suche synguler confort / of vertuous doctryne
In her so dyd water / a pure perfyte plante,
Whiche dayly encreased / by sufferaunce deuyne,
Merueylously growynge / in her fresshe and varnaunt,
With dyuers proprytes / of grace exuberaunt,
As sobrynes / dyscrecyon / and mekenesse vyrgynall,
Obedyence / grauyte / and wysedome naturall.

88

Euery tree or plante / is proued euydent
Whyther good or euyll / by experyence full sure,
By the budde and fruyte / and pleasaunt descent;
A swete tree bryngeth forth / by cours of nature
Swete fruyte and delycyous / in tast and verdure:
Ryght so Ercombert / by his quene moost mylde
Brought gracyously forth / the swete Ermenylde.

89

She folowed her father / in worshyp and honoure,
At her mother Sexburge / she toke imytacyon
To lyue in clennes; / presentynge in behauyour
Her father in power / her mother in relygyon.
Humble in herte / hauynge compassyon,
Pyteous and lyberall / where was necessyte,
Ioyfull to obserue / the dedes of charyte.

90

Forther of her lyfe / to make declaracyon,
As the true legende playnly dothe expresse,
Consyder the hystory / with good inspeccyon
Of blessed Sexburge / that noble pryncesse.
The sayd conuersacyon / and ghostly swetenesse
That is perceyued / in her holy mother,
The same perfeccyon / was in the other.

91

Neuerthelesse Ermenylde / escape ne myght
Worldely honours / and seculer dygnyte,
As requyred so noble a state of ryght,
Ryches / possessyon / namely her beaute.
But vnto maryage / compelled was she
Of her parentes / contrary to her entent;
To whome she was founde / euer obedyent.

92

This noble lady / by deuyne prouydens
Elected to her / a spouse commendable,
A valyaunt prynce / the kynges sone of Mercyens,
Called kynge Vulfer / famous and honorable,
Reygnynge in Mercelande / with ioy incomparable,
Excellynge many other / prynces of this regyon
In ryches / retynu / fortune / honour / and wysdome.

93

At this maryage / was moche solempnyte.
Her father Ercomberte / and her frendes all,
Tho prynces her vncles / Egbryct and Lothary,

The kynge of eest-Englande / Aldulph in specyall,
Dukes / erles / barons / and knyghtes in generall:
Whiche sayd company / were redy that same day
To worshyp the matrymony / in theyr beest aray.

94

This royall maryage / was solempnysed
With synguler pleasures / ryches and royalte,
Theyr frendes, cosyns / redy on euery syde
To do theyr deuoyre / and shewe humanyte,
Nothynge wantynge / euery thynge was plente,
Of delycate metes / and myghty wynes stronge,
With mynstrels / melody / and myrthes amonge.

95

Whan this fayre prynces / resplendent in vertue,
Came vnto Mercelande / in the order of matrymony,
Than grace with good gouernaunce / dyd vyce subdue,
Vertue was maystres / chefe ruler and lady;
The faythe of holy chyrche / dyd growe and multyply,
Relygyon encresed / honour and prosperyte,
In euery place pacyence / true loue and charyte.

96

At the solempne spousage / of this lady bryght
Kynge Vulfer promysed / on his fydelyte
Errours to correcke / by his wysdome and myght,
Clerely to expell / all sectes of ydolatrye
Frome his realme / and fulfyll by his auctoryte
The promyse truely made / at the fonte of baptyme:
The chyrche to conserue / and saue it from ruyne.

97

The myghty realme of Mercyens / also of Kent
That season were brought / bothe vnto vnyte,
And as one kyngedome / ruled full excellent,
Theyr subiectes and seruauntes / in tranquyllyte.
Kynge Vulfer by his quene / had a noble progenye:
Vulfade and Ruffyn / with prynce Kenrede,
And Werburge / of whome we purpose to procede.