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

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

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.

110

As tender youthe passed / this blessed maydyn
Dayly encreased / more and more in vertue,
In ghostly scyence / and vertuous dyscyplyne,

Obseruynge the doctryne / of our lorde Ihesu,
Had his commaundymentes / in her herte full tru;
So that no creature / more perfyte myght be
In vertuous gyftes (by grace) than she.

111

She was replete / with gyftes naturall:
Her vysage moost pleasaunt / fayre and amyable,
Her goodly eyes / clerer than the crystall,
Her countenaunce comly / swete and commendable;
Her herte lyberall / her gesture fauourable.
She, lytell consyderynge / these gyftes transytory,
Set her felycyte / in chryst perpetually.

112

She hadde moche worshyp / welthe / and ryches,
Vestures / honoures / reuerence and royalte;
The ryches she dysposed / with great mekenesse
To the poore people / with great charyte.
But her sadnes / constaunce / and humylyte,
Vertue / gentylnes / so pacyent and colde,
Transcended all these other / a thousande folde.

113

The vertuous maners / and excellent fame
Of this holy vyrgyn / redoubted so ferre
In all this regyon / in praysynge her name,
That the nobles of this lande / wolde not dyfferre,
But with ryche apparell / and myghty power
Came for to seke her— / lyke as to Salomon
Quene Saba approched / to here of his wysedome.

114

So lyke-wyse some came / to her of her vertue,
Some of her sadnesse / and prudent dyscrecyon,
Some for her constaunce / so stable and true,
Some of her chastyte / and pregnaunt reason,
Some for her beaute / and famous wysedome;
And some, that were borne / of kynges lygnage,
Desyred yf they myght / haue her in maryage.

115

In beaute amyable / she was equall to Rachell,
Comparable to Sara / in fyrme fidelyte,
In sadnes and wysedom / lyke to Abygaell:
Replete as Delbora / with grace of prophecy,
Equyualent to Ruth / she was in humylyte,
In pulchrytude Rebecca / lyke Hester in lolynesse,
Lyke Iudyth in vertue / and proued holynesse.

116

The prynce of Westsaxons / a pere of this lande,
Wyllynge to haue her by way of maryage,
With humble reuerence / as we vnderstande,
Sayd to her these wordes / wysely and sage:
‘O souerayne lady / borne of hye lynage,
O beautefull creature / and imperyall prynces,
This is my full mynde / that I now rehers.

117

‘From my fathers realme / hyder I am come
Vnto our presence / yf ye be so content,
With worshyp and honour / and moche renowne,
In all honest maner / aperynge euydent;
My mynde is on you set / with loue feruent,
To haue you in maryage / all other to forsake,
If it be your pleasure / thus me for to take.

118

‘ye shalbe asured / a quene for to be,
ye shall haue ryches / worshyp / and honour,
Royall ryche appareyll / and eke the sufferaynte,
Precyous stones in golde / worthy a kynges tresour,
Landes / rentes / and lybertees / all at your pleasur,
Seruauntes euery houre / your byddynge for to do,
With ladyes in your chambre / to wayte on you also.’

119

With these kynde wordes / the vyrgyn abasshed sore
And with mylde countenaunce / answered hym agayne
The playnes of her mynde / to rest for euermore,

Sayenge: ‘o noble prynce / I thanke you now, certayne,
For youre gentyll offer / shewed to me so playne,
ye be well worthy / for your regalyte
To haue a better maryage / an hundreth folde than me.

120

‘But now I shewe you / playnly my true mynde:
My purpose was neuer / maryed for to be;
A lorde I haue chosen / redemer of mankynde,
Ihesu, the seconde persone in trynyte,
To be my spouse / to Whome my vyrgynyte
I haue depely vowed / endurynge all my lyfe,
His seruaunt to be / true spouses and wyfe.

121

‘Therfore, noble prynce / hertfully I you pray,
Tempte me no forther / after suche condycyon,
Whiche am so stedfast / and wyll be nyght and day
Neuer for to chaunge / nor make alteracyon.
Take ye this answere / for a sure conclusyon:
The promyse I haue made / and vowe of chastyte
Endurynge my lyfe / shall neuer broken be.’

122

Dyuers other astates / came her for to assayle,
Made instaunt requestes / vnto this vyrgyn fre:
For all theyr busynesse / they myght not preuayle,
So constaunt, fyrme & stable / in herte & mynde was she:
A mountayne or hyll / soner, leue ye me,
Myght be remoeued / agaynst the course of nature
Than she for to graunte / to suche worldly pleasure.

123

She well consydered / the texte of holy scrypture:
‘Who byleueth her chast / for the loue of Ihesu,
The temple of god / they be clypped sure
And shalbe rewarded / for that noble vertu
An hundreth folde (by grace), vyces to subdu,
And heuen for to haue / at theyr departynge’—
Whiche she remembred wysely / aboue all thynge.