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

Of this busynesse / whan the quene had knowlege,
Namely of Werebode / the greuous presumpcyon,
How he had moeued / thrught his wycked rage
The kynge in suche causes / by synguler petycyon,
And how the kynge consented / to his supplycacyon:
She was sore greued / at this prowde crafty knyght,
Called hym in presence / and sayd these wordes ryght:

135

‘Thou wycked tyraunt / and vnkynde creature,
Folowynge thyne appetyte / and sensualyte,
Thou cruell pagane / presumynge at thy pleasure,
Blynded with ygnoraunce / and infydelyte,
Who gaue the lycence / and suche auctoryte
Our doughter Werburge / to desyre of the kynge,
Without our counseyll / therto consentynge?

136

‘Consyder ryght well / thy kynred and pedegre:
It is well knowen / thou arte comen of nought,
Nother of duke / erle / lorde / by auncetre,

But of vylayne people / yf it be well sought;
Agaynst our honour / now that thou hase wrought,
Whiche consequently / shall be to thy payne—
For all thy labour / is spende in vayne.

137

‘Thou knowes of a certayne / refused she hase
Many a ryche maryage / within this londe,
A thousande tymes better / than euer thou wase,
Is now orels shalbe / by any maner fonde.
Our doughter to the / shall neuer be bonde,
Nor suche a caytyfe / shall haue no powere
With kynges blode royall / to approche it nere.

138

‘Vnder my souerayne lorde / and me also
An offycer thou arte / and of great royalte
To be a true seruaunte. / now thou arte our foo,
Tryed / proued / founde fals / in eche degre.
Thou hase well deserued / to be hanged on a tre
For thy mysdede / thou shall soone repent
Thy hye presumpcyon / proude and dysobedyent.

139

‘As for our doughter / and dere derlynge,
By the grace of god / and our aduysement
Soone shalbe maryed / to the moost myghty kynge
That euer was borne / and in this erth lent,
We meane our sauyour / lorde omnypotent;
Wherfore thy wretchydnes / wyll vpon the lyght.
Thou taynted traytour / out of our syght!’

140

With that saynt Werburge / came into presence,
Afore her mother / and all the company,
Doynge her duty / with all due reuerenc[e];
Folowynge her doctryne / full sapyently,
With lycence optayned / spake euydently,
After suche maner / that all the audyence
Reioysed to here / her lusty eloquence.

141

‘O souerayne lady / and kynges doughter dere,
My dere mother / ouer all thynge transytory,
O gracyous prynces / and quene to kynge Vulfere,
To your ghostly counseyll / do me euer apply:
As I haue promysed / ryght euydently
To the kynge of kynges / and lorde celestyall,
I wyll obserue / endurynge this lyfe mortall.

142

‘And thou false Werbode / folowynge sensualyte,
I meruayle greatly / thy hye presumpcyon
To moeue our father / with suche audacyte,
Knowynge my mynde / set on relygyon.
yet for thy soule-helthe / accepte this lesson:
Aske mercy and grace / of my spouse eternall,
Lest vengeaunce sodeynly / vpon the do fall.’

143

Wherwith her bretherne / Vulfade and Ruffyn,
Two noble prynces / manfull, sadde and wyse;
Sore vexed with peyne / theyr hertes were within
At this false stewarde / whiche can so deuyse
Agayne theyr honour / to do suche preiudyse
As to attempte theyr father the kynge
In so great a mater / they not consentynge:

144

They called Werebode / afore them all,
Sayenge: ‘thou caytyfe / who gaue the lycence
To moeue this cause / so he and specyall
Touchynge a lady / of suche prehemynence,
A kynges doughter / of moche magnyfysence,
None comparable to hym / in all this regyon
In honour / royalte / power / and dyscrecyon?’

145

‘And as our mother sayd / to the byforne,
Loke well thy progeny / and all thy lynage;
A vyllayne orels wers / sothly thou was borne,

Now our dere syster / wolde haue in maryage,
As semynge for a prynce / of hye parentage;
Than for suche a carle / by a prouerbe auncyent
‘A lad to wedde a lady / is an inconuenyent.’

146

‘Therfore we charge the / vpon greuous peyne,
Moue no suche mater / nor speke of it no more!
For yf suche mocyon / come to vs agayne
Of hye presumpcyon / as is done afore,
Thou shalt repent / the cause and dede full sore.
Now we commaunde the / no forther to contryue,
But cease of suche busynesse / in peyne of thy lyue.’