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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

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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.
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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.
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[Whan Phebus had ronne his cours in sagittari]
collapse sectionI. 
[BOOK I.]
 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.
 v. 
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.
 x. 
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.

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previous section 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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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.

178

Than Vulfer, consyderynge / with due dyscrecyon
His cruell hastynes / and furyous mynde,
How ferre he had / abused his reason,
Agaynst his chyldren / by nature and kynde:
He sore repented / in hystory as we fynde,
His greuous trespas / and homycyde vnnaturall,
In conscyence greued / for his synnes mortall;

179

Namely lamentynge / in soule his apostasy
After his baptyme / and ghostly conuersyon,
And for the departure / of his prynces truly
Contrary to ryght / kynde and all reason,
The losse of his fame / thrugh this regyon,
A dethe to his quene / and his louers all,
Greuous to his kynnesmen / and frendes naturall.
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180

All these consydered / with due cyrcumstaunce,
He wayled and weped / sobbynge fullsore,
Plonged in sorowe / heuynes / and greuaunce,
Lamentynge his offence / a thousande tymes therfore;
His intollerable peyne / encreased more and more,
Wofully he went / to his bed by and by,
Supposynge some dethe / withouten any remedy.

181

Some of his louers / beynge there present
Gaue hym theyr counseyll / to hunte in the forest,
Some to dysportes / and pleasures euydent,
Some vnto melody / all thoughtes to degest.
But Ermenylde, his quene / whiche loued hym best,
Counseyled hym truly / to take contrycyon
And mendes make / by due satysfaccyon.

182

Of this ghostly counseyll / the kynge was very glad,
And in the morowe after / prepared besyly
With mekenesse to seke / blessed saynt Cead.
So whan the kynge came / to his oratory,
The bysshop was at masse / and ryght consequently
Fro heuen descended / so gloryous a lyght
That of the mystery / Vulfer had no syght.

183

Whan masse was ended / saynt Cead his vestures caste
Vpon the sonne-beame / by myracle there hangynge,
Supposynge on a forme / and made moche haste
To mete at the doore / mekely the sayd kynge,
Whiche laye there prostrate / penaunce desyrynge;
With reuerence hym eleuate / and gaue an exortacyon;
The kynge was agreable / for to do satysfaccyon.

184

The bysshop hym enioyned / in parte of penaunce
To destroye all ydolles / and sectes of ydolatry
In all his realme / and the temples of paganes
52

To translate to the honour / of god almyghty,
With preestes and clerkes / to pray and synge deuoutly,
Also peas and iustyce / to be kepte contynuall,
With the werkes of mercy / to be vsed in specyall.

185

Forther he enioyned hym / of his charyte
Monasteryes to make / of great perfeccyon,
Endowed with landes / possessed in lyberte,
Therin for to set / men of relygyon,
To pray to our lorde / for his saluacyon;
Whiche Vulfer promysed / to fulfyll gladle,
As soone as he myght / by possybylyte.

186

Than the foresayd kynge / and the holy confessour
Went to theyr prayers / in the oratory.
And as the kynge loked vp / to our sauyour,
The sayd sacrat vestures / he sawe euydently
Hangynge on the sonne-beame / full merueylously;
His gloues / his gyrdell / the kynge had vpon,
Whiche shortly to grounde / falled adowne.

187

Wherby he perceyued / the great holynesse
Of blessed saynt Cead / and interyor deuocyon,
Desyred his prayer / dayly with mekenesse
To almyghty god / for his remyssyon;
Frome thens departed / with his benedyccyon,
Ioyfull in his soule / to-warde his place,
Thankynge god mekely / of his great grace.

188

As the kynge promysed / to our sauyour,
Shortly he auoyded / all ydolatry,
Brenned theyr ydolles / correcked theyr errour,
Translated theyr temples / vnto god almyghty,
Founded monasteryes / of relygyon many,
Of men and women / gaue them possessyons,
Landes / rentes / ryches / to encrese deuocyons.
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189

Namely he founded / a ryche monastery
For dethe of the prynces / in satysfaccyon
To the honour of god / and saynt Peter, truly,
Called Peterborowe abbay / in all this regyon;
Endowed it with rentes / lybertes / possessyon—
A place where many / relygyous persones be,
Seruynge day and nyght / our lorde with charyte.

190

Also there was founded / at Stone a pryore
In the honour of god / and the martyrs twayne,
Possessed with landes / rentes and lyberte,
Where deuoute chanons / ben inhabyte, certayne.
Myracles and sygnes / haue ben shewed there playne
To the laude and prayse / of god omnypotent
And of these holy martyrs / patrones there present.
previous section 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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