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

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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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.

284

The holy matrone / and quene saynt Sexburge,
A kynges doughter / & moder to kynges twayne,
Syster to saynt Audry / & graundmother to Werburge,
Of noble parentage / is comen, certayne,
Of two realmes descendynge / lynyally and playne:
By her father / from the realme of eest-Englande
And by her mother / frome Northumberlande.

285

Her father saynt Anna / as sayth myne auctour,
Was kynge of the eest parte / sone to Egnicius;
Whiche Anna was maryed / with moche honour
To Hereswith / doughter to kynge Herericius
And syster to saynt Hylde / the vyrgyn gracyous;
To whome saynt Edwyn / the gloryous martyr,
Kynge of Northumberlande / was great-graundfather.

286

This sayd kynge Anna / lyued a longe space
In welthe / worshyp / honour / and prosperyte
With his quene Hereswith / by synguler grace,
Obseruynge Iustyce / pacyence / and equyte,
Kepte the preceptes / of god almyghte,
Mercyfull and lyberall / to the poore in payne;
Whiche kynge by Penda / was murdred and slayne.

287

As the ryuer passeth / oftetymes the heed-fountayne,
The lytell graffe or ympe / transcendeth the tree,
Lykewyse theyr chyldren / encresed, certayne,

In mekenes / pacyence / and perfyte charyte
Aboue theyr parentes / in vertue and benygnyte;
So that theyr name / lynage / and hye astate
By them was magnyfyed / praysed and decorate.

288

Kynge Anna and Hereswith / had a noble yssue:
Syxe goodly chyldren / pleasaunt to beholde—
None fayrer in this lande / myndynge all vertue
And to all good maners / dysposed manyfolde;
yet was theyr fayrenes / not equall to be tolde
To theyr deuocyon / and synguler goodnes;
Whose names expressed / ben afore, doubtles.

289

Sexburge, the eldest / of the systers all,
Instructe by her parentes / in vertuous dyscyplyne,
Folowynge theyr counsell / in herte full specyall
Prepared her soule / after theyr doctryne
Fer aboue the age / of so yonge a femynyne;
So that euery day / by grace and wysdome
In her dyd growe / some plant of deuocyon.

290

In all this realme / dylated was her fame;
That, whan she approched / vnto lawfull aege,
Prynces / dukes / erles / herynge of her name
Desyred to haue Sexburge / in maryage,
And busyly laboured / vnto her parentage.
This mayd was maryed / with honour full excellent
Vnto Ercombert / the noble kynge of Kent.

291

To whome kynge Ethelbryct / graundfather was,
The fyrst chrysten kynge / of Saxons and chefe floure,
Baptysed by saynt Austyn / thrughe heuenly grace;
He was to holy chyrche / a specyall benefactour:
Monasteryes and pryores / founded with great honoure.
Kynge Eadbalde his sone / exemple of hym toke,
Whiche was father to Ercombert / as sayth my boke.

292

This lady Sexburge / cyrcumfulsed with grace,
After her desyre / and vertuous entent
Had leuer the monastery / than the fayre palace,
The chyrche to vysyte / than with maryage be lent;
But to her parentes / she was euer obedyent,
Folowynge theyr counseyll / and of her frendes dere
In lawfull maryage / toke the sayd kynge her fere.

293

A noble generacyon / she hadde by the kynge:
Egbryct and Lothary / two prynces prepotent,
And two holy doughters / in vertue shynynge,
Ermenylde and Erkengode / by lynyall descent.
This Ermenylde, maryed / with honour equyualent
Vnto kynge Vulfer / had a royall yssue:
The gloryous Werburge / replete with vertue.

294

Her syster Erkengode / refused vtterly
Honours / worshyp / and worldly possessyon,
Ryches / maryage / and pleasures transytory,
Went vnto Fraunce / with humble deuocyon,
At the Cytee of Burges / entred relygyon,
Where Ethelberge her aunt / was ruler and abbesse;
Togyder they lyued / in perfyte holynesse.

295

This honorable Sexburge / and blessed matrone,
Refusynge worldly honours / and solempnyte
Preferred mekenesse / and perfyte deuocyon
Aboue all ryches / power and dygnyte,
Auoyded ambycyon / obserued humylyte,
Vpon poore people / euer had compassyon
And them releued / with due mynystracyon.

296

She made her palace / manytymes an hospytall,
Her pryuate cubycle / a deuoute oratory;
As a kynde mother amyable / in courte and in hall

Mekely fulfylled / the seuen werkes of mercy;
Oftetymes in the chyrche / selde amonge company;
yet euer whan she myght / haue tyme and space,
Magnyfyed and praysed / our lorde in secrete place.

297

She instructe her husbande / in ghostly vertu,
To great lolynesse / and synguler perfeccyon.
So by her counseyll / with the grace of Ihesu
Frome infydelyte / purged was that regyon;
Destroyed theyr ydolles / theyr sectes euerychone,
Restaured temples / vnto chrystes honour,
Founded monasteryes / by her cost and labour.

298

The kynge by her mocyon / commaunded straytly
All his people and subiectes / vpon sharpe correccyon
To obserue prayer / and penaunce deuoutely
And truly for to fast / the holy tyme of Lenton.
The archbysshop Theodorus / and fathers of relygyon,
Consyderynge her pacyence / and benygnyte
Reioysed in her dedes / and praysed the trynyte.

299

Whan the famous Ercombert / the sayd kynge of Kent,
Foure & twenty yere had reygned / in honour full royall
With blessed Sexburge / his quene excellent,
Than he departed / frome this lyfe mortall.
The quene prepared / the obsequyes funerall,
With great lamentacyon / and great royalte,
As was conuenyent / for his state and degre.

300

After that Sexburge / refused worldely pleasure,
Entred relygyon / professed chastyte,
At Shepay monastery / in Kent full sure,
Buylded at her cost / full honorable.
After electe Abbesse / and ruler of that companye;
To whome she was / a myrrour of mekenes
And exemple of vertue / and proued holynes.

301

As she was occupyed / in medytacyon,
An heuenly messanger / to her was sent,
Shewynge how for synne / and transgressyon
Englande shulde suffer / great punysment
And be subdued / with greuous torment.
Wherfore she lefte / in good rule that place
And dyd electe to them / an other abbace.

302

Sexburge toke lycence / of her systers all,
Commendynge them / vnto the trynyte,
And so departed / fro her chyldren spyrytuall;
With labour attayned / to the hous of Elye,
There to be subiecte / to Her syster Audrye
And to her doctryne / apply her entent,
Vnto relygyon / euer founde obedyent.

303

Saynt Audry was gladde / of her systers comynge;
In lyke maner / were all the hole congregacyon,
With myrthes and solace / in soule reioysynge
To haue the presence / of so worthy a persone.
There lyued togyder / in perfyte deuocyon,
Tyll blessed Audry / frome this lyfe mortall
Departed was / to the lyfe eternall.

304

After whose buryall / Sexburge was electe
To be abbesse and ruler / ouer that couent.
Whiche to all vertue / her mynde dyd erecte;
And the .xvi. yere after / with labours dylygent
She translate saynt Audry / that noble presydent,
Beynge hole incorrupte / also substancyall
In body and in vesture / by grace supernall.