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

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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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.

357

This venerable Werburge / & moynes gracyous,
For her great vertue / and perfyte holynesse
Electe to be gouernour / ouer the nonnes relygeous
By her vncle kynge Ethelrede / of his goodnesse
Ouer dyuers monasteryes (as is sayd) expresse,
Was consecrate abbesse / and lady gracyous
By the bysshop of Lychefelde / nomynat Sexwulfus.

358

And thus she departed / fro the hous of Ely,
Wherin she vsed / heuenly medytacyon,
With lycence optayned / in mynde sad and heuy;
So were the systers / and all the congregacyon
Of her departure / knowynge her conuersacyon;
But, as wolde charyte / they had great gladnes,
Knowynge by her vertue / relygyon to encres.

359

The spouses of Ihesu / and floure of benygnyte
Consyderynge her-selfe / a lady and presydent,
Ordered her monasteryes: ryght well and wysele,
Receyued in systers / chast / humble / obedyent,
Ouer them made rulers / vertuous / and pacyent,

Her subiectes to instructe / and counseyll day and nyght,
Vertue to exalte / and vyce depryue aryght.

360

This noble abbesse / remembrynge her duty,
What charge it is / to rule a congregacyon,
Humble requyred / the grace of god almyghty
And dylygently prepared / to supple her rowme;
Pryncypally she gaue / to them euerychone
Perfyte exsample / of vertue in her dede,
With vertuous doctryne / the same to procede.

361

A myrrour of mekenesse / she was to them all,
A floure of chastyte / and well of clennes,
The fruyte of obedyence / in her was specyall;
Refusynge vayne pleasures / honours and ryches
Content with lytell / an exsample of lowlynes
As dothe belonge / vnto wylfull pouerte;
Pryde had no resydence / but all humylyte.

362

She was a mynyster / rather than a maystres,
Her great preemynence / caused no presumpcyon;
She was a handmayd / rather than a pryores,
Seruynge her systers / with humble subieccyon;
Subduynge her body / to penaunce and afflyccyon,
Subiecte to the soule / as reason wolde shulde be,
A true sacryfyce / offered to the trynyte.

363

It was no merueyll / tho all her couent
Vnder suche a ruler / encreased in vertu,
Seynge her exsample / afore them dayly present,
Euer augmentynge / throwe the helpe of Ihesu;
Worldy desyres / she clerely dyd subdue;
She neuer ware lynon / by day or by nyght,
All ryche vayne vestures / she set by them but lyght.

364

In prayer, medytacyon / the tyme she dyspent,

Proued: for euery nyght / longe afore matyns
She wolde vpryse / at an houre conuenyent
And deuoutely say / afore our lordes presens
Dauyd spalter holly knelynge / with great reuerence,
Or that her systers / came to the oratory
To say dyuyne seruyce / fyndynge her all redy.

365

At after matyns / she vsed contemplacyon,
Contynually abydynge / vnto the day-lyght
Prostrate on the grounde / or knelynge in deuocyon,
Wepynge full tenderly / with teeres downe ryght;
Many holy oraysons / she sayd day and nyght;
Pyteous / mercyable / and full of charyte
To the poore people / in theyr necessyte.

366

This lady obserued / suche sharpe abstynence
That one dayly repast / wolde her well suffyse;
Delycate dysshe meetes / were put out of her presence;
So nature were content / in moost humble wyse,
The Worde of god / was moost delycate seruyse;
Myndynge moche more / the soule to satysfy
Than please and content / her enemy, the body.

367

These sayd exemples / with many other mo
Pleasaunte vnto Ihesu / she taught her couent,
Them to preserue / frome theyr mortall fo,
By synguler vertue / grace to augment.
Her precepte and lyuynge / were euer corespondent,
She neuer commaunded syster / do any thynge
But it was fulfylled / in her owne doynge.

368

She exorted her chyldren / euer to deuocyon,
With manyfolde doctrynes / ydlenes to exchewe;
Lyke a tender mother / had pyte and compassyon,
She dayly fedde them / and nourysshed in all vertue,
And dylygently prayed / our sauyour Ihesu

Them to preserue / of his infynyte grace
Frome peryll of peryshynge / in blysse to se his face.

369

Also the .xii. degrees / of humylyte,
Pacyence / quyetnes / and great perfeccyon
Were well obserued / with true loue and charyte,
Amonge her systers / the hole congregacyon;
And the thre essencyals / of relygyon:
Wylfull pouerte / chastyte / and obedyence,
were truly fulfylled / proued by the consequence.

370

As for a pastyme / amonge her systers all
She caused to be redde / auoydynge ydlenesse,
The swete legendary / for a memoryall,
And Vitas patrum / shewynge great swetenesse,
With other narracyons / of grace and goodnesse.
Ofttymes to her couent / she had a comyn sayenge:
‘Please god and loue hym / and doubte ye nothynge.’

371

All reders excuse me / tho I can not expresse
For lacke of lernynge / the vertues morall,
The hye perfeccyon / and proued holynesse
Of this pure vyrgyn / and sanctymonyall,
Wherwith was decorate / her lyfe monestycall,
Manyfest with myracles / by meryte of her mekenesse,
As the true hystory / playnly dothe expresse.

372

The worthy myracles / of this vyrgyn pure
Dylated were / thrugh all this regyon,
By deuyne sufferaunce / aboue nature,
Profytable / to euery chrysten synguler persone;
In sekenesse / trouble / peyne or vexacyon
Of her they haue refuge / helpe / and socoure
By her merytes / and prayer / that euery honoure(!).

373

Her merytes were / moche more commendable

Than were her myracles— / manyfest and playne:
For why by her merytes / famous and notable
Sygnes and myracles / were shewed full playne,
In the house of Ely / by grace of our sufferayne
And in euery place / where she kepte resydence.
Of whome parte folowen / in this rude sentence.