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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 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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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.

480

At the day appoynted of her translacion
Kyng Coelred and his counsell were redy-present,
With bysshops, and the clergy, men of deuocion,
Her systers and subiettes, a religious couent;
The comon people from eche place thider went
With great gladnes / the hole for pleasure gostly,
The seke and impotent for helth and remedy.

481

The bysshops and clergy stode vpon one parte
Of her holy graue / and her systers echone,
Syngynge and praysynge the blessed trinite;
The kyng and his counsell with great deuocion
Stode on the other parte in contemplacion.
The graue was opened, eleuat was the chest
Wherin her holy corps .ix. yere fully dyd rest.

482

Whan this sayd monument discouered was,
Suche a suauite and fragrant odoure
Ascended from the corps by singular grace,
Passyng all wordly swetnes and sauour,
That all there present that day and hour
Supposed they had ben / in the felicite
Of erthely paradise / without ambiguite.

483

And as eche man thought by naturall reason
Nothyng shulde remayn of that blessed body
122

But the bare boones / all els to resolucion:
The couerture remoued by the sayd clergy,
The corps hole and sounde was funde, verely,
Apperyng to them / on slepe as she had ben,
Nothyng depaired / that ther coude be seen.

484

Her vesture appered hole, clere and white,
No parte consumed / for all the longe space,
Fragrant in odoure / repleit with delite,
As at the fyrst season whan she buried was;
But whan discouered was her swete face,
Beautye appered more white than the lile,
Mixt with rose colour / moost faire for to se.

485

Her louely countenaunce / so comly to beholde,
And her swete fisnomy / with fairenes decorat
As fresshely apparant / moost pleasant to be tolde,
As at the fyrst day / whan she was tumulat.
No doubt therof / for she, with synne nat maculat,
Vsyng all her lyfe in clennes and virginite,
From bodily corruption / by grace must saued be.

486

The clergy, yet serchyng more diligently
Her precious body / and interiour vesture,
Eleuat the corps full reuerently
With moche worchip, honour and cure,
Founde nothynge perisshed in shap nor figure
For all the long space, tyme and contynuaunce
She lay in sepulture by diuine ordynaunce.

487

Whiche famous myracle / notified so clere,
The clergy with her systers in ioy and honour,
The kyng and his counsell all therat present were,
With voice melodious made a great clamour,
Praysyng and magnifiying our blessed sauiour
With celestiall songes / and hymnes full of blys,
123

Deuoutly rehersyng / with all their deuour
Mirabilis deus in sanctis suis.

488

With that the comon rude people euerychone
In the sayd churche-yarde standyng without,
Heryng the clergy syng with suche deuocion,
Towarde heuen they cried / and busely dyd shout,
The space of .iii. houres / or nere there-about,
Worshippyng our lorde / with voice shrill and loude
In hert, wyll and mynde / as well as they coude.

489

After all this done / her blessed body
Was wasshed and reclothed with vesture precious
By the sayd couent of the place of Hambury.
The bysshops were reuesshed in pontificalibus,
And all the clergy syngyng with voice melodious
Kneled all downe and gaue due reuerence,
Honour and worship to her corporall presence.

490

Thus they resceyued with perfit humilite
This sacrat relique, hole and substanciall,
And layd it in a shryne with great solempnite,
Enowrned with riches sumptuous and roiall,
Prepared by the kyng / and ordeyned inspeciall,
Entendyng that this relique and gostly treasure
Perpetually with them shulde remayne and endure.

491

People oppressed with greuous infirmite,
Distract persons / halt, blynde and lame,
Resortynge to her shryne with humilite
Shortly were cured by callynge of her name;
Impotent creatures (the legende sayth the same)
Touchyng her tumbe / were cured from payne;
Whiche tumbe remayneth at Hambury, certayne.

492

After she was translate / knowen it is well,
124

The clergy to procession / went after to mas,
Honoryng and praysyng / the kyng of Israell
And blessed Werburge / with moche solace.
Whan diuine seruice duely ended was,
The bisshops gaue theyr holy benedictions;
The people departed glad to their mansions.

493

This holy sayd fest of her translacion
Was ordeyned and celebrate with solemnite,
As sayeth Ranulphus in his policronicon,
About the yere of grace .vii. hundreth and .viii., sothle,
The .xi. Kalendas of the moneth Iulii;
Regnyng in mercelande the said Kyng Coelrede,
Than bysshop of Lichefelde was Hedda / as we rede.
previous section 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. The Life of Saint Werburge of Chester
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