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

Whan Phebus had ronne his cours in sagittari
And Capricorne entred, a sygne retrograt,
Amyddes Decembre / þe ayre colde & frosty,
And pale Lucyna / the erthe dyd illumynat,
I rose vp shortly / fro my cubycle preparat,
Aboute mydnyght / and cast in myne intent
How I myght spende / the tyme conuenyent.

2

I called vnto mynde / the great vnstedfastnes
Of this wretched worlde— / not by cours of nature—
How there be brought / some men to busynes,
Oppressed with pouerte / langour / and dyspleasure,
Some other exalted / to felycyte and pleasure.
The maker of mankynde / most in maieste,
Ruleth all at his wyll / it may non other be.

3

Beholde dyscretly / and se the fyrmament,
Consyder the sonne / and the mone also,
With all the planettes / and sterres resplendent,
How they kepe theyr cours / bothe to and fro,
Euer obedyent / theyr creature vnto;
And byrdes besely / syngynge euery day,
Praysynge theyr prymate all that they may;

4

The .iii. elementes / in lyke condycyon,
The fyre / the water / the ayre / and the londe,
Obseruen theyr duty / after theyr creacyon
And buxum ben / and euer so be fonde.
Thus euery creature / as we vnderstonde,
Obeyeth to his creature / with humylyte—
Except dyssolute man / folowyng sensualyte;

5

If man wyll remembre / how he was create
To the lykenes and figure / of god almyghty,
And set in paradyse / a place moost delycate,
To haue the fruycyon / of eternall glory /
If not synne expulsed hym / to the vale of mysery,
But that he wolde enclyne / his naturall reason
To serue his maker / truely at due season.

6

Dyuers people / haue dyuers condicions:
Comynly proued / it is euery day:
Some set to vertu / and good disposycyons,
In penaunce / prayer / all that they may,
Some in contemplacyon / the sothe to say,
Some in abstynence / to chastyce the body
And make it subget / to the soule perfytely;

7

Some other reioyce / in synne and ydelnes,
Some seruauntes to Venus / both day and nyght,
Other to couetyse / and worldly besynes,
Some to deceyue / by subtylte in syght,
Some vnto marchandyse / & wynnynge full ryght,
Some ferefull and tymerous / without audacyte,
Some sadde and sobre / and of great grauyte;

8

Many haue pleasure to speke of rybaudry,
Some of fyghtynge / braulynge / and actes marcyall,
Other to flater / and paynt the company,

Some to syt bytwene the cuppe and the wall,
Some to blaspheme / and dyssemble withall,
To backbyte and sclaunder / by malyce and enuy,
Some to extorcyon / thefte and playne robry.

9

Thus after fraylte / and sundry compleccyons
Dyuers men dyuers in lyuynge there be,
Dysposed by a contrary dysposycyon,
Some vnto vertue / some vnto vanyte;
Many maners of people / now we may se
Wauerynge in the worlde / without quyetnes,
As a shyp by tempest / is dryuen, doubtles.

10

Whan I reuolued / with due circumstaunce
The dyuers maners / and mutabylyte
Of worldly people / and the great varyaunce,
And how this lyfe / is of no suerte,
Now in great langour / now in prosperyte;
yet after our meryte / we shalbe sure
To be rewarded / at our departure:

11

Than to vertuous labours / we shulde apply
And spende not our tyme / all in ydlenes;
For, as a byrde is made / by nature to fly,
Ryght so we shulde vse / some good busynes
To our soule-helthe / with great mekenes;
For tyme euyl spende / in labours vayne
Is harde to be well / recouered agayne.

12

But now, syth I am / a relygyous man,
For losynge of tyme / can not me excuse,
Therfore I purpose / to do as I can:
All suche ydlenes / whylom to refuse,
With the grace of god / the tyme for to vse
Some small treatyse / to wryte breuely
To the comyn vulgares / theyr mynde to satysfy.

13

To descrybe hye hystoryes / I dare not be so bolde,
Syth it is a mater / for clerkes conuenyent,
As of the .vii. aeges / and of our parentes olde,
Or of the .iiii. empyres / whylom moost excellent;
Knowynge my lernynge / therto insuffycyent.
As for bawdy balades / ye shall haue none of me,
To excyte lyght hertes / to pleasure and vanyte.

14

But now in auoydynge / suche great folysshenes
I purpose to wryte / a legende good and true
And translate a lyfe / into Englysshe doubtles;
I meane the spouse / of our lorde Ihesu,
Blessed saynt Werburge / replete with vertue,
A noble prynces borne / & vyrgyne pure and gloryous,
After an holy monyall / and an abbesse gracyous.

15

In the abbay of Chestre / she is shryned rychely,
Pryores and lady / of that holy place,
The chyef protectryce / of the sayd monastery
Longe before the conquest / by deuyne grace;
Protectryce of the Cytee / she is and euer was,
Called specyall prymate / and pryncypall presydent,
There rulynge vnder / our lorde omnypotent.

16

And yf I vnworthy / begynne this lytell werke,
I praye all the reders / mekely of pardon,
To correcke and amende / syth I am no clerke,
Excuse my ignoraunce / and take the entencyon.
My mynde is to shewe / her lyfe and deuocyon,
That euery man and woman / ensample maye take
At this pure vyrgyn / synne to forsake.

17

And syth that she is / in blysse now gloryfyed,
It were no reason / her name be had in scylence,
But to the people / her name be magnyfyed,

To her laude and prayse / honour and reuerence.
Her parentes and bretherne / þe floures of experyence,
Haue ben kepte in close / secrete many a day:
Wherfore I purpose / somwhat of them to say.

18

Fyrst I entende / to make playne descrypcyon
Of her fathers kyngedome / the realme of Mercyens,
How longe it endured / vnder his tuycyon,
Vnder how many kynges / it had prehemynens;
Also of her petygre / the noble excellence—
For so many sayntes / of one kynred, certayne,
Is harde to be founde / in all the worlde agayne.

19

Vnto this rude werke / myne auctours these shalbe:
Fyrst the true legende / and the venerable Bede,
Mayster Alfrydus / and Wyllyam Maluysburye,
Gyrarde / Polycronycon / and other mo in deed.
Now gloryous god / graunt me to procede;
Blessed vyrgyn Werburge / my holy patronesse,
Helpe me to endyte / I praye the, swete maystresse.