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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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A descrypcyon of the realme of Mercyens / of bondes and commodytes of the same. [Ca. ii]

20

The yere of our sauyoure / by full computacyon
Foure hundred / nyne & fourty frome his natiuite,
As venerable Bede / maketh declaracyon,
Duke Hengyst came to this lande in great royalte
With Saxons / Angles / Iutes / thre people myghtye;
Desyred by Vortyger / than kynge of Brytons,
Came to defende [him] / fro greuous oppressyons.

21

Also the yeres of our blessed sauyoure
Syxe hundreth foure score and nyne expresse
The Brytons were expulsed / so sayth mync auctoure,
14

From Englande to walles / with great wretchydnes.
In Englande than ruled / seuen kynges, doubtles,
whose names we purpose / to shewe with lycens,
But pryncypally / of the kyngdome of Mercyens.

22

The fyrst realme of Saxons / began in Kent,
The yere of grace / foure hundreth fyue and fyfty;
Where duke Engystus / in honour excellent,
With septre and crowne / fyrst reygned royally.
The seconde was Southsex / sayth the hystory,
Wher Adla and Ella / reygned full ryght;
Whiche realme endured / but short tyme in myght.

23

The thyrde was Westsaxons / famous and myghty,
Where fyrst reygned / kynge Cerdicus,
The yere of our lorde / fyue hundreth one and twenty;
Whiche realme by processe / and power vyctoryous
Subdued all other / to hym, full memorous.
The pryncypall Cytees / of his regalyte
Were in olde season / Wynchester and Salesburye.

24

The fourth was Estsex / Where duke Erchenwyn
Fyrst reygned kynge / hauynge domynacyon,
By the kynge of Merselande / brought ofte to ruyne;
The chyef Cytee was Colchester / of his domynyon.
Also of eest-Englande / was the fyfth kyngdome,
Where Vffa crowned / had fyrst the sufferaynte
Of Northfolke and Southfolke / knowen in certaynte.

25

The syxthe was the kyngdome of Merslande,
Where Cryda was crowned / fyrst by auctoryte,
Hauynge nyne shyres / obedyent to his hande,
As after shall appere / more euydent to be.
The seuenth was Northumberlande / vnder Ida & Alle,
Whylom dyuyded / in sondry kyngdomes twayne;
The chyfe Cytee was yorke / wher þe kynge dyd reygne.
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26

The realme of Mercyens / by olde antyquyte,
As playnly declareth / Polycronycon,
Thre hundreth yeres / endured in auctoryte,
Vnder eyghtene kynges / worthy nomynyon,
Greatest of gouernaunce of all this regyon;
Where Vulfer reygned / a kynge vyctoryous,
Father to saynt Werburge / vyrgyn moost gloryous.

27

The boundes and lorshyppes / of the sayd Mercyens,
As shewen dyuers bokes hystoryall,
Were large and myghty / and of great prehemynens,
Where the sayd kynge reygned by power imperyall.
This realme to dyscrybe / begyn we shall
At the Cytee of Chester / and the water of Dee,
Bytwene Englande and wales / of the west partye;

28

And so transcendynge / vp towarde Shrewysbury
By the water of Sabryne / vnto Brystowe;
The Eest-see mesureth / the Eest parte, truely;
The water of Thamys / the south parte doth shewe,
Flowynge vnto London / who-so dothe it knowe;
The water of Humbre / was on the north syde,
With the water of Mersee / theyr landes to dyuyde.

29

Of the foresayd ryuer / and water of Mersee
The kynge of Mercyens / taketh his name,
As moost sure dyuydent / to be had in memorye,
Mesurynge and metynge / the bondes with great fame
Of Mersee and Northumberlande / kynges of the same,
Bitwene chesshyr & lancashyr theyr kingdomes, certayne,
As auncyent Cronycles descryben it full playne.

30

The sayd myghty kyngdome / of Mercyens dyd holde
Many noble Cytees / with townes and burghes royall,
Whiche Penda optayned / enlarged manyfolde;
16

As Chester / Stafford / Lytchefelde / Couentre memorall,
Lyncolne and Huntyngdon / Northampton withall,
Leycester and Derby / Cambrydge and Oxonforde,
Worchester and Brystowe / with other mo, & Herforde.

31

Many royall ryuers / were conteyned in the same,
With sundry kyndes of fysshes / swete and delycyous—
It were tedyous to shewe / of them the dyuers name
In ryuers and in pooles / swymmynge full plentuous;
Also forestes / parkes / chases large and beauteous,
And all beestes of venery / pleasaunt for a kynge
To cours at lyberte / be founde there pasturynge.

32

Also this royall realme / holdeth, as we fynde,
Habundaunce of fruytes / plesaunt and profytable,
Great plente of cornes / and graynes of euery kynde;
With hylles / valeys / pastures / comly and delectable;
The soyle and glebe / is set plentuous and commendable.
In all pleasaunt propurtes / no part of all this lande
May be compared / to this foresayd Merselande.

33

The people of Mercyens / the trouthe yf we dare saye,
Lordes / barons / knyghtes / with all the comunete,
In musture and in batayle / euer the pryce haue they
The kynges grace to serue / moost valyaunt in artylere,
In all actes Marcyall / euer hauynge the vyctorye,
With herte / mynde and harneys / redy day and nyght
Theyr enemyes to subdue / by power, mayne & myght.

34

If they be well ordred / vnder a sure capytayne
And set to suche busynesse / theyr honour to auaunce,
The tryumph they optayne— / knowen it is certayne
In Englande and Scotlande / & in the realme of Fraunce;
Fewe of them haue countred / by manhode and valeaunce
Great nombre of enemyes / with knyghthode & polycy,
We meane them moost specyall / in the Weest-party.
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35

Many other commodytes / pleasures and proprytes
This sayd realme / holdeth of olde antyquyte,
In royaltes and lordshyppes / landes and lybertes,
Honourably dylated / in worshyp and polyce,
Flourynge in wysedome / honours / and chyualre:
Veryfyed by kynge Offa / moost myghty and excellent,
Proued in his actes / by playne experyment.

36

This Offa subdued / in hystory as is founde,
The kynge[s] of Westsaxons / Northumberlande & Kent,
Droue Brytons to wales / out of this lande,
And made a depe dytche / for a sure dyuydent
Bytwene Englande and Wales / & to this day presente
Is called dytche Offa / so that no Bryton
On payne of punysshement / shulde entre this regyon.

37

Kynge Offa translated / as sayth Polycronycon,
By myghty power / the see of Canterbury
Vnto Lychefelde chyrche / with famous oblacyon,
For euer to contynu / confyrmed by auctoryte;
Also he founded / saynt Albans monasterye;
Fyrst of deuocyon / to Rome gaue Peter pens.
Thus royall somtyme / was the realme of Mercyens.
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