The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

The parfite life to put in remembraunce
Of a virgyn moost gracious and entere,
Which in all vertu had souereyn suffysaunce,
Callyd Petronylla Petyrs doughter dere,
Benygne of porte, humble of face and chere,
All other maydyns excelled in fairenesse,
And, as hir legende pleynly doth vs lere,
Though she were fayre more commendyd for meknes.

155

2

And more-ouer, as hir story sayth,
By Petyrs doctryne and informacion,
In Crystis lawe and stable in that feyth
She was so groundyd, for short conclusion,
Called the clere myrroure of all perfection,
For good exaumple, by Goodys prouidence
Preuyd in sekenesse, hir lyf maketh mencion,
In all hir sekenesse had parfyte pacience.

3

Though she had of brennynge greate feruence
Twene colde and hote, vexacion inportable,
There was no grutchinge, but vertuous Innocence,
Gaue thanke to God, of hert and thought most stable,
From hir entent nat found variable,—
So was she groundyd on parfyte charite,—
Professyd to God to perseuere immutable,
In hir auough made vnto chastyte.

4

Hir perfection breuely to discryue,
She was acceptyd so in the lordys sight,
To be noumbryd one of the maydyns fyue
Afore Ihesu that bare their laumpys light,
Which may nat clipse no derkenesse of the night,
But euer Ilych abydinge in vertue,
This Petronylla might cleyme of very right
To hir spouse oure blessyd lord Iesu.

5

And as hir lyfe recordeth by scripture
Of this virgyn by myracles full notable,
It fyll onys of sodeyne auenture,
Petyr sittinge sadly at the table
With his disciples, such as were moost able
In all vertue, Titus did abrayde
And of compassion with langage resonable
To Saynt Petyr euyn thus he sayde,—

156

6

“With humble support of youre audience,
Peysed youre power and youre holynesse,
What may this mene, concludynge my sentence,
That ye make hole all theym that haue sekenesse,
And Petronella quaketh in hir accesse,
Youre owne doughter in full pitous wise,
And ye alas hir langoure to represse,
Lyst nat onys byd[den] hir arise?”

7

Saynt Petyr thanne, of faderly pyte
Bad hir arise, and serue theym at the table,
And she all hole of hir infirmyte,
He gaue hir charge to be seruysable;
She lyke a virgyn, of port moost agreable,
What euer he bad she alwey diligent
Of humble wyll, by tokenes moost notable,
Lowly to accomplissh his commaundement.

8

And she fulfylled his byddynge, in certeyn,
Withoute grutchinge, of virgynall mekenesse,
Petyr bad hir goo into hir bed ageyn
Lyke as toforne, brennynge in hir sekenesse,
For Cristes sake, she dempt it for rightwysnesse,
And of humylite, groundyd in all vertue,
Hir maladye was to hir a gladnesse,
All that she felt for loue of Crist Ihesu.

9

On whom alone she dyd hir hert[e] grounde,
Withoute chaunge or foreyn doublenesse,
In hir prayers she was so stable founde,
Folke that were seke their langoure to represse,
And as hir life can truly bere wytnesse,
Her inwarde herte so brent in charyte,
Though God and nature gaue hir great fayrenesse,
Yit more commendyd was hir humylite.

157

10

A pure virgyn perseuered all hir lyfe
Both for condicions and great semelynesse.
The Erle Flaccus desired hir to his wyf,
Cam and requeryd hir, did his besynesse,
For hir port and womanly noblesse,
Hir demenynge and gracious visage,
Albe that he excellyd in richesse,
He besy was to haue hir in mariage.

11

To yeue answere she was nat recheles,
But alwey one of thought and [of] corage
Toke him asyde, oute of all the prees,
Benygnely and demure of langage,
Gaue answere for hir auauntage
That he shulde the day of hir weddynge
Bringe matronys, wyues, maydyns yonge of age,
Hir to conuey vnto his dw[e]llinge.

12

He gan reioyse Flaccus anone right
In his inwarde hertly aduertence,
Lyke hir request, this Erle, this proude knight
Made him redy to come to hir presence;
She all this while lay in abstynence
In prayer wakynge, this virgyn vertuous,
With Fellicula moost preuy in sentence
Of hir secnees, brought forth in one hour.

13

Of Petronylla thus it is concludyd,
Who so list her lyfe playnly to rede,
Of his purpos Flaccus was deludyd,
And by a preest callyd holy Nychomede
Brought to hir couch and lyenge there bedrede,
As God list for her graciously to wurch,
With hosyll, shrift, yeldyd vp hir goost in dede,
A parfite mayde preuyd of all holy church.

158

14

Fellicula gan afore prouyde
Maugre Flaccus to lyue in maydynhede,
His loue, his hate, both she set asyde,
Lyued vii dayes metles in dede,
Slayne by this tyraunt, which made hir sides blede,
Lyke rede roses ran doun hir chast blode,
And after that he slough Nychomede,
Last by despite at Tybre in the flode.

15

Their martyrdome they dyd thus fulfyll,
With rosys rubyfyed complete their passyon,
With white lyllyes was holy Petronylle
Magnefied for chast affection,
Saynt Petyrs doughter, hir lif maketh mencion,
Exsaumple of pacience in sekenes whan she lay,
With purple wede to the heuenly mancyon
Hir soule went vp the last day of May.

16

Which is a seson playnly of the yere
That all foulys make melodye,
And nightyngalys with amerous notys clere
Salueth Esperus in hir armonye,
The sharpe thorne towadre the partye
Of hir herte, kepeth wakyr hir corage,
That nouther cokkowe nor howle by enuye
May for no slouth fynde in hir avauntage.

17

Take of this mater an applycacion,
To say Parnell of herte glad and light
That euer was wakir of hole entencyon
To serue Ihesu, nat sluggy day nor night,
Callyd the nightyngale with heuenly fethers bright,
Gaue thanke to God in langoure and sekenesse,
Venquesshid iii enmies thrugh grace of Goddis might,
And made hir ende in vrgynall clennesse.

[Ballade.]

Petronilla, virgyn of great vertu,
Clad all in floures of spirituall freshnesse,

159

Petyrs doughter, for love of Crist Ihesu
Ladest thy lyf in prayer and clennesse,
Of herte ay founde moost meke in thy sekenesse,
To do seruise with humble diligence
Unto thy fader, thy story be-reth witnesse,
Callyd for thy merytes myrrour of pacience;

19

God and nature gaue the greate fayrenesse
To excelle all other of port and of beutye,
Trauaylyd with feuerys and many stronge accesse,
Gaue thanke to God, thy legende who list se,
Vertu was preuyd in thyn infirmyte,
Wherfore we pray with humble reuerence
Do mytigacion of all that seke the,
And with their accesse vertuous pacience.

20

Be-mene to Ihesu for vs in all myscheef
That he of mercy oure sekenesse list aslake,
And of thy meritys more to make a preef
Socoure thy seruauntys where they slepe or wake,
O blessyd Pernell! nowe for thy faders sake
Ageyne all accessys and stroke of pestilence,
All that deuoutly their praier to the make,
Sende theym good helth with vertuous pacience.

21

And who that cometh vnto hir presence,
On pylgrimage with deuocion,
Late him trust[e], pleynly in sentence,
Shall fynde grace of his peticion.

Emprynted by Rycharde Pynson.