| sig: [A1] | |
| sig: [A1v] [page blank] | |
| sig: [A2] | |
| THe parfite lyfe to put in remembraunce | |
| Of a virgyn moost gracious and entere | |
| Which in all vertu had souereyn suffysaunce | |
| Callyd Petronylla petyrs doughter dere | |
| 5 | 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 mekenes | |
| And more-ouer as hir sto[ry] sayth copytext defective | |
| 10 | 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 | |
| 15 | Preuyd in sekenesse hir lyf maketh mencion |
| In all hir sekenesse had parfyte pacience | |
| Though she had of brennynge greate feruence | |
| I wene colde and hote vexacion inportable | |
| There was no grutchinge but vertuous Innocence | |
| 20 | Gaue thanke to god of hert and thought most stable |
| From hir entent nat founde variable | |
| So was she groundyd on parfyte charite | |
| Professyd to god to perseuere immutable | |
| In hir auough made vnto chastyte | |
| 25 | 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 | |
| sig: [A2v] | |
| Which may nat clipse no derkenesse of the night | |
| 30 | But euer Ilych abydinge in vertue |
| This Petronylla might cleyme of very right | |
| To hir spouse oure blessyd lorde Iesu | |
| And as hir lyfe recordeth by scripture | |
| Of this virgyn by myracles full notable | |
| 35 | It fyll onys of sodeyne auenture |
| Petyr sittinge sadly at the table | |
| With his disciples such as were moost able | |
| In all vertue Titus dyd abrayde | |
| And of compassion with langage resonable | |
| 40 | To saynt Petyr euyn thus he sayde |
| 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 | |
| 45 | And Petronilla quaketh in hir accesse |
| Youre owne doughter in full pitous wise | |
| And ye alas hir langoure to represse | |
| Lyst nat onys byd hir arise | |
| Saynt petyr thanne of faderly pyte | |
| 50 | 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 | |
| 55 | Of humble wyll by tokenes moost notable |
| Lowly to accomplissh his commaundement | |
| sig: [A3] | |
| And she fulfylled his byddynge in certeyn | |
| Withoute grutchinge of virgynall mekenesse | |
| Petyr bad hir goo into hir bed ageyn | |
| 60 | 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 | |
| 65 | On whom alone she dyd hir hert 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 | |
| 70 | Hir inwarde herte so brent in charyte |
| Though god and nature gaue hir great fayren[e]sse fayrenesse] fayrensse 1495 | |
| Yit more commendyd was hir humylite | |
| A pure virgyn perseuered all hir lyfe | |
| Both for condicions and great semelynesse | |
| 75 | 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 | |
| 80 | He besy was to haue hir in mariage |
| To yeue answere she was nat recheles | |
| But alwey one of thought and corage | |
| Toke him asyde oute of all the prees | |
| Benygnely and demure of langage | |
| sig: [A3v] | |
| 85 | 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]llynge dwellynge] dwllynge 1495 | |
| He gan reioyse Flaccus anone-right | |
| 90 | 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 | |
| 95 | With fellicula moost preuy in sentence |
| Of hir secrees brought forth in one hous | |
| OF petronylla thus it is concludyd | |
| Who-so list hir lyfe playnly to rede | |
| Of his purpos Flaccus was deludyd | |
| 100 | And by a preest callyd holy nychomede |
| Brought to hir couch and lyenge there bedrede | |
| As god list for hir graciously to wurch | |
| With hosyll shrift yeldyd vp hir goost in-dede | |
| A parfite mayde preuyd of all holy church | |
| 105 | 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 | |
| 110 | Lyke rede roses ran doun hir chast blode |
| And after that he slough nychomede | |
| Cast by despite at Tybre in the flode | |
| sig: [A4] | |
| Their martyrdome they dyd thus fulfyll | |
| With rosys rubyfyed complete their passyon | |
| 115 | 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 heuenly mancyon | |
| 120 | Hir soule went vp the last day of may |
| Which is a seson playnly of the yere | |
| That all [f]oulys make melodye foulys] soulys 1495 | |
| And nightyngalys with amerous notys clere | |
| Salueth Esperus in hir armonye | |
| 125 | The sharpe thorne towarde the partye |
| Of hir herte kepeth wakyr hir corage | |
| That nouther cokkowe nor howle by enuye | |
| May for no slouth fynde in hir auauntage | |
| Make of this mater an applycacion | |
| 130 | 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 | |
| 135 | Uenquesshid iii enmies thrugh grace of goddis might |
| And made hir ende in v[i]rgynall clennesse virgynall] vrgynall 1495 | |
|
ΒΆOracio: |
|
| Petronilla virgyn of great vertue | |
| Clad all in floures of spirituall fresshnesse | |
| Petyrs doughter for loue of crist_Ihesu | |
| 140 | Ladest thy lyf in prayer and clennesse |
| Of herte ay founde moost meke in thy sekenesse | |
| sig: [A4v] | |
| To do seruise with humble diligence | |
| Unto thy fader thy story bereth witnesse. | |
| Callyd for thy merytes myrrour of pacience | |
| 145 | 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 | |
| Uertu was preuyd in thyn infirmyte | |
| 150 | Wherfore we pray with humble reuerence |
| Do mytigacion to all that seke the | |
| And with their accesse vertuous pacience | |
| Be_mene to Iesu for vs in all myscheef | |
| That he of mercy oure sekenesse list aslake | |
| 155 | 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 | |
| 160 | Sende theym good helth with vertuous pacience |
| And who that cometh vnto hir presence | |
| On pylgrimage with deuocion | |
| Late him trust pleynly in sentence | |
| Shall fynde grace of his peticion. | |
| Empryntyd by Rychard_Pynson. |