his perfect change in the disposition of her father,
was no longer afraid to disclose to him her earnest desire of
consecrating herself to God in a religious state of life. Finding him
averse, and much grieved at the proposal, she pleaded her cause with so
many tears, and urged the necessity of preparing for death in so
pathetic a manner, that her request was granted. Her father even thanked
God with great humility for so great a grace conferred on her, though
not without many tears which such a sacrifice cost him. He conducted her
in great state to Ely, attended by his whole court, and was met at the
gate of the monastery by the royal abbess St. Audry, with her whole
religious family in procession, singing holy hymns to God. Wereburge,
falling on her knees, begged to be admitted in quality of a penitent.
She obtained her request, and Te Deum was sung. She went through the
usual trials with great humility and patience, and with joy exchanged
her rich coronet, purple, silks, and gold, for a poor veil and a coarse
habit, and resigned herself into the hands of her superior, to live only
to Christ. King Wulfere, his three brothers, and Egbright, or Egbert,
king of Kent, and Adulph, king of the East-Angles, together with the
great lords of their respective states, were present at these her solemn
espousals with Christ,[1] and were entertained by Wulfere with a royal
magnificence. The virgin here devoted herself to God with new fervor in
all her actions, and made the exercises of obedience, prayer,
contemplation, humility, and penance, her whole occupation, instead of
that circle of vanities and amusements which employ the slaves of the
world. King Wulfede dying in 675, was buried at Litchfield. Kenred, his
son, being then too young to govern, his brother Ethelred succeeded him.
St. Ermenilde was no sooner at liberty, but she took the religions veil
at Ely, under her mother, St. Sexburge, at whose death she was chosen
third abbess, and honored in England among the saints on the 13th of
February. Her daughter, St. Wereburge, at her {347} uncle king
Ethelred's persuasion, left Ely to charge herself, at his request, with
the superintendency of all the houses of religious women in his kingdom,
that she might establish in them the observance of the most exact
monastic discipline. By his liberality she founded those of Trentham in
Staffordshire, of Hanbury, near Tutbury, in the county of Stafford, (not
in the county of Huntingdon, as