 | The Life of St. George |  |
How by suggestyon of the sacryfice [OMITTED]
Anone these wycked / fendes euerychone
After theyr maner / fulfyllyd with gladnes
Up into the ayre / brake out of Babylon
The romayne rulers / to styre to furyousnes
All christen people / to murder and oppres
At last to Rome / they came within short whyle
Where they disseueryd / echone to vse his gyle.
After theyr maner / fulfyllyd with gladnes
Up into the ayre / brake out of Babylon
The romayne rulers / to styre to furyousnes
All christen people / to murder and oppres
At last to Rome / they came within short whyle
Where they disseueryd / echone to vse his gyle.
Some steryd to yre / the romayne emperour
Some steryd the lordes / to wrath with all theyr myght
The sayth to distourbe / of christe our sauyour
Or els the same / for to distroy out ryght
Uysyons and dremys / fayned they by nyght
As if the goddes / complayned bytterly
That theyr olde power / was nowe no thynge set by.
Some steryd the lordes / to wrath with all theyr myght
The sayth to distourbe / of christe our sauyour
Or els the same / for to distroy out ryght
Uysyons and dremys / fayned they by nyght
As if the goddes / complayned bytterly
That theyr olde power / was nowe no thynge set by.
66
These ydollys fayned / by theyr subtylte
As if theyr temples / seruyce and honour
Both of the rulers / and all the comonte
Were clene dispysed / and had of no valour
The emperour / eche lorde and senatour
The comynalte / and bysshops of the lawe
In ferefull fourme / by nyght these dremys sawe.
As if theyr temples / seruyce and honour
Both of the rulers / and all the comonte
Were clene dispysed / and had of no valour
The emperour / eche lorde and senatour
The comynalte / and bysshops of the lawe
In ferefull fourme / by nyght these dremys sawe.
The cyte quakyd / for doutfull fere and drede
And all renewyd / theyr cursed sacryfyce
At euery temple / the bestes gan to blede
The inwarde partyes / pretendyd them malyce
For correccyon / of theyr goddes preiudyce
Some profysyed warre / murder and batayle
Some sayd / some plagge / the cyte shuld assayle.
And all renewyd / theyr cursed sacryfyce
At euery temple / the bestes gan to blede
The inwarde partyes / pretendyd them malyce
For correccyon / of theyr goddes preiudyce
Some profysyed warre / murder and batayle
Some sayd / some plagge / the cyte shuld assayle.
The blynde inchantours / sayd that by theyr scyence
They sawe all tokyns / of vtter punysshement
The prestes prophesyed / plagge of pestylence
Bycause the cyte / was slowe and neglygent
In seruyce of theyr / fals ydollys auncyent
Thus dyd the fendes / the Romayns all constrayne
For to renewe / theyr sacryfyce agayne.
They sawe all tokyns / of vtter punysshement
The prestes prophesyed / plagge of pestylence
Bycause the cyte / was slowe and neglygent
In seruyce of theyr / fals ydollys auncyent
Thus dyd the fendes / the Romayns all constrayne
For to renewe / theyr sacryfyce agayne.
At last the rulers / of all the comonte
This rumour herynge / anb troublyd sore with all
Straytly commaundyd / that christen men shuld be
By rygour drawyn / were they great or small
To sacryfyce / of fendes infernall
And who withstode / indure shulde punysshement
Of bytter deth / by manyfolde toument.
This rumour herynge / anb troublyd sore with all
Straytly commaundyd / that christen men shuld be
By rygour drawyn / were they great or small
To sacryfyce / of fendes infernall
And who withstode / indure shulde punysshement
Of bytter deth / by manyfolde toument.
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Than thorugh the worlde / went this commyssion
No place was fre / where christen men were founde
Where moste of our fayth / was in a regyon
This murder there / dyd moste of all habounde
With martyrs blode / distayned was the grounde
Nowe were mo martyrs / murdred without fayle
Than euer were men / dyuyct in one batayle.
No place was fre / where christen men were founde
Where moste of our fayth / was in a regyon
This murder there / dyd moste of all habounde
With martyrs blode / distayned was the grounde
Nowe were mo martyrs / murdred without fayle
Than euer were men / dyuyct in one batayle.
The heuenly spirites / nowe gladly dyd beholde
The royalme of heuyn / restored newe agayne
With glorious soules / of martyrs manyfolde
Whiche than for christe / indured mortall payne
For hyr childrens deth / dyd Rachel now complayne
Dispysynge confort / syth they so ferme and stable
For christe indured / suche paynes innumerable.
The royalme of heuyn / restored newe agayne
With glorious soules / of martyrs manyfolde
Whiche than for christe / indured mortall payne
For hyr childrens deth / dyd Rachel now complayne
Dispysynge confort / syth they so ferme and stable
For christe indured / suche paynes innumerable.
It were in maner / to one man impossyble
To make relacyon / of these martyrs all
A myghty volume / moche gretter / than a byble
Cowde nat contayne / theyr paynes generall
They were ful glad / to leue this lyfe mortall
Theyr myndes fyxed / to wynne immortall glory
For pacyent suffryng / of paynes transytory
To make relacyon / of these martyrs all
A myghty volume / moche gretter / than a byble
Cowde nat contayne / theyr paynes generall
They were ful glad / to leue this lyfe mortall
Theyr myndes fyxed / to wynne immortall glory
For pacyent suffryng / of paynes transytory
The planettes / of the heuenly regyon
And all the starres / clere / radyant & bryght
Sawe soules thycker / than motes in the son
Mount vnto heuyn / shynynge by heuynly lyght
No hour of day / no houre / or / tyme of nyght
No londe or place / that tyme escaped fre
Of this sore tourment / and mortall cruelte
And all the starres / clere / radyant & bryght
Sawe soules thycker / than motes in the son
Mount vnto heuyn / shynynge by heuynly lyght
No hour of day / no houre / or / tyme of nyght
No londe or place / that tyme escaped fre
Of this sore tourment / and mortall cruelte
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This dedly fury / and murdre inhumayne
Encresyd so / that fayth / faynted ful sore
In egypt / Syry / in Naples / Grece / and Spayne
In Fraunce / in Flaunders / and Brytayn lesse / & more
Suche comon murdre / scant euer was sene before
Thyse cruell tyrantes / by slaughter playnly wode
Made ryuers redde / with fautles martyrs blode.
Encresyd so / that fayth / faynted ful sore
In egypt / Syry / in Naples / Grece / and Spayne
In Fraunce / in Flaunders / and Brytayn lesse / & more
Suche comon murdre / scant euer was sene before
Thyse cruell tyrantes / by slaughter playnly wode
Made ryuers redde / with fautles martyrs blode.
This persecucyon / was than so excessyfe
That noon knewe all / these martyrs perfytely
Howbeit theyr namys / ar in the boke of lyfe
And wryten there / remayne eternally
At laste this murdre / cam also to Persy
So that welnere / both este / weste / north / & south
The name of chryst / was out of euery mouth.
That noon knewe all / these martyrs perfytely
Howbeit theyr namys / ar in the boke of lyfe
And wryten there / remayne eternally
At laste this murdre / cam also to Persy
So that welnere / both este / weste / north / & south
The name of chryst / was out of euery mouth.
None was so bolde / to knowlege openly
That they were crysten / or that durst name Iesu
Our fayth playne semyd / destroyed vtterly
This persecucion / so dayly dyd renewe
That where a paynym / one crysten sawe and knewe
He lost hys lyfe / by paynes vyolent
Thoughe it were euyn / before the sacrament.
That they were crysten / or that durst name Iesu
Our fayth playne semyd / destroyed vtterly
This persecucion / so dayly dyd renewe
That where a paynym / one crysten sawe and knewe
He lost hys lyfe / by paynes vyolent
Thoughe it were euyn / before the sacrament.
The massys cessyd / and godly sacryfyce
The awters darke / and churches voyd of lyght
To euery order / they dyd lyke preiudyce
Suche as than lyuyd / thought it a wofull syght
The innocentes / in payne to se so dyght
Some brent / som boyled / some flayne with dolour
Some hedyd / some caste to bestes / to deuour.
The awters darke / and churches voyd of lyght
To euery order / they dyd lyke preiudyce
Suche as than lyuyd / thought it a wofull syght
The innocentes / in payne to se so dyght
Some brent / som boyled / some flayne with dolour
Some hedyd / some caste to bestes / to deuour.
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What tyme George / the knyght moost excellent
In persy londe / remayned quyetly
This persecucyon / this cruell plage feruent
Enraged there / with murdre semblably
For dacyan / there rulynge cruelly
A Iudge iniust / by auaryce / and pryde
Our christen people / murdred on euery syde.
In persy londe / remayned quyetly
This persecucyon / this cruell plage feruent
Enraged there / with murdre semblably
For dacyan / there rulynge cruelly
A Iudge iniust / by auaryce / and pryde
Our christen people / murdred on euery syde.
This cruell tyrant / there beynge presydent
Quenched the faythe / abrode in that contre
True people murdrynge / by mynyfolde tourment
Thynkynge most laude / in greattest cruelte
He dyed the stretys (that wo it was to se)
With vermell blode / and gutters of the strete
The martyrs lay / theyr bowelles at theyr fete.
Quenched the faythe / abrode in that contre
True people murdrynge / by mynyfolde tourment
Thynkynge most laude / in greattest cruelte
He dyed the stretys (that wo it was to se)
With vermell blode / and gutters of the strete
The martyrs lay / theyr bowelles at theyr fete.
| The Life of St. George | |