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

Next nowe filowing here bygynneþe þe devyse of a steyned halle of þe lyf of Saint George ymagyned by Daun Johan þe Munk of Bury Lydegate / and made with þe balades at þe request / of þarmorieres of London for þonour of þeyre broþerhoode and þeyre feest of Saint George.

þee poete first declareþe—

1

O yee folk þat heer present be,
Wheeche of þis story shal haue Inspeccion,
Of Saint George yee may beholde and see
His martirdome, and his passyon;
And howe he is protectour and patroun,
Þis hooly martir, of knighthood loodsterre,
To Englisshe men booþe in pees and werre.

2

In whos honnour siþen goon ful yoore
Þe thridde Edward of knighthoode moost entier
In his tyme, bassent at Wyndesore
Founded þordre first & þe gartier,
Of worþy knightes ay frome yeere to yeere
Foure and twenty cladde in oo lyueree
Vpon his day kepte þer solempnytee.

3

Þis name George by Interpretacioun
Is sayde of tweyne, þe first of hoolynesse,
And þe secound of knighthood and renoun,

146

As þat myn Auctour lykeþe for to expresse,
Þe feond venqwysshing of manhoode and prowesse,
Þe worlde, þe flesshe, as Crystes owen knight,
Wher-euer he roode in steel armed bright.

4

Capadoce, a mighty strong Citee,—
As þe story of hym list to endyte,—
Ordeyned was to his natyvytee;
And in his youþe he gaf him-self delyte
Frome day to day, as Clerkis of him wryte,
To suwe vertue, so gynnyng his passage,
Vyces excluding, al Ryot, and oultrage.

5

And Cristes feyth for to magnefye
At gretter age his cuntree he forsooke,
And thoroughe his noblesse and his chyuallerye
Trouthe to sousteene, who-so list to looke,
Many a Iournee he vpon him tooke,
Þe chirche defending with swerd of equytee,
Þe Right of wydowes, and of virgynytee.

6

And in þis whyle an aventure is falle,
Importable þe people to sousteene,
Amiddes þe provynce whiche men lybye calle,
In a Cytee þat named is Lysseene;
A gret dragoun, with scales siluer sheene,
Horryble, dreedful, and monstruous of sight,
To-fore þe Citee lay booþe day and night.

147

7

Þe kyng, þe queene, þe lordes taken heed
Of þis sodeyne wooful aventure,
And þe people fellen in gret dreed
Consydering howe þat þey stonde vnsure,
As þey þat might þe mescheef not endure
Maade by assaute of þat felle dragoun
By pestylence vpon þeyre wooful toun.

8

But whane þe counseyle of þeyre toun took keep
Howe þat þeyre peyne was Intollerable,
Þey senten out euery day twoo sheep
To þis beest foule and abhomynable,
To staunche his hunger whiche was vnstauncheable,
But whane þeyre sheep by processe gan to fayle
Þey most of nuwe provyde more victaylle,

9

And whanne þey foonde no Refuyt ne coumfort
For þe dragoun to make pourveyaunce,
Þane þey tooke by lotte oþer by soort
Man or chylde, þeyre vytayle to avaunce,
Lyche as hit felle on by mortal chaunce
Allas, ellas, it was to gret pytee
To seen þe sorowe þat was in þat Citee.

10

Þe statuit made noon excepcyoun
Of heghe ne lowe, þey stoode in so gret doute
Touchant þat monstre and þat foule dragoun,
Eche maner man, as it came aboute,
To be devoured, allas, þey were sent oute,
Til at þe last þe lott in þis maner
Fel right vpon þe kynges doughter deer,

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11

Þat sche most nexst of necessytee
Beo so deuowred, helpe may no meede,
But to beo sent oute of þat cytee,
Þis cely mayde quakyng in hir dreed;
Vpon hir hande a sheep she did leed,
Hir fadir wepte, hir moder, booþe tweyne,
And al þe Cytee in teerys did so reyne.

12

At hir oute goyng hir fader for þe noones
Arrayed her with al his ful might
In clooþe of golde with gemys and with stoones,
Which shoone ful sheene ageyne þe sonne bright,
And on hir wey sheo mette an armed knight
Sent frome þe lord as in hir diffence
Ageynst þe dragoun to make resistence.

13

Saint George it was, oure ladyes owen knyght,
Þat armed seet vpon a ryal steed
Which came to socour þis mayden in hir right,
Of aventure in þis grete neode,
“Ellas!” quod she, whane she takeþe heed,
And bade him fleen in hir mortal feer,
Lest he also with hir devowred were.

14

And whane he saughe of hir þe maner,
He hadde pytee and eeke compassyoun,
To seen, allas, þe cristal streemys cleer

149

On hir cheekys reyne and royle adowne,
Thought he wolde beon hir Chaumpyoun,
For lyff nor deeth frome hir not to depart
But in hir quarell his body to Iupart.

15

Hooly Saint George his hors smote on þe syde
Whane he þe dragoun sawe lyfft vp his hede,
And towardes him he proudely gan to ryde
Ful lyche a knight with outen fere or dreede;
Avysyly of witt he tooke goode heed,
With his spere sharp and kene egrounde
Thoroughe þe body he gaf þe feonde a wownde.

16

Þe cely mayde, knelyng on hir kne,
Vn to hir goddes maked hir preyer,
And Saint George, whane he did it see,
To hir he sayde, with debonayre cheer,
“Ryse vp anoon, myn owen doughter deer,
Take þy girdell, and make þer-of a bande,
And leed þis dragoun boldly in þyn hande

17

In to þe cyte, lyche a conqueresse,
And þe dragoun meekly shall obeye.”
And to þe cytee anoon she gan hir dresse—
Þe Ouggely monstre dourst it not withseye—
And Saint George þe mayden gan conveye,
Þat whane þe kyng hade Inspeccyoun,
With palme and banner he gooþe processyoun,

150

18

Yiving to him þe laude of þis victorye,
Which haþe þeyre cytee delyverd out of dreed;
And Saint George, to encresce his glorye,
Pulled out a swerde and smote of his hed,
Þe people alwey taking ful good heed,
How God þis martyr list to magnefye,
And him to enhaunce thorughe his Chiuallerye.

19

Þanne he made þe dragoun to be drawe,
With waynes and cartes fer out of þe towne,
And affter þat he taught hem Crystes lawe,
By his doctryne and predicacyoun,
And frome þerrour by conuersyoun,
He made hem tourne, þe kyng and þe cyte,
And of oon hert baptysed for to be.

20

Þe kyng affter in honnour of Marye
And in worship of Saint George hir knight,
A ful feyre chirche gan to edefye,
Riche of bylding and wonder feyre of sight,
Amiddes of which þer sprang vp anoon right
A plesaunt welle, with stremys cristallyne,
Whos drynk to seek was helthe and medecyne.

21

Saint George þanne enfourme gan þe kyng
Of foure thinges of great excellence,
First þat he shoulde aboue al oþer thing
Crystes chirche haue euer in reuerence,
Worship preesthood with al his diligence,
Haue mynde on poore, and first his hert enclyne
Frome day to day to here servyce devyne.

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22

Þis same tyme, þe stoory telle cane,
Ageynst Crysten þer was a thyrant sent,
Þe which was called þeo-Dacyan,
Of paynyme lawe he was a presydent,
And to destroye was hooly his entent
Þe feyth of Cryst, and sleen his confessours,
With dyuers peynes wrought by his tormentours.

23

Whane þat Saint George gan here of take heed
Howe þis thyraunt gan Crystes feyth manace,
He of pourpos lefft of his knightly weede,
And pourely cladde mette him in þe face,
Mannely cheered, fulfilled al with grace,
In his presence lowde he gan to crye
“Oon God þer is, fy on ydolatrye.”

24

Þe false Thyraunt by gret vyolence
Commaunded haþe anoon þat he be taake,
And to be brought vnto his presence;
Bade þat he shoulde Crystes feyth forsake,
But he ne liste noo delayes maake,
Aunswerd pleynly, his lyff by deth to fyne,
Frome Crystes lawe no thing shall him declyne.

25

Þe Thyraunt þanne, of verray cruweltee,
Bad þat he shoulde þis martir moost entier
Naked beon hanged vpon a galowe tree,
With scowrges beet in ful felle maner,
And with brondes brennyng bright and cler,
His sides brent, were not hes peynes strong?
His entraylles opende, salt cast in among.

152

26

Þe nexst night, Cryst to him did peere,
And gracyously gan him to coumfort,
And beed him souffre his peynes with goode cheer,
And in no wyse him-selven discoumfort,
For he þe palme of victor schal report,
By his souffraunce, and wynnen þe laurier
Of martirdame aboue þe sterres cleer.

27

Þis mighty Geaunt, Crystes Chaumpyoun,
Drank bitter venyme made benchauntement,
Crystes crosse was his proteccion,
Preserving him þat he was not shent,
And he þat made hit of ful fals entent
Saughe ageyne God he hade no puissaunce,
Forsooke his errour and fel In repentaunce.

28

Axeþe mercy in ful humble wyse,
And bycame cristen, bytwix hope and dreed,
Þe false Iuge, voyde of all Iustyce,
Comaunded haþe þat he shuld leese his heed,
And in his blood, as any roose reed,
He was baptysed, whoo þat can discerne,
By deeþe deserving þe lyff þat is eterne.

29

Þanne Dacyan, furyous and cruwel,
Gane of nuwe devysen in his teene,
Reysed alofft a ful large wheele,
Ful of swerdes grounden sharp and keene,
And Saint George, in his entent moost cleene,
Tourned þer on in þat mortal rage,
Þe wheel to braake he felt no damage.

153

30

Eeke in a vessel boylling ful of leed,
Þis hooly martir was eplounged downe,
He enterd In with-outen feer or dreed,
Þe grace of God was his saluacioun,
[And liche a bath of consolacioun]
He founde the metal coumfortable and clere,
Escaping oute devoyde of al daunger.

31

He was eeke brought, þe story dooþe devyse,
In-to a temple ful of mawmetrye,
Off entent to haue doo sacrefyce,
But alle þeyre goddes he knightly can defye,
And sodyenly oure feyth to magnefye
A fyre frome heven was by myracle sent,
Wher thorughe þe temple was till asshes brent.

32

And with al þis we fynden in his lyff,
Thorugh Goddes might and gracyous purveyaunce
Þat Alexandrea of Dacyan þe wyff
Forsooke ydolles and al hir fals creaunce
And became crysten with humble attendaunce,
Suffred deeþe baptysed in hir bloode
For loue of him þat starff vpon þe Roode.

33

And Dacyan þanne, by ful mortal lawe,
Comaunded haþe in open audyence,
Þat Saint George be thorughe þe cyte drawe
And affter þat þis was his sentence,
[He to ben heueded by cruwel violence],
And in his dying þus it is befalle,
He made his preyer for hem þat to him calle.

154

34

“O lord,” quod he, “þou here myn orysoun
And graunte it beo vn-to þe plesaunce
Þat alle folk þat haue deuocyoun
To me, O lord, haue hem in Remembraunce
And condescende with euery circumstaunce
Of þy mercy, O souerein lord moost deer
Al for my saake to heren þeyre preyer.”

35

And al þe peple being in presence,
A voyce was herd dovne from þe hye heven,
Howe þat his preyer was graunted in sentence
Of him þat is lord of þe sterres seven.
And Dacyan, with a sodein leven
Was brent vnwarly by consumpcyoun,
As he repayred hoome to his mansyoun.

Explicit.