The Life of St. George :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Life of St. George

By Alexander Barclay: Edited by William Nelson

Barclay, Alexander (1475?-1552)

[section]

Prologue.

The lyfe of saynt George.

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xxiii

Prologue.
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Square brackets denote editorial insertions or emendations.

Unto the ryght hye and myghty Prynce / Thomas / Duke of Norfolke / tresorer / & Erle marchall of Englonde: Alexander barclay contynuall Helth / with encreas of welthe / & honour.

Tthe auncyent wryters / with wysdom decorate
Composynge maters / in fruytfull eloquence
Were wont theyr warkys / to wryte & dedycate
In name of rulers / and men of excellence
In which warkys / they dyd theyr dylygence
To wyn them fauour / and to to delate theyr fame
And of suche pryncys / to prayse the noble name

Of whiche wryters / this was also thintent
To haue theyr warkys / defendyd from enuy
By auctoryte / of lordys excellent
And by theyr wrytynge / also to testyfy
Theyr loue and seruyce / which they had inwardly
Towarde suche lordys / for theyr great worthynes
Which in theyr styles / they laboured to expresse

Beholde what fruyt / cam of suche besynes
Fyrst the sayd actours / by godly exercyse
Subdued all vyce / and coward ydylnes
Theyr wyttes quycned fresshe maters to deuyse
For wyt well vsyd / is apter to compryse
Profounder maters / slouth doth the reason rust
Kyndlynge the sparcles / of blynd and carnall lust

Also the actes / of noble gouernours
Haue nat dekayed / but haue immortall name
By plesant wrytynge / of the sayd oratours
Than other princys / which here or rede the same
Fele howe suche dedys / theyr hartys doth inflame
Suche noble princys / to folowe and insue
In valyant actys / belongynge to vertu

But where suche actours touchyd mysgouernaunce
Or lyfe of prynces / which erryd from vertue
They warnyd other / which wolde theyr name auaunce
Such vyce and errour / to vaynquysshe and exchue
Lyst som mysfortune / myght them at last subdue
As dyd suche synners / whose ende was ofte in care
Leuynge monycion / for other to be ware

Thus is all wrytynge / our confort and doctryne
Before vs is layde / the good for to insue
yll vs infourmyth / mysfortune to declyne
Myrth doth our myndys / quyckyn and renewe
Sadnes vs satlyth / in wysdom / and vertue
No thynge is wrytyn / but that men of prudence
May fynde some parcell / therin of Sapyence

Ryght myghty prince / nowe here to make a pawse
The moste hyghe report / of your renomyd fame
With your great desyre / doth me prouoke and cause
One small extract / to wryte nowe in your name
The lyfe of George / intyteled is the same
The lyght of knyghthod / wherby all men may se
Example of constaunce / in hard extremyte

Whiche warke forsoth: I dyd nat fyrst begyn
Reputynge my style / to you suffycyent
I knowe my reson: and wyt is dull and thyn
My langage rude / and moche ineloquent
Truly this thynge: was oonly myn intent
To laude saynt George: our glorious patron
And moue his seruauntes / vnto deuocyon.

And that the lyfe: of this so noble a knyght
His greuous paynes / and mortall passyon
Shulde nowe at last / apere and come in lyght
His laude incresynge / thorughout this regyon
And syth the wryters / of euery nacyon
Commende theyr patrons / praysynge theyr lyfe & name
Than to our patron / ought we to do the same.

And so concludynge / this treasyte to traslate
Me thought it semyd / of congruence and ryght
My boke to fynysshe / and it to dedycate
Under your shelde / as Georges worthy knyght
By whose hye power / auctoryte and myght
This small boke may be / defendyd from the blame
Of mad enuyours / whiche wolde depraue the same.

Alyf my treatyse / be no thynge eloquent
Syth I lacke termys / in langage for to frame
Hope me assureth / that ye wyll be content
And that your grace / wyll wele accept the same
For auncyent loue / whiche doth your herte inflame
To georges honour / for sothly it is ryght
That a worthy Duke / honour an holy knyght.

Touchynge the cause / wherfore this boke I drewe
To your hye honour / dyrect esspecyally
Is for saynt George / had maners with vertue
Nobleshye courage / wysdome and polecy
Whiche he disposyd / alway conuenyently
Syth the same gyftes / do you also inflame
Playne ryght admyttyth / this treatyse in your name.

Ryght myghty prynce / nowe brefly to conclude
your noble dedes / requyreth of playne ryght
This lytell boke: this present small and rude
Of georges lyfe: Spectacle to euery knyght
Thus with glad mynde: with all my herte and myght
The same I present to you and eke commende
That your clere name / my porenes may defende.

But syth this gyfte / is symple rude and small
And moche vnworthy / your honour and degre
My selfe and seruyce / I gyue to you withall
Wherby my gyft / may somwhat bygger be
He whiche you fourmyd / preserue your dygnyte
That after longe lyfe: and pleasour temporall
your soule may haue solace: in rest perpetuall.

AMEN

The lyfe of saynt George.

An inuocacion of the Actour for helpe of god in this warke with a descripcion of the londe of Cappadoce where the holy martyr saynt George was borne.

O father of heuen / in myght omnypotent
whose myght & mercy this world doth susteyn
O glorious Iesu one god equyualent
Lyke to the Father / in deite Souereyne
And o holy Goost / procedynge of these twayne
Enstrength my reason / clere myn intellygence
Breath me some wysdom / by heuenly influence.

Most gloryous lady / emperes celestyall
Mannys mediatryce / vnto thy sonne Iesu
Dyrecte my pen / for helpe on the I call
Sende me thy socour / my reason to renewe
So that I vayne gestes / and fruytles / may eschewe
And wryte the lyfe / inspyred by thy myght
Of gloryous george / thy seruaunt and thy knyght.

Let raylynge poetes / for helpe on venus call
Which hath in venus / theyr pleasour and delyte
Whose wrytynge vttreth / theyr lyuynge bestyall
With barayne termys / suche thynges they indyte
Whiche may the reders / to vicious lyfe excyte
And nat to vertue / he which is lawreat
Ought nat his name / with vyce to vyolate.

But o god through helpe / of thy magnyfycence
And gloryous mary / in hope that thou wyl lyght
My mynde and reason / with ryght intelligence
I purpose to wryte / after my symple myght
The lyfe of our patron / saynt george the worthy knyght
Despysynge vayne gestes / and wanton vanyte
So may my wrytynge / accorde with my degre

But syth I suche charge / hauegladly take in hande
For to translate this lyfe / ryght excellent
Fyrste to descryue the contrey / or the londe
Where george was borne / me thynke expedyent
And than to declare / his vertues consequent
Nowe glorious martyr / assyste me to procede
Graunt me thy seruaunt / thy socoure for my mede

The londe of Capadoce / hath his propre name
Of a certayne Ryuer / longe / large / & profouude
Namyd Cappadoce descendynge throughe the same
Commodyous / and profytable / to the grounde
This ryuer doth / in dyuers fysshe abounde
To specyall conforte / and great commodyte
Of forayne nacyons / and of the same countre.

This foresayd londe / is also adiacent
Unto the See / which to the same is nye
On lefte syde lye / the londes excellent
Of both the contrees / callyd Armenye.
And on ryght syde / dyuers people of Asye
Ar spred about / with many a fayre Cyte.
Whose names I leue / bycause of breuyte.

This londe extendyth / vnto the oryent
Unto the pendaunt / of an hyghe mountayne
Whose top surmountyth / the seconde element
That seldom tyme / it feleth wynde or rayne
This hyll / as sayth suche Auctours as ar playne
Is namyd Taurus / wherin is great solace
Throughe myghty foyson / of wode wylde beest & gras

This londe extendeth / forth and so passith by
Lycaony / Pycidy / Cylyce / and antyoche
Deuyded from / the gretter Armeny
With the flood of eufrates / that doth aproche
To bothe the londes / closyd with clyf and roche
With whiche wallys / by nature it is bounde
That inundacyon / shuld / nat apayre the grounde

As auncyent storyes / expresse / recorde and say
This londe nowe called Cappadoce by name
Was of the grekes callyd / whyte Syria
Bycause the people bred within the same
Are whyte of coloure / for why suche is the fame
That people borne / and bred in that countre
Are louesome / fayre / and pleasaunt of beautie.

Hereof who lyst / to haue playne euydence
The frost and colde / is cause / as wyse men say
For this we se / by playne experyence
In coldest londes / are fayrest / folke alway
But where as the sonne / is feruentyst by day
By strength and brennynge / of the hote feruent sonne
The dwellers there / are blewe / blak / browne or donne.

As are the facys of the blacke Moryans
The men of Inde / Persy and Araby
Brent with the sonne / and in mo Regyons
As garamant / with Ildes mo therby
But nowe to purpose / my matter to apply
This foresayd londe / hath great commodytees
Of plesaunt Ryuers / and excellent Cytees.

In this londe be / four Ryuers pryncipall
Whose names are these / hylas and salius
Lycus and Irys / whiche clerer than christall
With water fresshe / swete and delycious
Ouerflowe the grounde / it makynge plenteous
Of grasse of fruyte / and corne of euery grayne
Whiche may do conforte / vnto nature humayne.

Within this countre / or londe of Cappadoce
Are dyuers cyties / ryche / worthy and royall
But namely one concernynge my purpose
Amonge the other / moste chefe and pryncipall
With goodly walles / stronge and substanciall
And callyd Moga / in mouth of euery man
Before the noble / empyre of Rome began.

But whan the Empyre / had spred abrode his fame
Subduynge / londes to his domynyon
A romayne emperour / chaungyd this townes name
With name more worthy / vnto so noble a towne
So that the dwellers / of all that Regyon
Named this Cytie / Cesarea certayne
After the name / of the emperour romayne.

This was the Cytie / wherof was gouernour
Somtyme Basilius / the welle of eloquence
Ouerflowynge the worlde / with the great vigour
Of ornate langage / myxed with prudence
In whose dayes / the peas and opulence
Of this great cytie / passyd many wayes
The goldyn worlde / somtyme in saturnes dayes.

Right so within / this fortunate cytie
Was borne saynt George / the famous noble knyght
The parfyte myrrour / and flour of chyualrye
Of noble stocke / his parentes of great myght
This noble George / in batayle and in fyght
Surmountyd Mars / by dedes excellent
Whome men haue honoured / as god armypotent

His parentes / gaue to hym this name certayne
In tender youth / and age of innocence
So dyd the name of george / with hym remayne
After that he / by heuenly Influence
Had wasshyd away / the orygynall offence
Of his firste byrth / and of our fayth become
By holy baptyme / receyuynge cristendome.

Of the conuersacion of saynt George in his adolescence and what gyftes of nature / grace and fortune aboundyd in hym. Capitulum. secundo.

But nowe to touche / his ryches manyfolde
He had of londes / and bestes abundaunce
But namely plenty of syluer / and of golde
His father and mother / his honour to auaunce
Lefte with theyr sone / theyr ryches and substaunce
His auncyent honour / the better to meyntayne
Whiche he so ordred / that nought was spent in vayne.

His fader dede / and gone as we must all
Contynuyd george syngyll / and without wyfe
Honourynge Idollys / of fendes Infernall
As had his Parents / vsyd in theyr lyfe
This blynde errour / was than so excessyfe
That holy george / lyuynge in this errour
Had no thynge harde / of Criste our sauyour

But after the report / of this our true byleue
Entryd his erys / kyndlynge his herte and mynde
Incontynent / began / he to remeue
His herte and mynde / from his olde errours blynde
Hymself reputynge / to christ greatly vnkynde
So longe to haue honoured / those fendes fraudelent
And so in hast ran he / vnto our sacrament.

He nought asshamyd / hym humbly to inclyne
To all preceptis / of christ our sauyour
Ryght mekely stodiynge / to folowe the doctryne
Of christe: but for his elders had honour
By warre and batayle / bolde in eche storme & shoure
Therfore george / wolde nat go out of kynde
But in his youth on warre / set moste his mynde.

In dyuers batayles / spent he his lusty age
Subduynge tyrants / and mayntenynge the ryght
The way deuysynge / in his moste bolde courage
To vse such feates / as longeth vnto a knyght
None bolder borne / none of more force nor myght
No man was founde / aboute in that countre
That coude mo poyntes / of valyaunce than he.

To throwe a dart / by strength and clene puysaunce
In londe or coste / no man coude better fynde
All warryours / wondred of his valyaunce
To se this knyght / to handell tourne or wynde
A swerde or wepyn / of any sorte or kynde
To throwe a plummet / or for to put a stone
In Cappadoce / lyke vnto hym was none.

To throwe a barre / or drawe a bowe of strength
Was none his peere / nor to hym comparable
Besyde the hede / his shaft a yarde of length
Stronge / great / and myghty / to be in fleynge stable
To drawe the same / his armys were so able
That whan his craft / by exercyse dyd growe
He hyd his arowe / nerehole within the bowe.

To slynge a stone / as is the gyse of spayne
Who had hym sene / he boldly durst haue sworne
That in that londe / he had be bred certayne
To ronne or lepe / none erthly man was borne
That coude in swyftnes / one fote get hym beforne
Or hyer lepe / into the ayre than he
Suche was his strength / herte and agylyte.

What shall I speke / howe manly he coude ryde
Or tourne his stede / as quyckly as he wolde
To mounte or lepe / or swymmynge hym to gyde
No water / hedge / nor dyke coude hym withholde
The ryder by craft / gaue wynges manyfolde
Unto the stede / whiche lyght as is the wynde
With touche of brydell / tourned and inclynde.

To any parte or syde / where george wolde
It was a worlde / to se hym breke a spere
For in that poynt / no knyght was founde so bolde
In all that londe / but greatly dyd hym fere
No man was able / hym nor his stede to dere
But where hym pleasyd / for to employ his myght
He threwe by his strength / to grounde both hors & knyght.

The worthy champyons / in olde tyme wont to be
On the hylle olympus / kepynge theyr wrastlynge game
Were nat so crafty / in wrastlynge as he
Nat Hercules / of moste renowne and fame
Suche valyaunt courage / dyd Georges herte inflame
In all poyntes of strenght / hym selfe to exercyse
Wherby / to honour and fame / a man may ryse.

Let grece them boste / of Pollux and Castor
Let them of Fraunce / vaunte them of charlemayne
Let Troyans / commende theyr Parys and Hector
And brytaynes exalte / the boldnes souerayne
Of worthy Artour / but to be true and playne
No true hystorye of these / nor fayned fable
Can make theyr name / to George comparable.

If george thought / his stedes cours to slacke
Than in hymself / put he his confydence
Quickely descendynge / downe from the horses backe
The soner to socour / his folke by his defence
But if his spere / by stroke of vyolence
Fell to the grounde / it was to hym no payne
Without descendynge / to lyft it vp agayne.

It were to longe / all his vertues to declare
He knewe all / that longyd to an hygh courage
In swymmynge was none / that myght with hym compare
That craft had he / surmountynge euery age
In such feates / he spent his lusty age
And neuer in game dishonest / or pastyme
Wherof myght growe / the rote of synne or cryme.

Apostrophe ad anglos

O englysshe youth / it is both synne and shame
To se in thy patron / suche manly doughtynes
And thou to spende thy tyme / in thriftles game
The grounde of vyce / and rote of wretchydnes
Fle from suche foly / vse noble besynes
And thynges that at ende / may helpe a comon welth
Or els that may be / vnto thy soules helth.

To what degre the Romaynes callyd saynt George for his noble maners / and of what condycyons he was / whan he was come / to parfyte age of man. Capitulum. iii.

For these hyghe gyftes / and vertues vnderstonde
In this valyaunt knyght / so euydent and playne
The romayne prynces / than rulynge euery londe
Made hym a Tribune: whiche is a capytayne
Hym gyuynge charge / to chastyce and constrayne
The other sowdyours / to trouth and dylygence
And to subdue / falshode / and neglygence

For where men of warre / without correccion
Haue all theyr pleasour / in slouth and robery
Than foloweth thefte / wronge / and extorcion
And slouth moste specyall / cause of lechery
Wherfore the Romayns / prouydynge remedy
Elect wyse captaynes / transgressours to chastyce
Supportynge vertue / subduynge synne and vyce

Addicio Alexandri barclay ad predictorum dilucidationem

Of whiche sorte / was george elect for one
Whiche by discression / wysdome and prudence
Hym so behauyd / that he displesyd none
yet vncorrect / he suffred none offence
Wherof the dede coude / come to euydence
Whiche is a wonder / for seldome se we fall
That ryghtwyse men / haue loue and thanke with all

But of his beaute / somtyme nowe to wryte
He was both large / and longe of his stature
His colour rody / that one myght haue delyte
For to beholde / so fayre a creature
His heer shynynge / as golde moste fyne and pure
Flauynge abrode / and cryspynge oryently
Couerynge his necke / vnto his shuldres nye.

With hym compare / in beautie myght there none
But brefly to speke / he was a man parfyte
More than Achylles / Turnus or absolone
yet all these gyftes / coude neuer in hym excyte
Pryde or disdayne / but shortly all to wryte
The mo dyuers gyftes / that he had of nature
More meke he was / to euery creature.

And thoughe he sawe / his felawes them subdue
To carnall lust / and worldly vanyte
Theyr lust / and pleasoure / blyndly to insue
The brydell lowse / of godly chastyte
yet he subduyd / suche blynde lascyuyte
No ardant flame / of wretchyd venus rage
Coude his chaste mynde / subdue vnto bondage.

yet none example to synne / coude make hym fall
No wanton lust / coude make his thought inclyne
To haue delyte / in pleasour corporall
Whiche is a thynge / nat humayne but dyuyne
For thoughtles youth / oft commyth to ruyne
By beaute / ryches / fre wyll / or lyberte
And yll example / of youthes enormyte.

Except discressyon / rule and the lorde aboue
But as for george / he was predestynate
And chosen of god / in whome was all his loue
No erthly loue / coude hym intoxycate
His mynde was fyxed / vnclenlynes to hate
Lyke to Ipolytus / whiche rather chose to dye
Than with the quene / to brake his chastyte

Or lyke to Joseph / whiche falsly was accusyd
And cast in pryson in bytter wo and payne
Bycause that he / his lordes wyfe refusyd
Lykewyse dyd George / his noble herte refrayne
From womans foly / temptacion gyle and trayne
Thoughe dyuers ladyes had set on hym theyr hert
His herte was stable / no thynge / coude hym peruert.

But lyke as a Rocke / standynge within the see
Remayneth stable / for all the violence
Of wynde and wawes / or as a great oke tree
Eche storme abydeth: so the magnyficence
Of noble George / made manly resystence
Agaynst all pleasures / of worldly vanyte
In heuyn was all / his hole felycyte.

Whan the Rumoure / of bellona to batayle
Steryd men armyd / of dyuers region
And Mars made rulers / eche other to assayle
So that saynt george / of Captaynes must be one
He hauntyd neuer warre without relygion
Of fauour / mercy / and fyghtynge for the ryght
Lyke as besemeth / the ordre of a knyght.

But batayle tournyd / into tranquylyte
What tyme this saynt / had layser and respyte
To vse his tyme at wyll and lyberte
In workes of mercy / put he his hole delyte
For his olde synnes / pensyfe and contryte
And passynge his tyme / to serue our lorde almyght
But chefly on mornynge / and before the nyght.

But whan the people of lowe and pore estate
Both olde and yonge / gatherynge from euery place
For ayde and conforte / resortyd to his gate
They neuer departyd / but that they had solace
Ueray pure compassion / so dyd his hart imbrace
That all his ryches / vpon the pore he spent
As specyall conforte / to wretch and indygent.

To none was he noyson / nor preiudiciall
Saue whan the case so requyred in batayle
That ought must be done / with violence ouer all
Agaynst his foes / the soner to preuayle
Than was none stronger / nor bolder to assayle
Hys enmy in felde / nor none was so actyfe
Of capadoce / which alway lyue in stryfe.

In tyme of skyrmysshe was none more fortunate
For to ouercome / in grettest ieopardy
As in his byrthe / he had ben destynate
To haue good fortune / in warre & chyualry
The fame and rumour / of people openly
Sayde that he outher / was vnto batayle borne
Els that dame fortune / to hym was bounde & sworne.

Suche was his strength / and boldnes souerayne
That he which onys / escapyd had his hand
Durste neuer aduenture / suche ieopardy agayne
Nor yet be bolde / agayne his stroke to stande
For lyke as the fyre / set on a stubbyl lande
Is dryuyn forthe / by myght: of ayre and wynde
And saue the bare grounde / leueth no thynge behynde.

Ryght so this captayne / both valyaunt & bolde
Trauersyd the oste / his wepyn in his hande
Dischargynge strokes / agayne all them that wolde
By manly harte / be bolde hym to withstande
All went to grounde / that he before hym founde
Saue suche as yeldynge / gladly gaue hym place
Whom he with mercy / acceptyd to his grace.

But with the stoborne / the prowde and arrogant
He fyersly faryd / on them prouynge his myght
As Tedeus / Ayax / or Hector valyant
Or hercules / the Champyon dyd in fyght
Wherfore the emperour / had hym alway in syght
And in suche fauour / that in eche ieopardy
He must be one / without all remedy.

It is nat nede / in this small boke to wryte
All his hyghe actes / and dedys of excellence
Whiche so habounde / that I haue no respyte
What by his strength / his maners & prudence
His name was great / in presence and absence
And all men prayed for hym in generall
That hys lyfe tyme / myght be perpetuall.

Thus in his youth / moche noble was his fame
By noble courage / and feat of chyualry
But as he grewe / so grewe his worthy name
He dayly laboured / his laude to multyply
Suffrynge no houre / in ydylnes passe by
In all his actes / was vertue and boldnes
Lyke as this treatyse / shall afterwarde expres.

Howe saynt George was sent into the Londe of Lybia with the Emperour Maximyan: and how he came to the cite of Sylena where he founde the ferefull monstre whiche he afterwarde ouercam. And of the dredeful shape and descripcion of the sayde Monstre. Capitulum. iiii.

Maximyan a Romayne emperour
Upon a season / prepared a voyage
Into Lybia / with many a sowdyour
The londe to brynge / vnder his bondage
Of whiche londe / the dwellers were sauage
And with the Romayns / dyd batayle oft renewe
Whiche sorer laboured / theyr power to subdewe

This emperour / had with hym in company
Ryght worthy Captaynes / of hye name and renown
With hym was George / the floure of chyualry
The captayne / of certayne legyon
Of men of Armys / borne in a Regyon
Tracia by name / this hoste helde forth theyr way
Nere by ryche cyte / named Sylena.

This Cyte / firste was foundyd as men wene
By olde duke Bacchus / somtyme a man of fame
And by his people / callyd men of Sylene
Dryuen from the costes / of Nysus to theyr shame
Whiche callyd this Cyte / Sylene / by theyr name
And it defendyd / with myghty wall and toure
The same instorynge / with men and great tresoure

Without the walles / aboute the same cyte
Was a depe dyche / the water moche vnpure
The mote was large / and of great profundyte
Infectyf / foule / and fyllyd with ordure
The sent was lothsome / to euery creature
Whether this vyle dyche / were watry or drye
The stynkynge sauoure / yet bode contynually.

An ayre infectyf / ascendyd from the same
With mysty cloudes / stynkynge obscure and blake
This lothly dyke / if I shuld kyndely name
It playne resemblyd / a foule infernall lake
Infect with venym / of adder / eute / and snake
And of mo serpentes / foule and venemous
Namely of one / great dragon odyous.

It is thynge secrete / and very harde to tell
Whether god had sende / suche plage for punysshment
Or it were done / by damnyd spirites of hell
Or by the bodyes / of the fyrmament
But in this mater / I wyll nat argument
But to be brefe / this deedly dongyon
Brought forth a monstre / a great and foule dragon.

This monstre thorugh / hyr odyous poyson
Wastyd both man / and beest on euery syde
But nowe to touche / hyr shape and foule fassyon
Hyr lothly bely / was ougly great and syde
Hyr necke right longe / hyr mouth was large and wyde
Hyr throte moste lyke / an ouyn flamynge bryght
So that faynte hertes / were slayne but with hyr syght.

More ferefull / fell / and crueller was she
Than the deedly monster / of Lerna was doutles
Upon hyr wynges / and on hyr backe on hye
Were grene roughe scalys / lyke yren of hardnes
If Hercules / for all his hardynes
With bylle or clubbe / had ron this dragon to
He shulde forsoth / haue founde ynough to do.

Whan this deedly monstre / lothely of fygure
Had wastyd the bestes / about on euery syde
Hyr wombe insaciate / no hunger coude indure
In one place: wrath nat suffred hyr to byde
Hyr iyen she lyfted / hyr throte displayed wyde
Agaynst the cyte: with breth and ayre as fell
As out ascendyth / from the foule floodes of hell.

The mortall venym: the foule and deedly sent
Went ouer the wallys / corruptynge the cyte
With foule infeccyon: and sauour pestylent
The men consumynge / by great mortalyte
By sodayne deth: or longe infyrmyte
For where as nature / was weyke or impotent
The body infect / fell deed in contynent.

Thus deedly sorowe / the cyte dyd confounde
But where this dragon: went / walowyd / or dyd lye
Hyr wombe infectyf / inuenymyd the grounde
That herbes / and gras / were brent / and wexed drye
The corne / and flowers / where she had passyd nye
Decayed fadynge / and hangynge / downe theyr hede
Unto the grounde / as blastyd / faynt and dede.

The woddes forestes / and leuys of euery tre
Whiche had ben strykyn / by this ayre venemous
Became pale / and drye: so lesynge theyr beaute
Lyke as the londe / of Catanence doys
Whan the sodayne fyre / and flamys peryllous
Of the mountayne callyd / Ethna brakyth out
Brennynge wode: townes / both man and beste about.

But if the vyle ayre / of this same foule serpent
Infectyd any byrde: syttynge or in flyght
Lyke as the herte / had ben in sonder rent
In contynent: the byrde lost strength and myght
And voyde of lyfe: vnto the grounde fell ryght
The fysshe also / the brokes and ryuers clere
Were all infectyd / where this foule beste came nere.

Howe it was ordeyned by Act of Parlyament that .ii. bodyes of inhabytauntes of the cyte shuld be chosyn euery day by lot to be gyuen to this Dragon: and howe at the last the lot fell on the kynges doughter: and what sorowfull Lamentacion was demened ouer all the palays by occasyon of the same. Capitulum. v.

After great deth: and paynes vyolent
At last the kynge: and of the londe the chefe
Assemblyd to counsell: holdynge parlyament
To seke some meane: to asswage this myschefe
At last whan euery / man had tolde his grefe
For to eschewe suche / murder generall
This was concludyd: by counsell of them all.

That is to say / the kynge and comonte
And lordes ordeyned / that .ii. bodyes dayly
Of mankynde by lot: shulde out chosyn be
Unto the dragon: to gyue contynually
The one at euyn: the other on morne erly
So that with them she myght be sacyate
And nat the hole cyte / so to intoxycate.

As poetes recorde: the men of the cyte
Of noble Athenys: were in lyke maner case
Oppressyd with harde fate / and destenye
What tyme Theseus / arryued in that place
But afterwarde he / by fauour and by grace
Of that foule monstre: hym self red out of drede
His passage gydynge / out by a clewe of threde.

The cyte obeyed: this cruell ordynaunce
Syns none other way / was sene of remedye
On lowest people: firste fell the lot or chaunce
But at the last: it left the comonte
And fell on suche: as were of hye degre
Thus dayly the towne: newe corsys myght bewyale
But mourne myght they fast: for all coude nat auayle.

None was but douted: harkynge euery houre
For to receyue / theyr cruell desteny
But whan the monstre: shuld haue them to deuoure
No mede nor raunsom / coude them redeme nor bye
At last the lot / ascendyd vp so hye
That on the kynges doughter: it also fell
A fayre yonge virgyne: and goodly damoysell.

The kynge hymselfe / was weyke and farre in age
Hauynge no childe: but this yonge mayde alone
In whome was all / the hope of his lynage
Sythe all his other / fro hym were deed and gone
More was his sorowe: the greatter was his mone
That with his childe: whiche redy was to wed
So foule a beste / shulde be replete and fed.

But than (as often) doth fall in suche a chaunce
Bytwene the kynge: and all his comonte
Began to growe / discorde and varyaunce
The kynges herte / was mouyd with pyte
To saue his childe: from deedly cruelte
Groundynge hym selfe: namely vpon this clawse
A kynge in mercy: may be aboue his lawes.

But all the comons / sayd on the other syde
With wrathfull chere / and thretnynge yrefull
The kynge / hymself / his lawes shuld abyde
As they had done / without all remedy
And that they nat wolde / abyde suche iniury
But that the kynge / his lawes to mentayne
Shuld in that case / be partyner of theyr payne.

The kynge than seinge / all the hole comonte
This wyse confederate: and all of one intent
Began to note / thre maner thynges that be
Auoyde of mercy: and very harde to stent
A comonte is one: whan the in one assent
And fyre / and water: so dyd he determyne
To theyr peticion: shortly to inclyne.

And promysyd them / with terys excessyf
His oonly doughter / to do with hyr theyr wyll
In whome was all / the confort of his lyfe
The day was sygned / this promes to fulfyll
At whiche answere / the comonte was styll
And half asswagyd / ther grutche and murmurynge
Abydynge the day / apoyntyd of the kynge.

Whan worde of this / was come vnto the quene
Thought / payne / & sorowe / to deth hyr herte dyd wounde
More wofull woman was neuer herde nor sene
Hyr self she wysshyd / oft depe within the grounde
Euer all the palays / of wo was crye and sounde
The knyghtes / and ladyes / so sore mournyd echone
One myght haue pyte / to here suche wofull mone.

The kynge and quene / yet mournyd moste of all
Ouer all the palays / was dolour day and nyght
Downe went the ryche / aparayle of the hall
The golde and tyssue: was throwen out of syght
And with blacke clothes / was all the palays dyght
The festes cessyd: both myrth and melody
Was tournyd to terys / and wepynge bytterly.

For songe / were syghes: for daunsynge and solace
The ladyes wandred / the heer aboute theyr iyen
Unclenely dust / deturped euery place
Whiche in fore tyme / were kept ryght fayre and clene
No token of myrthe / amonge them all was sene
The wofull day: whiche than fast so drue nere
Doubled theyr sorowe: abatynge all theyr chere.

How after the day apoyntyd was come: the Kynge and quene contrary to theyr owne wyll: to alay ye malyce of the comons brought forthe theyr doughter to obiect hyr to the monstre / and how the kyng & quene confortyd hir agaynst hyr deth. Capitulum. vi.

Nowe was the dolorous / day almost at hande
Whan this goodly virgyn / shuld deuoured be
The fame therof / sone spred aboute the londe
Many one came thyther / that wofull syght to se
From dyuers partes / of the same countre
But namely straungers / moste gladly thether yede
That they myght all recount and tell that dede.

Saynt george also / whiche was nat thens farre
Whan he had worde / hereof: full hastely
Dyd on his armour / and habyte mete for warre
And mountyd vpon / his stede delyuerly
Ledynge with hym / a certayne company
So towarde the Cyte: he sped hym faste also
To se that syght / lyke: as dyd many mo.

Forth coursyd he: on his stede of great volour
A herte myght ioy so fayre a knyght to se
This stede was gyuen hym: of the emperour
For his great manhode: strength and audacyte
The hors was trappyd: by vse of royalte
With purpyll harnes: and betyn golde full bryght
In suche aray: forth rode this noble knyght.

At last he and his small: company dyd take
A standynge place: vpon a mountayne nere
Where they myght se: the fowle and lothly lake
Out of the whiche: the dragon shulde apere
Than was it mornynge: and Phebus gan to clere
His beamys spredynge / out of the oryent
Lyghtnynge the erth / the ayre and fyrmament.

Whan sodaynly / the dragon dangerous
Lyft vp the hede / with fowle and lothly loke
Out of the dyche / vnclene and odyous
The people about (hyr seynge) drade and quoke
Hyr lothly body / out of the fylth shshoke
The myre deuydynge / the ayre about hyr stanke
In swymmynge she droue / the water to the banke.

Anone where as / the ayre before was clere
A clowde obumbred / the heuyn and fyrmament.
The sonne began / all pale and blake to apere
For ayre infectyf / of this moste fowle serpent
Unto the banke / she swam in contynent
She sought and gapyd / for hyr acustomyd pray
Hyr brennynge iyen / fast rollynge euery way.

But whan no where / she coude hyr pray espy
For wrath she gnastyd / in furour all on fyre
She lyft hyr scalys: hyr backe / and necke / on hye
Spredynge hyr wynges / all grene / by fylth and myre
She made all tokyns / pretendynge wrath and yre
with sygne / or semblaunce / as she wolde mounte & fle
For to inuenyme: euyn all the hole cyte.

By ferefull hyssynge / moche greuous were hyr sounde
As impacyent / for: prolongynge of hyr pray
With hyr crokyd clawys: she bete vpon the grounde
Lystynge hyr iyen / and erys vp alway
Agayne the gates / from whens many a day
She knewe hyr mete / to hyr was wont be brought
Hyr wrath renewyd / whan she espyed nought.

If she coude here / the gates cracke from farre
If they shulde open / she waytyd besely
As one in hope / she laboured to come narre
But hyr great weyght: hyr suffred nat to flye
yet as she myght / she fast approchyd nye
Hyr lothly necke / before hyr stretchyd out
With hyr brynnynge tunge / lyckynge hyr mouth about.

The ferefull moders / hye on the wallys stode
The wofull men: yonge children them beynde
With heuy hertes / the comons there abode
To se that syght / whiche sore shulde greue theyr mynde
The tendrest hertes / had greattest wo by kynde
The hardest hertes / made also mone for wo
A fautles virgyn / to se deuoured so.

In the meane tyme the kynge / and quene forth brought
Theyr doughter / clothyd / in vesture moste royall
With outwarde chere: they hyd theyr inwarde thought
Theyr doughters herte / to confort moste of all
To hyr they sayd: that all they playnly shall
Become great goddes / whiche wyll indure suche payne
Theyr lawes londes: with deth so to mentayne.

And that as goddes / all men shuld them honour
With yerely festys / and great solemnyte
As Romulus and Numa: men of great valour
They shulde nat oonly / in that londe laudyd be
But also in other / londes beyonde the se
Who euer they were / that shuld here of the fame
Of that noble dede / shulde magnyfye hyr name.

As men of Cursyus / laudys the pyte
Whiche kest hymself / in an abyme profounde
By his oonly deth / to saue a comonte
With suche wordes / and other / that they founde
Hyr frendes laboured / to make hyr herte be bounde
Rather to the loue / of lyfe perpetuall
Than of this faynt lyfe: caduke and temporall.

Howe the virgyne was led forth of the Cyte / and bounde to a Pyller to be deuoured of ye dragon. Capitulum. vii.

With suche wordes / the wofull kynge & quene
Laboured to temper / theyr doughters heuynes
And to refrayne / the terys of theyr iyen
They stodyed myrth / in vysage to expres
But wo and pyte / withstode that besynes
For teres and syghes / brake out on euery syde
No outwarde chere / theyr inwarde wo coude hyde.

Unto the gates / they brought this mayde echone
Whiche to this tyme / were kept fast close and shyt
Than made they all / suche wofull crye and mone
It playnely to wryte / it passyth mannys wyt
Syghes had theyr longes / almoste in sunder kyt
The mayde they halsyd / and kyssyd tenderly
And toke theyr leue: syns was no remedy.

At last the gates / anone were cast abrode
The mayde went / forth hyr seruauntes hyr about
The kynge / the quene: and Comons styll abode
Within the wallys / mournynge with wofull shout
This ferefull virgyne / was in this wyse shyt out
Hyr here abrode: in weddynge ornament
Of golde clere glystrynge / for stonys oryent.

The seruauntes than / sad and with wofull mone
Unto a pyller / this mayde with chaynes bounde
Auoyde of confort / hyr leuynge there alone
Lyke to a goddes / there stode she on the grounde
To Helena none / lyker: coude be founde
She mekely abode / hyr ende and deth alway
Amonge the monstres: as dyd Andromade.

Her iyen she tourned / towarde the fyrmament
Drede hyr nat suffred / the monstre to beholde
And quakynge for fere / callyd with hole intent
On all theyr Idollys: of goddes manyfolde
To proue if any: of them hyr socour wolde
Hyr mone was thus: harde to the cyte wall
The wynde was lowde: wherfore they harde nat all.

Of the lamentable complaynt of the virgyne / whan she was left alone before the dragon. Capitulum. viii.

Hirself alone: this wyse complayned she
O wretchyd Alcyone: who can expres thy wo
(For she by name / was callyd Alcyone)
Why is thy state: and cruell fortune so
That into this dragons / bely thou must go
Alas shall my dayes / no lenger tyme indure
I dye or the day / prefyxed of nature.

My graue approchyth / my body to deuoure
yet I alyue / hole sounde and innocent
By cours of nature / farre from my dethes houre
yet is my deth: and endynge day present
Fye on the fortune: both fals and fraudelent
What haue I done? what gyle conde thou deuyse?
A fautles virgyne: to murder in this wyse?

Why is heuyn erth / and helle to me contrary?
My self se I nowe: hatyd of them echone
Of all the goddes / and mortall men here by
I se no socoure: compassyon haue they none
Before this monstre: here am I left alone
Without all confort / proteccyon or defence
And that before / my faders owne presence.

Are these the festes / of my maryage
So longe abyden / of my father the kynge
O my dere moder / feble and farre in age
Is this your confort: of my fruyt and ofsprynge
Wherin your hope / was set aboue all thynge
O goddes all / if ye haue iyen to se
Beholde my sorowe / in this extremyte.

O heuynly goddes / shewe vnto me your face
Whiche by your myght: as men recorde and tell
Haue Aryadna: sauyd in suche case
O goddes of the see: o gouernours of hell
If ye haue iyen / to se this case cruell
If any mercy / can moue you to pyte
Haue mercy nowe / on your Alcyone.

Haue I nat euer / ben lowe in your presence
Before your Auters: both meke and innocent
Prostrate in prayer / with humble reuerence
Than nowe here my mone / to my request assent
If ye be goddes / in heuyn parmanent
As we blynde wretchys / in you suppose and trowe
Declare your myght / shewe forth your power nowe.

With suche wordes / or lyke as we may thynke
This wofull virgyne / complayned all alone
As she that was / at dethes dore or brynke
Whan they on the wallys: harde this carefull mone
To se the case theyr herte was colde as stone
For fere they quakyd: hauynge no tere to wepe
That dolefult syght / persyd theyr herte so depe.

Drede and compassyon / them nere bereft theyr lyfe
Theyr hertes stryken with doloure vyolent
But noble George / had payne moste excessyfe
From the hylle beholdynge: the virgyn innocent
So all his men made mone full euydent
And all the straungers: bewaylyd hyr dystres
Theyr hertes plungyd / in care and heuynes.

Styll stode the monstre / with iyen bryght as fyre
Maruaylynge in maner / of the ryche aray
And of the fayre virgyns / precyous attyre
For the other were / put nakyd forth alway
yet by the bondys: she knewe it was hyr pray
Wherfore with Iawes / and throte displayed wyde
Fast to the virgyne: began she for to glyde.

Hyr myghty body: somwhat made slowe hyr pace
So that hyr meuynge / was slake as one myght se
Hyr body semyd a volt / or some great place
If on from farre / behelde hyr quantyte
Hyr tayle came after / with great prolyxyte
Leuynge the prent: behynde hyr in the way
Hyr wynges abrode / she drewe vnto hyr pray.

Howe saynt george mouyd with compassyon defendyd ye virgyne and ouercame the dragon by myght of god. Capitulum. ix.

Whan George from farre / behelde the foule dragon
He thought that syght / a myschefe inhumayne
His herte was kyndlyd / with pyte & compassyon
Recouerynge courage: and boldnes souerayne
He thought to red / the virgyne of hyr payne
And made a crosse: deuoutly on his brest
His spere anone / was charged in the rest.

With spurrys of golde / he stroke his stedes syde
To spede his pase: as was his comon gyse
And to the monstre / dyd rather fle than ryde
Whan the beholders / this boldnes dyd deuyse
They all had wonder / to se his interpryse
And to theyr goddes / they all began to cry
To sende the knyght / the palme and victory.

But brefly nowe / for to declare this fyght
God euer is redy / to helpe a bolde courage
In whom had George / more truste than in his myght
And to the monstre / flewe: for all hyr rage
To set this stroke / he sought his auauntage
His noble herte / was out of dout and fere
And in at hyr mouth: so ran he with his spere.

Of this fowle dragon / by myghty vyolence
The spere thorugh throte / into the wombe fast went
Suche was of god / the socour and defence
But soone the stede began / his cours to stent
By force astonyed / of stroke so vyolent
yet kept the knyght / styll his audacyte
The ferefull monstre / was nat so fyers as he.

But shortly after / what tyme the stede agayne
His myght recouered: and herte of excellence
Of brydyll and byt / his courage had disdayne
Coursynge at wyll / for any resystence
So moche that all / the people in presence
More drade the stede / and were astonyd more
Than of the monstre / whiche fered them before.

After this short fury / hasty and sodayne
Of myghty courage / kendlyd this wyse by yre
Was somewhat slakyd / his mekenes come agayne
The stede hym tournyd: his iyen semynge on fyre
Gatherynge his fete: as nature dyd requyre
Nere to his bely: his nostrylles blastynge wyde
Disdaynynge the dragon: and coursynge by hyr syde.

The valyaunt george: of courage was egall
And drewe his sworde / glasyd so clere and bryght
That the flamynge shadowe / stroke on the cyte wall
By Phebus aydyd: and strykyn with his lyght
With suche weapen: the champyon bolde and wyght
All drede expulsyd: the monstre dyd withstande
Tyll tyme his swerde / was broken to his hande.

But thoughe the monstre / was woundyd mortally
At the first assaut / yet quyckenyd she agayne
But noble George / withstode so valyauntly
That all the Monsters / fury was in vayne
At last he gaue / the beste a stroke sodayne
Thorugh throte and herte: with another spere
The bowels brast / the staffe remayned there.

Anone the dragon / all fayntyd by that wounde
Had no more myght / the knyght or hors to dere
But stratchyd out / hyr body on the grounde
With hyr crokyd tuskys / fast gnawynge on the spere
This wyse / this monstre / whom Hercules myght fere
By helpe of god: and george the worthy knyght
On grouude is prostrate: depryued of hyr myght.

Howe the virgyne was conueyed agayne into the Cyte / & what ioye was amonge all the Comons for deth of this monstre: And howe ioyfull the kynge and quene were for preseruacyon of theyr doughter. Capitulum. x.

Nowe lyeth this monstre: displayed on the grounde
Stryuynge with deth / hyr cruell yre put by
She pantyd for payne / of the sayd mortall wounde
Stretchynge hyr lymmes / vpon the grauell drye
The people standynge / vpon the wallys hye
Within the cyte: and also they without
Behelde the syght: with ioyfull crye and shout.

A crye arose farre / from the cyte wall
In wordes confusyd: and gladnes of langage
In mynde they ioyed: theyr hertes lyghtyd all
Seynge them self / escapyd this bondage
The kynge and quene: forgate theyr feble age
After that to them / recountyd was this case
They ran to the wallys / nere rauysshyd by solace.

With parfyte ioye / theyr hertes were persyd depe
That gladnes nere: had them bereft theyr mynde
That sodayne solace: constrayned them to wepe
Anone for pyte: as nature wolde and kynde /
They bad their / seruaunts / theyr doughter soone vnbynde
Trustynge hyr sorowe: hyr fere and mortall payne
Shuld than be tournyd / to myrth and ioy agayne.

Unto the virgyne / the seruaunts hastyd nere
Hyr cruell bondes / they sped them to vndo
All pale and dede / was the good virgyns chere
Hyr lyfe nere gone: faynt drede had made hyr so
But they echone / gaue confort in hyr wo
And led hyr home: theyr hertes glad and lyght
The kynge and quene / to confort with hyr syght.

What tyme the virgyn / within the towne was brought
The comons stryuyd: who first hyr face myght se
They compassyd hyr / astonyed in theyr thought
For this sodayne chaunce / in suche extremyte
The kynge and quene / were mouyd with pyte
And tender affect / hauynge no worde to say
By inwarde ioye / theyr speche was taken away.

They had no wordes / egall or semblable
For to pronounce / with langage euydent
Suche inwarde myrth / and ioy instymable
They wept for ioy / to se that innocent
Escapyd from suche / vnworthy punysshment
Theyr iyen were fyxed / hole in the virgyns face
Theyr armys spred / theyr doughter to inbrace.

And lyke as dome men / depryued of langage
Usyth by sygnes / theyr myndes to expres
Or lyke yonge chyldren / or babes within age
Make sygnes / and tokyns / of vnparfytenes
Ryght so for ioy: the kynge and quene doutles
No worde coude speke: for gladnes of theyr mynde
That ioy almoste / bereft theyr lyuely wynde.

Also the straungers / sore wondred of that chaunce
All laudyd the knyghtes: myght and audacyte
Prayinge theyr goddes / his honour to auaunce
For his preseruyng / of chaste virginite
All that were present / both states and comonte
Of fayre Ixion: recountyd the hystory
By Hercoles red / from peryll semblably.

Some sayd it was / no dede of man mortall
But some god in lykenes / of mortall creature
As Hercules: Castor / or Pallas marcyall
Or Mars hym self: they thought that it was sure
But after the quene: hyr spirites coude recure
She kyssyd and inbracyd: full tenderly the mayde
And moche louyngly: to hyr these wordes sayde.

Welcome to me / the confort of my lyfe
Welcome releas / of all my care and payne
My ioy / and socour / of all my thought pensyfe
Welcome vnto thy / dere fader and me agayne
O goddys gydynge: all besynes mundayne
Of you can I aske / no more prosperyte
Saue that ye nowe / haue grauntyd vnto me.

Nowe were I glad / to leue this mortall lyfe
Than shulde I dye / fulfylled with gladnes
For better is to dye: from worldly payne and stryfe
Than chaunge confort: for payne and heuynes
My ioy my iewell: my confort of distres
Nowe is my trust: hereafter in thy lynage
Shall rest the confort / of our olde feble age.

With suche wordes / the quene full tenderly
Spake to hyr doughter / in maner confortable
And all the comons / lyke wyse full louyngly
Chered the virgyne: in mauer honourable
But whyle they talkyd / in wordes varyable
The noble knyght / vnto the sounde drewe nere
And thus wyse sayd: so lowde that all myght here.

Howe saynt George exhortyd the Cytezyns to forsake theyr errours / and to byleue in christ / and howe he infourmyd them in the fayth. Capitulum. xi.

O ye blynde people: whom errour doth subdue
Undo your gates: your cause of drede is gone
Come nere and render: thankes to Iesu
By whose ayde & myȝt / this dede or act is done
Gyue chryst the thankes: to me I chalange none
The people obeyed / and to the knyght gaue hede
The gates they displayed / auoyde of dout or drede.

Anone they yssued / and fast to george came
Stryuynge who first / myght come to his presence
Lyke wyse as water: out brakyth of a dame
So ran the people / to hym with vyolence
They stode about / with humble reuerence
And after thankes / condygne for his degre
They led the knyght / strength into the cyte.

Whan noble george / was come within the wall
As one inspyred / with heuynly sapyence
Styll on his stede / he sat aboue them all
Exortynge them / a whyle to kepe scylence
And to his saynge / to gyue theyr audyence
This done: the kynge / and quene also present
This wyse to them: he vttred his intent.

ye knowe well all / and playnely ye haue sene
your harde mysfortune / and mortall ieopardy
And in what daunger / ye alway shuld haue bene
If god had nat sent / to you some remedy
My mynde is sure: so knowe ye certaynely
The wycked fendes: whose temples ye honour
Had sende this dragon / your people to deuour.

ye haue your temples / of goddes manyfolde
ye honour them / as goddes moste souerayne
But in these Idollys / thus gayly made of golde
Are fendes closyd: whiche causyd all this payne
Whiche gyue you answeres: your errour to mentayne
And nowe as deuyllys / replete with cruelte
Hath sende to your londe: this great mortalyte.

By mortall plage: you and your londe to noye
Se what rewarde / ye haue for your seruyce
your goddes purposyd: extremely to destroy
you that theyr laudes / and seruyce exercyse
your welth enuyenge / suche is theyr olde malyce
Wherfore these Idollys: as ye se clerely all
Are no true goddes: but fendes infernall.

A damnable / custome: of errour and abuse
Hath made you worshyp: these fendes fraudelent
Auoyde this foly / this blynde errour refuse
And serue one god: and lorde omnypotent
Whiche create / heuyn: and euery elyment
Whiche made the worlde: and euery creature
Whiche euer / hath ben: and euer shall indure.

All your fals Idollys / were wretchyd men mortall
And nowe in helle payne: abyde they fast and sure
But this one god: is lastynge eternall
No god by craft: but god of his nature
Whose myght immutable / shall euermore indure
In his laude and honour / ye shuld you exercyse
With temples / auters: and besy sacryfyce.

What tyme our lorde / and god omnipotent
By worde of his mouth / stronge and potencyall
Had fourmyd man / moste noble and excellent
And whan mankynd / from his degre dyd fall
By mocyon of / the fende our fo mortall
The father of heuyn / sent downe to dedely payne
His oonly sone / vs to redeme agayne.

Suche loue / suche mercy: and meruelous pyte
Had god to man: moste souerayne creature
That the seconde / person / of the deyte
Entred the wombe / of mary virgyne pure
Whiche vndefyled: beyonde cours of nature
By the holy goost / conceyued hath in dede
And brought forth Iesu: nat knowynge mannes seede.

Than after paynes / surmountynge mannys mynde
At last this lorde / full meke and wyllyngly
Toke bytter deth / for to redeme mankynde
Shedynge his blode: onr synne to wasshe therby
He helle subduyd / and spoyled myghtely
Alyue hym shewynge / to his apostyls playne
At last ascendynge vp / vnto heuyn agayne.

Thus hath this lorde / our sauyour Iesu
By his deth made opyn / heuyn vnto vs all
And left a meane / wherby we may insue
By baptyme pourgynge / our synne orygynall
Thus man is fre / whiche erst was bonde and thrall
This is the god / whome all we ought honour
And nat fals fendes / inducers of errour.

[OMITTED]

The kynge and quene / were chrystenyd firste of all
Next them theyr doughter / gode chaste Alcyone
And after them / the people great and small
Stryuyd who firste / myght at the water be
Receyuynge baptyme / with all humylyte
They were ryght glad / to fayth of chryst Iesu
With all theyr mynde / them gladly to subdue.

By heuynly helpe: whan this was past and done
All theyr olde Idollys / of fendes infernall
They threwe to grounde / and brake them euerychone
And halowyd after / the temples of them all
In laude and honour / of one god immortall
The noble knyght / infourmed them lykewyse
What ryte of seruyce / that they shuld exercyse.

He ordeyned mynystres / of auncyent grauyte
Of laudable lyfe / of wysedome and prudence
Whiche in the churche / of god almyght shuld be
Hym duely seruynge with laude and reuerence
And chastely lyuynge / in parfyte contynence
By whose example / and lyfe of holynes
Lay men myght lerne / theyr lyuynge to reders.

He taught the tyme / of eche solemnyte
Whiche ought be worshypped / moste hye & solemly
First of our lorde Iesu / the natyuyte
The Circumcision / and the epyphany
With all the other / hye festes by / and by
As they are ordeyned / distynctly in the yere
He them infourmyd / in wrytynge playne and clere

These thynges ordred / as was expedyent
Sone they prepared / a pyle of wode nat small
And in the same / the monstrous dragon brent
As it lay dede / by georges stroke mortall
And by thassent / of kynge and comons all
The dragons shape / and all the hole hystory
Was portrayde on the wallys / and gate for a memory.

The length / the brede / and all the fowle fygure
A godly virgyne / as whyte as bone of whall
Was curyously / made there / in portrayture
And noble george / the Champyon royall
Also was portred / for a memoryall
That of this dede / the laude and worthy fame
Myght neuer dye / but haue immortall name.

Also to kepe / in mynde this noble dede
They ordeyned playes / of all the hole hystory
Whiche theyr ofsprynge / that after shuld succede
Shulde yerely play / to kepe it in memory
Lykewyse as Grece had vsed solemly
To Hercules / and to the olde Iupiter
To kepe in mynde / theyr noble actes of warre.

This done / the kynge / and quene went for to mete
The noble knyht / with them theyr doughter dere
Anone the virgyne / downe knelyd at his fete
With humble herte / with meke and lowly chere
And oft hym thankyd / with mynde and herte intyer
For preseruacion / of hyr meke innocence
The kynge and quene / than spake in this sentence.

O holy knyght / moste bolde and fortunate
Who can thy dede / condygnely recompence
Where we were nere / to deth all destynate
Thou hast vs sauyd / by thy magnyfycence
Our oonly iowell / our chylde of innocence
From deth is sauyd / by ayde and helpe of the
Right is so bothe / our Comonte and we.

And we whiche longe / haue lyued in errour
And in subieccion / of fendes fraudelent
Knowe nowe the fayth / of christ our sauyour
By thy great vertue / and wysdome lyberall
Thus hast thou sauyd / our bodyes mortall
Also our soules / thou hast delyuered playne
By thy instruccyon / out of eternall payne.

Thus we our selfe / are boundyn vnto the
And this our chylde / the hope of our lynage
So is our comons / our londe and our cyte
And if it please the / to take in maryge
Our oonly doughter / for conforte of our age
Take all our Realme / our people and ryches
All shall obey / to the both / more and les.

The kynge and quene / vttred this wyse theyr mynde
To them the knyght / than answered thus agayne
Ryght noble kynge / your profer is full kynde
your mynde I se / is to rewarde my payne
yet wolde I that ye / knowe this one thynge certayne
That thanke ne laude / requyre I none to me
God hath you sauyd / than laude his maieste.

Touchynge your doughter / fayre and of tender age
your londe / and cyte / none shall remayne with me
My mynde disposyd / is nat to maryage
But from all lust / to kepe my body fre
But syth that ye / are nowe at lyberte
By helpe of god / your payne tournyd to ease
Intende ye the more / your lorde and god to please.

Whan he had sayd / the kynge and quene also
Were greatly sory / and full of heuynes
But whan they sawe / he wolde none other do
They gaue to hym / abundaunce of ryches
Of precyous stones / and vessell more and les
Of golde wele couchyd / with stones manyfolde
And costly robys / of fyne and pure golde.

Than all the comons / came on the other syde
With great abundaunce / of ryches and tresour
Of costly Iowels / as any coude prouyde
And gaue the same / to George with all honour
But he nought counted / suche vayne terrene valour
And spent it on churches / of god omnypotent
And on pore people / lame syke and impotent.

How saynt george causyd a churche to be byldyd in myddes of the cyte in honour of our lady / & how a welle sprange out of the foundacyon: wherof ye water had suche vertue yt all suche as lay syke by infeccyon of the dragon / were restoryd to helth by drynkynge of the same / & how saynt george intendynge to depart exhortyd the kynge & comons to contynue in fayth and vertue. Capitulum. viii.

After this the knyght / gaue counsell to the kynge
In myddes of the cyte / a churche to edyfy
Of strength and substaunce / and curyous byldynge
In name and honour / of glorious mary
The kynge assentyd: to hym right louyngly
And without delay / men of that faculte
Began the byldynge / in myddes of the cyte.

But whyle they dygged / with labour & great payne
For the foundacion / no thynge greatly profounde
A plesaunt sprynge / and excellent fountayne
Before them all / out boyled of the grounde
Whiche had suche vertue / that it made hole and sounde
All them whiche yet / lay feble / seke and sore
By poyson of the dragon / spokyn of: before.

Whan this was harde / the people were ryght glad
Laudyuge our lorde / with true deuocion
Wherfore all suche / as payne or sykenes had
By foule infeccion / of the sayd dragon
And lay in his howses / in paynfull passyon
Dranke of that water / and were made hole and clene
As if that they had / neuer infectyd bene.

The knyght commaundyd / a trenche be dyggyd lowe
Wherby the water / of the same sayd fountayne
Into the feldes / myght also ren and flowe
The barayne grounde / so makynge grene agayne
Whiche the sayd dragon / by venym dyd distayne
Thus dyd this water / increase and so abounde
That it was profyte / bothe to man beest and grounde

Lector amice: hec fabulosa pretermisi non exposita quorum loco: a nobis vulgaria hec inseruntur verumtamen baptiste carmina pretermittere non statui. que hec sunt.

But nowe whan they / were stable in the byleue
The foresayd churche / well forwarde in byldynge
Saynt george thought / expedyent to remeue
For welth he hatyd / and ease aboue all thynge
So on a day / before the noble kynge
The quene and comons / of all the hole cyte
Thus wyse he sayd / with godly grauyte.

Right noble kynge / and comons that here be
ye knowe howe god / of his abundaunt grace
Hath you by fayth / made bretherne vnto me
Se. ye his lawes / with loue and drede imbrace
Whiche if ye do / in heuyn shalbe your place
Let no newe doctryne / the myndes of you remeue
For fere nor fauour / from this your true byleue.

ye that are comons / obey your kynge and lorde
Obserue vnto hym / loue and fydelyte
Auoyde Rebellyon / for certaynely discorde
Is rote and mother / of carefull pouerte
Kepe eche to other / loue and fydelyte
Expell enuy / and slouth moste chefe of all
Where slouth hath place / there welth is faynt and small.

ye ryche helpe them / whiche haue necessyte
Eche socour other / suche way is charytable
No man presume / more hye than his degre
A lowest place: is oft moste sure and stable
Abyde in vertue / be neuer chaungeable
Namely be true / to god your heuynly lorde
Thus shall you lyuynge / and your byleue accorde.

Set all your myndes / to norysshe amyte
For vnto a royalme / the synguler defence
Restyth in loue / concorde and vnyte
More than in strength / or wordly opulence
As for of frendes / loue and beneuolence
Is nat obtayned / by batayle nor ryches
But by good dede / and stedfast faythfulnes.

Blynde nat your myndes / with wretchyd couetyse
Spende nat your ryches / in prodygalyte
A meane is mesure / attaynynge nat to vyce
Within the boundys / of lyberalyte
Leue wrath prouoker / of great enormyte
Let nat blynde pryde / your meke myndes confounde
Syth it so many / hath brought vnto the grounde.

Auoyde vyle venus / and lustes corporall
Destruccyon of soule / of body and ryches
Mankynde subduynge / to maners bestyall
Fle glotony / whiche is but bestelynes
Let abstynence / expell from you exces
By immoderate dyet: exces and glotony
Man oft is mordrer / of his owne body.

But suche of you / as are in hye degre
Set all your myndes / and chefe intencyon
To se the pore / haue right and equyte
Rather with fauour / than wronge extorcyon
And ye that are kynge / hede of the regyon
Se that eche man / in maners lyue and do
After the degre / whiche he is callyd to.

And lyke as your rowme / is moste of excellence
In your royalme to reygne / with dyademe royall
So ought your lyfe / be clennest from offence
And shyne in vertue / aboue your subiectes all
A vycyous prynce / is as a plage mortall
And foule example / to all his comonte
Occasyon to folowe / his vyle enormyte.

Lyke wyse his lyfe / establyd in vertue
Shalbe example / to all his regyon
His lyfe / his maners / and vertue to insue
It is to a prynce / more great confusyon
More shame / and rebuke / to make transgressyon
Than is to one / of baas and lowe degre
The hyer hylle / man shall the farther se.

And ye that are mynystres / to god omnipotent
Informe ye other / to walke the path of grace
But se your owne lyfe / be pure and innocent
In vertue groundyd / and clere from all trespase
For surely that man / is in a wretchyd case
Whiche techyth other / the way to paradyce
Hymselfe to helle walkynge / by synne and vyce.

Thus shall your lyfe / agre with your byleue
And welth shall folowe / ease and tranquylyte
But nowe to be short / I moste fro you remeue
Be ye content / it can none other be
I moste yet proue / moche more diffyculte
I you commyt all / vnto our lorde Iesu
Heuyn is your mede / if ye in fayth be true.

[OMITTED]

As of chryst Iesu / the holy Sepulture
He went to the top / of Caluary mountayne
Where Iesu chryst / his passyon dyd indure
This done he sought / the hous of susters twayne
Mary and martha / where Iesu souerayne
Oftyme resortyd by personall presence
And where to mawdelayne / forgyuyn was hyr offence.

The hous of Lazar / than vysyted he also
And of holy Anna / the gloryous matrone
Unto the mountayne / than after dyd he go
That place to vysyte / with true deuocyon
Where Iesu chryst / before his passyon
Fastyd (to vs gyuynge / example of penaunce)
Full fourty dayes / and nyghtes from sustenaunce.

The holy knyght / in meke and lowly wyse
These places sought / with perfyte reuerence
Hym self in labour / to vse and exercyse
So for to expell / dull slouth and neglygence
Than vnto Persy / saynt george went from thens
Where he renownsyd / the feat of Chyualry
Concludynge after / to lyue more holely.

For well he notyd / that worldly vanyte
And erthly welth / is frayle and transytory
All full of chaunses / and mutabylte
Ryght moche vnlyke / vnto immortall glory
Also he callyd / oftyme to his memory
Howe the Carmelytȝ / hym taught in worde and dede
An heuynly lyfe / to whome he gaue great hede.

For why these places / namyd before echone
Whiche holy george / had sought so deuoutly
Were at that tyme / of the relygyon
Of Carmelytes / whiche lyued holely
The sarazyns / at last right cruelly
Whan they agayne / the romayns dyd rebell
These holy men / dyd vtterly expell.

But whyle this knyght / amonge them dyd frequent
He sawe theyr maners / so good and vertuous
That them he lernyd / with all his hole intent
So that this lyfe / to hym was tedyous
And erthly thynges / both vyle and odyous
His herte was all / on heuynly ioy aboue
Deuydyd hole / from this vayne worldly loue.

Howe the damnyd spirites toke counsell / howe they myght vex the Christen fayth / And moue the paganys and gentylys to persecucyon of the same. Capitulum. xv.

What tyme george / in Persy thus abode
In heuynly lyfe / perseuerynge quyetly
The Christen fayth / began to spred abrode
And christen people / began to multyply
The wyckyd fendes / therat had great enuy
That man shulde so / escape theyr punysshment
Wherfore they assemblyd / theyr wyckyd parlament.

[OMITTED] [OMITTED] [nat withst]andyng [OMITTED] [m]yght dyuyne
Of heuyn and erth / ought to haue patronage
yet your owne slouth / to vs is great dammage

I dare be bolde / to speke in your presence
Howe that of right / chryst is the lorde of all
yet we moste hurte / haue by our neglygence
For as we se oft / that feble man mortall
In fere and doute / for to be made as thrall
For his defence / of lyfe and lyberte
Is greatly bolder / and more dare do than we.

To feble chyldren / we wyllyngly gyue place
A worde or fygure / our myght dryueth away
As ye may all / se / playne before your face
Whiche I forsoth / asshamyd am to say
I whiche in Troy / was honoured many a day
Whom all the Troyans toke for theyr chefe defence
Am nowe contemnyd / by myne owne neglygence.

I whome the grekes / by treason stale from Troy
And whome Eneas / what tyme the towne was brent
To rome conueyed / in me his hope and ioy
And whome all Rome / that cyte opulent
Honoured amonge / theyr goddes excellent
Am nowe constrayned / to lurke and hyde my hede
Skant bolde these wordes: this tyme to speke for drede.

One lyke mysfortune / remayneth to vs all
We all are dryuen / and cast in one tempest
One way remayneth / moste chefe and principall
To fle this storme / where with we are opprest
Ourselfe agayne / reduce shall we to rest
If all our powers / conioyned be in one
And nat this wyse / eche to take part alone.

Our oonly concorde / support may this ruyne
If we be faynt / what man shall vs sustayne?
But nowe syns the grettest / rulers of latyne
With sacryfyce / vs for to please are fayne
Lyft we our hertes / call we our myght agayne
Let vs reuenge / our wronges vyolent
And honour fyled: by all our hole assent.

Howebeit our myght / this sect can nat destroy
Nor vtterly / brynge to extremyte
yet may we well / depryue theyr rest and ioy
And thoughe our foes / be myghtyer than we
yet may we profyte / by our audacyte
For many tymes / it prouyd is at length
That craft and gyle / subduyth myght and strength.

And if our myght / may nat this sect subdue
yet may we well / preserue our maieste
If we by crafte / our daunger can eschewe
Auoyde of dammage / from peryll sauyd fre
Ours be the planettes / as farre as I can se
If they repugned / and were to vs contrary
Exyle were our payne / and vtter ieopardy.

As for exyle / do we nat nowe abyde
Nere voyde of hope / and by our neglygence
To vs were shame / that ones of man were gyde
Nowe to submyt vs / vnto obedyence
Is nat our state / of noblest excellence?
We are immortall / without all drede and fere
No knyfe no fyre / nor sykenes can vs dere.

We are expert / of euery elyment
No course of planettes / can vs gyde nor subdue
We lyke are to them / aboue the fyrmament
Our fyrst pure nature / nat nedeth to renewe
And nobler than they / if I the trouth shuld shewe
For wyllyngly they / lyue / in obedyence
Thoughe we be bounde / it is by vyolence.

But the more noble / that we haue ben longe past
By our hye courage / and great audacyte
More shame it is / this wyse to be ouercast
Longe haue we raygned / and so longe raygne shall we
If we nat yelde vs / vnto captyuyte
If we be bolde / as we haue ben before
Dayly our hononr / shall large more and more.

Enstrength therfore / your myndes fast to yre
Assayle Maxymyan / the romayne emperour
Whiche by our ayde / is come to the empyre
A cruell tyraunt: brennynge in furour
Augment his malyce / by venym of rancour
Lay to your handes / conioyne your myghtes all
His hert to [kindell] / with furyes infernall.

[OMITTED]

If we nat had withstande / them first of all
By our great craft / and parfyte prouydence
Out sacryfyce / shulde nowe haue ben full small
And all the worlde / shuld vs haue dryuen hens
That ought remayneth / it is by our prudence
Who that hymself / in tyme of nede wyll fayle
What fole is he / that wyll suche one bewayle.

This cruell pallas / the goddes infernall
Those fendes stered / this wyse to wrath and yre
Hyr wyt and counsell / than they commendyd all
Theyr malyce kendlynge / moche feruenter than fyre
Than made they promes / in one al to conspyre
Our chrysten fayth / to waste with cruelte
And to recouer / theyr auncient mageste.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How saynt George presentyd hym selfe before Dacian confessynge hym crysten as he which was glad to dye for the faythe of cryst and of the disputacyon betwene saynt george and Dacyan. Capitulum. xvii.

Whan gloryous george / sawe this extremyte
So cruell dedys hym mouyd by nature
In boldnes kyndled / and wyth audacyte
He tought no lenger / in sylence to indure
But cast asyde / his clothynge & vesture
With all his garmentys / pertaynynge to a knyght
In symple habyte / hym selfe: he homely dyght

Bycause no man sholde hym perceyue nor knowe
Ne shewe hym fauour / for his olde excellence
Suche was his harte / by vertue meke & lowe
Thus he inspyred / by heuynly influence
Cam vnto Dacyan / nat dredynge his presence
And boldly thus sayd / o Dacyan vntrue
Knowe thou that I / am seruaunt of Iesu.

Thou art a tyrant / and worthy punysshment
These men to murdre / without transgressyon
Wherfore I wyll / thou knowe my playne intent
Here I defye / thy goddys euerychone
And yelde me seruaunt / vnto one god alone
Which by his worde / all thynge hath made of noght
My lord is cryst / which with his blode me bought

Though dacyan / had in that londe great myght
yet of these wordes / was he abasshed nere
He fered to displeas / or greue the noble knyght
Whose noble fame / so open was and clere
For thoughe george / thus homely dyd appere
yet was he knowen / in person and in name
No symple habyte / cowde hyde hys noble fame.

Wherefore the tyrant / by counsell disceyuable
At fyrst indeuered / to tourne the sayntes mynde
By frendly speche / and wordes amyable
Therby supposynge / the knyghtes wyt to blynde
This wycked iudge / and traytour moste vnkynde
Iudged the newe doctryne / of chryst to be in fame
Bycause his ydolles / be it had lost theyr name.

Alway the knyght / perseuered stedfastly
With constant speche / and word vnuariable
Whiche thynge perceyued / the tyrant fynally
Sayde to the knyght / with wordes fauorable
O noble knyght / and captayne honorable
The strayt commaundement / of the emperour
Constrayneth vs / to this extreme rygour

Thy selfe hast harde / howe the commyssyon
Agaynst this sect / of straunge & newe byleue
Is executed / in euery regyon
Beware / thy owne foly / thus may the greatly greue
If thou thy betters / actes thus repreue.
Councell thy selfe / renne nat in ieopardy
He his fowle hardy / that dare begyn rasshly

I se thy here / fast wexeth gray and hore
Which is playne tokyn / of age auncyent
wysedom discrete / thy mynde shulde gyde ye more
Thou entrest the see / in wawes vyolent
In a frayle vessel / in peryll euydent
Thou playne resemblest / a man of grauyte
Than ought thy person / and maners to agree.

Whyle thou hast layser / withdrawe thy fote agayne
Desyst: contende nat / with goddes excellent
As dyd the gyantes / to theyr great hurte and payne
Which for presumpcion with fyre of heuyn were brent
It is great foly / and purpos imprudent
Agayne the Emperour / contendynge to withstonde
Syns he is drad / of see: and euery londe.

These wordes mouyd / the knyght no thynge at all
In parfyte feyth / his mynde was stablyd fast
In hope of blysse / and ioy perpetuall.
To dacyan / than sayde he at the last
Knowe thou well tyrant / after my youth was past
Of ydolles I lefte / the seruyce and homage
Receyuynge cryste / after my tendyr age.

I count my yeres / all lost in syn and vyce
Which in my youth / for lacke of wyt I spent
In Idolatry / and fendly sacryfyce
My other yeres / vnto this tyme present
Spent in true seruyce / of cryst omnipotent
I count as wonne / and well bestowyd eche day
From my fyrste age / to these my heres gray

It were great foly / and purpose imprudent
That thynge which I / haue ben longe tyme to wyn
So sone to lese / agayne in one moment
Permutynge vertue / with fowle and beestly synne
Knowe thou well Dacyan / I thynke thy wyt but thyn
To thynke that prayer / or rygour can compell
Me to do homage / to dampned spyrytes of hell

These stockes / and stones / and Imagys echone
Ar fendes of hell / and these great temples all
Ar fendes houses / of all these ydollys noon
Ought to be countyd / as god celestyall
For pluto and other / fendys infernall
Fals blynders / and seductours of mankynde
Make the and thyn / with this fals errour blynde

All these false Idollys / we cristen men defy
As cursyd fendes / foule and abhomynable
And here one god / confesse we opynly
Tryforme in persons / his ioy intermynable
The son of god / I knowlege ferme and stable
True god and man / whose name is chryst Iesu
Unto whose seruyce / I humbly me subdue.

To his holy auters shalbe my sacrifice
whiche is a dede / of parfyte grauyte.
Soche seruyce sholde / hore herys exercyce
Thus shal myn age / and lyuynge wele agre.
I nonght do presume by rasshe audacite
But wysely I order my dedys by prudence.
In heuenly confort hauyge my confidence.

Into this same Sect / I entred longe agone:
I take nat the Se / in feble shyp nor frayle
No storme / nor tempest / of ayre nor regyon
Agaynst my Shyp / is able to preuayle
Thoughe dredeful tempest / and stormys me assayle
Al that vnto me / can do no dysconfort.
I se the Hauyn / wherto I shal resort.

The heuenly mountayns / to me do playne apere.
My sowle abordeth / the hauyn of paradyse
These worldly stormes / shal dryue me nere and nere
No sonde nor rocke / can do me preiudyce.
For no temptacion / to syn shal me attyce
My sowle to defyle / by errour nor offence
Chryst is my socour / my gyde / and my defence

I gather herbes / fayre / swete / and redolent
wyth fragrant floures / of grace and diligence
To make for my Shyp / Garlandes of plesant sent
To adourne my sowle / agaynst the same shal hence.
That it may haue syght / of goddys bryght presence
There to be sacyat / with that eternal glory
After this feynt lyfe / vnsure and transytory.

And lyke wyse as I / syth tyme I fyrst was knyght
Haue for the Romayns / oft fought in war mortal /
From hens forwarde / I purpose for to fyght
Agayne fals Idollys of Fendes infernal
In chrystys quarel / It is a thynge but smal
My lyfe to bestowe: more hath he done for me
For trouth to contende / it semeth my degre.

This lawe is ordeyned / of the emperoure
He styrred therto / by fendly company
And thinkynge to serue / our god and sauyour
The fende he seruyth / alas full damnably
Ryght so doyst thou / in errour semblably
And all ye wretches / blyndyd in syn & vyce
To damnyd fendes / make dayly sacryfyce.

Suche is your foly / suche is your errour blynde
Our lawe is parfyte / clere & no thynge obscure
I wyll thou knowe / no thynge shall tourne my mynde
From this byleue / though I shulde deth indure
Deth is laste ende / of euery creature
The noblest dede / that longyth to a knyght
Is for to dye / to fortyfye the ryght.

Of the fyrste tourment of saynt George & of his maruaylous pacyence in suffrynge the same. Capitulum. xviii.

Dacyan the tyrant / was fret with wrathe & Ire
And brennynge in fury / vnto hys men dyd cry
Hast fyre my seruantes / anone brynge hyther fyre
Bynde this rebeller / and traytour hastely
Stretche out his body / the traytour shall abye
With hokys and nayles / spare nat his flesshe nor skyn
Lay fyre vnto his / bowelles all within.

The cruell seruauntes / and tourmentours vnkynde
Gladly obeyed / this fyers commaundement
With myghty ropes / they hym began to bynde
The blode sprange / from his fyngers innocent
They ordeyned hokys / & fyre hym to tourment
The goodly knyght / abode all pacyently
Confessynge cryst / as lowde as he myght crye

Nowe is this knyght / ryght bolde and valyant
Bounde without fauour / in vtter shame / & payne
Thoughe he oftyme / in batayle tryumphant
Had won great laude / in chances incertayne
The tourmentours / and wretches inhumayne
His skyn and flesshe / of from his body rent
Some with fyre brondes / his inward bowelles brent

Some with theyr nayles / out dyggyd wofully
The greas and blode / a harte myght breke to se
Some on his body / fast hewyd cruelly
With Iren hokys / in yrefull cruelte
Of dedely woundes / no part of hym was fre
They wringed out / the fat & blode withall
Ofte dyd his guttys / vnto his fete downe fall

And where his body / was woundyd mortally
These wyckyd wretchys (his dolour to augment)
His woundys frettyde / with salte moste inwardly
yet was this martyr / euer meke and pacyent
Without all grutche / in this extreme tourment
Beholdynge heuyn / with eyen vnmouable
His mynde on cryst / was alway ferme and stable

He neuer altred / his chere nor his semblaunce
But stode as one / which felt no woo nor payne
Beholdynge them / with cherefull countenaunce
Which rent his flesshe / with wrath & great dysdayne
A harte of stele / his paynes myght complayne
His body broylyd remaynynge yet alyue
So stodyed they / his tourment to contryue

At last the martyr / full meke and pacyent
Hys carkas rent / and wofully arayde
Lyft vp his eyen / toward the fyrmament
And with meke teres / to god these wordys sayde
O Iesu cryst borne / of a parfyte mayde
Showe me thy mercy / forgyue my ignorance
Of my frayle youthe / and blynde mysgouernaunce

And where as I / parchaunce haue ofte mysdone
In warre or batayle / by hasty cruelte
Or otherwyse / haue made transgressyon
Nat vsynge mercy / with ryghtwyse equyte
But ofte offendyd / by my fragylyte
O gloryous god / of thy beneuolence
Graunt that this fyre / my pourge all my offence

O my redemer / o lorde omnypotent
Graunt tbat my synne / be wasshyd vtterly
By pacyent suffraunce / of this fyre and tourment
Graunt that my sowle / be clensyd perfytely
Receyue the same / my lorde to thy mercy
Defende my sowle / from paynes and pryson
Reduce it to thy / eternall regyon

I nought desyre / but onely thy presence
Nat by my meryte / but by thy helpe & grace
Lorde let no tourment / no payne or vyolence
Ouercomme my mynde / in this harde chaunce & case
For loue of the / this payne is my solace
My body can nat / indure the penalte
Nor helfe the tourment / that thou hast byd for me

With suche langage / this martyr gloryous
Bytwene the flamys / of the bryght ardant fyre
Prayd vnto cryst / with mynde affectuous
No eas of paynes / intendynge to desyre
The tourmentours / in malyce / wrath / & Ire
Contynued terynge / his flesshe with woundys wyde
The fyres brennynge / about on euery syde

The pacyent martyr / styll cessed nat to praye
The wery wretches / hym cessyd to tourment
Wherfore the tyrant / bad take the fyre away
And hym reserue / to payne more vyolent
They hym than lowsyd / his flesshe all torne and brent
And led hym forthe / vnto a dungyon depe
With armyd men assygned hym to kepe

Howe dacyan commaundyd saynt George to be cast in dongyon to be reseruyd to more greuous tourment / & howe the aungell of god apered to hym in pryson and helyd all his woundys agayne. Capitulum. xix.

Thus was ye martyr / ye bolde & famous knyght
In wofull maner / conueyed from presence
vnto a dongeon / there to remayne yt nyght
Tyll he on the morne shulde come to audyence
The holy martyr / toke al in pacience
His mynde was stabled / for to despyse no peyne
The heuenly ioy / by tourment to obteyne.

The day ouerpast / the nyght approched nere:
Both felde and towne / was quyet in sylence.
The glemynge sterres / shone radiant and clere
Lucyna laughynge / presented hyr presence
Clerynge the Skye / and clowdes chasynge thence
Mydnyght drewe nere / commaundynge sleape and rest.
The knyght in pryson / in peynes lay opprest.

Alone he lay / in fowle and darke pryson
Hys woundes bledynge / alas / ryght dolefully
Uyle was the sent / of the fowle Dongyon
But al he suffred / ryght meke and paciently
Thankynge our lorde / and saynge inwardly
My gracious lorde / I thanke thy mageste
That by this mean / my sowle may come to the

Thus whyle the martyr / alone lay wythout lyght
The pryson smellynge / wyth fowle and dedely sent
A messanger / cam downe from god almyght
wyth lyght of heuen / and bawme moste redolent
Into the pryson / whan he was come present
The mysty Dongyon / where as the martyr lay
was swetely smellynge / and bryghter than the day

What tyme the martyr / this ioyfull lyght had sene
He thought it confort / sent downe from cryst Iesu
Anone his care / and payne was quenchyd clene
His ioy and conforte / anone dyd than renewe
Suche wordys of solace / the aungell dyd hym shewe
That all his mynde / was rauysshed by gladnes
Nat dowtynge paynes / nor worldly wretchydnes

The aungell / by / commaundement dyuyne
Hys woundys touched / fresshe bledynge all in payne
Anoyntynge them / with heuynly medycyne
That all his woundys / where hole and sounde agayne
Moche heuynly talkynge / was than betwene them twayn
Which to the martyr / was greatly delectable
And in his tourment / a hope most confortable

For why the aungell / with hym all nyght present
Strengthyd his mynd / with heuynly doctryne
With dyuers sayengys / of ioy most excellent
Which neuer cessyth / and neuer doth declyne
And of the aungellys / and the ordres nyne
Howe all theyr ioy / blysse / and felycyte
Is in beholdynge / the blyssyd trynyte

The aungell hym / infourmyd in lyke wyse
Of other sayntes / descendynge / of mankynde
What ioy they haue / in euynly paradyse
Inestymably / sourmountynge mannys mynde
And what rewarde / that man in heuyn should fynde
Which for the faythe / wolde martyrdom sustayne
For loue of cryst / indurynge / worldly payne

The martyr maruaylyd / suche confort glad to here
In mynde desyrynge / that ioy with eyen to se
Suche was the comonynge / of this messanger
That one dyspysse wolde / worldly vanyte
And nat refuse / to indure aduersyte
In hope of heuyu / and ioy intermynable
Herynge suche speche / and wordys confortable

After that the aungell / shynynge by heuynly lyght
As was the pleasour / of god omnypotent
Had helyd agayne / the woundys of the knyght
And strengthed hym / by conforte excellent
Agayn he mountyd / aboue the fyrmament
The pryson smellyd all swete and redolent
Avoydyd clene / was the olde lothly sent

How dacyan herynge / the woundys of saynt George helyd agayne supposyd that it had ben don by inchauntement And callyd to hym an Inchauntour namyd thamyr desyrynge hym to proue saynt George in the same faculte. Capitulum. xx.

Nowe had clere phebus / chasyd the nyght away
the rody mornynge / began / the erth to chere
Eche byrde salutyd / the spryngynge of the day
With sundry songe / vttred in tunes clere
The lampe of phebus / at laste dyd hole apere
Lyghtnynge the grounde / with beamys radyant
The floures smellyd / fresshe lusty and fragrant

Eche man arose / constrayned by the lyght
So dyd the Iayler / which had the custody
Of the foule pryson / and of the noble knyght
Unto the dungyon / he sped hym hastely
In mynde supposynge / both sure & stedfastly
Within the pryson / hym dede for to haue founde
Where he at last / sawe hym both hole and sounde

The knyght was lowse / the pryson clere and lyght
These thynges sene / confoundyd sore his brayne
Unto the iudge / he ran with all his myght
And tolde howe the knyght / was hole & sounde agayne
Dacyan abasshyd / and sayd than is he playne
A great inchauntour / for by inchauntement
Hath he thus helyd / his woundys vyolent

Than was one callyd / Thamyr by his name
Most sure inchauntour / of all the hole cyte
Amonge those wretchys / a man of noble fame
For excellence / of that cursyd faculte
He was engendred / as semyd his degre
Bytwene the mother / and hyr son naturall
In persy londe / so most inchauntours all

The tyrant dacyan / for this inchauntour sent
Without prolongynge / he cam to his presence
Anon the tyrant / than spake thus his intent
Thou knowyst thamyr / the pryde and insolence
Of cristen people / defendynge theyr offence
And by what mean / theyr lawes they meytayne
At vs and our goddys / hauynge extreme dysdayne

Our double academy / by them is set as nought
And all our lawes / by them dyspysed clene
They boste them selfe / on cryst / and say he bought
Them with his blode / I wot nat what they mean
They say that they / great god in heuyn haue sene
Amonge the aungelles / in his resplendant trone
And that they haue spokyn / with aungels many one

These ar but fables / as I suppose in mynde
And bostyng wordys / of wretches impotent
By theyr beleue / supposynge vs to blynde
But one I haue / moste bolde and excellent
Whiche may be mayster / of all inchauntement
Which was in pryson / woundyd with mortall payne
But by hys crafte / nowe hole is he agayne

I pray the thamyr / say in this audyence
If thou canst oughte / of this sayde faculte
If thou can hym / ouercom in his scyence
Before this people / great laude shalbe to the
Besyde thy lawde / rewardyd shalt thou be
Than answerd thamyr / what dout is in this case
Sone shall a profe / be sene before thy sace

Call all the comons / the syght for to beholde
For in the case / peryll perceyue I none
If it were nede / I cowde well yf I wolde
Call downe srom heuyn / the sterres euerychone
And make these mountayns / fle eche apart alone
Alonge in the ayre / that cowde I do for nede:
And forge monstyrs / and dragons full of drede

I cowde fayne warres / and batayls yf me lest
No thynge / in maner / impossyble is to me
I cowde well trowble the sees with tempest
The ayre with stormys / whan it most clere shulde be
I knowe all the poyntys / of this same faculte
The dede shall proue / I well dare hym assay
If he were here he neuer shulde quyte away

The iudges mynde / was fylled with gladnes
He ioyed laughynge / and had great myrth & game
To here these wordys / and suche a great promes
He thought therby / to get hymselfe a name
He bad the people / be present / at the same
In myddes of the towne / that all that syght myght se
The day was set / what tyme thys profe shulde be

Howe saynt George dranke venym twyse in the name of Cryst / and no thynge was greuyd by ye same / by reason wherof the Inchauntour was conuertyd to the faythe. Capitulum. xxi.

The day appoynted / at last was come present
The folke assemblyd / together hastely
The market place: was nat suffycient
All to conteyne / they so dyd multyply
The yonge and lusty / to howses clam on hye
Fast gapynge downe / for to beholde the dede
Some faylyd fotynge / they dounwarde toke suche hede

Anon to presence / they brought the noble knyght
Fast bounde in chaynes / the people hym about
No thynge abasshyd / was he / but bolde to syght
His chere all lusty / and hart auoyde of dout
The people doublyd / theyr dyn with crye and shout
But to newe tourment the knyght hym hastyd nere
Smylynge with myrthe / of fresshe & lusty chere

On the other part / the proude inchauntour blynde
Precyd into myddys / of all the audyence
With stately loke / with proude & pompous mynde
Nought yet expert / of crystis magnyfycence
With tokyn of hand / he poyntyd them sylence
He brought in a coup / of poyson vyolent
Made yet more dedely / by his inchauntement

The multytude / anone was styll echone
With eres erecte / to here what he wolde say
Than the inchauntor / his voyce lyfte vp anon
And loudly cryed / his cunnynge to conuey
O people / the stryfe / begon this other day
Of this owr lawe / and crystys newe byleue
Shall sone be endyd / and that or I remeue

These crysten men / strongly theyr faythe defende
As yf the same / were moost of dignyte
But by thys poyson / all this discorde shall ende
Which yf this knyght / drynke of / & than goo fre
Nat suffrynge deth / that all ye playn may se
Than I agre / and fermely shall assent
That cryst is god / his lawe most excellent

Without mo wordys / before the people all
To george he retchyd / the poyson by and by
The knyght had trust / in one god eternall
And dranke it of / before them / openly
He lefte no droppe / but dranke the vessell dry
With smylynge loke / lyckynge the droppys vp
And with glad chere / gaue hym agayne the cup

The Iudge & Inchauntour / stode blak & pale as leade
And all the people / supposynge stedfastly
That vnto the grounde / he shulde haue fallyn deed
By that fell poyson / before them sodaynly
The knyght alway / behelde them merely
No thynge astonyed / for all that drynke mortall
Theyr art despysynge / them / and theyr goddys all

Nowe the inchauntour / all pale in loke and face
Whas sore abasshyd / ofte chaungynge countenaunce
And sayde o people / remeue nat from this place
These ar but tryfyls / for lacke of purueaunce
I haue behynde / more mortall ordynaunce
I haue drynke kendlyd / with venym more mortall
Whiche (yf he drynke) ye deed shall se hym fall

Thus sayd thynchauntour / and in his hande he hent
Of dedly poyson / A cup newe full agayne
Whysperynge theron / his arte all hole he spent
hys mouth fast mouyd / yet all was but in vayne
In the mean season / sore trowblyd was hys brayne
Ferynge lest his crafte / shulde come to none effect
And lest the comons / Shulde / clene despyse his sect

In lyke wyse the Iudge / reuoluynge in his mynd.
His instaunt daunger / and lawe in Ieopardy
Hym selfe accusyd / blamynge his reason blynde
Late he repentyd / whan past was remedy
Ofte tyme he cursyd / the feble polecy
And vnsure scyence / of fals inchauntement
By sondry thoughtys / dystract was his intent

That doutfull haunce / made hym as pale / as leade
His harte sore quakyd / and ioyntys euerychone
So stode he fyxed / vpon the grounde as deade
But nowe to purpose / brought forthe was the poyson
George it receyuyd / of peryll / drad he none
But dranke the poyson / and lycour perylous
The people wondryd / at thynge so meruaylous

What tyme thynchauntour / aduysyd well the knyght
Auoyde of peryll / a whyle he stode as domme
At last he cryed / o dacyan / thy myght
Our arte and lawes be / clerely nowe ouercomme
Nowe am I clered / with heuynly wysdom
I se that the myght / of cryst Iesu alone
Passyth our goddys / and ydolles euerychone

With this he lyfted / towarde the fyrmament
Hys face and handys: and cryed in this wyse
O sonne of god / the father omnypotent
Receyue me synner / take me to thy seruyce
This synfull soule / good lorde / doo nat despyse
My arte and ydolles / I clerely here forsake
And pore and nakyd / I me / to the betake

From pluto I fle / to the / my lorde Iesu
And spekyng this wyse / his gyrdyll he vnbounde
And his large robe / away from hym he threwe
So layde hym nakyd / downe prostrate on the grounde
And crept to the knyght / meke as a symple hounde
Callynge on cryste / as lowde as he cowde cry
With dolefull mournynge / for pyte and mercy.

Howe the tyrant dacyan kyndlyd with yre causyd the inchauntoure to be behedyd: And prepared a Whele with iren teth of maruaylous sharpenes / on the same to tourment saynt George: and how by power of god the whele was destroyed. Capitulum. xxii.

The iudge enragyd / through malyce yre and payne
And as whan a shyp / is vexyd in the wynde
The shypmen labour / with all theyr myght / & brayne
Some porte of socoure / and quyetnes to fynde
In lyke wyse the iudge / reuoluyd in his mynde
By what maner crafte / he myght / the knyght ouercom
His mynde was doutfull / nat trustynge his wysdom

Hys mynde concludyd / at last on cruelte
Agayne to pryson commaundyd he the knyght
And that thynchauntour / shuld sone behedyd be
Without all fauour / there playnly in his syght
His cruell seruauntes / his wyll perfourmyd ryght
Into a preuy / they rowlyd with theyr fete
The head / styll leuynge: the body in the strete.

The iuge departyd / incombryd sore with care
Sekynge newe tourment / by longe aduysement
At last he causyd / his people to prepare
A maruelous whele / saynt George to tourment
The whele was framyd / and that incontynent
Hye / stronge / and large / of maruelous fygure
Of auncyent oke / the better to indure

This whele in tournynge / at begynnynge was slowe
At last in swyftnes / increasynge more and more
With vyolent sounde / as whan great wynde doth blowe
Lyke Irefull lyons / whan they for hunger rore
On euery syde / behynde / and eke before
Of this cruell whele / were tethe of Iren kene
To rent in sonder / all that cam them betwene

The knyght was drawen vnto the sayd tourment
Throughe preas of people in case ryght myserable
In thousande peces: in sonder to be rent
He nought abasshyd / his mynde in faythe was stable
But god in mercy / is neuer disceyuable
Which euer is prone / vs synners to imbrace
Lyke wyse as clerly / apered in this case

Whan god almyghty / behelde his faythfull knyght
Besyde this tourment / of ferefull shape and frame
He by hys vertue / his strengthe and godly myght
Sende the foure wyndys / for to destroy the same
Which fyersly blowynge / more sharpe than fyre flame
From sondry costys / As north / eest / south / and west
This whele dyssoluyd / by vyolent tempest

The nauyll / spokys / the whele and axyltre
The tethe and bondes / sharpe and of great substaunce
Brast all in peces / into the ayre dyd flye
The iudge amasyd / abasshyd at this chaunce
And seynge that all his cruell ordynaunce
Of dedely tourment / cowde nat subdue this knyght
For shame and furoure / he drewe hym selfe fro syght

In the mean season the knyght to pryson went
Ofte laudynge our lorde / for socoure of his payne
But erly on morne / the Iudge With fals intent
Commaundyd George be brought to hym agayne
And well perceyuynge / that rygour was but vayne
With fayned wordys / framyd by gylefull art
Thus wyse he prouyd / saynt george to peruert

How subtyly & by fayre wordys Dacyan assayed to cawse saynt george to do sacryfyce / & howe saynt George faynedly consentyd to hym. Capitulum. xxiii.

O noble george / and knyght / ryght eccellent
Saue for thy blyndenes / and obstynat erroure
Our goddys mekenes / to the is euydent
Syns they reuengyd / haue nat theyr dyshonour
But yet ben redy / thy sores to socoure
So that no venym / no fyre / no swerd / nor knyfe
By theyr meke suffraunce / can the depryue thy lyfe

At last / remembre this / theyr beneuolence
Conuerte thy purpose / perfourme our kynges mynde
Why shalte thou thy fame / thy name and excellence
By suche folyes / thus fyle dyfface / and blynde
Ensewe thy elders / why goest thou out of kynde
Of all thy parentys / the olde honour and name
By this thy foly / myght nowe conclude with shame.

Beit / I graunt the / that noon is to the lyke
In all inchauntment / and none ouerpassyth the
(As thou hast prouyd) in scyence of magyke
My selfe hath it sene / so hath thys hole Cyte
Thou passyst thynuentours / of this same faculte
Let it suffyce the / thy mynde / nowe mytygate
Honour our goddes / and ioy thy olde estate.

Enioy thy olde name / of worthy chyualry
Kepe thy olde honour which shall encreas certayne
What tyme the hye fame / of thy great sorcery
Unto rome Cyte hereafter shall attayne
There men shall recount / thy cunnynge souerayen
How thou hast deuyct thynchauntours of persye
Both rulers and comons / theyr syght shall cast on the.

The myghty kyngys / shall here of the gladly
This thy far iourney / and chaunce auenturous
Thy glory shall passe / all them of Thessaly
Which in enchauntment / haue cunnynge marueylous
They of eufrate / psilla / and marsia / cautelous
Which touchynge adders / from hurt escapeth fre
These in art magyke / shall all gyue place to the.

Thow shalt be aboue / the dwellers of hyrpyne
To whome appollo / hath gyuen preemynence
By hys great godhed / and solem myght dyuyne
On fyre to goo barefote / Without hurte or offence
Nowe saue thy honour / aduert this excellence
Honour our goddys / than lyue auoyde of drede
For of suche men / Rome: playnly hath great nede

Saynt george herynge / this fayned subtylte
By dacyan: prouynge / to tourne his holy mynde
Agayne he answerd / this wyse with breuyte
Nowe dacyan / I se thy wordes be so kynde
Thy mynde so egall / that reason doth me bynde
Thy wyll to perfourme / suche is thy hye wysdom
I graunt thy askynge / and yelde my selfe ouercom

Before the rulers / and all the comonte
I graunt to morowe / for to do sacryfyce
To the great god / of immortall deyte
To morowe erly / therfore in any wyse
Cause al the comons / by sounde of tromp to ryse
And in the temple / for to abyde present
To se me sacryfyce / to god omnypotent

Of the vayne bostynge of Dacyan which wenyd to haue ouercom saynt George / and howe at the prayers of saynt george the great temple of the Idollys brast in sonder and sanke into the erth with horryble noyse and murdre of paynyms. Capitulum. xxiiii.

Now ioyed ye iudge / throughe gladnes & plesour
Supposyng surely / to hane ouercome ye knyght
He thought to haue won great worshyp & honour
But erly on mornynge / what tyme the sonne gaue lyght
With trumpet he callyd the people to the syght
His solem tryumphe / with hym to testyfy
Whych after / hym tourned to shame / and vylany

In mean tyme he was / more proude / than was ye kynge
And wandrynge alone / hymselfe thus bostyd he
Saynge to hymselfe / in ponpous whisperynge
This knyght cam to presence with suche audacyte
With suche strength / in stryuynge: and magnanymyte
That the kynge hymselfe / yf he had ben present
Shuld sore haue feryd / his wordys eloquent

He thought he haue founde / the coward Tharsytes
Or Sardanapalus voyde of audacyte
Whome he as Synon / hym selfe puttynge in preas
Shulde haue dysceyuyd / by crafte and subtylte
But to eneas / thoughe nat vnlyke were he
yet here dyomedes / his better / hath he founde
Thoughe he were hector / Achylles gaue hym wounde

Nowe ioy dacyan / thou hast the victory
The goddys to the graunt / the tryumphe with honour
This knyght subduynge / thou hast immortall glory
Regardynge his strength / his boldnes / and rygour
I haue subdued / an enmy and traytour
To great Iupyter / whose power nere was able
From heuyn to depose / our goddys venerable

Nowe goddys be glad / and solemnyse thys day
For in ouercomynge / of this same knyght alone
Without all bostynge / I dare afferme and say
I haue ouercome / the crysten men echone
Beholde what is crafte / conueyed in season
Se of what valoure / is art: and eloquence
Of sharpe and bolde wordys / se here experyence

Let cryst be walkynge / to strange regyons
Where be no goddys / for dwellers / to honour
There let hym chalenge / honour and orysons
Amonge rude people / which wandyr in errour
We haue Iupiter / for god and gouernour
Cryst shall not hyther / with his newe tryfyls com
Amonge men of lernynge / and auncyent wysdom

If this knyght had founde / A iudge without prudence
Rude or abasshyd / or voyde of polecy
Suche is his constance / boldnes and eloquence
That playnly he shuld / haue won the vyctory
But an olde prouerbe / hath ben sayd comonly
That a shalowe pyt / can nat kepe in / in cage
An hart / or lyon / or lyke great beste sauage

A spyders webbe / can nat a doue inlace
None stoppith a Dam / with a small febyl gate
Craft must be vsyd / and strenght in suche a case
And frawde / agayst fraude / els is our purpos late
I haue founde wyles / his craftys to abate
Styntynge his flodes / of wordys eloquent
By crafte and cunnynge / most hye and excellent

Dacyan the Iudge / fylled with vayne gladnes
With hym selfe babled / these wordys: or equal
Reioysynge and iettynge / replete with pompousnes
Whyle hym selfe alone / wandryd in his hall
In the mean season / the people: great and small
Swarmyd to this syght / rennynge with glad myndes
As it were cloudys / dryuen before the wyndys

The dyn redoundyd / in dyuers murmurynge
In barbaryke maner / the market dyd redound
In dyuers langages / eche had theyr comonynge
That stretys and temple / were trowbled by the sounde
Forthe brought was ye knyght / hys cheynes al vnbounde
Streyght to the temple / he went at lyberte
The people stryuyd / who fyrst his face myght se

What tyme seynt George was to the temple com
We may nat suppose / that Dacyan was away
Soon cessyd the sounde / the people stode as dome
The knyght beholdynge / suspectynge noon affray
Theyr erys erect / to here what he wolde say
Than knelyd the knyght / his eyen toward the skye
Sayenge in his hart / these wordys secretly

O gloryous god / shewe nowe thy myght and name
Dyssolue this temple / of fendys infernall
Dysioyne the wallys / dysseuer this great frame
Tourne it to Asshes / And into pouder small
That these false ydollys / and wyckyd fendys all
Dryuyn from theyr seatys / retourne agayne to hell
In endles darknes / eternally to dwell

So that this people / nowe blyndyd in errour
By suche dredefull dyn / may take admonestynge
And open warnynge / to drede our sauyour
And lerne to worshyp / the great eternall kynge
Leuynge theyr errour / and mendynge theyr lyuynge
Theyr myndys lyftyd / vnto the fyrmament
Graunt this my bowne / o lorde omnypotent

Scant were these wordys / brought to conclusyon
Whan sodaynly / from farre / was harde a sounde
Of feresull thonder / as yf the regyon
Aboue of the ayre / shuld all the erth confounde
Thayre / by fyre flamyd / and sodaynly the grounde
His mouth dysplayed / the temple sodaynly
Brast all in pecys / wall / voult / and towrys hye.

The myghty beamys / dissoluyd out of frame
The erthe all swalowyd / nought leuynge vtterly
All sanke vnto hell / and after went the flame
With smoke and stynkynge / fast brennynge ardantly
The townes nere by / myght here the dyn and cry
What tyme the temple / with ferefull sounde / downe fell
And whan the people / for drede dyd shout and yell

The fere and clamour / downe to hell dennes went
The fendys feryd / lyst openynge of the grounde
Shulde shewe theyr houses / vnto the firmament
Of this great ruyne / so hydous was the sounde
But furour and fere / dyd dacyan confounde
Which scantly escapyd / thys maruelous ruyne
God at this season / hym suffred to declyne

And with a fewe moo / whome god sparyd alyue
Afterwarde to suffer / more grouous vengeaunce
He fled the peryll / as faste as he myght dryue
With them fled the fendys / also with euyll chaunce
Dryuyn vnto hell / there redy to auaunce
With eternall tourment / and paynes manyfolde
Such / as theyr honour / and temples dyd vpholde

To hell fled these fendys / by cauys of the grounde
Theyr ydollys lefte / them selfe bydynge / in payne
Where they longe lurkyd / in theyr darke cauys bounde
But to dacyan my pen / to tourne agayne
He knewe nat to whome / hym selfe for to complayne
But bode astonyed / nought hauynge more of myght
No mean or wepyn / for to impugne the knyght

And thus subdued / in his owne malyce
He causyd George / be brought to hym agayne
And sayd at the laste / vnto hym in this wyse
O wretche / o caytyf / cruell / and inhumayne
Of all mankynde / moste wycked and vyllayne
Alas what myschefe / hast thou attemptyd late
Mordrynge so many / with one lyke deth and fate

Alas why hath nature / ben so vnwyse and blynde
In lyght to brynge forthe / suche cruell creature
As foo and confounder / of myserable mankynde
Who cowde thy maners / and cruelnes indure
The goddys shall reuenge / theyr wrongys be thou sure
Thou mayst be abasshyd / thou oughtes shame to haue
Our towne and goddys / to bery in one graue

Whan the Iuge had sayd: than answered the knyght
Thou dacyan art mad / and reason hast thou none
These stones to worshyp / as they had godly myght
They ar no goddys / but fals fyndys echone
Syth these dede fygures / intaylled in colde stone
Them selfe cowde nat socour / how can they socour the
Or at nede be abyl / to socoure this cyte

But now dacyan / yf thou parchaunce agayne
Wylt me commaunde / newe sacryfyce to do
Assygne a temple / and gladly I certayne
Without dyfferrynge / shall go with the therto
Nay / quod dacyan / no farther wyll I go
He well may be callyd / vnwyse and fole hardy
Which wylfully rennyth / from rest to ieopardy

Who euer the trustyth / neuer haue he ease nor ioy
Thou haste yet in handys / (I trowe) a newe ruyne
The rest of our comons / and me for to destroye
Nay Iupyter vs saue / Saturne / and Apollyne
Inoughe haue I medled / more sorowe shalbe thyne
It me suffyseth / that I onys scapyd haue
From so great daunger / my lyfe therfro to saue.

How the kynge of the Cyte concludyd to reuenge hym on saynt George / of ye iniuryes of his goddys / And how his quene for blamynge his cruell interpryse was martyred to deth before saynt Georgys face. Capitulum. xxv.

The kynge hymselfe / harde of thys busynesse
Whiche nere remayned / vnto the sayd Cyte
Despyte and fury / soon dyd hys mynde oppresse
Kydlynge his courage / with yre / and cruelte
So that no lenger / byde nor indure cowde he
To suffer a man / so opynly to blame
Hys fayned goddys / to his rebuke and shame

At laste he spake / vnto the quene / and sayd
Alas the season / alas the day / and houre
That thus I must here / a man mad and dysmayde
Blamynge my goddys / dispysynge theyr honoure
By mortall hatred / and infernall furoure
His dedely wordys / vyle and irreuerent
Infectith the ayre / vnto the firmament

I dye for sorowe / I nere consume for payne
I may no lenger / this opyn wronge indure
I may no lenger / for very shame sustayne
My goddys dysworshyp / This wretchyd creature
Muste nedys rendre / the trybute of nature
His blode must be shed / he must byde dedely payne
The wrath of our goddys / to mytygate agayne

The kynge had spokyn / by wrath and malyce blynde
With sore troubled chere / the quene behelde his face
As she / which at laste / was clered in hyr mynde
By the sayd myracles / and ayde of godly grace
To cryst was she ioyned / in whome was hir solace
In hope of rewarde / and or this / longe agon
Of georgis payne / she had compassyon

At laste she vttred / with troublyd countenaunce
Saynge thus / o kynge: moost cruell of intent
Seas of / for shame: and fere of vengeaunce
This wyse to tourment / this people innocent
Represse thy hatered / thy cruel fury stynt
Away with thys stomake / of blynde inpacyence
O wretche haue mercy / of gyltles innocence

Alay thy fury / alay thy wyckednes
To longe haue we seruyd / these fendys infernall
To longe hath the fende / kept vs in blyndnes
Nowe true god wolde clere / the myndys of vs all
I dowt nat but god / most hye and eternall
In these his seruauntys / speketh vnto vs
Our ignorant errours / and foly to excusse

The mouth of this knyght / is but an instrument
The wordys of god / pronouncynge: helthfully
This spyryt procedyth / of god omnypotent
Mad kynge / in thy erys soundynge mercyfully
But alas the deuyll / the blyndyth vtterly
Nat suffryuge thy mynde / nor erys to inclyne
To fruitfull wordys / nor spyrytuall doctryne

As sone as the quene / had thus hyr sentence sayde
The kynge was kyndled / with malyce and furour
As doth a serpent / for wrath: and ire abrayde
Whan he is strykyn / with strokys: with rygour
Hys eyen sparklyth / hys browes blacke: doth loure
With double tonges / his mouth disgorgyth fyre
The kynge was kyndlyd / yet: with moche gretter ire

In furyous rage / anon commaundyd he
Hys quene be spoylyd / all bare as she was borne
Hyr here inbraydyd / with braunchys of a tre
She hye from the grounde / was hangyd hym beforne
Than was hyr body / with scourgys all to torne
The blody stremys / dyd all the place dystayne
The quene there hangyd / pantynge for dedely payne

The tyrant kyndlyd / with malyce and madnes
His men inboldyd / hyr paynes to augment
Se howe suche fury / his reason dyd oppres
His quene and espouse / hym causynge to tourment
As the tourmentours / with strokys vyolent
Scourgyd the quene / the tyrant mad for payne
The quenys wordys repetyd newe agayne

Cryenge in this wyse / full of despytousnes
The deuyll the blyndyth / mad kynge of thyn intent
Cesse of / thy fury / let wytt thy wrath represse
Pursue nat this people / fautles and innocent
Represse thy malyce / thy wycked maners stent
Away with this stomake / of blynde inpacyence
O wretche haue mercy / of gyltles innocence

Thus had the furyes / kyndlyd his mynde with ire
That fast he repetyd / these wordys newe agayne
Wherwith the quene / had set his hart on fyre
He thought his fury / to ensobre with hyr payne
And hyr to vanquysshe / but all was but in vayne
God hyr so strengthed / that tretnynge nor tourment
Cowde neuer preuayll / to alter hyr intent

yet was nat the quene / in cryst regenerate
Nor by baptysme clensyd / from syn to innocence
Wherfore all shamefast / aduertynge hyr estate
She tourned hyr eyen / to george than in presence
And sayd holy George / o Knyght of excellence
Tell me / I pray the / yf lacke of crystendom
My soule may hynder / from crystys hye kyngdom.

The knyght had pyte / and dolour in his hert
Hyr payn aduertynge / and bytter punysshement
And sayd / noble quene / thy cruell payne and smart
Shalbe rewardyd / with pleasour permanent
Go on happy quene / aud sowle ryght excellent
From peynes to blysse / thou surely shalt become
Trowble nat thy mynde / for lacke of crystendom

100

By the holy goste / some baptysed hath ben
For theyr deuocyon / true / fayth and purpose good
And som in the Font / as dayly it is sene
But other som hath ben / baptysed in theyr blode
Acceptynge tourmeut / for ioy / as gostly fode
In nombre of whom / thy spyrit shall succede
To seke other font / thou playnly hast no nede

In thy holy blode / baptysyd shalt thou be
And dyed in the same / in tryumphe shalt thou goo
To heuyn to beholde / the blessyd trynyte
Amonge other martyrs / and holy sayntys moo
There is hye pleasour / where here is payn & woo
Well happy is he / which for this worldly payne
May that great solace / eternally obtayne

These holsom wordys / the quenes mynde dyd chere
And lyftynge hyr eyen / toward the fyrmament
What tyme hyr endynge / and oure of deth drew nere
With payne she vttred / this speche with meke intent
Helpe blessyd cryst / my lorde omnypotent
Helpe holy lorde / borne of a virgyne pure
Graunt me with mekenes / this tourment to indure

Extende thy holy hande / thy seruaunt to socour
Call out of this lyfe / me wretchyd creature
Unto thy kyngdome / where ioy without dolour
And rest without payne / shall euermore indure
These wordys spokyn / sore feblyd was nature
Hyr mouth out brethyd / hyr soule and spyryt vitall
Hyr payne permutyd with ioy celestyall

101

Howe almyghty god sende downe his aungellys to warne Saynt George of his deth / and to conforte hym agaynste the same. Capitulum. xxvi.

After that our lorde / perceyuyd that his knyght
Inough had suffred / of paynes and tourment
And longe ynough / contynued in fyght
By paynes to purchace / the pleasour permanent
As worthy the royalme / aboue the fyrmament
He sayde / goo aungels / goo mete ye hastely
With this holy soule: with ioy and melody

Shewe hym the conflyct / of his last batayle
Be ye as wytnes: of his last victory
Whan bodely deth / agayne hym shall preuayle
Conduct ye hys soule / vnto eternall glory
Reward for men leuynge / pleasours transytory
The heuynly aungelles / meke and obedyent
The wyll fulfullyd / of god omnypotent

Now was clere phebus / entred in the bull
And ver was entred / with his fresshe verdure
The ayre clere shyned / gone was the wynter dull
The medowys smyled / renewed was nature
Whan holy george / in fylth and vyle ordure
Lay in depe dongyon fast bound in chaynes stronge
For god he countyd / no payne / nor tyme to longe

Anon the aungels / apered to the knyght
The pryson brethyd / celestyall odour
At theyr fyrst comynge / the pryson shone more bryght
Than phebus beamys agaynst a gyltyd tour
No erthly splendour / no smell of erbe nor flour
Of bawme or spycys / or smell aromatyke
To this heuynly lyght / and plesant smell / was lyke

102

The knyght abasshed / at this bryghtnes sodayne
But sone the aungels / his fayntnesse dyd represse
And with these wordys / confortyd hym agayne
Sainge in this wyse / hayle floure of worthynes
Hayle floure of knyghthod / and manly doughtynes
The scourge of tyrantys / of ydollys conquerour
To all thy nacyon / perpetuall honour

God the sulutyth / so doth hys sayntys all
To morowe shall ende / thy paynes & tourment
To morowe shal thy sowle / in lyght celestyall
Haue heuynly ioy / aboue the firmament
Record and witnes / is god omnypotent
And record is all / the heuynly company
That vnto this tyme / thou hast done valyantly

Hytherto thou hast / behauyd the in fyght
Perseuerantly / without all fere and drede
Despysynge paynes / as goddys faythfull knyght
One day remayneth / for the to haue thy mede
Haue done take confort / ioy shall thy payne succede
Byde thys laste tourment / with pacyence boldly
On the last conflict / euer is the victory

All thynge is prouyd / and tryed at the last
Whan the ende is good / than all is fortunate
One hour makyth happy / all the labour past
Fere nat lyst stronge payne / thy strength myght fatigate
by vs shall thy tourment / be greatly breuyate
We shall the confort / thoughe greuous be thy payne
Abasshe nat / therby / thou blys shalt obtayne

103

No precyous iowell / is boght for thynge of nought
None for small valour / can bye great marchaundyse
By rest nor pleasour / no more can heuyn be bought
Thou shalt it purchace / thy blode shalbe the pryse
To strenght by confort / let now thy hart aryse
In peas and conflict / we shalbe by thy syde
And we at the last / to heuyn shall the gyde

With suche swete confort / indurynge all the nyght
The aungels strengthed / our lordys champyon
Tyll on the morowe / the son shone clere & bryght
The knyght was called / before the kyngys trone
Of mynde assured / for peryll drad he none
The Iuge and comons there standynge in presence
Agaynst saynt George / was gyuyn this sentence

Fyrst to be drawen / through stretys of the towne
With bullys sauage / enragynge furyously
Tyll his ioyntys / were: dyssoluyd and vndone
And after that / to be: behedyd fynally
The iugement was / fulfylled by and by
But whan he was com / vnto execucyon
Thus vnto our lord / he made his oryson

O god almyghty / chefe fountayne of goodnes
Grauut all thy seruauntys / greuyd in any payne
To fynde thy socoure / and helpe in theyr dystres
So that none may call / for helpe to me in vayne
God herd his prayer / A voyce than soundyd playne
Come holy george / for thy petycyon
Is herde of god / and grauntyd is thy bown

104

Of the fynall and last martyrdom / of saynt George / and howe Dacyan and his satellytis with fyre of heuyn were brent into pouder. Capitulum. xxvii.

Besyde the martyr / now stode the tourmentour
Hymselfe auauncynge / and lokyng yrefully
Redy as a wolfe / a lambe for to deuour
His mortall Ax lay / sharpyd nere hym by
On the other syde / a blessyd company
Of goddys aungels / stode mekely in presence
Redy to receyue / his soule with reuerence

At last the martyr / full meke and pacyent
With hart and handys / erect toward the sky
His nec enclyned / receyuynge iugement
The aungellys / receyuyd his soule / full ioyously
Ascendynge to heuyn / with myrth and melody
At whose comynge / that court most venerable
Ioyed all in god / with myrth inestymable

In the mean season / whyle all this thynge was done
Dacyan the Iudge / was nere vnto the place
(Where this holy knyght / suffed his passyon)
With his armyd men / clene destytute of grace
And seynge suche wonders / so playne before his face
He styll remayned of froward hart and mynde
prowde fyers & cruell / by sathanas made blynde

These clere myracles / so playne and euydent
Cowde nat inclere / soo dull and blynd a hart
To the true knowelege / of god omnypotent
Nor from hys errour / constrayne hym to depart
But ydollys made by mannys / crafte and art
Of stone or metall / alway honowred he
The same beleuynge / replete with deyte

105

As for the heuyn / his mynde wolde nat beholde
Which by the splendour and shape most curyous
The sygnes / planettes / and sterres manyfolde
Shewith that therin / is god most gloryous
With other sayntes in ioyes maruelous
In lyfe eternall / to god subiect and bounde
By whome ar ruled / the rulers of this grounde

Under whose myght / is in subieccyon
Eche erthly thynge / and besynes mundayne
By whome is ruled / eche erthly regyon
Whose myght and power / doth heuyn & erth sustayne
Of this true godhed / thys tyrant had dysdayne
But now / therfore: our lordys meke suffrance
Tourned to iustyce / and plage of vengeance

Thynge wonderous to say / and ferefull to beholde
To other tyrantes / example euydent
The tyrant retournynge / with cruell loke and bolde
Home towarde his toure / was all to powder brent
For fyre dyscendyd / downe: from the fyrmament
This wretche inuoluynge / and armyd men echone
With feruent flamys / with lyfe escapyd none

Anon theyr bodyes / to pouder tournyd were
And to blacke sparcles / of dedely loke and smell
The wynde bare away / the asshes in the ayre
The cruell soules / descendyd down to hell
In endles tourment / amonge the fendys fell
In dredefull darknes / and wofull habytacle
Sore were they mouyd / which sawe this gret spectacle

106

Dowtynge mo plaggis / and equall vengeaunce
And countynge foly / to stryue with heuynly myght
Thus hath our lorde / by rightwyse ordynaunce
Correctyd synners / reuengynge so his knyght
Which euer in ioy / standyth in goddys syght
In heuyn aboue / our pardon to purchace
That his true seruauntys / may come to the same place

An oryson vnto ye blessyd martyr saynt george with an excusacyon of ye auctor of his rude translacyon. Capitulum xx.viii.

O gloryouse martyr / o scourge of tyranny
O stedfast pyller / of fayth / and holynes
Most stronge confounder / of fals ydolatry
Accept my wrytynge / and pardon my rudenes
I playnly knowelege / myn owne vnworthynes
My style to thy actys / is no more mete / nor lyke
Than is a vyle vessell / for bawme aromatyke

yet in thy goodnes / my hart hath confydence
Sith my chefe purpose / is people to excyte
Unto thy honour / thy laude: and reuerence
To haue in thy seruyce / pleasour and delyte
Than blessyd patron / my seruyce to acquyte
Be alway redy / with my olde foo: to fyght
That the olde serpent / agayne me haue no myght

Preserue thy royalme / in peas and vnyte
Represse rebellers / and men presumptuous
Defende thy prynce / from all aduersyte
In longe succession / of chauncys prosperous
Expell from his grace / all thynge contraryons
Graunt helth / and welth / good lyfe and charyte
Within thy royalme / contynually to be

107

Lyke as thou lyuynge / gladly defendydest ryght
Assystynge wretchys in care and mysery
So for thy seruauntys / be redy nowe to fyght
Agaynste the olde serpente / and auncyent enmy
Graunt vs to vanquysshe / this worlde transytory
With all blynde fraudys / and folyes of the same
And that our soules / may the vyle carkas tame

These fraudfull serpentys / vs dayly doth assayle
By gyle intendynge / to brynge vs to vttraunce
But we by thy ayde agayne them may preuayle
Such is our truste / and stedfast esperaunce
Our youthes erroures / and blynde mysgouernaunce
Thou mayst ouercome / dyrectynge vs with ryght
Syth cryst and mary / hath the theyr chosen knyght

Mars hath had honoure / in many a regyon
As god of batayle / for actys excellent
But this thy royalme / the takyth for patron
For thy bolde actys / for god omnypotent
Boldly abyden / in purpose permanent
Thou drad no tyrant / dyenge for equyte
Graunt all thy knyghtys / of the same sect to be

So that thy royalme / in euery estate
In grace and vertue / abound and multyply
Namely thy order / in chaunces fortunate
Dyrect and gouerne / in ryghtwyse chyualry
With palme and tryumphe / of euery ennemy
And after in stede / of plesour transytory
Purchace a place / to them / in endles glory.

University of Virginia Library

Prologue.[_] Square brackets denote editorial insertions or emendations.

The lyfe of saynt George.

Prologue.
[_]

Square brackets denote editorial insertions or emendations.