A most Excellent Ballad of St. George for England, and the Kings Daughter of Egypt, whom he delivere from
death, and how he slew a mighty Dragon. To the Tune of [Flying] [F]ame.
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OF Hectors deeds did Homer Sing,;
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and of the sack of stately Troy,
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What grief fair Hellen did them bring
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Which was Sir Paris only joy:
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And with my pen I must recite,
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St. Georges deeds; an English Knight.
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Against the Sarazens full rude,
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fought he full long and many a day ;
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Where many a Gyant he subdu'd,
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in honour of the Christian way
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And after many adventures past,
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To AEgypt land he came at last.
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And as the Story plain doth tell,
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within that Country there did rest
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A dreadful Dragon fierce and fell,
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whereby they were full sore opprest:
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Who by his poysoned breath each day,
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Did many of the City slay
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The grief thereof did grow so great,
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throughout the limits of the Land
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That they their wise men did intreat,
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to shew there cunning out of hand:
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Which way they might this Dragon 'stroy,
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That did there country sore annoy.
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The wise men all before the King,
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framed this matter incontinent,
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The dragon none to death might bring
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by any means they could invent.
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His Skin more hard then brass was found
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That sword or spear could pierce or wound.
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When this the people understood,
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they cryed out most piteously,
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The Dragons breath infected their blood,
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that they each day in heaps did dye,
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Amongst them such a plague it bred
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The living scarce could bury the dead.
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No means there was that they could find,
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for to appease the Dragons rage,
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But by a Virgin pure and kind,
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whereby he might his fury swage:
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Each day he should a Maiden eat,
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For to allay his hunger great.
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This thing by art the wise men found,
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which truly must observed be,
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Wherefore throughout the City round,
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a Virgin pure of good degree;
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Was by the Kings Commission still,
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Took up to serve the Dragons will.
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Thus did the Dragon every day,
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a Maiden of the Town devour,
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Till all the Maids were worn away,
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and none were left that present hour,
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Saving the Kings fair daughter bright,
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Her Fathers joy and hearts delight.
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Then came the Officers to the King,
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this heavy message to declare
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Which did his heart with sorrow sting,
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she is (quoth he) my Kingdoms heir:
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O let us all be poysoned here,
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E're she should dye that is my dear.
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Then rose the people presently,
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and to the King in rage they went,
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Who said his daughter dear should dye,
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the Dragons fury to prevent;
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Our daughters all are dead quoth they,
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And have been made the Dragons prey.
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And by their blood thou hast been blest,
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and thou hast sav'd thy life thereby,
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And now in Justice it doth rest,
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for us thy daughter so should dye :
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O save my daughter said the King,
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And let me feel the Dragons sting.
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Then fell fair Sabrine on her knee,
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and to her father thus did say
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O Father strive not thus for me,
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but let me be the Dragons prey,
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It may be for my sake alone,
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This Plague upon the Land was shown
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'Tis better I should dye (she said)
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then all your Subjects perish quite,
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Perhaps the Dragon here was laid,
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for my offence to work his spight:
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And after he hath suckt my Gore,
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Your Land shall feel the grief no more.
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What hast thou done my daughter dear,
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for to deserve this heavy scourge,
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It is my fault it shall appear.
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which makes the Gods our state to grudge
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Then ought I dye to stint the strife,
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And to preserve thy happy life.
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Like mad-men all the people cry'd
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thy death to us can do no good,
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Our safety only doth abide,
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to make thy daughter Dragons food:
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Loe here I am, (O then quoth she,)
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Therefore do what you will with me.
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Nay stay dear daughter (quod the Queen)
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and as thou art a Virgin bright,
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That hath for vertue famous been,
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so let me cloath thee all in white
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And crown thy head with flowers sweet,
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An ornament for Virgins meet.
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And when she was attired so,
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according to her mothers mind ;
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Unto the stake then she did go,
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to which they did this Virgin bind,
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And being bound to stake and thrall,
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She bad farewell unto them all.
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Farewel dear Father then (quoth she)
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and my sweet mother meek and mild,
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Take you no thought nor care for me
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for you may have another child:
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Here for my Countries good i'le dye,
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Which I receive most willingly,
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The King and Queen with all their train
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with weeping eyes then went their way
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And let their daughter there remain,
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to be the hungry Dragons prey;
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But as she there did weeping lye,
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Behold St. George came riding by,
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Now like unto a valiant Knight,
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straight unto her did take his way
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And being amazed at this sight,
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He then to her these words did say,
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Tell me sweet maiden then quoth he,
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What person thus abused thee?
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And loe by Christ his cross I vow
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which here is figured on my breast,
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I will revenge it on his brow,
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and break my Launce upon his Crest,
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And speaking thus whereas he stood,
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The Dragon issued out of the Wood.
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The Lady that did first espy,
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the dreadful Dragon coming so
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Unto St. George aloud did cry,
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and willed him away to go:
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Here comes that cursed Fiend quoth she,
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That soon will make an end of me.
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St. George then looking round about,
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the fiery Dragon soon espyd,
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And like a Knight of courage stout,
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against him he did fiercely ride:
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And with such blows he did him greet:
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That he fell under his Horse feet.
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The second Part, to the same Tune.
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FOr with a Launce that was so strong
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as he came gaping in his face,
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In at his mouth he thrust it along,
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the which could pierce no other place:
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And there within the Ladies view,
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This dreadful dragon then he slew.
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The savour of his poysoned breath,
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could do this Christian Knight no harm
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Thus did he save the Lady from death,
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and home he led her by the arm,
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Which when Ptolomy did see,
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There was great joy and Melody.
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When as the famous Knight St. George
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had slain the Dragon in the field,,
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And brought the Lady to the Court,
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whose sight with joy their hearts then fil'd
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He in the AEgyptian Court then staid,
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Till he most falsely was betray'd.
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The Lady Sabrine lov'd him well,
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he counted her his only joy,
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But when their love was open known,
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it prov'd St. Georges great annoy:
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The Morocco King was in the Court,
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Who to the Orchard did resort,
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Daily to take the pleasant ayr,
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for pleasures sake he us'd to Walk,
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Under a wall, whereas he heard,
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St. George with Lady Sabrine talk ;
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Their loves he revealed to the King,
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Which to St. George great woe did bring.
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These Kings together did devise,
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to make this Christian Knight away,
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With Letters him Ambassador,
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they straightway sent to Persia:
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And wrote to'th Sophy him to kill,
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And treacherously his blood to spill.
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Thus they for good did him reward,
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with Evil and most subtilly ;
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By such vile means they did devise,
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to work his death most cruelly :
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While he in Persia abode,
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He straight destroy'd each Idol God.
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Which being done he straight was cast
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into a Dungeon dark and deep,
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But when he thought upon his wrong,
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he bitterly did wail and weep,
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Yet like a Knight of courage stont,
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Forth of the Dungeon he got out.
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And in the night three Horse-keepers,
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this valiant Knight by power slew,
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Although he fasted many a day,
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and then away from thence he flew,
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On the best Steed that Sophy had,
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Which when he knew he was full sad.
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Then into Christendom he came,
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and met a Gyant by the way,
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With him in combate he did Fight,
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most valiantly a summers day,
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Who yet for all his bats of Steel,
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Was forc'd the sting of death to feel.
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From Christendom that valiant Knight,
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then with Warlike Souldiers past,
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Vowing upon that Heathen Land,
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to work revenge which at the last
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E're thrice three years were gone & spent,
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He did unto his great content,
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Save only AEgypt Land he spar'd,
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for Sabrine bright her only sake ;
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And e're his rage he did surpass ,
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he meant a tryal kind to make,
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Ptolomy did know his strength in field.
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And unto him did kindly yield.
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Then he the Morocco King did kill,
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and took fair Sabrine to his wife;
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And afterwards contentedly,
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with her St. George did lead his life,
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Who by the vertue of a chain,
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Did still a virgin pure remain.
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To England then St. George did bring,
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this gallant Lady Sabrine bright,
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An Eunuch also came with them,
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in whom the Lady did delight :
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None but these three from AEgypt came,
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Now let me print St. Georges fame.
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When they were in the forrest great,
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the Lady did desire to rest,
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And then St. George to kill a Deer.
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to feed thereon did think it best,
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Left Sabrine and the Eunuch there,
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While he did go and kill a Deer
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The mean time in his absence came,
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two hungry Lyons fierce and fell,
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And tore the Eunuch presently,
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in pieces small the truth to tell,
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Down by the Lady then they laid,
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Whereby it seem'd she was a Maid,
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But when St. George from hunting came
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and did behold this heavy chance,
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Yet for his lovely Virgin pure,
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his courage stout he did advance:
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And came within the Lyons sight.
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Who run at him withal their might,
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But he being not a bit dismaid,
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but like a stout and valiant Knight,
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Did kill the hungry Lyons both,
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within the Lady Sabrines sight,
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But all this while sad and demure,
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She stood there like a Virgin pure.
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Then when St. George did truly know,
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his Lady was a Virgin true,
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Those doleful thoughts that e're was dumb,
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began most firmly to renew,
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He set her on a Palfrey steed,
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And toward England came with speed,
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Where he arrived in short space,
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unto his fathers dwelling place,
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Where with his dearest love he liv'd,
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when fortune did there Nuptials grace
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They many years of joy did see,
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And led there lives at Coventry.
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