A most Excellent Ballad of St. George for England, and the Kings Daughter of AEgypt, whom he delivered from death; and how he slew a Mighty Dragon.
The Tune is, Flying Fame.
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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 deed 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 Gyants he subdud,
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in honour of the Christian way:
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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 whereof 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 their cunning out of hand,
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Which way they might this Dragon stroy
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That did ther Country thus 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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Their sword or spear cant 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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Cook 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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Ere 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 savd 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 then 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 this 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 cryd,
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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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Lo here I am then quoth she,
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Therefore do what you will with me.
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Nay stay dear Daughter, quoth the Queen
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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 f[l]owers 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 [a]nd thrall,
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She bad farewel unto them all.
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Farewel dear Father, then quoth she,
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and my swee[t] Mother meek and mild,
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Take you no thought nor weep for me,
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for you may have another child:
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Here for my Countries good Ile 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 lie,
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behold St. George came riding by,
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And seeing ther[e] a Lady bright,
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fast tyed to the stake that day,
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Most like unto a valiant Knight,
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straight unto her did make his way:
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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 lo, by Christ his Crosse I vow,
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which here is fugured on my breast,
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I will revenge it on his brow,
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and break my Lance 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 comming 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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FOr with a Lance 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 this 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 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 King Ptolomy did see,
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There was great mirth 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 fild:
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He in the AEgyptian Court then staid,
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Till he most falsely was betrayd:
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The Lady Sabrine lovd him well,
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he counted her his onely joy,
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But when their love was open known,
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it provd 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 air,
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for pleasures sake he usd 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 love he revealed to the King,
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Which to S. 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 streight way sent to Persia,
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And wrote toth Sophy him to kill.
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And trayterously his blood to spill.
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Thus they for good did him reward
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with evil and most subtilty,
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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 quite destroyd 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 stout
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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 Christendome 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 bolts of steel,
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Was forcd the sting of death to feel.
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From Christendom this 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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Ere thrice three years were gone & spent
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He did unto his great content:
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Save onely AEgypt Land he spard,
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for Sabrine bright her only sake,
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And ere his rage he did suppresse,
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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 him,
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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 seemd she was a Maid.
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But when S. 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 with all their might,
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But he being no whit 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 er 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 while,
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unto his Fathers dwelling place,
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Where with his dearest love he livd,
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when fortune did their Nuptials grace,
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They many years of joy did see,
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And led their lives at Coventry.
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