[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 subdu'd,
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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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That sword or spear can't 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 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 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 d]eare,
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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 gru]dge:
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[Then ought I dye to stint the stri]fe
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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 foo]d:
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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 bee]n,
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[so let me cloath thee all in white],
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[And crown thy head with flowe]rs 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 bin]d,
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[And being bound to stake and th]rall,
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[She bad farewel unto them all.
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Farewel dear Father, then quot]h she,
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[and my sweet Mother meek and mil]d,
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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 I'le dy]e,
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[Which I receive most willingly.
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The King and Queen with all their t]raine,
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[with weeping eyes then went thei]r way,
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[And let their Daughter there remai]ne,
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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 there 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 wa]y:
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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 v]ow,
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[which here is fugured on my br]est,
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[I will revenge it on his brow,
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and break my Lance upon his Cr]est:
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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 s]o,
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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 a]bout,
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[the fiery Dragon soon espy'd]e:
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[And like a Knight of courage s]tout,
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[against him he did fiercely rid]e,
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[And with such blows he di]d him greet,
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[That he fell under his hor]ses feet.
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FOr with his 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 pierc no other place;
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and here within the Ladies view,
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this mightie Dragon straight he slew.
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The savour of his poysoned breath,
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Could doe this Christian Knight no harme,
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Thus did he save the Lady from death,
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And home he led her by the arme,
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which when King Ptolomy did see,
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there was much mirth and melodie.
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Whenas the famous Knight S. George
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Had slaine 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 had stayd,
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till he most falsely was betray'd.
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The Lady Sabrine loved him well,
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He counted her his onely joy,
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But when their love was open knowne,
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It turn'd to 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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Dayly to take the pleasant aire,
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For pleasures sake he used to walk
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Under a wall, whereof heard
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S. 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 Ambassadour,
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They straight-way sent to Persia:
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and wrote to the Sophy him to kill,
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and traiterously his blood to spill.
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Thus they for good did him reward
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With evill, and most subtilly,
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By much vile meanes to worke his death,
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To worke his death most cruelly:
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whiles he in Persia abode,
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he quite destroyed each Idoll god.
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Which being done, he straight was cast
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Into a Dungeon darke and deep,
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Where when he thought upon his wrongs,
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He bitterly did waile 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 the 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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Wi[t]h whom in combat he did fight
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Most valiantly a Summers day:
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who yet for all his bats of steele,
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was forc'd the sting of death to feele.
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From Christendome this valiant Knight,
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With band of Warwilke Souldiers past,
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Vowing upon these Heathen Lands
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To worke revenge, which at the last
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e'r 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 spar'd,
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For Sabrine bright her onely sake,
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And ere his rage he did suppresse,
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He meant a tryall kind to make:
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Ptolomy did know his strength in field,
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and unto him did kindly yeeld.
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Then he the Morocco King did kill,
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And tooke faire Sabrine to his wife,
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And after that contentedly,
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With her S. George did lead his life;
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who by the vertue of her Chaine,
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did still a Virgin pure remaine.
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Toward England then S. 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 tooke delight;
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none but these three from AEgypt came,
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now let me Print S. Georges fame.
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When they were in the Forest great,
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The Lady did desire to rest,
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And then S. George to kill a Deere,
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To feed thereon did thinke it best,
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left Sabrine and the Eunuch there,
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whilst he did goe and kill a Deere.
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The meanetime 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, but truth to tell,
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downe by the Lady then they laid,
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whereby it seem'd 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 Virgins sake
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His courage then he did advance,
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and came into the Lyons sight,
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who ran 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 Virgine pure.
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Then when S. George did surely know,
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This Lady was a Virgin true,
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His doubtful thoughts that e'r were damp,
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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 towards 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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Wherein with his deare Love he liv'd,
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When Fortune did his Nuptiall grace:
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they many yeares of joy did see,
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and led their lives at Coventrie.
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