St. George And The Dragon - Anonymous

Of Hector's deeds did Homer fing,
And of the sack of ftately Troy,
What griefs fair Helena did bring,
Which was fir Paris' only joy:
And by my pen I will recite
St. George's deeds, and Englifh knight.

Against the Sarazens fo rude
Fought he full long and many a day;
Where many gyants he fubdu'd,
In honour of the chriftian way:
And after many adventures paft,
To Egypt land he came at laft.

Now, as the ftory plain doth tell,
Within that countrey there did reft
A dreadful dragon fierce and fell,
Whereby they were full fore oppreft:
Who by his poifonous breath each day
Did many of the city flay.

The grief whereof did grow fo great
Throughout the limits of the land,
That they their wise-men did intreat
To fhew their cunning out of hand;
What way they might this fiend deftroy,
That did the countrey thus annoy.

The wise-men all before the king,
This anfwer fram'd incontinent:
The dragon none to death might bring
By any means they could invent:
His fkin more hard than brass was found,
That sword nor spear could pierce nor wound.

When this the people underftood,
They cryed out most piteouflye,
The dragon's breath infects their blood,
That every day in heaps they dye:
Among them such a plague it bred,
The living fcarce could bury the dead.

No means there were, as they could hear,
For to appeafe the dragon's rage,
But to prefent some irgin clear,
Whofe blood his fury might affwage;
Each day he would a maiden eat,
For to allay his hunger great.

This thing by art the wife-men found,
Which truly must observed be;
Wherefore, throughout the city round,
A virgin pure of good degree
Was, by the king's commiffion, ftill
Taken up to ferve the dragon's will.

Thus did the dragon every day
Untimely crop fome virgin flowr,
Till all the maids were worn away,
And none were left him to devour;
Saving the king's fair daughter bright,
Her father's only heart's delight.

Then came the officers to the king,
That heavy meffage to declare,
Which did his heart with sorrow fting;
She is, quoth he, my kingdom's heir:
O let us all be poifoned here,
Ere fhe fhould die, that is my dear.

Then rose the people prefently,
And to the king in rage they went;
They faid his daughter dear fhould dye,
The dragon's fury to prevent:
Our daughters all are dead, quoth they,
And have been made the dragon's prey:

And by their blood we refcued were,
And thou hast fav'd thy life thereby;
And now in footh it is but faire,
For us thy daughter fo fhould die.
O save my daughter, faid the king;
And let ME feel the dragon's fting.

Then fell fair Sabra on her knee,
And to her father dear did fay,
O father, ftrive not thus for me,
But let me be the dragon's prey;
It may be, for my fake alone
This plague upon the land was thrown.

Tis better I should dye, fhe said,
Than all your fubjects perish quite;
Perhaps the dragon here was laid,
For my offence to work his fpite,
And after he hath fuckt my gore,
Your land shall feel the grief no more.

What haft thou done, my daughter dear,
For to deferve this heavy fcourge?
It is my fault, as may appear,
Which makes the gods our ftate to purge;
Then ought I die, to ftint the ftrife,
And to preferve thy happy life.

Like mad-men, all the people cried,
Thy death to us can do no good;
Our fafety only doth abide
In making her the dragon's food.
Lo! here I am, I come, quoth fhe,
Therefore do what you will with me.

Nay ftay, dear daughter, quoth the queen,
And as thou art a virgin bright,
That haft for vertue famous been,
So let me cloath thee all in white;
And crown thy head with flowers fweet,
An ornament for virgins meet.

And when she was attired so,
According to her mother's mind,
Unto the stake then did she go,
To which her tender limbs they bind;
And being bound to stake a thrall
She bade farewell unto them all.

Farewell, my father dear, quoth fhe,
And my sweet mother meek and mild;
Take you no thought nor weep for me,
For you may have another child:
Since for my.country's good I dye,
Death I receive moft willinglye.

The king and queen and all their train
With weeping eyes went then. their way,
And let their daughter there remain,
To be the hungry dragon's prey:
But as fhe did there weeping lye,
Behold St. George came riding by.

And seeing there a lady bright
So rudely tyed unto a ftake,
As well became a valiant knight,
He straight to her his way did take:
Tell me, fweet maiden, then quoth he,
What caitif thus abufeth thee?

And, lo! by Chrift his crofs I vow,
Which here is figured on my breaft,
I will revenge it on his brow,
And break my lance upon his cheft:
And speaking thus whereas he ftood,
The dragon iffued from the wood.

The lady, that did first efpy
The dreadful dragon coming fo,
Unto St. George aloud did cry,
And willed him away to go;
Here comes that curfed fiend, quoth she,
That foon will make an end of me.

St. George then looking round about,
The fiery dragon foon efpy'd,
And like a knight of courage ftout,
Against him did moft fiercely ride;
And with such blows he did him greet,
He fell beneath his horse's feet.

For with his launce that was so ftrong,
As he came gaping in his face,
In at his mouth he thruft along;
For he could pierce no other place:
And thus within the lady's view
This mighty dragon ftraight he slew.

The favour of his poifoned breath
Could do this holy knight no harm;
Thus he the lady fav'd from death,
And home he led her by the arm;
Which when King Ptolemy did fee,
There was great mirth and melody.

When as that valiant champion there
Had flain the dragon in the field,
To court he brought the lady fair,
Which to their hearts much joy did yield.
He in the court of Egypt ftaid
Till he most falfely was betray'd.

That lady dearly lov'd the knight,
He counted her his only joy;
But when their love was brought to light,
It turn'd unto their great annoy:
Th' Morocco king was in the court,
Who to the orchard did refort,

Dayly to take the pleafant air,
For pleafure fake he us'd to walk;
Under a wall he oft did hear
St. George with lady Sabra talk:
Their love he fhew'd unto the king,
Which to St. George great woe did bring.

Thofe kings together did devife
To make the chriftian knight away,
With letters him in curteous wife
They straightway sent to Perfia:
But wrote to the fophy him to kill,
And treacherously his blood to fpill.

Thus they for good did him reward
With evil, and most fubtilly,
By much vile meanes they had regard
To work his death most cruelly;
Who, as through Perfia land he rode,
With zeal destroy'd each idol god.

For which offence he ftraight was thrown
Into a dungeon dark and deep;
Where, when he thought his wrongs upon,
He bitterly did wail and weep:
Yet like a knight of courage ftout,
At length his way he digged out.

Three grooms of the King of Perfia
By night this valiant champion flew,
Though he had fafted many a day,
And then away from thence he flew
On the beft steed the fophy had;
Which when he knew he was full mad.

Towards Chriftendom he made his flight,
But met a gyant by the way,
With whom in combat he did fight
Most valiantly a fummer's day:
Who yet, for all his bats of fteel,
Was forc'd the fting of death to feel.

Back o'er the feas with many bands
Of warlike fouldiers foon he past,
Vowing upon those heathen lands
To work revenge; which at the laft,
Ere thrice three years were gone and fpent,
He wrought unto his heart's content.

Save onely Egypt land he fpar'd,
For Sabra bright her only fake,
And, ere for her he had regard,
He meant a tryal kind to make:
Mean while the king, o'ercome in field,
Unto Saint George did quickly yield.

Then ftraight Morocco's king he flew,
And took fair Sabra to his wife,
But meant to try if fhe were true,
Ere with her he would lead his life:
And, tho' he had her in his train,
She did a virgin pure remain.

Toward England then that lovely dame
The brave St. George conducted ftrait,
An eunuch alfo with them came,
Who did upon the lady wait.
Thefe three from Egypt went alone:
Now mark St. George's valour shown.

When as they in a foreft were,
The lady did defire to reft:
Mean while St. George to kill a deer
For their repaft did think it beft:
Leaving her with the eunuch there,
Whilft he did go to kill the deer.

But lo! all in his abfence came
Two hungry lyons, fierce and fell,
And tore the eunuch on the fame
In pieces fmall, the truth to tell;
Down by the lady then they laid,
Whereby they fhew'd fhe was a maid.

But when he came from hunting back,
And did behold this heavy chance,
Then for his lovely virgin's sake
His courage ftrait he did advance,
And came into the lions' sight,
Who ran at him with all their might.

Their rage did him no whit difmay,
Who, like a stout and valiant knight,
Did both the hungry lyons flay
Within the lady Sabra's fight:
Who all this while, fad and demure,
There ftood moft like a virgin pure.

Now when St. George did furely know
This lady was a virgin true,
His heart was glad, that erft was woe,
And all his love did foon renew:
He fet her on a palfrey fteed,
And towards England came with fpeed.

Where being in fhort fpace arriv'd
Unto his native dwelling place;
Therein with his dear love he liv'd,
And fortune did his nuptials grace:
They many years of joy did fee,
And led their lives at Coventry.

---

Anonymous (17th century) England
Source: Reliques of ancient English poetry, consisting of old heroic ballads, songs, and other pieces of our earlier poets, together with some few of later date (Vol. 3) by Thomas Percy, F. and C. Rivington, 1794
Note: although this poem is undated, Percy notes that it was found "in the Pepys collection" - which dates it to the 17th century at latest.