Prologue 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. The 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 envy 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 some 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 kynghthod / wherby all men may see Example of constaunce / in hard extremyte

Which 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. A M E N

Longe obseruando Domino suo Nicholao west Legum doctori luculentissimo Electoque Elyensi dignissimo Alexander Barclayus cum debita obseruantia Salutem. + Multi iam olim tum viri illustres: tum mediocres: singularem ob amorem / hono- rem: immo pietatem: quibus in diuum Georgium Militum principem nostrum Regnique nostri Patronum: inque tuis precipuum votis pater obseruande: flagrabant: crebis me hortatibus solicitarunt: vt eiusdem vitam luculentis- simam: mores sanctissimos: martyrij conflictus constan- tissimos: omnem denique sancti militis Historiam ex fide dignis Auctoribus in nostrum ydeoma: pro Angli- gena Iuuentute ad illius mores imitandos: accendenda pro virili traducerem. In quibus magnanimus illustrissi- musque ille Princeps Thomas Norfolchie Dux primarium obtinuit locum: Uir sane de rege regnoque Anglie bene- meritus. Quippe qui consililim / auxilium / Liberos / Preterea / et quicquid illi ex gracie / nature: Fortune- ue dotibus diuinitus est concessum pro Regis Regni- que salute (siquando id opus exigit) libentissime expendit. Huius rei varia extant argumenta luce luci- diora Feci ergo ad viri tanti mandata: quod potui: vt Diui Georgii vita vulgari haberetur sermone / ad singu- lorum noticiam: virtutisque normam (que in Georgio emicuit) sectandam. Ueruntamen quum eadem hystoria inter Apocripha censeatur: Ego quoad potero: causam tutabor meam: qui rem Apocripham ausus sum vulgariter interpritari. Nouit dominacio tua Apocriphum duobus accipi modis. Uel quia de eius veritate dubitatur: Hoc explodit Eccesia. Reliquum est: cuius Auctor occultus est: veritas autem patet. Hoc accipit ecclesia: non tamen ad fidei probacionem: sed ad errorum destruccionem.

Cuiusmodi est Liber Iudith / et alij quos enumerat Diuus Hieroniumus in Regum prologo. Primo in genere Militis nostri hystoriam Apocripham: haud opinor: quum fidelissima verissimaque appareat. Ut quid tot Basilice / tot Sacelle / Herculeo opere mirificoque sumptu: idque varijs in Regionibus: eius in honore Fabricate: tot spirant Altaria? tot Naciones hunc sibi Patronum elegere? tot denique Principes se Georgij nomine Militie honore insignitos gloriantur? Nisi que Georgius Uite veritate martyrijque constacia: eisdem vite lumen prebuit eterne. Quo pacto si que de illo memorantur vana essent: a tot populis virisque doctissimis potissimus in votis haberetur? In secundo autem genere multo minus opinor. Quum vniuersa Anglicana Ecclesia alieque gentes complurime / huius festa martyris concelebrent / laudes- que replicent. Extant preterea complures magno prediti ingenio viri: qui de eius vita atque passione scripsere: uerum vt reliquos omittam: Baptista mantuanus Car- melita Theologus insegnis: idemque huius tempestatis Poetarum Princeps Talis in choro qualis Maro in bello / militis nostri gloriosi vitam passionemque Heroicis de- scripsit carminibus: adeo diserte / polite / et splendide: vt nichil supra. Quod quisque sentit hoc proferat. Ego michi persuadere non possum: quod vir tantus dictauit esse Apocriphum: quum et res ipsa lucidissimam pre se ferat veritatem. Atque ex dignissimo exeat Auctore. Illius ergo carmina / Pater eximie: interpretari decreui: eundemque michi Auctorem sumere / illiusque dicta in nostri / immo tui margine libelli: adijcere: quo viris appareat litteratis quantum ipsa in re vulgaria a latinis discrepent nostra: et ex tanta auctoritate nostris firmior prestetur fides. Nichil enim hesito quin et Duci strennuis- simo et Presuli doctissimo: gratum prestitero obsequium. Uos igitur Georgium vestrum a liuidorum faucibus tuta- mini. Hec me spes firmiorem in hac re facit: quum alter prisca illa nobilitate preditus: alter ingenio et litteris: vterque dignissimo honore: Auctoritate atque prudencia:

quibus splendetis: nostram facile fulcietis tenuitatem. At tu venerande Antistes propediem iam future / hanc nostram lugubraciunculam acceptes / reformes tuearis: vt qui tuis a rebus arduis haud vnquam defuit defensor: te modo patronum senciat georgius. Ualeat feliciter Paternitas tua egregia Ex monastrrio Elyensi. iij. non. Augusti. Anno virginij partus. M. CCCCC.xv. Tu venias citius: Portus et aura tuis.

TABULA. Here begynneth the table of the lyfe of Saynt George conteynynge seriatly the chapiters of suche maters as be conteyned in this treatyse. + Fyrst an Inuocacyon of the auctor for heuenly ayde in his translacyon of this boke iwth a descripcyon of the londe of Cappadoce contrey natyf vnto the holy martyr saynt George. Capitulum. i. + Of the conuersacyon & behauour / of saynt George in his adolescence / and what gyftys of nature / of grace & of fortune aboundyd in hym. Capitulum. ii. + To what degre *ye romayns callyd seynt George for his noble maners / And of what condycions he was after that he attayned manys age & stature. Capitulum. iii. + How saynt George was sende vnto lybia with *ye Emperour maximyan: And howe he cam to the Cyte of sylena / where the monstre was: which he afterwarde ouercam: And of the ferefull shape and descripcyon of *ye sayd monstre. Capitulum. iiii. + Howe it was ordeyned by acte of parlyament *yt two bodyes of the inhabytantys of the cyte shulde be chosen Euery day by lot to be gyuyn to the dragon: And howe at last the lot fell on the kyngys doughter: and what sorowe was in the palays by occasyon of the same. Capitulum. v. + Howe after the day apoynted was com the Kynge & Quene centrary to theyr owne wyll to allay the malyce of the comons brought forthe theyr Doughter to obiect hir to the monstre: And howe they confortyd hyr agaynst hir deth. Capitulum. vi. + Howe this virgyn was led forthe of the Cyte / & bounde to a Pyller to be deuoured of the sayd serpent. Capitu- lum. vii.

Of the lamentable complaynt of the virgyn what tyme she was left alone before the dragon. Capitulum. viii. + How saynt George mouyd with compassyon defendyd the vyrgyn & ouercam the dragon by myght of god. Capitulum. ix. + Howe the vyrgyn was conueyed agayne into the Cyte and what ioy was made & demeanyd of all the commons for deth of this monstre / and how ioyfull the kynge and quene were for preseruacyon of theyr doughter. Capitu- lum. x. + Howe saynt George exortyd the cytezyns to forsake theyr errours & to beleue in cryst instructynge them in *ye faythe. Capitulum. xi. + How the Kynge / the Quene and theyr doughter Alcyone with all the hole Cyte becam crystyned: and what laude and thankys they gaue to saynt George / & howe for the loue of chastyte he refusyd to take *ye sayde virgyn in maryage. Capitulum. xii. + How saynt George cawsyd a Churche to be byldyd in myddys of theCyte in honour of our Lady / & howe a well sprange out of the foundacyon wherof the water had suche vertue that all suche as lay syke by infeccyon of the Dragon were restoryd to helthe by drynkynge of the same / And howe sanyt George intendynge to departe exhortyd the kynge and comons to contynue in fayth and vertue. Capitulum. xiii. + Howe saynt george departyd from the cyte of Sylena to the londe of persy / and what actys he dyd in his voyage: and howe many holy placis he vysyted for deuocyon Capitulum. xiiii. + Howe the dampnyd spyrytys toke counsell howe they myght vex the crysten fayth / & moue the paganys to persecucyon of the same. Capitulum. xv. + Howe by suggestyon of our gostely enmy themperoure of rome cawsede the sacryfyce of the Idollys to be renewyd / and that all crystynmen / refusynge to do sacryfyce shulde

be martyred by occasyon wherof many crysten men lost theyr lyuys by dyuers tourmentys Capitulum. xvi. + How saynt George presentyd hym selfe before dacyon confessynge hymselfe crystyn as he which was glad to dye for the fayth and of the dysputacyon bytwene saynt George & dacyan. Capitulum. xvii. + Of the fyrst tournment of saynt George / and of his mar- uelous pacyence in suffrynge the same. Capitulum. xviii. + Howe dacyan comaundyd saynt george to be cast in dongyon to be reseruyd to more greuous tourment / And how the Aungell of god apered to hym in pryson and helyd all his woundys agayne. Capitulum. xix. + Howe Dacyan herynge / that the woundys of saynt George were cured agayne supposyd *yt it had ben done by inchantement / And callyd to hym an Inchauntoure namyd thamyr & desyred hym to proue saynt george in the same faculte and howe thynchauntour grauntyd so to do Capitulum. xx. + Hwe saynt George dranke venym twyse in the name of cryst and nought was greuyd by the same / by reason wherof the Inchantour was conuertyd to the faythe of Cryst. Capitulum. xxi. + Howe the tyrant Dacyan kyndled with Ire com- maundyd the Ichauntour to be behedyd / And howe he prepared a Whele with Iren tethe of maruelous sharpnes on the same to tourment Saynt George / And howe by power of God / the sayde Whele was destroyde. Capitu- lum. xxii. + Howe subtylly and by flateryuge wordys / Dacyan prouyd to cause saynt George to do sacryfyce / and howe the martyr faynedly consentyd to hym. Capitulum. xxiii. + Of the vayne bostynge of Dacyan whiche wenyd to haue ouercom saynt George / and how by his prayer the great temple of *ye Idollys brast insonder & sanke doune

into the grounde with horryble noyse and great murder of paynyms. Capitulum. xxiiii. + Howe the kynge of the Cyte concludyd to reuenge hym on saynt George of the iniuryes of his Goddys & howe his Quene for blamynge his cruell interpryse was tourmentyd to deth before the face of saynt George. Capitulum. xxv. + How god almyghty send doune his aungels to warne saynt George of his deth and to confort hym agaynst the same. Capitulum. xxvi. + Of the fynall and last martyrdom of saynt George: & howe dacyan and his satellytis with fyre of heuyn were brent into powdre. Capitulum. xxvi. + An oryson vnto *ye blessyd martyr saynt George with an excusacyon of the translatour of his symple trans- lacyon. Capitulum. xxviii. Thus endyth the table.

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 / haue gladly 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 Idollsy / 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 Georges 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. + 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 + 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 acts / 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 / fole / and fyllyd with ordure The sent was lothsome / to euery creature Whether this vyle dyche / were watry or drye The stynkynge sauoure / yet bolde 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. < P 30> 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 lote 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 to 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 / most 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 faultles 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 / which 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 faynte lyfe: caduke and temporall.

Howe the virgyne was led forth of the Cyte / and bounde to a Pyller to be deuoured of *ye dragon. Capitu- lum. 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. Capitu- lum. 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 this deuyse? A faultles 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 / I 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 whome 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 tourynd / 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 virgyne / 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 wordly 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 & my*3t / 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 fels fendes / inducers of errour. destroyed destroyed 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 : whereof *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. + 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 / which 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. destroyed

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 Carmelyt*3 / 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 holey 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.

destroyed [nat withst]andyng [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 now 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 / conioy ned 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 boldte / 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. destroyed

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 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 of 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 Which 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 faultles 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 dacyon / 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 hum 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 dacyon / 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 agre. + 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 left / 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 celesyall 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 wordly 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 Y 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 mar- uaylous 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 reseuyd 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 dacyon herynge / the woundys of saynt George helyd agayne supposyd that it had ben don by inchaunte- ment 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 / inhis 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 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 : wasnat 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 law 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 Which (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 trowbled 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 tour- ment 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 nauyall / 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 from 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 / withhym 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 kynght 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 vsed / 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 Suche / 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 last / 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 ioepardy + 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 Geore / of *ye iniuryes of his goddys / And how his quene for blamynge his cruell interpryse was martyred to deth before saynt Georgys face. Capitu- lum . 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 altar 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

By the holy goste / some baptysed hath ben For theyr deuocyon / true / fayth and purpose good And some 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 / why 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

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

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

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

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 destytue 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

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

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

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.