Saint George (Golden Legend)
The Legend of Saint George
abstracted from
The Golden Legend; or, Lives of the Saints
by
D. L. Ashliman
Saint George was a knight and born in Cappadocia. One time he came to the  city of Silene in the province of Libya. Near this city was a pond,  wherein there was a dragon which was poisoning all the country. Whenever  he approached the city he poisoned the people with his breath, and  therefore the people of the city gave to him every day two sheep to eat,  so that he would do no harm to the people. When they ran out of sheep, he  was given a man and a sheep. Then an ordinance was made that the children  and young people of the town should be chosen by lottery to feed the  dragon. Whoever the lot fell upon, wealthy or poor, he or she was  delivered to the dragon.
One time the lot fell upon the king's daughter, and the sorrowful king  said to his people, "For the love of the gods take gold and silver and all  that I have, but let me have my daughter."
They said, "Sir, you have made the law, and our children are now dead, but  you would do the contrary. Your daughter shall be given, or else we shall  burn you and your house."
Seeing that he could do no more, the king began to weep, and said to his  daughter, "Now I shall never see you married."
Then he returned to the people and asked for eight days' respite, which  they granted to him. When the eight days were passed they came to him and  said, "You see that the city is perishing."
Then the king had his daughter dressed like a bride, embraced and kissed  her, gave her his blessing, then led her to the place where the dragon  was.
When she was there Saint George passed by, and seeing the lady, he asked  her what she was doing there.
She said, "Go your way, fair young man, lest you perish as well."
Then he said, "Tell me why you are weeping."
When she saw that he insisted on knowing, she told him how she had been  delivered to the dragon.
Then Saint George said, "Fair daughter, doubt not, for I shall help you in  the name of Jesus Christ."
She said, "For God's sake, good knight, go your way, for you cannot save  me."
While they were thus talking together the dragon appeared and came running  toward them. Saint George, who was on his horse, drew his sword, made the  sign of the cross, then rode swiftly toward the dragon. He struck him with  his spear, injuring him severely.
Then he said to the maid, "Tie your belt around the dragon's neck, and be  not afraid."
When she had done so the dragon followed her meekly. She led him into the  city, and the people fled in fear.
Saint George said to them, "Doubt not. Believe in God and Jesus Christ,  and be baptized, and I shall slay the dragon."
Then the king and all his people were baptized, whereupon Saint George  killed the dragon and cut off his head. It took four ox-carts to remove  his body from the city.
At that time fifteen thousand men were baptized, not counting women and  children. The king established a church there in honor of Our Lady and of  Saint George, in which there flows to this day a fountain of living water  that heals sick people who drink from it.
The king offered to Saint George as much money as he could count, but he  refused it, asking instead  that it be given to poor people for God's  sake. Then he made four requests of this king: that he [the king] should  have charge of the churches, that he should honor the priests, that he  should hear their service diligently, and that he should have pity on the  poor people. Then Saint George took leave of  the king and departed.
Now at this time Diocletian and Maximian were emperors, and under them  there was such great persecution of Christians that within a month  twenty-two thousand were martyred. For this reason, some were so afraid  that they denied God and sacrificed to the idols. Seeing this, Saint  George abandoned his knight's raiment, sold all that he had, gave it to  the poor, and put on the raiment of a Christian brother.
He went into the midst of the pagans and began to cry, "The gods of the  pagans and gentiles are devils. My God made the heavens and is the only  God."
Then the provost, whose name was Dacian, said to him, "How can you say  that our gods are devils? Tell us who you are."
He answered, "I am named George. I am a gentleman, a knight of Cappadocia,  and I have left all in order to serve the God of heaven."
The provost attempted with words to convert Saint George to his faith, and  failing to do so, had Saint George beaten with iron rods until his body  was broken in pieces, then sent to prison. Our Lord appeared to him that  same night and comforted him sweetly.
Seeing that Saint George would not surrender to his torments, the provost  had his sorcerer prepare a powerful poison mixed with wine, which they  gave to Saint George. He took it, made the sign of the cross on it, and  drank it. It did him no harm. The sorcerer then made an even more powerful  poison. Saint George drank this as well, and it did him no harm. The  sorcerer then knelt before Saint George and begged him to make him a  Christian. Seeing that his own sorcerer had converted to Christianity, the  provost cut off his head.
The provost had Saint George placed between two wheels mounted with  swords, but the wheels broke, and Saint George remained unharmed. Then the  provost had him thrown into a caldron filled with molten lead, but Saint  George sat there comfortably, as if he were in a warm bath.
At last the provost said to Saint George, "Our gods are patient and  forgiving. Abandon your folly and make sacrifices to our gods, and great  honor will come to you."
Saint George replied, "Why did you not say so earlier? I am ready to do as  you request."
So the provost called all the people together to witness the conversion of  their prisoner. Saint George fell to his knees, but instead of worshipping  the pagan gods, he called upon the Lord God of heaven to destroy their  temple and their idols. Immediately fire descended from heaven,  burning  the temple, the idols, and their priests. Then the earth opened and  swallowed all the cinders and ashes that were left.
Then the provost was so angry that he said to his wife, "I shall die of  anger if I cannot overcome this man."
She replied, "Evil and cruel tyrant! Do you not see the great virtue of  the Christian people? I told you that you should not do them any harm, for  their God fights for them. Know well that I will become Christian."
Much abashed, the provost said to her "You will be a Christian?" Then  taking her by the hair, he beat her cruelly.
Then she asked Saint George, "What will become of me? I have not yet been  baptized."
He answered, "Doubt not, fair daughter, for you shall be baptized in your  own blood."
She began to worship our Lord Jesus Christ, then died and went to heaven.
The next morning the provost had Saint George beheaded. This was about the  year of our Lord two hundred and eighty-seven. As the provost was  returning homeward from the place where Saint George was beheaded, fire  fell down from heaven, consuming him and all his servants.
Gregory of Tours tells that some who were carrying certain relics of Saint  George came into a certain oratory in a hospital. On the morning when they  were to depart they could not open the door until they had left there part  of their relics.
It is also found in the history of Antioch, that when the Christians went  to conquer Jerusalem, that a fair young man appeared to a priest and  counseled him that he should bear with him some of the relics of Saint  George, for he was conductor of the battle. And during the siege of  Jerusalem, Saint George with his white armor and red cross led them to  victory.
Between Jerusalem and the port of Jaffa, near a town called Ramys, is a  chapel of Saint George which is now desolate and in ruins. The body of  Saint George, but not the head, lies in this chapel. There too lie his  father, his mother, and his uncle, not in the chapel but under the wall of  the chapel. The caretakers will not allow pilgrims to enter unless they  pay two ducats, and therefore only a few come inside, instead making their  offerings outside the chapel at an altar. The body of Saint George lies in  the middle of the choir of the chapel, and in his tomb is a hole, allowing  a man to put his hand inside it.  When a mad person is brought there, and  if he puts his head into the hole, he shall immediately be made perfectly  whole, and again have his understanding.
This blessed and holy martyr Saint George is patron of this realm of  England and the cry of men of war. The noble Order of the Garter was  founded in his worship, and also a noble college in the castle of Windsor,  where rests the heart of Saint George, which Sigismund, the Emperor of  Germany, brought and gave for a great and a precious relic to King Harry  the fifth. Also there is a piece of his head. This college is nobly  endowed to the honor and worship of Almighty God and his blessed martyr  Saint George. Let us pray unto him that he be special protector and  defender of this realm.
Source: Abstracted from The Golden Legend; or, Lives of the  Saints, compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, 1275.   First edition published in 1470. Translated into English by William  Caxton, first edition 1483.