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George
(St.) (g soft). Gibbon, in his Decline and
Fall, ii. 323, asserts that the patron saint of England was George
of Cappadocia, the turbulent Arian Bishop of Alexandria, torn to pieces
by the populace in 360, and revered as a saint by the opponents of
Athanasius; but this assertion has been fully disproved by the Jesuit
Papebroch, Milner, and others.
That St. George is a veritable character is beyond all reasonable
doubt, and there seems no reason to deny that he was born in Armorica,
and was beheaded in Diocletian's persecution by order of Datianus,
April 23rd, 303. St. Jerome (331-420) mentions him in one of his
martyrologies; in the next century there were many churches to his
honour. St. Gregory (540-604) has in his Sacramentary a “Preface for
St. George's Day;” and the Venerable Bede (672-735), in his
martyrology, says, “At last St. George truly finished his martyrdom by
decapitation, although the gests of his passion are numbered among the
apocryphal writings.”
In regard to his connection with England, Ashmole, in his History
of the Order of the Garter, says that King Arthur, in the sixth
century, placed the picture of St. George on his banners; and Selden
tells us he was patron saint of England in the Saxon times. It is quite
certain that the Council of Oxford in 1222 commanded his festival to be
observed in England as a holiday of lesser rank; and on the
establishment of the Order of the Garter by Edward III. St. George was
adopted as the patron saint.
The dragon slain by St. George is simply a common allegory to
express the triumph of the Christian hero over evil, which John “the
Divine” beheld under the image of a dragon. Similarly, St. Michael, St.
Margaret, St. Silvester, and St. Martha are all depicted as slaying
dragons; the Saviour and the Virgin as treading them under their feet;
and St. John the Evangelist as charming a winged dragon from a poisoned
chalice given him to drink. Even John Bunyan avails himself of the same
figure, when he makes Christian encounter Apollyon and prevail against
him.
George (St.), the Red Cross Knight (in Spenser's Faërie
Queene, bk. i.), represents “Piety.” He starts with Una (Truth) in
his adventures, and is driven into Wandering Wood, where he encounters
Error, and passes the night with Una in Hypocrisy's cell. Being visited
by a false vision, the knight abandons Una, and goes with Duessa
(False-faith) to the palace of Pride. He leaves this palace
clandestinely, but being overtaken by Duessa is persuaded to drink of
an enchanted fountain, when he becomes paralysed, and is taken captive
by Orgoglio. Una informs Arthur of the sad event, and the prince goes
to the rescue. He slays Orgoglio, and the Red Cross Knight, being set
free, is taken by Una to the house of Holiness to be healed. On leaving
Holiness, both Una and the knight journey towards Eden. As they draw
near, the dragon porter flies at the knight, and St. George has to do
battle with it for three whole days before he succeeds in slaying it.
The dragon being slain, the two enter Eden, and the Red Cross Knight is
united to Una in marriage.
St. George and the Dragon.
According to the ballad given in Percy's Reliques, St.
George was the son of Lord Albert of Coventry. His mother died in
giving him birth, and the new-born babe was stolen away by the weird
lady of the woods, who brought him up to deeds of arms. His body had
three marks; a dragon on the breast, a garter round one of the legs,
and a blood-red cross on the arm. When he grew to manhood he first
fought against the Saracens, and then went to Sylene, a city of Libya,
where was a stagnant lake infested by a huge dragon, whose poisonous
breath “had many a city slain,” and whose hide “no spear nor sword
could pierce.” Every day a virgin was sacrificed to it, and at length
it came to the lot of Sabra, the king's daughter, to become its victim.
She was tied to the stake and left to be devoured, when St. George came
up, and vowed to take her cause in hand. On came the dragon, and St.
George, thrusting his lance into its mouth, killed it on the spot. The
king of Morocco and the king of Egypt, unwilling that Sabra should
marry a Christian, sent St. George to Persia, and directed the “sophy”
to kill him. He was accordingly thrust into a dungeon, but making good
his escape, carried off Sabra to England, where she became his wife,
and they lived happily at Coventry together till their death.
A very similar tale is told of Hesionê, daughter of Laomedon. (See Hesione, Sea Monsters.)
St. George he was for England, St. Denis was for France.
This refers to the war-cries of the two nations—that of England
was “St. George!” that of France, “Montjoye St. Denis!”
Our ancient word of courage, fair `St. George,'
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons.
Shakespeare: Richard III., v. 3.
When St. George goes on horseback St. Yves goes on foot.
In times of war lawyers have nothing to do. St. George is the
patron of soldiers, and St. Ives of lawyers.
St. George's Arm.
The Hellespont is so called by the Catholic Church in honour of St.
George, the patron saint of England. (Papebroch: Actes des Saints.)
St. George's Channel.
An arm of the Atlantic, separating Ireland from Great Britain; so
called in honour of St. George, referred to above.
St. George's Cross.
Red on a white field.
St. George's Day
(April 23rd). A day of deception and oppression. It was the day
when new leases and contracts used to be made.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on George from Infoplease:
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