dusky Lake, behold a Knight, armed cap-a-pie,
upon a milk-white Horse, came riding by
the thirteen Maidens, who were just then
singing a dismal Song bewailing their
Virginity. They were surprised to see a man so
equipped; for indeed they had never seen the
Like, and they were amazed no less that he
should expose himself to a danger, which they
did believe inevitable. The Knight's Surprise
was even greater to meet so extraordinary a
company in such a Place.

"Beautiful Angels," (says he, accosting
them), "what find you in this unsavoury
Nook of Earth, to make you prefer
it to your Glorious Abode ? Deign, I
do conjure you, Honor me with a word in
Answer."

"Thrice Noble Knight," quoth the King's
Daughter, "we are Maidens of Silene." And
so the Maidens told their whole story to the
courteous Gentleman, who forsooth must
tell them his—Imprimis, that his Name
was George, that he was the son of the
Celebrated Captain Afrino Barzanes, one
of the great Lords of Cappadocia. He added,
that his Name of George was a Christian
name; for that he had listed himself in a
company of Christians. Now this Princess
had never heard of Christians; but, as
George was a very holy Man, and
endowed with miraculous Virtues, he did
convert her in a very little time, there and
then; but all of a sudden the Water was
seen to swell like a Mountain over the
deepest part, which was the Monster's
Habitation, and at the same time the horrid
Beast put out its whole Head, casting about
most fiery Looks, and vomiting whole
Clouds of Smoke. For Brevity's sake, I will
here omit what took place between the bold
St. George and the Beauteous Cleodolinda;
for the Monster, having laid Eyes upon the
Tribute sent him by the People of Silene,
proceeds lazily to creep his slimy length to
Shore. The Knight drew back some five
hundred Paces from the Lake, placed the
Maidens nigh him, bidding them be of Good
Cheer, and anon mounts me his Horse.
Now as soon as ever that Ruffianly Dragon
saw him, he Falls me a roaring more
furiously than Ever. Ah! but St. George to
astonish him took from his Pocket a little
Box, all done with lace of Hungary, made by
St. Epiphania's own Hands, the Mother of
the Three Kings; which Box contained his
Relicks. He first drew me out Adam his
usual string of Beads, the Cross whereof,
made of Unicorn's horn, and the Beads of
the teeth of that Fish that Swallowed up
Jonah. You should have seen the Dragon
shake  his Ears—And how he did sweat
and Froth at the Mouth! Indeed we are
told, some of the Foam did fall upon
Cleodolinda her goodly Vestment, but St.
George wiped it off so cleverly, with the tail
of his Horse, that he left never a mark.
This Scurvy Monster even gave back two
Steps, but resuming Courage advanced again,
bounded three times up into the air like a
lightsome Goat, and was just ready to throw
himself on the Saint, whom he would have
utterly demolished, if he had not betaken
himself to his Abracadabras. But instead,
There lies your Dragon, quite overcome by
the Holy Talisman—Nay! he succumbs now,
he creeps me, he shows by a thousand
Postures of a Fawning Dog, that he yields
entirely to his Conqueror.

O! the Joy of the Virgins, and all the
demonstrations they made of it ravisht the
Holy Knight. He, well assured that for the
Future the Dragon would be as tame as a
Lamb, alighted from his War-Steed, and came
near to him, and for fear some venomous
Vapors should still exhale, he takes me out
his little vial of Holy Water, and rubbed
several parts of him with it, especially his
Tongue and his Tayle. Then, he beckoned
Cleodolinda and her Companions to draw
near, and view in safety the vanquished
Monster. * * * * They made one another a
thousand compliments; but Night drawing
on, and St. George being resolved to make
the King's Daughter enter that very Day in
Triumph into Silene, begged of her to lend
him her Garter; turning reverently away,
like a Godly Gentleman as he was, the
while she did it. He then tyed one End of it
to one of the Haires in the Dragon's Nostrils
and then presented the other End, with a
courtly bow to the Princess, at the same
time clapping in her other hand the Tayle of
one of Sampson's Foxes to chastise the
Monster withal, if that he should chance to be
mutinous.

* * * * *

It would be too tedious to represent the
Terror, Admiration, and Joy successively
felt by the People of Silene. At length
being a little recovered, they all began to
think of paying to the Deliverer the Honours
due to him; and, indeed, the Lord only
knows what the good People of Silene had
done in that Humour, but that the Saintly
Gentleman's Modesty opposed everything
that looked like Vanity. Nay, he would not,
at first, so much as marry the Charming
Cleodolinda, alleging for his Reason his
Regard of Single Life; but being over-
persuaded, he did marry her, and they had as
many Lovely Children as there be months in
the year.

Meanwhile the Devil, who is always a
minding of his business (in which only
article, be it said, he doth unwittingly show a
Notable example to Mankind, who he ever
found preferring the minding of any body
Elses) began to put new Spirits into the
Dragon, who all this while, it seems, had
been kept away among many other rare
Creatures in the King's Menagerie. St.
George, being advertised of this, now resolved
to despatch him entirely. He then gave
orders he should be carry'd into the Forest,