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Now there are said to be Seven Champions in Christendom ; and St. George is easily the greatest of them. The Christian Champions are : St. George for England (said to have been imprisoned seven years by the Almidor, the black King of Morocco) ; St. Denis for France (who lived for seven years in the form of a hart) ; St. James for Spain (who for seven years was dumb) ; St. Anthony for Italy (who enchanted in a Black Castle till released by the St. George's three sons) ; St. Andrew for Scotland ; St. Patrick for Ireland ; and St. David for Wales (he slept for seven years in an enchanted garden till gallantly rescued by St. George).
All these champions, of course, performed wonderful deeds to win their high renown, but it will be noticed that St. George is always accounted the mightiest champion, and was therefore the most famous. Of such marvellous doings were the romances of the Middle Ages made up ; and for some reason seven is always the mystic number in them.
By the sixth century St. George was fully established in popular favour, and the Crusades added to his great renown. He is said to have fought for Godfrey de Bouillon, in the First Crusade, at the Battle of Antioch, which city was captured and made the capital of a Christian principality ; and for Richard the Lion-Heart, of England, in the Third Crusade, nearly a hundred years later. at Acre, which was taken after a desperate siege of two years.
Many and exceeding marvellous were the miracles attributed to St. George ; and so popular did he become in olden times that many places besides England claimed him for their patron saint ; as Sicily, Aragon, and Malta. Many towns, too, elected to fight under his banner, as Genoa, Barcelona, and not a few others.
His connection with England begins with the first of these episodes, when he appeared at the head of the Christian army, carrying a red-cross banner. The broad red Latin-shaped cross on a white field is now known as the flag of St. George and was for centuries our national flag. It was embodied in the Union Jack, and is to-day the flag of an English admiral.
Since the siege of Antioch, St. George has been regarded as the champion of Christendom as well as of England. The reason for this choice is thus set forth by one historian : "At the famous siege of Antioch, when the city was like to be relieved by a mighty army of Saracens, St. George appeared with an innumerable army coming down from the hills all in white, with a red cross to his banner, to reinforce the Christians, which occasioned the Infidel army to fly, and the Christians to possess themselves of the city."
The name of this saint was used as a war-cry because he was of the military caste, and therefore fitted to become the patron of soldiers.
Shakespeare mentions our patron saint and the use of his name as a battle-cry. Thus in the play of Richard III he makes Richmond finish and address to his soldiers with these words :
"Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully,
God and Saint George ! Richmond and victory !"
So also, on the other side, King Richard, after receiving the news that Lord Stanley had deserted and gone over to the enemy, valiantly exclaims :
"Advance our standards, set upon our foes,
Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons !
Upon them !"
Richmond won the day, and became King Henry VII. In the tenth year of his reign the Irish were forbidden to use their favourite war-cry in their own language, "Aboo !" and strictly enjoined to use only words that were not "contrary to the king's laws, his crown and dignity and peace, but to call on St. George," or else the name of the King of England, for the time being.
Indeed, in olden times there was an instruction to English soldiers in the art of war, worded in this way : "Item that all souldiers entering into battaile, assault, skirmish, or other faction of armes, shall have for their common cry and word, 'St. George forward,' or 'Upon them, St. George' ; whereby the souldier is much comforted, and the enemie dismaied by calling to minde the ancient valor of England, which with that name has so often been victorious."
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Originally presented to the Society of Antiquaries in November 1883 and printed in Archæologia, volume xlix, this is part four of the second chapter of historian Frederick William Hackwood's comprehensive study of dragonlore.
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CH 2 - (Part 7/8) St.George and the Dragon (Part 7 of 8)by HackwoodHistory796 views
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