Then Ralph knew that this was a play of the fight of
St. George with the worm; so he sat silent till the champion
had smitten off the worm's head and had come to the maiden
and kissed and embraced her, and shown her the grisly head.
Then presently came many folk on to the scaffold, to wit,
the king and queen who were the father and mother of the maiden,
and a bishop clad in very fair vestments, and knights withal;
and they stood about St. George and the maiden, and with them
were minstrels who fell to playing upon harps and fiddles;
while other some fell to singing a sweet song in honour
of St. George, and the maiden delivered.

So when it was all done, the monk said: "This play is set forth
by the men-at-arms of our lord Abbot, who have great devotion
toward St. George, and he is their friend and their good lord.
But hereafter will be other plays, of wild men and their
feasting in the woods in the Golden Age of the world;
and that is done by the scribes and the limners. And after
that will be a pageant of St. Agnes ordered by the clothiers
and the webbers, which be both many and deft in this good town.
Albeit thou art a young man and hast ridden far to-day belike,
and mayhappen thou wilt not be able to endure it:
so it may be well to bring thee out of this throng straightway.
Moreover I have bethought me, that there is much of what is
presently to come which we shall see better from the minster roof,
or even it may be from the tower: wilt thou come then?"

Ralph had liefer have sat there and seen all the plays to the end,
for they seemed to him exceeding fair, and like to ravish