t 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 the soul from the
body; howbeit, being shamefaced, he knew not how to gainsay the
brother, who took him by the hand, and led him through the press to the
west front of the minster, where on the north side was a little door in
a nook. So they went up a stair therein a good way till they came into
a gallery over the western door; and looking forth thence Ralph deemed
that he could have seen a long way had daylight been, for it was higher
than the tops of the highest houses.

So there they abode a space looking down on the square and its throng,
and the bells, which had been ringing when they came up, now ceased a
while. But presently there arose great shouts and clamour amongst the
folk below, and they could see men with torches drawing near to the
pile of wood, and then all of a sudden shot up from it a great spiring
flame, and all the people shouted t