St. George’s Day: ‘Cry God for Harry! England! And St. George!’

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!…

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,
Cry 'God for Harry! England! and Saint George!'” —Henry V, by William Shakespeare

April 23 is the feast of St. George. Ever since his martyrdom around the year 304 A.D. in the Holy Land, George has been a popular saint—so popular, that for some centuries his feast was said to be as big a celebration in some areas as Christmas. His loyalty both to secular and religious duties, his courage, and the power God gave him to work miracles all made St. George one of the most beloved models of holiness for Christians around the world.

George was born in the 200s, and originated from a pious family in Cappadocia. As a brave and talented soldier, George rose through the ranks of the Roman army while the Roman Empire under Diocletian was putting down the threats of barbarian tribes. But with the barbarian threat at last put down (at least temporarily), Diocletian began to seek to strengthen the internal workings of the Roman Empire, which by this time included large parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Diocletian believed that loyalty to the state religion, Roman paganism, would make his empire more unified and cohesive. So when he summoned his aides to meet in Caesarea, he demanded that they all participate in sacrifice to pagan gods. It is said that all the aides had to do was burn a pinch of incense to an idol.

Unlike so many Christians of today, who talk of abortion, sexual perversion, Christ’s divinity, etc. as if they were subjects that admit of compromise with evil, St. George would not compromise. He knew that he would stand not only before the throne of the powerful emperor Diocletian, but, after death, before the judgement seat of the Divine Judge of the world. God will not ask us what other people did, or what pressures were put on us, but whether we stood for the truth when it was required of us, just as Jesus did, and was killed for it and for our sins. “The truth is the truth even if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it,” said Fulton Sheen. So St. George told Diocletian he would not worship a pagan god, and explained the doctrine of Christ to the emperor. George was then tortured by having a large stone placed on his chest. When brought before Diocletian again, George held steadfast to his Christianity, and heard God’s voice say from Heaven, “Do not fear, George, I am with you.” So George went bravely to his death, as he had always acted bravely in life.

The most famous story about St. George is of him slaying a dragon that was destroying a town’s crops and to which the townspeople felt forced to offer young women. Moderns, with the strange anti-faith that seems to believe every miracle or heroic tale must by necessity be false, often claim it is mere legend. Others, with more faith, say that the dragon might have been a manifestation of the Devil with whom George did spiritual battle or a large salt water crocodile George killed. Certainly with his refusal to worship false gods and his death, St. George conquered the devil, depicted as a dragon in the Biblical vision of the Apocalypse (12:9), “And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduces the whole world.”

St. George has for centuries been considered a particular patron saint of England. Unfortunately, now, England has largely turned its back on Christianity, and certainly on Catholicism (St. George was of course a Catholic saint). For instance, this year, Oxford’s Magdalen College has canceled its traditional St. George’s Day dinner in favor of celebrating the end of Ramadan instead (apparently it can’t celebrate both?). Just as in St. George’s Day the world was largely pagan and hostile to Christianity, in our modern day we are becoming ever more a pagan, anti-Christian world. And like St. George, we must be willing not only to perform extraordinary acts of charity and courage, fighting evil to the best of our ability, but we must be willing even to die for the truth. A figure from a Shakespearean play illustrates the desire to live up to this Christian model.

The great William Shakespeare wrote St. George’s patronage of the English into his masterpiece Henry V. Since today is both Shakespeare’s birthday and St. George’s Day, it seems particularly fitting to look at this play. In the scene, Henry is encouraging his fearful, scattering men to turn and take the French town of Harfleur by siege. In a speech which contrasts peace and war, inspires to heroic courage, and particularly praises the ordinary soldier as well as the noble, King Henry ends with a rallying cry, “God for Harry! England! and Saint George!” And so the English soldiers dedicate their charge to their king (Harry), their country, and their patron saint, and take the town by storm.

“[Henry V:] Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage:
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let it pry through the portage of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument.
Dishonour not your mothers: now attest,
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture: let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,
Cry 'God for Harry! England! and Saint George!'”

Have a blessed St. George’s Day!