The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-01
GOD WILLS IT.
A Tale of the First Crusade.
BY William Stearns Davis.

(The Macmillan Company

This story is dedicated by the au-
thor to Arthur Washburn, a young
Worcester man, whom the author calls
his lifelong friend. 1t is tale of the
First Crusade. 1t is novel OF 55O
pages, and is a work of no little ms
torical Importance aside from It's worth
as a work of fiction.
The author says that the First Cru
SADIE was the sacrifice of France for
the sins of the Dark Ages, and alone
of all the crusadeS it succeeded, de-
spite it's surrender of counties slives
The story begins before the days of
Peter the Hermit at the very birth of
the idea of the crusade. The prologue
gEes the death scene of Pope Gregory
VII, and the novel ends with the tri-
umph of the Crusaders and the sack
ing of Jerusalem.
The central figure in the story among
the nights and warriors is Richard
Longsword, young Norman cavalier,
settled in Sicily. He rescues Mary
Kurkuas from a band of pirates and
wins her love. 1t is a time of muir
der and bloodshed. The hero himself
is as blood thirsty as any of the char
acters To revenge his grandfather
whose eyes had been put out by cruel
neighbor, he captures the castle and
cruelty murders a defenseless youth
in the chapel where the women and
children have taken refuge. With this
crime on his conscience, after the heat
of passion and lust of battle had de-
parted, he takes the crusaders vow.
Before leaving for the East he mar
res Mary and she accompanies them
on the way Mary is captured by an
Egyptian rival, Iftikhar Eddanleh, who
takes her to his beautiful Syrian home
and attempts to win her love by treat
ing her with chiyalry and honor. She
is not re-captured by her husband I'M
til the fall of Jerusalem.
The book is full of dramatic Incl
dents and it appeals to the reader
throughout as human and probable
The characters of that day, of course,
are not handicapped by superstition
and Ignorance. They worship in man
kind strength more than intellect; in
woman little, but physical beauty.
In the story there are striking eX-
ceptions to this rule, just enough to
emphasize it. Perhaps the finest char
acter in the whole book is the Span
ish Mohammedon, Musa, who loves
Mary. but renounces her without say
ing a word and acts as the closest
friend and brother Of Richard through
out his life. At the end he dies by
Richards hand while meeting the
forces in defense of the Holy city;
He Is the equal of Richard physical
lv. and in mind and character his su-
perior. The author has made Richard
the hero of the story, but he has been
frank enough to tell US Richards real
character Brave generous, impulsive,
the hero of sword play tournaments
and many adventures. Richards great
est good fortune was to win the love
of Mary whom SO many men wanted.
The Egyptian, who was the villain
of the story differs from Richard in
that he is absolutely INSCRIPTIONS in
the methods by which he seeks his
ends, although personally he is more
refined more learned and hardly less
skilful with the sword. The one other
female character of the story is the
wife of this Egyptian. She loves him
from the first. She was a woman of
great physical beauty, of wonderful
mental qualities, courageous and I'M
scrupuIous. She acknowledged that her
hands are stained with murder, but
she learns to like Mary and they APP
preciate each other. Even to the end
this woman, Morgiana, cares Tor moth
ing else in the world but her nus
band.
We have taken some pains to speak
of the characters in this book s well
as the story A novel of the eleventh
century is not limited as to the amount
of blood shed and adventure. 1t deals
in excitement and must be a story OF
persOnal prOWeSS ana uL duNS HIul (
and of death. This book does more
than relate a series Of exciting ad-
ventures 1t builds UP characters of
mixed good and evil Not single one
of these characters in the book is all
good or all evil. There are men and
women in the book you learn to ike
and to admire; yet they differ as much
from some of the ideal characters we
have in similar stories as the children
In real life differ from the Sunday
School book children.
The title comes from the prologue,
where the great Pope Hildebrand
(Gregorv VII), while dying. calls on
his followers to VOW to go on the cru
SADIE when God Wills IT." Be this
YOUR battle cry, God Wills It!"-for
when God wills, how may man or arch
fend hinder" Among the historical
persons introduced are Godfrey of
Bouillon. Tancred (Tassa's hero), Pc
ter the Hermit Pope Urban IL, and
many others. The time of the story
proper lies between 1894 and 1929 A. D:
This authors first book, "A Friend of
Caesar was written while he was at
college, and has run through several
large editions.