The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-15

and changing shields. of knightiy deeds and lances splintered for the love of la- dies. In his mental and moral make up Scott was himself so thoroughly the of chivalry that Tvanhoe" was only ,an outgiving of his inner self
 It VIII always remain the best known and the greatest of his works. Time only increases the 4ustre of the tale. The gleam of the golden spurs of the knights who fought at Ashby and in the lists of Templestowe is brighter for the lapse of nearly a century since the Wizard of the Norths' flashed them be- fore the world.
 One great charm of 'Ivanhoe" is the way in which 1t takes the reader out Of the prosaic century in which he lives and so thoroughly transports him into the days of chivalry that the daily ural to him as the diurnal happenings of his own time. Another peculiar thing about the story is it's power of appealing to all ages. The boy reads 1t and his heart is filled with high as- pirations and lofty desires; the man of 40 reads it and his soul puts on fresh armor for the battle with the world the old man reads it and his dim spir- its wake again upon the verge of
 This novel alone would have placed Scott among the immortals had he written nothing else.
 The feast was high in the halls of Rotherwood. Cedric the Saxon was en- tertaining with the rude and bountiful hospitality of his race two travellers who had sought shelter for the night from an approaching storm. They were Prior Aymer of Jorvaux and the haugh- ty TempIar Brian de Bois-G -Guilbert, lately returned from the Crusades. At the side of Cedric sat his ward, Row. ena, the descendant of long line of Saxon princes.
 On her union with Athelstane of Con- ingsburgh, the last of the direct de- scendants of Alfred. the lord of Roth erwood had set his heart as move in the game by which he sought to draw the Saxons to a head against their op- pressors, the Normans.
 Because Cedric's son, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, had dared to love Rowena the stern father had banished him from his presence, and that valiant youth had gone with King Richard to Palestine. Rowena, who hungered for news from the Holy Land, encouraged the Templar to talk of the deeds of prowess per- formed by the champions of Chrfsten- dom. But when he boasted exclu- sively of the valor of the Knights of the Temple of St. John she asked haughtily:
 "Were there nonea in the. English army whose names are worthy to be mentioned with those of the two or ders?"
 'Those warriors. lady" replied the Templar, "were second only in valor to those whose breasts have been the un- ceasing bulwark of that blessed land"
 "second to none" exclaimed stran- ger in the garb ofsa palmer, who had, like the more distinguished guests, sought shelter from the storm. T say
 e Y of his knights overthrow in the lists of St. John de Acre eighteen knights, seven of whom were knights of the Temple" Rapidly the palmer, whose face was kept constantly and effective ly concealed by his great pilgrims hood, named the English knights until he came to the sixth, when he hesitated and said: T forget the sixth knight"
 'No! exclaimed Bois-Guilbert, you forget not. But myself will announce the name. It was Wilfred of Ivanhoe before whom fortune and my horses fault caused me to go down. But were Ivanhoe in England and dared he to renew the challenge. would give him every advantage and abide the result"
 'T pledge me by this reliquary," said the palmer, throwing an ivory box on the table, that Ivanhoe will meet thee when he comes again to England"
 "If he underlie not thy challenge" retorted the Templar, T will proclaim him coward in every temple court in Europe"
 Tt will not needy' cried Rowena. If my word could add security to the pledge of this holy man I would peril fame and fortune that Ivanhoe gives the proud knight the meeting he de- serves"
 Among those who had claimed the shelter of Rotherwood that night was nf Au Templar left the hall at he breaking up of the feast, the palmer heard him say words in Arabic to two of his Eastern attendants which boded i'll for Isaac's money, if not his life. There fore with the first light of morning the palmer, who was none other than Ivanhoe himself, sought the cell of the Jew and warned him of his peril. Then he visited the sleeping place of faithful swineherd named Curtin to whom he revealed himself; and with Isaac as travelling companion he set out for the town of Ashby de Ia Zouche before the other inhabitants of Rotherwood had slept off their pre- vious nights potations.
 To Ashby were vending their way many other travellers; for a great tour nameht, presided over by Prince John the Regent in person. was about to be held there. The day came. The lists were erected in a meadow. On either hand the land sloped down to the level bottom, affording a vantage point from which the populace could view the 1ousts For the nobles galleries were erected, and between the galleries and the palings were spaces reserved for the yeomanry and gentry. The pa- Vilions of the five hallengers, all Nor man knights of renown. were pitched opposite the southern entrance of the lists, while the tents of those who were to encounter them were placed opposite the northern entrance.
 In one of the galleries sat Cedric, with the beautiful Rowena on one side and on the other Athelstane, huge of bulk and languid of disposition, whom to excite to a forceful assertion of his claims to the throne of Alfred
 As Prince John rode around the lists before taking his seat on the throne prepared for him, he caught sight of Isaac of York, with his daughter Re- becca on his arm. Up among those Saxon swine!" cried the Prince. point ing to where Cedric sat. Isaac. afraid to disobey, began his ascent, and the matter might have had serious result had not Wamba, jester to Cedric, met the Jew with a shield improvised from a cold ham which he had brought along by way of luncheon.
 The crowd laughed as the Jew re- coiled5 and Prince Johns advisers per suaded him to let the matter go as a joke rather than try further to carry out his dangerous design of insulting Cedric.
 As Isaac and his daughter found a