The menace., 1917-10-06
The BATTLE-BOR
BY GUY FITCH PHELPS
Author Of ''Ths Black Prophet" etc.
Synopsis of The Battle-Born

Synopsis Of The Battle-BOrn
The leading characters in this powerful
historical romance Of the Reformation Peril
cd are: Sir Percy Heatherly. the hero. known
- the White Knight. who though an erosns
upholder Of the papacy, in royal touring
ment defends Lady Klare Wentworth Mno
had been charged with heresy Sr rercy
triumphs and Lady Klare for the momens %
was thus yindicated. Cardinal Woisey' Mno
hspires to be the pope. Ii leader OF Lhs VIZ out
papal forces both In the crusade 70 stamp ocs ~
hercsy and also for the rigid maintensncss 49,. y.
the dogma that the pope is supreme ana .ss apUss
oil earthly kings.-a theory which has peeoId. ,Id
distasteful TO King Henry VIII, VINO - fsss ~
y approaching rupture with tne no night.
The Abbot of the Wood, the BLACK nn AZ asi
and Lord Fitzhush. ardently support Ave, Me-.
Wolsey's ruactionary position. Lota .,,,tar
hugh, though an ardent papist, ID s~AsG. 81
for the hand Of Lady Klars Wentworth; o.. o..
John Dudley is an intimate friend .n,i, 0L %
Percy Heatherly, and appears TO lean nnSn.y na.,
toward the Protsstants. Lady Rlars Went
worth is considered one Of the most psAS ,S.
ful, pure-hearted and gifted women Oh NIL ~
court OF Henry VIII, but according 70 .;s
say and others. she Ia at heart nsf s... ~
Lord Gotham. descendant Of the ms,, h,, .tili nj
that name. IL suspected Of heresy' pus 's"
enjoys the favor Of King Henry.
Lady Elizabeth Chester II another SouI.
beauty, q rival OF Lady Klare Of whom sne 70
intensely jealous. She In a fanateai I,s", noIS,
ist. conhdant Of Queen Mary and Oarulaasi nai
Wolssy and one Of the leaders In the peho-
ing proposed campaign to crush nersH ~
throughout England by the methods o. ,Lis IN
Spanish inquisltion. In furtheraneo OF TINS
dlabolical plan of Cardinal Wolsey ana queen
Mary, Father Solero has been imported from
Spain at the head Of band Of inqulsitors io'ar..
After a vivid description of royal tourna-
ment with which the story opens--a tourns-
ment In which the White knight defends
Lady Klare and unhorses ana defeats tne
Black knight, q Star Chamber council Is
held 10 consider the rapid spreah OF hsresy.
especially on the continent Of Europe, wnere
the Protestant Reformation is spreading In
some sections like wild Are. HsreT 10 also
spreading rapidly In England.
After the Star Chamber meeting Cardinal
Wolsey induces Sir Percy Heatherly to promis:
70 20 to Germany and compass the death pi
Martin Luther, insisting that In this way
But before the knight sets out for the con-
tinsnt Lady Klare has long interview with
him, during which she eloquently pleads the
cause of Protestantism. Unfortunately thert
are reasons to believe that the conversation
has been overheard by one Of the spies Of
Wolsey.
After certain meetings with Lady Chester
Sir Percys fanatlcal zeal for the holy father
and the Roman church Ii again famed 70
Luther, % and ~ receive I the the 81 blessings sin sc Of Rome.
He begins his journey In the evening
and well Into the night 10 passing through
q dense wood when his reflections are
disturbed By shrill cry as as Of % someone =
the same nelghborhood. seeing the lone horse
man rides toward Sir Percy. They meet ant
start, with Percy In the lead, to find II pos
sible the scene Of the trouble.
Discovered Half q dozen men are crap
pling with and endsavoring TO stife the or,
ff lla1 Int t0ht al tt
laying low the lawlsss bard and fnd that tn,
victim of the attempted assault Is the Rbbes
of nearby convent who explains that sht
had been detained until q late hour at tn,
home of a sick communicant and was attacked
while returning to the abbey. After conduct
Ing her thither the knights part with VOW
Of eternal and mutual brotherhood u
ever be at the service Of the other.
Sir Percy reaches the continent and near
Wittenberg without mlshap. here he over
takes youthful traveller, or pilgrim Of singu
lar beauty and attractiveness; apparently
student who Is also bound for Wittenberg
While the two are crossing q bridge the youni
pilgrims horse takes fright and crowds 81
the stream. The English knight Is serious
injured and Is borne BY the youthful ride
and some WittenberR students into one o
the latter's quarters where he is being nurse
back to health by his travelling companion
and the German students.
Percy has discovered that his friend, Blouni
who takes exceeding care Of him 10 an I'D
mirer Of Luther. Either because Blount ha
impressed him or through q desire 70 Us
Blount to hasten his plans REGARDING Luther
report.
In the interim between Blount's going an
coming Percy IL further Influenced in favo
Of Luther by his host At the present tim
he is engaged In conversation with Blount-
Describe the whole procedure
Blount; how did the affair open
What was his manner Of conducting
himself?"
1t was evident that Percv was be
coming much interested, and Bloun
kept pace with him by an augmentet
enthusiasm. "That was what i'm
pressed me so much, Sir Knight. Yol
know with what endless yammering
and genufections the priests burdel
their services; how they bow and ben,
this way and that, with the ringing o
bells and the chanting Of untranslate,
things which the people do not com
prehend, which locks all they do in
machine-like bondage. But it was no
so In Doctor Martinus' programme.
"He came before the people in
simple habit which still suggests hi
order, though none of the ritualisr
to which he was trained accompanie
it. Employing his own gift, whic
Is Of the first order, he sat down an
played with most melting touch an
lead In some hymn Of his own com
posing, in which the people joinet
Did you not hear It? It was like tn
echo of the thunder among high cliff
Never did / hear so grand a sount
And the faces Of the peoplel ther
was light over them which reminde
me Of daybreak on white mountains
When they had sung then came tn
a prayer which was as unfettered a
the rest. There was no reference t
prayer-book or to strings of bead'
but the great teacher stood up an
while the congregation bowed lik
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