Sixteen year old knighted for bravery
Cuthbert fights beside his king in the Crusades.
David Breen –
by GA Henty
written for ages 13-16 | highly recommended
published in 2010 (1891) | CreateSpace | 162 pages
But, little by little, the reader learns that while human honour, courage and military skill are all worthy virtues that support the knights’ code of chivalry, they should never be sought as absolutes. In King Richard, a man of extraordinary physical and human talent, we witness the sad results of the intemperate use of power. Like so many ‘great’ men, past and present, either because of an inadequate education, an overindulgence in the good life, or unchecked pride, we see that even though he was virtually untouchable on the combat field, he was unable to gain sufficient self-mastery off it to rule wisely either in war or in peace; and that the resultant excesses of his arrogance had unfortunate consequences for friend and foe alike.
“Had he been a lesser man,’’ laments one of his dutiful lieutenants, “we might have conquered Jerusalem.”
Cuthbert’s forgiving heart and generous spirit easily overlook his king’s flaws, and these make his extraordinary feats even more attractive.
David Breen is a primary school teacher working in New Zealand.