Ten Boys from History   By: Kate Dickinson Sweetser (-1939)

[Illustration: MIDSHIPMAN FARRAGUT ON THE "ESSEX"]

TEN BOYS FROM HISTORY

By

KATE DICKINSON SWEETSER

AUTHOR OF

"TEN BOYS FROM DICKENS" "TEN GREAT ADVENTURERS" "BOOK OF INDIAN BRAVES" ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY

GEORGE ALFRED WILLIAMS

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON

BOOKS BY

KATE DICKINSON SWEETSER

TEN AMERICAN GIRLS FROM HISTORY. Illustrated. BOOK OF INDIAN BRAVES. Illustrated. BOYS AND GIRLS FROM ELIOT. Illustrated. BOYS AND GIRLS FROM THACKERAY. Illustrated. TEN BOYS FROM DICKENS. Illustrated. TEN BOYS FROM HISTORY. Illustrated. TEN GIRLS FROM DICKENS. Illustrated. TEN GIRLS FROM HISTORY. Illustrated. TEN GREAT ADVENTURERS. Illustrated.

HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK

[ESTABLISHED 1817]

TEN BOYS FROM HISTORY

Copyright, 1910, by HARPER & BROTHERS Printed in the United States of America

PREFACE

In this small volume the boys of many lands and races whose stories are told, have been selected not because they later became famous men, although some of them did, but because each one achieved something noteworthy as a boy. And in each boy's character, whether historic or legendary, courage was the marked trait. For this reason it is hoped that their stories will prove stimulating to some who read them.

K. D. S.

CONTENTS

PAGE

STEPHEN AND NICHOLAS: BOY CRUSADERS 11

PETER OF HAARLEM: THE BOY WHO SAVED HIS COUNTRY 45

DAVID: THE SHEPHERD BOY 55

LOUIS SEVENTEENTH: THE BOY KING WHO NEVER REIGNED 91

EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE: THE BOY WARRIOR 131

TYRANT TAD: THE BOY IN THE WHITE HOUSE 145

S. F. B. MORSE: WHO INVENTED THE TELEGRAPH 169

DAVID FARRAGUT: THE BOY MIDSHIPMAN 179

MOZART: THE BOY MUSICIAN 197

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

MIDSHIPMAN FARRAGUT ON THE "ESSEX" Frontispiece

DAVID AND GOLIATH Facing p. 70

THE BLACK PRINCE AT CRÉCY " 136

TYRANT TAD AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN " 154

DAVID FARRAGUT " 186

TEN BOYS FROM HISTORY

STEPHEN AND NICHOLAS:

Boy Crusaders

"To the sea of fools Led the path of the children."

Old Epigram.

Just a word about the Crusades, or Holy Wars, before we begin our story.

A war is generally a conflict between nations, countries, or individuals, for possession of land or a throne, but the Holy Wars were not such. They were expeditions made by those Christians who were determined to rescue the Sepulchre, or tomb, of Christ and the City of Jerusalem, from the rule of unbelievers.

For eighty eight years Christian kings ruled in Palestine, then all the land was conquered by the Mohammedans, except a few cities, and the Christians sent out another, and still another, and another expedition to subdue the enemy, but all were useless. The Holy City and the Holy Sepulchre were still in the hands of infidels, who persecuted the pilgrims who visited the Holy Tomb; and the Christians sent a heart rending cry to all Europe for help, but Europe was slow to answer the appeal, and it was several years after Pope Innocent ordered a new Crusade, before an army departed for the scene of conflict.

It was during this interval that the Children's Crusade or Holy War, took place of which we are about to read.