The Project Gutenberg EBook of Earl Hubert's Daughter, by Emily Sarah Holt

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Title: Earl Hubert's Daughter
The Polishing of the Pearl - A Tale of the 13th Century

Author: Emily Sarah Holt

Release Date: December 31, 2007 [EBook #24085]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EARL HUBERT'S DAUGHTER ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Earl Hubert's Daughter, by Emily Sarah Holt.

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This is one of Emily Holt's admirable and deeply researched historical
novels, this time set in the early years of the thirteenth century. The
main players in the story appear at first sight to be the upper-class
ladies of the Court, and their various somewhat confusing relationships.

But early in the book an old Jewish pedlar comes and displays rich wares
of a surprising value and variety. One of the girls asks if he can get
some special embroidery done on a scarf she wants to give as a present.
Abraham sends in his young daughter Belasez and conditions are agreed
such that she will not be called upon to do or eat anything she should
not, and all this seems to work very well. But the story involving
Belasez, her mother Licorice, and her brother Delecresse, gets more and
more involved and interesting. Belasez realises that there has been
something in the past that she wants to unearth, and gradually the whole
strange story is revealed.

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EARL HUBERT'S DAUGHTER, BY EMILY SARAH HOLT.

PREFACE.

The thirteenth century was one of rapid and terrible incidents,
tumultuous politics, and in religious matters of low and degrading
superstition. Transubstantiation had just been formally adopted as a
dogma of the Church, accompanied as it always is by sacramental
confession, and quickly followed by the elevation of the host and the
invention of the pix. Various Orders of monks were flocking into
England. The Pope was doing his best, aided by the Roman clergy, and to
their shame be it said, by some of the English, to fix his iron yoke on
the neck of the Chur