tronger Crusaders had failed to carry out
their divine purpose by reason of the ravages of war and disease, God
had revealed his plan to give the possession of Palestine to those
children who should enlist in his holy cause.

"For the last time have we heard of defeat," cried Stephen. "Hereafter
shall children show mailed warriors and proud barons how invulnerable
are youths when God leads them!"

This cry stirred the youths of Cloyes profoundly, and they all rushed
to enlist under the banner of Stephen and the Holy Cross, but the
number was not large enough to satisfy Stephen's ambition. He was
determined now to rouse all France and in consequence of that desire,
he decided to leave his home and go to a town five miles north of
Paris--St. Denys, the great shrine of the land, where lie the bones of
the martyr Dionysius, the object of countless pilgrimages, where to
ever-changing crowds, he could preach his Crusade, and gain recruits
for his army.

And so to St. Denys, Stephen of Cloyes went, in May of 1212. Dressed in
his shepherd's clothes, for he had no others, with his crook in his
hand and a little wallet by his side, he left quiet Cloyes for ever.
With a heart throbbing with hope and excitement, he journeyed on,
feeling neither fatigue nor fear, and as he went he preached his
mission in towns and cities by the way, and ever the interest deepened
in this lad who spoke with such burning eloquence, proclaiming himself
God's chosen instrument to rescue the Holy Sepulchre, and everywhere he
gained recruits. But even in Paris and Chartres, he did not linger
long, being eager to reach St. Denys. At last he arrived there, and
standing at the door of the historic church which contained the
martyr's tomb, proclaimed his new Crusade to astonished crowds whom he
fascinated by his unusual eloquence as he told the old story of the
sufferings of the Christians in the Holy Land, telling it so simply and
so vividly that his audiences were profoundly stirred, especially by
Stephen's last and best appeal. He pointed to the Sepulchre of St.
Denys, to which worshippers were thronging, and contrasted its
condition with that of the Sepulchre of the Saviour, asking if his
hearers would not help him make the Saviour's tomb as honoured and as
free from disturbing influences as was that of the saint. He then read
his letter to the king and asked if God's commands were to be
disregarded, telling of his interview with Christ, and adding tha