Rafael Sabatini 
Strolling Saint 

The Strolling Saint, a swashbuckler romance set in 16th-century Italy, was first published in 1913. The narrative revolves around Agostino d’ Anguissola, whose mother raised him as a devout Catholic and whose father is Lord of Mondolfo and Carmina. He is pledged to become a priest or monk by a misguided yet determined mother who one feels should have never married imposes this on him. Agostino is segregated and under strict surveillance, until he becomes 18 and is then taken to a nearby man of letters to continue his education rather than to Pavia or Bologna, where the universities are. But then what will he do? How will he get his birthright? Will he ever become a priest? What will he do with his father? This story charts the young man’s development from innocence to becoming the Ruler but How? How a young man is coerced into a career in the clergy makes this novel a strong theory of religious hypocrisy. To read about the life of Agostino, readers should go through this novel by Rafael Sabatini!