title: The Western Perception of Islam between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: The Work of Nicholas of Cusa
author: Marica Costigliolo
description: Marica Costigliolo received her PhD in Political Thought from the University of Genoa, Italy. She is the author of several articles on the history of philosophy. Her research is focused on the perception of alterity in the course of history.
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  # THE SWORD OF ISLAM
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Rafael Sabatini
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  I
  
  
  II
  
  
  III
  
  
  IV
  
  
  V
  
  
  VI
  
  
  VII
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  ### I
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Ordinarily Dragut Reis — who was dubbed by the Faithful "The Drawn
  
  
  Sword of Islam" — loved Christians as the fox loves geese. But in that
  
  
  summer of 1550 his feelings acquired a far deeper malignancy; they
  
  
  developed into a direct and personal hatred that for intensity was
  
  
  second only to the hatred which the Christians bore Dragut.
  
  
    
  The allied Christian forces, under the direction of their emperor,
  
  
  had smoked him out of his stronghold of Mehedia; they had seized that
  
  
  splendid city, and were in the act of razing it to the ground as the
  
  
  neighbouring Carthage had been razed of old.
  
  
    
  Dragut reckoned up his losses with a gloomy, vengeful mind. He had
  
  
  lost his city; and from the eminence of a budding Basha in the act of
  
  
  founding a kingdom 