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diff --git a/2553-h/2553-h.htm b/2553-h/2553-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2dfe155 --- /dev/null +++ b/2553-h/2553-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,10660 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Jeanne D'Arc, Her Life and Death, by Mrs. Oliphant + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeanne d'Arc, by Mrs.(Margaret) Oliphant + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Jeanne d'Arc + Her Life And Death + +Author: Mrs.(Margaret) Oliphant + +Release Date: March 28, 2006 [EBook #2553] +Last Updated: February 4, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JEANNE D'ARC *** + + + + +Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h1> + JEANNE D'ARC, HER LIFE AND DEATH + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + by Mrs. Oliphant + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h4> + Author of "Makers of Florence," "Makers of Venice," etc. + </h4> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> JEANNE D'ARC </a><br /> <br /> <br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I </a> FRANCE IN THE FIFTEENTH + CENTURY. 1412-1423. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II </a> + DOMREMY AND VAUCOULEURS. 1424-1429. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> + CHAPTER III </a> BEFORE THE KING. FEB.-APRIL, 1429. <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV </a> THE RELIEF OF + ORLEANS. MAY 1-8, 1429. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V + </a> THE CAMPAIGN OF THE LOIRE. JUNE, JULY, 1429. <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI </a> THE CORONATION. + JULY 17, 1429. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII </a> + THE SECOND PERIOD. 1429-1430. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008"> + CHAPTER VIII </a> DEFEAT AND DISCOURAGEMENT. AUTUMN, 1429. + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX </a> + COMPIÈGNE. 1430. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X </a> + THE CAPTIVE. MAY, 1430-JAN., 1431. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> + CHAPTER XI </a> THE JUDGES. 1431. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII </a> BEFORE THE TRIAL. + LENT, 1431. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII </a> + THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION. FEBRUARY, 1431. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV </a> THE EXAMINATION IN + PRISON. LENT, 1431. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV </a> + RE-EXAMINATION. MARCH-MAY, 1431. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0016"> + CHAPTER XVI </a> THE ABJURATION. MAY 24, 1431. <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVIII </a> THE SACRIFICE. MAY + 31, 1431. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII </a> + AFTER. + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h3> + TO COUSIN ANNIE (MRS. HARRY COGHILL) + </h3> + <h4> + THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED IN LOVE OF OUR COMMON HEROINE <br /> AND IN + REMEMBRANCE OF LONG AND FAITHFUL <br /> AFFECTION AND FRIENDSHIP + </h4> + <p> + <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + PREPARER'S NOTE + + The original book for this text was published as a volume in a + series "Heroes of the Nations," edited by Evelyn Abbot, M.H., + Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and published by G.P. Putnam's + Sons <i>The Knickerbocker Press</i> in 1896. The title material + includes the note: + + FACTA DUCIS VIVENT, OPEROSAQUE + GLORIA RERUM—OVID, IN LIVIAM, 265. + THE HERO'S DEEDS AND HARD-WON + FAME SHALL LIVE. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + JEANNE D'ARC + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I — FRANCE IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 1412-1423. + </h2> + <p> + It is no small effort for the mind, even of the most well-informed, how + much more of those whose exact knowledge is not great (which is the case + with most readers, and alas! with most writers also), to transport itself + out of this nineteenth century which we know so thoroughly, and which has + trained us in all our present habits and modes of thought, into the + fifteenth, four hundred years back in time, and worlds apart in every + custom and action of life. What is there indeed the same in the two ages? + Nothing but the man and the woman, the living agents in spheres so + different; nothing but love and grief, the affections and the sufferings + by which humanity is ruled and of which it is capable. Everything else is + changed: the customs of life, and its methods, and even its motives, the + ruling principles of its continuance. Peace and mutual consideration, the + policy which even in its selfish developments is so far good that it + enables men to live together, making existence possible,—scarcely + existed in those days. The highest ideal was that of war, war no doubt + sometimes for good ends, to redress wrongs, to avenge injuries, to make + crooked things straight—but yet always war, implying a state of + affairs in which the last thing that men thought of was the golden rule, + and the highest attainment to be looked for was the position of a + protector, doer of justice, deliverer of the oppressed. Our aim now that + no one should be oppressed, that every man should have justice as by the + order of nature, was a thing unthought of. What individual help did feebly + for the sufferer then, the laws do for us now, without fear or favour: + which is a much greater thing to say than that the organisation of modern + life, the mechanical helps, the comforts, the easements of the modern + world, had no existence in those days. We are often told that the poorest + peasant in our own time has aids to existence that had not been dreamt of + for princes in the Middle Ages. Thirty years ago the world was mostly of + opinion that the balance was entirely on our side, and that in everything + we were so much better off than our fathers, that comparison was + impossible. Since then there have been many revolutions of opinion, and we + think it is now the general conclusion of wise men, that one period has + little to boast itself of against another, that one form of civilisation + replaces another without improving upon it, at least to the extent which + appears on the surface. But yet the general prevalence of peace, + interrupted only by occasional wars, even when we recognise a certain + large and terrible utility in war itself, must always make a difference + incalculable between the condition of the nations now, and then. + </p> + <p> + It is difficult, indeed, to imagine any concatenation of affairs which + could reduce a country now to the condition in which France was in the + beginning of the fifteenth century. A strong and splendid kingdom, to + which in early ages one great man had given the force and supremacy of a + united nation, had fallen into a disintegration which seems almost + incredible when regarded in the light of that warm flame of nationality + which now illumines, almost above all others, the French nation. But + Frenchmen were not Frenchmen, they were Burgundians, Armagnacs, Bretons, + Provençaux five hundred years ago. The interests of one part of the + kingdom were not those of the other. Unity had no existence. Princes of + the same family were more furious enemies to each other, at the head of + their respective fiefs and provinces, than the traditional foes of their + race; and instead of meeting an invader with a united force of patriotic + resistance, one or more of these subordinate rulers was sure to side with + the invader and to execute greater atrocities against his own flesh and + blood than anything the alien could do. + </p> + <p> + When Charles VII. of France began, nominally, his reign, his uncles and + cousins, his nearest kinsmen, were as determinedly his opponents, as was + Henry V. of England, whose frank object was to take the crown from his + head. The country was torn in pieces with different causes and cries. The + English were but little farther off from the Parisian than was the + Burgundian, and the English king was only a trifle less French than were + the members of the royal family of France. These circumstances are little + taken into consideration in face of the general history, in which a + careless reader sees nothing but the two nations pitted against each other + as they might be now, the French united in one strong and distinct + nationality, the three kingdoms of Great Britain all welded into one. In + the beginning of the fifteenth century the Scots fought on the French + side, against their intimate enemy of England, and if there had been any + unity in Ireland, the Irish would have done the same. The advantages and + disadvantages of subdivision were in full play. The Scots fought furiously + against the English—and when the latter won, as was usually the + case, the Scots contingent, whatever bounty might be shown to the French, + was always exterminated. On the other side the Burgundians, the Armagnacs, + and Royalists met each other almost more fiercely than the latter + encountered the English. Each country was convulsed by struggles of its + own, and fiercely sought its kindred foes in the ranks of its more honest + and natural enemy. + </p> + <p> + When we add to these strange circumstances the facts that the French King, + Charles VI., was mad, and incapable of any real share either in the + internal government of his country or in resistance to its invader: that + his only son, the Dauphin, was no more than a foolish boy, led by + incompetent councillors, and even of doubtful legitimacy, regarded with + hesitation and uncertainty by many, everybody being willing to believe the + worst of his mother, especially after the treaty of Troyes in which she + virtually gave him up: that the King's brothers or cousins at the head of + their respective fiefs were all seeking their own advantage, and that some + of them, especially the Duke of Burgundy, had cruel wrongs to avenge: it + will be more easily understood that France had reached a period of + depression and apparent despair which no principle of national elasticity + or new spring of national impulse was present to amend. The extraordinary + aspect of whole districts in so strong and populous a country, which + disowned the native monarch, and of towns and castles innumerable which + were held by the native nobility in the name of a foreign king, could + scarcely have been possible under other circumstances. Everything was out + of joint. It is said to be characteristic of the nation that it is unable + to play publicly (as we say) a losing game; but it is equally + characteristic of the race to forget its humiliations as if they had never + been, and to come out intact when the fortune of war changes, more French + than ever, almost unabashed and wholly uninjured, by the catastrophe which + had seemed fatal. + </p> + <p> + If we had any right to theorise on such a subject—which is a thing + the French themselves above all other men love to do,—we should be + disposed to say, that wars and revolutions, legislation and politics, are + things which go on over the head of France, so to speak—boilings on + the surface, with which the great personality of the nation if such a word + may be used, has little to do, and cares but little for; while she + herself, the great race, neither giddy nor fickle, but unusually + obstinate, tenacious, and sober, narrow even in the unwavering pursuit of + a certain kind of well-being congenial to her—goes steadily on, less + susceptible to temporary humiliation than many peoples much less excitable + on the surface, and always coming back into sight when the commotion is + over, acquisitive, money-making, profit-loving, uninjured in any essential + particular by the most terrific of convulsions. This of course is to be + said more or less of every country, the strain of common life being + always, thank God, too strong for every temporary commotion—but it + is true in a special way of France:—witness the extraordinary manner + in which in our own time, and under our own eyes, that wonderful country + righted herself after the tremendous misfortunes of the Franco-German war, + in which for a moment not only her prestige, her honour, but her money and + credit seemed to be lost. + </p> + <p> + It seems rather a paradox to point attention to the extraordinary tenacity + of this basis of French character, the steady prudence and solidity which + in the end always triumph over the light heart and light head, the + excitability and often rash and dangerous <i>élan</i>, which are popularly + supposed to be the chief distinguishing features of France—at the + very moment of beginning such a fairy tale, such a wonderful embodiment of + the visionary and ideal, as is the story of Jeanne d'Arc. To call it a + fairy tale is, however, disrespectful: it is an angelic revelation, a + vision made into flesh and blood, the dream of a woman's fancy, more + ethereal, more impossible than that of any man—even a poet:—for + the man, even in his most uncontrolled imaginations, carries with him a + certain practical limitation of what can be—whereas the woman at her + highest is absolute, and disregards all bounds of possibility. The Maid of + Orleans, the Virgin of France, is the sole being of her kind who has ever + attained full expression in this world. She can neither be classified, as + her countrymen love to classify, nor traced to any system of evolution as + we all attempt to do nowadays. She is the impossible verified and + attained. She is the thing in every race, in every form of humanity, which + the dreaming girl, the visionary maid, held in at every turn by + innumerable restrictions, her feet bound, her actions restrained, not only + by outward force, but by the law of her nature, more effectual still,—has + desired to be. That voiceless poet, to whom what can be is nothing, but + only what should be if miracle could be attained to fulfil her trance and + rapture of desire—is held by no conditions, modified by no + circumstances; and miracle is all around her, the most credible, the most + real of powers, the very air she breathers. Jeanne of France is the very + flower of this passion of the imagination. She is altogether impossible + from beginning to end of her, inexplicable, alone, with neither rival nor + even second in the one sole ineffable path: yet all true as one of the + oaks in her wood, as one of the flowers in her garden, simple, actual, + made of the flesh and blood which are common to us all. + </p> + <p> + And she is all the more real because it is France, impure, the country of + light loves and immodest passions, where all that is sensual comes to the + surface, and the courtesan is the queen of ignoble fancy, that has brought + forth this most perfect embodiment of purity among the nations. This is of + itself one of those miracles which captivate the mind and charm the + imagination, the living paradox in which the soul delights. How did she + come out of that stolid peasant race, out of that distracted and ignoble + age, out of riot and license and the fierce thirst for gain, and failure + of every noble faculty? Who can tell? By the grace of God, by the + inspiration of heaven, the only origins in which the student of nature, + which is over nature, can put any trust. No evolution, no system of + development, can explain Jeanne. There is but one of her and no more in + all the astonished world. + </p> + <p> + With the permission of the reader I will retain her natural and beautiful + name. To translate it into Joan seems quite unnecessary. Though she is the + finest emblem to the world in general of that noble, fearless, and + spotless Virginity which is one of the finest inspirations of the mediæval + mind, yet she is inherently French, though France scarcely was in her + time: and national, though as yet there were rather the elements of a + nation than any indivisible People in that great country. Was not she + herself one of the strongest and purest threads of gold to draw that + broken race together and bind it irrevocably, beneficially, into one? + </p> + <p> + It is curious that it should have been from the farthest edge of French + territory that this national deliverer came. It is a commonplace that a + Borderer should be a more hot partisan of his own country against the + other from which but a line divides him in fact, and scarcely so much in + race—than the calmer inhabitant of the midland country who knows no + such press of constant antagonism; and Jeanne is another example of this + well known fact. It is even a question still languidly discussed whether + Jeanne and her family were actually on one side of the line or the other. + "Il faut opter," says M. Blaze de Bury, one of her latest biographers, as + if the peasant household of 1412 had inhabited an Alsatian cottage in + 1872. When the line is drawn so closely, it is difficult to determine, but + Jeanne herself does not ever seem to have entertained a moment's doubt on + the subject, and she after all is the best authority. Perhaps Villon was + thinking more of his rhyme than of absolute fact when he spoke of "Jeanne + la bonne Lorraine." She was born on the 5th of January, 1412, in the + village of Domremy, on the banks of the Meuse, one of those little grey + hamlets, with its little church tower, and remains of a little chateau on + the soft elevation of a mound not sufficient for the name of hill—which + are scattered everywhere through those level countries, like places which + have never been built, which have grown out of the soil, of undecipherable + antiquity—perhaps, one feels, only a hundred, perhaps a thousand + years old—yet always inhabitable in all the ages, with the same + names lingering about, the same surroundings, the same mild rural + occupations, simple plenty and bare want mingling together with as little + difference of level as exists in the sweeping lines of the landscape + round. + </p> + <p> + The life was calm in so humble a corner which offered nothing to the + invader or marauder of the time, but yet was so much within the universal + conditions of war that the next-door neighbour, so to speak, the adjacent + village of Maxey, held for the Burgundian and English alliance, while + little Domremy was for the King. And once at least when Jeanne was a girl + at home, the family were startled in their quiet by the swoop of an armed + party of Burgundians, and had to gather up babies and what portable + property they might have, and flee across the frontier, where the good + Lorrainers received and sheltered them, till they could go back to their + village, sacked and pillaged and devastated in the meantime by the passing + storm. Thus even in their humility and inoffensiveness the Domremy + villagers knew what war and its miseries were, and the recollection would + no doubt be vivid among the children, of that half terrible, half + exhilarating adventure, the fright and excitement of personal + participation in the troubles, of which, night and day, from one quarter + or another, they must have heard. + </p> + <p> + Domremy had originally belonged(1) to the Abbey of St. Remy at Rheims—the + ancient church of which, in its great antiquity, is still an interest and + a wonder even in comparison with the amazing splendour of the cathedral of + that place, so rich and ornate, which draws the eyes of the visitor to + itself, and its greater associations. It is possible that this ancient + connection with Rheims may have brought the great ceremony for which it is + ever memorable, the consecration of the kings of France, more distinctly + before the musing vision of the village girl; but I doubt whether such + chance associations are ever much to be relied upon. The village was on + the high-road to Germany; it must have been therefore in the way of news, + and of many rumours of what was going on in the centres of national life, + more than many towns of importance. Feudal bands, a rustic Seigneur with + his little troop, going out for their forty days' service, or returning + home after it, must have passed along the banks of the lazy Meuse many + days during the fighting season, and indeed throughout the year, for + garrison duty would be as necessary in winter as in summer; or a wandering + pair of friars who had seen strange sights must have passed with their + wallets from the neighbouring convents, collecting the day's provision, + and leaving news and gossip behind, such as flowed to these monastic + hostelries from all quarters—tales of battles, and anecdotes of the + Court, and dreadful stories of English atrocities, to stir the village and + rouse ever generous sentiment and stirring of national indignation. They + are said by Michelet to have been no man's vassals, these outlying hamlets + of Champagne; the men were not called upon to follow their lord's banner + at a day's notice, as were the sons of other villages. There is no + appearance even of a lord at all upon this piece of Church land, which + was, we are told, directly held under the King, and would only therefore + be touched by a general levy <i>en masse</i>—not even perhaps by + that, so far off were they, and so near the frontier, where a reluctant + man-at-arms could without difficulty make his escape, as the unwilling + conscript sometimes does now. + </p> + <p> + There would seem to have been no one of more importance in Domremy than + Jacques d'Arc himself and his wife, respectable peasants, with a little + money, a considerable rural property in flocks and herds and pastures, and + a good reputation among their kind. He had three sons working with their + father in the peaceful routine of the fields; and two daughters, of whom + some authorities indicate Jeanne as the younger, and some as the elder. + The cottage interior, however, appears more clearly to us than the outward + aspect of the family life. The daughters were not, like the children of + poorer peasants, brought up to the rude outdoor labours of the little + farm. Painters have represented Jeanne as keeping her father's sheep, and + even the early witnesses say the same; but it is contradicted by herself, + who ought to know best—(except in taking her turn to herd them into + a place of safety on an alarm). If she followed the flocks to the fields, + it must have been, she says, in her childhood, and she has no recollection + of it. Hers was a more sheltered and safer lot. The girls were brought up + by their mother indoors in all the labours of housewifery, but also in the + delicate art of needlework, so much more exquisite in those days than now. + Perhaps Isabeau, the mistress of the house, was of convent training, + perhaps some ancient privilege in respect to the manufacture of ornaments + for the altar, and church vestments, was still retained by the tenants of + what had been Church lands. At all events this, and other kindred works of + the needle, seems to have been the chief occupation to which Jeanne was + brought up. + </p> + <p> + The education of this humble house seems to have come entirely from the + mother. It was natural that the children should not know A from B, as + Jeanne afterward said; but no one did, probably, in the village nor even + on much higher levels than that occupied by the family of Jacques d'Arc. + But the children at their mother's knee learned the Credo, they learned + the simple universal prayers which are common to the wisest and simplest, + which no great savant or poet could improve, and no child fail to + understand: "Our Father, which art in Heaven," and that "Hail, Mary, full + of grace," which the world in that day put next. These were the alphabet + of life to the little Champagnards in their rough woollen frocks and + clattering sabots; and when the house had been set in order,—a house + not without comfort, with its big wooden presses full of linen, and the <i>pot + au feu</i> hung over the cheerful fire,—came the real work, perhaps + embroideries for the Church, perhaps only good stout shirts made of flax + spun by their own hands for the father and the boys, and the fine + distinctive coif of the village for the women. "Asked if she had learned + any art or trade, said: Yes, that her mother had taught her to sew and + spin, and so well, that she did not think any woman in Rouen could teach + her anything." When the lady in the ballad makes her conditions with the + peasant woman who is to bring up her boy, her "gay goss hawk," and have + him trained in the use of sword and lance, she undertakes to teach the + "turtle-doo," the woman child substituted for him, "to lay gold with her + hand." No doubt Isabeau's child learned this difficult and dainty art, and + how to do the beautiful and delicate embroidery which fills the treasuries + of the old churches. + </p> + <p> + And while they sat by the table in the window, with their shining silks + and gold thread, the mother made the quiet hours go by with tale and + legend—of the saints first of all—and stories from Scripture, + quaintly interpreted into the costume and manners of their own time, as + one may still hear them in the primitive corners of Italy: mingled with + incidents of the war, of the wounded man tended in the village, and the + victors all flushed with triumph, and the defeated with trailing arms and + bowed heads, riding for their lives: perhaps little epics and tragedies of + the young knight riding by to do his devoir with his handful of followers + all spruce and gay, and the battered and diminished remnant that would + come back. And then the Black Burgundians, the horrible English ogres, + whose names would make the children shudder! No <i>God-den</i>(2) had got + so far as Domremy; there was no personal knowledge to soften the picture + of the invader. He was unspeakable as the Turk to the imagination of the + French peasant, diabolical as every invader is. + </p> + <p> + This was the earliest training of the little maid before whom so strange + and so great a fortune lay. <i>Autre personne que sadite mère ne lui + apprint</i>—any lore whatsoever; and she so little—yet + everything that was wanted—her prayers, her belief, the happiness of + serving God, and also man; for when any one was sick in the village, + either a little child with the measles, or a wounded soldier from the + wars, Isabeau's modest child—no doubt the mother too—was + always ready to help. It must have been a family <i>de bien</i>, in the + simple phrase of the country, helpful, serviceable, with charity and aid + for all. An honest labourer, who came to speak for Jeanne at the second + trial, held long after her death, gave his incontestable evidence to this. + "I was then a child," he said, "and it was she who nursed me in my + illness." They were all more or less devout in those days, when faith was + without question, and the routine of church ceremonial was followed as a + matter of course; but few so much as Jeanne, whose chief pleasure it was + to say her prayers in the little dark church, where perhaps in the morning + sunshine, as she made her early devotions, there would blaze out upon her + from a window, a Holy Michael in shining armour, transfixing the dragon + with his spear, or a St. Margaret dominating the same emblem of evil with + her cross in her hand. So, at least, the historians conjecture, anxious to + find out some reason for her visions; and there is nothing in the + suggestion which is unpleasing. The little country church was in the gift + of St. Remy, and some benefactor of the rural curé might well have given a + painted window to make glad the hearts of the simple people. St. Margaret + was no warrior-saint, but she overcame the dragon with her cross, and was + thus a kind of sister spirit to the great archangel. + </p> + <p> + Sitting much of her time at or outside the cottage door with her + needlework, in itself an occupation so apt to encourage musing and dreams, + the bells were one of Jeanne's great pleasures. We know a traveller, of + the calmest English temperament and sobriety of Protestant fancy, to whom + the midday Angelus always brings, he says, a touching reminder—which + he never neglects wherever he may be—to uncover the head and lift up + the heart; how much more the devout peasant girl softly startled in the + midst of her dreaming by that call to prayer. She was so fond of those + bells that she bribed the careless bell-ringer with simple presents to be + more attentive to his duty. From the garden where she sat with her work, + the cloudy foliage of the <i>bois de chêne</i>, the oak wood, where were + legends of fairies and a magic well, to which her imagination, better + inspired, seems to have given no great heed, filled up the prospect on one + side. At a later period, her accusers attempted to make out that she had + been a devotee of these nameless woodland spirits, but in vain. No doubt + she was one of the procession on the holy day once a year, when the curé + of the parish went out through the wood to the Fairies' Well to say his + mass, and exorcise what evil enchantment might be there. But Jeanne's + imagination was not of the kind to require such stimulus. The saints were + enough for her; and indeed they supplied to a great extent the fairy tales + of the age, though it was not of love and fame and living happy ever + after, but of sacrifice and suffering and valorous martyrdom that their + glory was made up. + </p> + <p> + We hear of the woods, the fields, the cottages, the little church and its + bells, the garden where she sat and sewed, the mother's stories, the + morning mass, in this quiet preface of the little maiden's life; but + nothing of the highroad with its wayfarers, the convoys of provisions for + the war, the fighting men that were coming and going. Yet these, too, must + have filled a large part in the village life, and it is evident that a + strong impression of the pity of it all, of the distraction of the country + and all the cruelties and miseries of which she could not but hear, must + have early begun to work in Jeanne's being, and that while she kept + silence the fire burned in her heart. The love of God, and that love of + country which has nothing to say to political patriotism but translates + itself in an ardent longing and desire to do "some excelling thing" for + the benefit and glory of that country, and to heal its wounds—were + the two principles of her life. We have not the slightest indication how + much or how little of this latter sentiment was shared by the simple + community about her; unless from the fact that the Domremy children fought + with those of Maxey, their disaffected neighbours, to the occasional + effusion of blood. We do not know even of any volunteer from the village, + or enthusiasm for the King.(3) The district was voiceless, the little + clusters of cottages fully occupied in getting their own bread, and + probably like most other village societies, disposed to treat any military + impulse among their sons as mere vagabondism and love of adventure and + idleness. + </p> + <p> + Nothing, so far as anyone knows, came near the most unlikely volunteer of + all, to lead her thoughts to that art of war of which she knew nothing, + and of which her little experience could only have shown her the horrors + and miseries, the sufferings of wounded fugitives and the ruin of sacked + houses. Of all people in the world, the little daughter of a peasant was + the last who could have been expected to respond to the appeal of the + wretched country. She had three brothers who might have served the King, + and there was no doubt many a stout clodhopper about, of that kind which + in every country is the fittest material for fighting, and "food for + powder." But to none of these did the call come. Every detail goes to + increase the profound impression of peacefulness which fills the + atmosphere—the slow river floating by, the roofs clustered together, + the church bells tinkling their continual summons, the girl with her work + at the cottage door in the shadow of the apple trees. To pack the little + knapsack of a brother or a lover, and to convoy him weeping a little way + on his road to the army, coming back to the silent church to pray there, + with the soft natural tears which the uses of common life must soon dry—that + is all that imagination could have demanded of Jeanne. She was even too + young for any interposition of the lover, too undeveloped, the French + historians tell us with their astonishing frankness, to the end of her + short life, to have been moved by any such thought. She might have poured + forth a song, a prayer, a rude but sweet lament for her country, out of + the still bosom of that rustic existence. Such things have been, the + trouble of the age forcing an utterance from the very depths of its + inarticulate life. But it was not for this that Jeanne d'Arc was born. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) Mr. Andrew Lang informs me that the real proprietor was + a certain "Dame d'Orgévillier." "On Jeanne's side of the + burn," he adds, with a picturesque touch of realism, "the + people were probably <i>free</i> as attached to the Royal + Châtellenie of Vancouleurs, as described below." + + (2) This was probably not the God-dam of later French, a + reflection of the supposed prevalent English oath, but most + likely merely the God-den or good-day, the common + salutation. + + (3) Domremy was split, Mr. Lang says, by the burn, and + Jeanne's side were probably King's men. We have it on her + own word that there was but one Burgundian in the village, + but that might mean on her side. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II — DOMREMY AND VAUCOULEURS. 1424-1429. + </h2> + <p> + In the year 1424, the year in which, after the battle of Agincourt, France + was delivered over to Henry V., an extraordinary event occurred in the + life of this little French peasant. We have not the same horror of that + treaty, naturally, as have the French. Henry V. is a favourite of our + history, probably not so much for his own merit as because of that + master-magician, Shakespeare, who of his supreme good pleasure, in the + exercise of that voluntary preference, which even God himself seems to + show to some men, has made of that monarch one of the best beloved of our + hearts. Dear to us as he is, in Eastcheap as at Agincourt, and more in the + former than the latter, even our sense of the disgraceful character of + that bargain, <i>le traité infâme</i> of Troyes, by which Queen Isabeau + betrayed her son, and gave her daughter and her country to the invader, is + softened a little by our high estimation of the hero. But this is simple + national prejudice; regarded from the French side, or even by the + impartial judgment of general humanity, it was an infamous treaty, and one + which might well make the blood boil in French veins. + </p> + <p> + We look at it at present, however, through the atmosphere of the + nineteenth century, when France is all French, and when the royal house of + England has no longer any French connection. If George III., much more + George II., on the basis of his kingdom of Hanover, had attempted to make + himself master of a large portion of Germany, the situation would have + been more like that of Henry V. in France than anything we can think of + now. It is true the kings of England were no longer dukes of Normandy—but + they had been so within the memory of man: and that noble duchy was a + hereditary appanage of the family of the Conqueror; while to other + portions of France they had the link of temporary possession and + inheritance through French wives and mothers; added to which is the fact + that Jean sans Peur of Burgundy, thirsting to avenge his father's blood + upon the Dauphin, would have been probably a more dangerous usurper than + Henry, and that the actual sovereign, the unfortunate, mad Charles VI., + was in no condition to maintain his own rights. + </p> + <p> + There is little evidence, however, that this treaty, or anything so + distinct in detail, had made much impression on the outlying borders of + France. What was known there, was only that the English were victorious, + that the rightful King of France was still uncrowned and unacknowledged, + and that the country was oppressed and humiliated under the foot of the + invader. The fact that the new King was not yet the Lord's anointed, and + had never received the seal of God, as it were, to his commission, was a + fact which struck the imagination of the village as of much more + importance than many greater things—being at once more visible and + matter-of-fact, and of more mystical and spiritual efficacy than any other + circumstance in the dreadful tale. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was in the garden as usual, seated, as we should say in Scotland, + at "her seam," not quite thirteen, a child in all the innocence of + infancy, yet full of dreams, confused no doubt and vague, with those + impulses and wonderings—impatient of trouble, yearning to give help—which + tremble on the chaos of a young soul like the first lightening of dawn + upon the earth. It was summer, and afternoon, the time of dreams. It would + be easy in the employment of legitimate fancy to heighten the + picturesqueness of that quiet scene—the little girl with her + favourite bells, the birds picking up the crumbs of brown bread at her + feet. She was thinking of nothing, most likely, in a vague suspense of + musing, the wonder of youth, the awakening of thought, as yet come to + little definite in her child's heart—looking up from her work to + note some passing change of the sky, a something in the air which was new + to her. All at once between her and the church there shone a light on the + right hand, unlike anything she had ever seen before; and out of it came a + voice equally unknown and wonderful. What did the voice say? Only the + simplest words, words fit for a child, no maxim or mandate above her + faculties—"<i>Jeanne, sois bonne et sage enfant; va souvent à + l'église.</i>" Jeanne, be good! What more could an archangel, what less + could the peasant mother within doors, say? The little girl was + frightened, but soon composed herself. The voice could be nothing but + sacred and blessed which spoke thus. It would not appear that she + mentioned it to anyone. It is such a secret as a child, in that wavering + between the real and unreal, the world not realised of childhood, would + keep, in mingled shyness and awe, uncertain, rapt in the atmosphere of + vision, within her own heart. + </p> + <p> + It is curious how often this wonderful scene has been repeated in France, + never connected with so high a mission, but yet embracing the same + circumstances, the same situation, the same semi-angelic nature of the + woman-child. The little Bernadette of Lourdes is almost of our own day; + she, too is one who puts the scorner to silence. What her visions and her + voices were, who can say? The last historian of them is not a man + credulous of good or moved towards the ideal; yet he is silent, except in + a wondering impression of the sacred and the true, before the little + Bearnaise in her sabots; and, notwithstanding the many sordid results that + have followed and all that sad machinery of expected miracle through which + even, repulsive as it must always be, a something breaks forth from time + to time which no man can define and account for except in ways more + incredible than miracle—so is the rest of the world. Why has this + logical, sceptical, doubting country, so able to quench with an epigram, + or blow away with a breath of ridicule the finest vision—become the + special sphere and birthplace of these spotless infant-saints? This is one + of the wonders which nobody attempts to account for. Yet Bernadette is as + Jeanne, though there are more than four hundred years between. + </p> + <p> + After what intervals the vision returned we are not told, nor in what + circumstances. It seems to have come chiefly out-of-doors, in the silence + and freedom of the fields or garden. Presently the heavenly radiance + shaped itself into some semblance of forms and figures, one of which, + clearer than the others, was like a man, but with wings and a crown on his + head and the air "<i>d'un vrai prud' homme</i>"; a noble apparition before + whom at first the little maid trembled, but whose majestic, honest regard + soon gave her confidence. He bade her once more to be good, and that God + would help her; then he told her the sad story of her own suffering + country, <i>la pitié qui estoit au royaume de France</i>. Was it the pity + of heaven that the archangel reported to the little trembling girl, or + only that which woke with the word in her own childish soul? He has chosen + the small things of this world to confound the great. Jeanne's young heart + was full of pity already, and of yearning over the helpless mother-country + which had no champion to stand for her. "She had great doubts at first + whether it was St. Michael, but afterwards when he had instructed her and + shown her many things, she believed firmly that it was he." + </p> + <p> + It was this warrior-angel who opened the matter to her, and disclosed her + mission. "Jeanne," he said, "you must go to the help of the King of + France; and it is you who shall give him back his kingdom." Like a still + greater Maid, trembling, casting in her mind what this might mean, she + replied, confused, as if that simple detail were all: "Messire, I am only + a poor girl; I cannot ride or lead armed men." The vision took no notice + of this plea. He became minute in his directions, indicating exactly what + she was to do. "Go to Messire de Baudricourt, captain of Vaucouleurs, and + he will take you to the King. St. Catherine and St. Margaret will come and + help you." Jeanne was overwhelmed by this exactness, by the sensation of + receiving direct orders. She cried, weeping and helpless, terrified to the + bottom of her soul—What was she that she should do this? a little + girl, able to guide nothing but her needle or her distaff, to lend her + simple aid in nursing a sick child. But behind all her fright and + hesitation, her heart was filled with the emotion thus suggested to her—the + immeasurable <i>pitié que estoit au royaume de France</i>. Her heart + became heavy with this burden. By degrees it came about that she could + think of nothing else; and her little life was confused by expectations + and recollections of the celestial visitant, who might arrive upon her at + any moment, in the midst perhaps of some innocent play, or when she sat + sewing in the garden before her father's humble door. + </p> + <p> + After a while the <i>vrai prud' homme</i> came seldom; other figures more + like herself, soft forms of women, white and shining, with golden circlets + and ornaments, appeared to her in the great halo of the light; they bowed + their heads, naming themselves, as to a sister spirit, Catherine, and the + other Margaret. Their voices were sweet and soft with a sound that made + you weep. They were both martyrs, encouraging and strengthening the little + martyr that was to be. "A lady is there in the heavens who loves thee": + Virgil could not say more to rouse the flagging strength of Dante. When + these gentle figures disappeared, the little maid wept in an anguish of + tenderness, longing if only they would take her with them. It is curious + that though she describes in this vague rapture the appearance of her + visitors, it is always as "<i>mes voix</i>" that she names them—the + sight must always have been more imperfect than the message. Their + outlines and their lovely faces might shine uncertain in the excess of + light; but the words were always plain. The pity for France that was in + their hearts spread itself into the silent rural atmosphere, touching + every sensitive chord in the nature of little Jeanne. It was as if her + mother lay dying there before her eyes. + </p> + <p> + Curious to think how little anyone could have suspected such meetings as + these, in the cottage hard by, where the weary ploughmen from the fields + would come clamping in for their meal, and Dame Isabeau would call to the + child, even sharply perhaps now and then, to leave that all-absorbing + needlework and come in and help, as Martha called Mary fourteen hundred + years before; and where the priest, mumbling his mass of a cold morning in + the little church, would smile indulgent on the faithful little worshipper + when it was done, sure of seeing Jeanne there whoever might be absent. She + was a shy girl, blushing and drooping her head when a stranger spoke to + her, red and shame-faced when they laughed at her in the village as a <i>dévote</i> + before her time; but with nothing else to blush about in all her simple + record. + </p> + <p> + Neither to her parents, nor to the curé when she made her confession, does + she seem to have communicated these strange experiences, though they had + lasted for some time before she felt impelled to act upon them, and could + keep silence no longer. She was but thirteen when the revelations began + and she was seventeen when at last she set forth to fulfil her mission. + She had no guidance from her voices, she herself says, as to whether she + should tell or not tell what had been communicated to her; and no doubt + was kept back by her shyness, and by the dreamy confusion of childhood + between the real and unreal. One would have thought that a life in which + these visions were of constant recurrence would have been rapt altogether + out of wholesome use and wont, and all practical service. But this does + not seem for a moment to have been the case. Jeanne was no hysterical + girl, living with her head in a mist, abstracted from the world. She had + all the enthusiasms even of youthful friendship, other girls surrounding + her with the intimacy of the village, paying her visits, staying all + night, sharing her room and her bed. She was ready to be sent for by any + poor woman that needed help or nursing, she was always industrious at her + needle; one would love to know if perhaps in the <i>Trésor</i> at Rheims + there was some stole or maniple with flowers on it, wrought by her hands. + But the <i>Trésor</i> at Rheims is nowadays rather vulgar if truth must be + told, and the bottles and vases for the consecration of Charles X., that + <i>pauvre sire</i>, are more thought of than relics of an earlier age. + </p> + <p> + At length, however, one does not know how, the secret of her double life + came out. No doubt long brooding over these voices, long intercourse with + such celestial visitors, and the mission continually pressed upon her—meaningless + to the child at first, a thing only to shed terrified tears over and + wonder at—ripened her intelligence so that she came at last to + perceive that it was practicable, a thing to be done, a charge to be + obeyed. She had this before her, as a girl in ordinary circumstances has + the new developments of life to think of, and how to be a wife and mother. + And the news brought by every passer-by would prove doubly interesting, + doubly important to Jeanne, in her daily growing comprehension of what she + was called upon to do. As she felt the current more and more catching her + feet, sweeping her on, overcoming all resistance in her own mind, she must + have been more and more anxious to know what was going on in the + distracted world, more and more touched by that great pity which had + awakened her soul. And all these reports were of a nature to increase that + pity till it became overwhelming. The tales she would hear of the English + must have been tales of cruelty and horror; not so many years ago what + tales did not we hear of German ferocity in the French villages, perhaps + not true at all, yet making their impression always; and it was more + probable in that age that every such story should be true. Then the + compassion which no one can help feeling for a young man deprived of his + rights, his inheritance taken from him, his very life in danger, + threatened by the stranger and usurper, was deepened in every particular + by the fact that it was the King, the very impersonation of France, + appointed by God as the head of the country, who was in danger. Everything + that Jeanne heard would help to swell the stream. + </p> + <p> + Thus she must have come step by step—this extraordinary, impossible + suggestion once sown in her dreaming soul—to perceive a kind of + miraculous reasonableness in it, to see its necessity, and how everything + pointed towards such a deliverance. It would have seemed natural to + believe that the prophecies of the countryside which promised a virgin + from an oak grove, a maiden from Lorraine, to deliver France, might have + affected her mind, did we not have it from her own voice that she had + never heard that prophecy(1); but the word of the blessed Michael, so + often repeated, was more than an old wife's tale; and the child's alarm + would seem to have died away as she came to her full growth. And Jeanne + was no ethereal spirit lost in visions, but a robust and capable peasant + girl, fearing little, and full of sense and determination, as well as of + an inspiration so far above the level of the crowd. We hear with wonder + afterwards that she had the making of a great general in her untutored + female soul,—which is perhaps the most wonderful thing in her + career,—and saw with the eye of an experienced and able soldier, as + even Dunois did not always see it, the fit order of an attack, the best + arrangement of the forces at her command. This I honestly avow is to me + the most incredible point in the story. I am not disturbed by the + apparition of the saints; there is in them an ineffable appropriateness + and fitness against which the imagination, at least, has not a word to + say. The wonder is not, to the natural mind, that such interpositions of + heaven come, but that they come so seldom. But that Jacques d'Arc's + daughter, the little girl over her sewing, whose only fault was that she + went to church too often, should have the genius of a soldier, is too + bewildering for words to say. A poet, yes, an inspiring influence leading + on to miraculous victory; but a general, skilful with the rude artillery + of the time, divining the better way in strategy,—this is a wonder + beyond the reach of our faculties; yet according to Alençon, Dunois, and + other military authorities, it was true. + </p> + <p> + We have little means of finding out how it was that Jeanne's long musings + came at last to a point at which they could be hidden no longer, nor what + it was which induced her at last to select the confidant she did. No doubt + she must have been considering and weighing the matter for a long time + before she fixed upon the man who was her relation, yet did not belong to + Domremy, and was safer than a townsman for the extraordinary revelations + she had to make. One of her neighbours, her gossip, Gerard of Epinal, to + whose child she was godmother, had perhaps at one moment seemed to her a + likely helper. But he belonged to the opposite party. "If you were not a + Burgundian," she said to him once, "there is something I might tell you." + The honest fellow took this to mean that she had some thought of marriage, + the most likely and natural supposition. It was at this moment, when her + heart was burning with her great secret, the voices urging her on day by + day, and her power of self-constraint almost at an end, that Providence + sent Durand Laxart, her uncle by marriage, to Domremy on some family + visit. She would seem to have taken advantage of the opportunity with + eagerness, asking him privately to take her home with him, and to explain + to her father and mother that he wanted her to take care of his wife. No + doubt the girl, devoured with so many thoughts, would have the air of + requiring "a change" as we say, and that the mother would be very ready to + accept for her an invitation which might bring back the brightness to her + child. Laxart was a peasant like the rest, a <i>prud' homme</i> well + thought of among his people. He lived in Burey le Petit, near to + Vaucouleurs, the chief place of the district, and Jeanne already knew that + it was to the captain of Vaucouleurs that she was to address herself. Thus + she secured her object in the simplest and most natural way. + </p> + <p> + Yet the reader cannot but hold his breath at the thought of what that + amazing revelation must have been to the homely, rustic soul, her + companion, communicated as they went along the common road in the common + daylight. "She said to the witness that she must go to France to the + Dauphin, to make him to be crowned King." It must have been as if a + thunderbolt had fallen at his feet when the girl whom he had known in + every development of her little life, thus suddenly disclosed to him her + secret purpose and determination. All her simple excellence the good man + knew, and that she was no fantastic chatterer, but truly <i>une bonne + douce fille</i>, bold in nothing but kindness, with nothing to blush for + but the fault of going too often to church. "Did you never hear that + France should be made desolate by a woman and restored by a maid?" she + said; and this would seem to have been an unanswerable argument. He had, + henceforth, nothing to do but to promote her purpose as best he could in + every way. + </p> + <p> + It would not seem at all unlikely to this good man that the Archangel + Michael, if Jeanne's revelation to him went so far, should have named + Robert de Baudricourt, the chief of the district, captain of the town and + its forces, the principal personage in all the neighbourhood, as the + person to whom Jeanne's purpose was to be revealed, but rather a guarantee + of St. Michael himself, familiar with good society; and the Seigneur must + have been more or less in good intelligence with his people, not too + alarming to be referred to, even on so insignificant a subject as the + vagaries of a country girl—though these by this time must have begun + to seem something more than vagaries to the half-convinced peasant. And it + was no doubt a great relief to his mind thus to put the decision of the + question into the hands of a man better informed than himself. Laxart + proceeded to Vaucouleurs upon his mission, shyly yet with confidence. He + would seem to have had a preliminary interview with Baudricourt before + introducing Jeanne. The stammering countryman, the bluff, rustic noble and + soldier, cheerfully contemptuous, receiving, with a loud laugh into all + the echoes, the extraordinary demand that he should send a little girl + from Domremy to the King, to deliver France, come before us like a picture + in the countryman's simple words. Robert de Baudricourt would scarcely + hear the story out. "Box her ears," he said, "and send her home to her + mother." The little fool! What did she know of the English, those brutal, + downright fighters, against whom no <i>élan</i> was sufficient, who stood + their ground and set up vulgar posts around their lines, instead of + trusting to the rush of sudden valour, and the tactics of the tournament! + She deliver France! On a much smaller argument and to put down a less + ambition, the half serious, half amused adviser has bidden a young + fanatic's ears to be boxed on many an unimportant occasion, and has often + been justified in so doing. There would be a half hour of gaiety after + poor Laxart, crestfallen, had got his dismissal. The good man must have + turned back to Jeanne, where she waited for him in courtyard or + antechamber, with a heavy heart. No boxing of ears was possible to him. + The mere thought of it was blasphemy. This was on Ascension Day the 13 + May, 1428. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne, however, was not discouraged by M. de Baudricourt's joke, and her + interview with him changed his views completely. She appears indeed from + the moment of setting out from her father's house to have taken a new + attitude. These great personages of the country before whom all the + peasants trembled, were nothing to this village maid, except, perhaps, + instruments in the hand of God to speed her on her way if they could see + their privileges—if not, to be swept out of it like straws by the + wind. It had no doubt been hard for her to leave her father's house; but + after that disruption what did anything matter? And she had gone through + five years of gradual training of which no one knew. The tears and terror, + the plea, "I am a poor girl; I cannot even ride," of her first childlike + alarm had given place to a profound acquaintance with the voices and their + meaning. They were now her familiar friends guiding her at every step; and + what was the commonplace burly Seigneur, with his roar of laughter, to + Jeanne? She went to her audience with none of the alarm of the peasant. A + certain young man of Baudricourt's suite, Bertrand de Poulengy, another + young D'Artagnan seeking his fortune, was present in the hall and + witnessed the scene. The joke would seem to have been exhausted by the + time Jeanne appeared, or her perfect gravity and simplicity, and beautiful + manners—so unlike her rustic dress and village coif—imposed + upon the Seigneur and his little court. This is how the story is told, + twenty-five years after, by the witness, then an elderly knight, recalling + the story of his youth. + </p> + <p> + "She said that she came to Robert on the part of her Lord, that he should + send to the Dauphin, and tell him to hold out, and have no fear, for the + Lord would send him succour before the middle of Lent. She also said that + France did not belong to the Dauphin but to her Lord; but her Lord willed + that the Dauphin should be its King, and hold it in command, and that in + spite of his enemies she herself would conduct him to be consecrated. + Robert then asked her who was this Lord? She answered, 'The King of + Heaven.' This being done (the witness adds) she returned to her father's + house with her uncle, Durand Laxart of Burey le Petit." + </p> + <p> + This brief and sudden preface to her career passed over and had no + immediate effect; indeed but for Bertrand we should have been unable to + separate it from the confused narrative to which all these witnesses + brought what recollection they had, often without sequence or order, + Durand himself taking no notice of any interval between this first visit + to Vaucouleurs and the final one.(2) The episode of Ascension Day appears + like the formal <i>sommation</i> of French law, made as a matter of form + before the appellant takes action on his own responsibility; but + Baudricourt had probably more to do with it than appears to be at all + certain from the after evidence. One of the persons present, at all + events, young Poulengy above mentioned, bore it in mind and pondered it in + his heart. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Jeanne returned home—the strangest home-going,—for + by this time her mission and her aspirations could no longer be hid, and + rumour must have carried the news almost as quickly as any modern + telegraph, to startle all the echoes of the village, heretofore unaware of + any difference between Jeanne and her companions save the greater goodness + to which everybody bears testimony. No doubt, it must have reached Jacques + d'Arc's cottage even before she came back with the kind Durand, a changed + creature, already the consecrated Maid of France, La Pucelle, apart from + all others. The French peasant is a hard man, more fierce in his terror of + the unconventional, of having his domestic affairs exposed to the public + eye, or his family disgraced by an exhibition of anything unusual either + in act or feeling, than almost any other class of beings. And it is + evident that he took his daughter's intention according to the coarsest + interpretation, as a wild desire for adventure and intention of joining + herself to the roving troopers, the soldiers always hated and dreaded in + rural life. He suddenly appears in the narrative in a fever of + apprehension, with no imaginative alarm or anxiety about his girl, but the + fiercest suspicion of her, and dread of disgrace to ensue. We do not know + what passed when she returned, further than that her father had a dream, + no doubt after the first astounding explanation of the purpose that had so + long been ripening in her mind. He dreamed that he saw her surrounded by + armed men, in the midst of the troopers, the most evident and natural + interpretation of her purpose, for who could divine that she meant to be + their leader and general, on a level not with the common men-at-arms, but + of princes and nobles? In the morning he told his dream to his wife and + also to his sons. "If I could think that the thing would happen that I + dreamed, I would wish that she should be drowned; and if you would not do + it, I should do it with my own hands." The reader remembers with a shudder + the Meuse flowing at the foot of the garden, while the fierce peasant, mad + with fear lest shame should be coming to his family, clenched his strong + fist and made this outcry of dismay. + </p> + <p> + No doubt his wife smoothed the matter over as well as she could, and, + whatever alarms were in her own mind, hastily thought of a feminine + expedient to mend matters, and persuaded the angry father that to + substitute other dreams for these would be an easier way. Isabeau most + probably knew the village lad who would fain have had her child, so good a + housewife, so industrious a workwoman, and always so friendly and so + helpful, for his wife. At all events there was such a one, too willing to + exert himself, not discouraged by any refusal, who could be egged up to + the very strong point of appearing before the bishop at Toul and swearing + that Jeanne had been promised to him from her childhood. So timid a girl, + they all thought, so devout a Catholic, would simply obey the bishop's + decision and would not be bold enough even to remonstrate, though it is + curious that with the spectacle of her grave determination before them, + and sorrowful sense of that necessity of her mission which had steeled her + to dispense with their consent, they should have expected such an + expedient to arrest her steps. The affair, we must suppose, had gone + through all the more usual stages of entreaty on the lover's part, and + persuasion on that of the parents, before such an attempt was finally + made. But the shy Jeanne had by this time attained that courage of + desperation which is not inconsistent with the most gentle nature; and + without saying anything to anyone, she too went to Toul, appeared before + the bishop, and easily freed herself from the pretended engagement, though + whether with any reference to her very different destination we are not + told.(3) + </p> + <p> + These proceedings, however, and the father's dreams and the remonstrances + of the mother, must have made troubled days in the cottage, and scenes of + wrath and contradiction, hard to bear. The winter passed distracted by + these contentions, and it is difficult to imagine how Jeanne could have + borne this had it not been that the period of her outset had already been + indicated, and that it was only in the middle of Lent that her succour was + to reach the King. The village, no doubt, was almost as much distracted as + her father's house to hear of these strange discussions and of the + incredible purpose of the <i>bonne douce fille</i>, whose qualities + everybody knew and about whom there was nothing eccentric, nothing + unnatural, but only simple goodness, to distinguish her above her + neighbours. In the meantime her voices called her continually to her work. + They set her free from the ordinary yoke of obedience, always so strong in + the mind of a French girl. The dreadful step of abandoning her home, not + to be thought of under any other circumstances, was more and more urgently + pressed upon her. Could it indeed be saints and angels who ordained a step + which was outside of all the habits and first duties of nature? But we + have no reason to believe that this nineteenth-century doubt of her + visitors, and of whether their mandates were right, entered into the mind + of a girl who was of her own period and not of ours. She went on + steadfastly, certain of her mission now, and inaccessible either to + remonstrance or appeal. + </p> + <p> + It was towards the beginning of Lent, as Poulengy tells us, that the + decision was made, and she left home finally, to go "to France" as is + always said. But it seems to have been in January that she set out once + more for Vaucouleurs, accompanied by her uncle, who took her to the house + of some humble folk they knew, a carter and his wife, where they lodged. + Jeanne wore her peasant dress of heavy red homespun, her rude heavy shoes, + her village coif. She never made any pretence of ladyhood or superiority + to her class, but was always equal to the finest society in which she + found herself, by dint of that simple good faith, sense, and seriousness, + without excitement or exaggeration, and radiant purity and + straightforwardness which were apparent to all seeing eyes. By this time + all the little world about knew something of her purpose and followed her + every step with wonder and quickly rising curiosity: and no doubt the + whole town was astir, women gazing at their doors, all on her side from + the first moment, the men half interested, half insolent, as she went once + more to the chateau to make her personal appeal. Simple as she was, the <i>bonne + douce fille</i> was not intimidated by the guard at the gates, the + lounging soldiers, the no doubt impudent glances flung at her by these + rude companions. She was inaccessible to alarms of that kind—which, + perhaps, is one of the greatest safeguards against them even in more + ordinary cases. We find little record of her second interview with + Baudricourt. The <i>Journal du Siège d'Orleans</i> and the <i>Chronique de + la Pucelle</i> both mention it as if it had been one of several, which may + well have been the case, as she was for three weeks in Vaucouleurs. It is + almost impossible to arrange the incidents of this interval between her + arrival there and her final departure for Chinon on the 23d February, + during which time she made a pilgrimage to a shrine of St. Nicolas and + also a visit to the Duke of Lorraine. It is clear, however, that she must + have repeated her demand with such stress and urgency that the Captain of + Vaucouleurs was a much perplexed man. It was a very natural idea then, and + in accordance with every sentiment of the time that he should suspect this + wonderful girl, who would not be daunted, of being a witch and capable of + bringing an evil fate on all who crossed her. All thought of boxing her + ears must ere this have departed from his mind. He hastened to consult the + curé, which was the most reasonable thing to do. The curé was as much + puzzled as the Captain. The Church, it must be said, if always ready to + take advantage afterwards of such revelations, has always been timid, even + sceptical about them at first. The wisdom of the rulers, secular and + ecclesiastic, suggested only one thing to do, which was to exorcise, and + perhaps to overawe and frighten, the young visionary. They paid a joint + and solemn visit to the carter's house, where no doubt their entrance + together was spied by many eager eyes; and there the priest solemnly + taking out his stole invested himself in his priestly robes and exorcised + the evil spirits, bidding them come out of the girl if they were her + inspiration. There seems a certain absurdity in this sudden assault upon + the evil one, taking him as it were by surprise: but it was not ridiculous + to any of the performers, though Jeanne no doubt looked on with serene and + smiling eyes. She remarked afterwards to her hostess, that the curé had + done wrong, as he had already heard her in confession. + </p> + <p> + Outside, the populace were in no uncertainty at all as to her mission. A + little mob hung about the door to see her come and go, chiefly to church, + with her good hostess in attendance, as was right and seemly, and a crowd + streaming after them who perhaps of their own accord might have neglected + mass, but who would not, if they could help it, lose a look at the new + wonder. One day a young gentleman of the neighbourhood was passing by, and + amused by the commotion, came through the crowd to have a word with the + peasant lass. "What are you doing here, <i>ma mie</i>?" the young man + said. "Is the King to be driven out of the kingdom, and are we all to be + made English?" There is a tone of banter in the speech, but he had already + heard of the Maid from his friend, Bertrand, and had been affected by the + other's enthusiasm. "Robert de Baudricourt will have none of me or my + words," she replied, "nevertheless before Mid-Lent I must be with the + King, if I should wear my feet up to my knees; for nobody in the world, be + it king, duke, or the King of Scotland's daughter, can save the kingdom of + France except me alone: though I would rather spin beside my poor mother, + and this is not my work: but I must go and do it, because my Lord so wills + it." "And who is your Seigneur?" he asked. "God," said the girl. The young + man was moved, he too, by that wind which bloweth where it listeth. He + stretched out his hands through the gaping crowd and took hers, holding + them between his own, to give her his pledge: and so swore by his faith, + her hands in his hands, that he himself would conduct her to the King. + "When will you go?" he said. "Rather to-day than to-morrow," answered the + messenger of God. + </p> + <p> + This was the second convert of La Pucelle. The peasant <i>bonhomme</i> + first, the noble gentleman after him; not to say all the women wherever + she went, the gazing, weeping, admiring crowd which now followed her + steps, and watched every opening of the door which concealed her from + their eyes. The young gentleman was Jean de Novelonpont, "surnamed Jean de + Metz": and so moved was he by the fervour of the girl, and by her strong + sense of the necessity of immediate operations, that he proceeded at once + to make preparations for the journey. They would seem to have discussed + the dress she ought to wear, and Jeanne decided for many obvious reasons + to adopt the costume of a man—or rather boy. She must, one would + imagine have been tall, for no remark is ever made on this subject, as if + her dress had dwarfed her, which is generally the case when a woman + assumes the habit of a man: and probably with her peasant birth and + training, she was, though slim, strongly made and well knit, besides being + at the age when the difference between boy and girl is sometimes but + little noticeable. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Baudricourt had not been idle. He must have been moved by + the sight of Jeanne, at least to perceive a certain gravity in the + business for which he was not prepared; and her composure under the curé's + exorcism would naturally deepen the effect which her own manners and + aspect had upon all who were free of prejudice. Another singular event, + too, added weight to her character and demand. One day after her return + from Lorraine, February 12th, 1429, she intimated to all her surroundings + and specially to Baudricourt, that the King had suffered a defeat near + Orleans, which made it still more necessary that she should be at once + conducted to him. It was found when there was time for the news to come, + that this defeat, the Battle of the Herrings, so-called, had happened as + she said, at the exact time; and such a strange fact added much to the + growing enthusiasm and excitement. Baudricourt is said by Michelet to have + sent off a secret express to the Court to ask what he should do; but of + this there seems to be no direct evidence, though likelihood enough. The + Court at Chinon contained a strong feminine element, behind the scenes. + And it might be found that there were uses for the enthusiast, even if she + did not turn out to be inspired. No doubt there were many comings and + goings at this period which can only be traced confusedly through the + depositions of Jeanne's companions twenty-five years after. She had at + least two interviews with Baudricourt before the exorcism of the curé and + his consequent change of procedure towards her. Then, escorted by her + uncle Laxart, and apparently by Jean de Metz, she had made a pilgrimage to + a shrine of St. Nicolas, as already mentioned, on which occasion, being + near Nancy, she was sent for by the Duke of Lorraine, then lying ill at + his castle in that city, who had a fancy to consult the young prophetess, + sorceress—who could tell what she was?—on the subject + apparently of his illness. He was the son of Queen Yolande of Anjou, who + was mother-in-law to Charles VII., and it would no doubt be thought of + some importance to secure his good opinion. Jeanne gave the exalted + patient no light on the subject of his health, but only the (probably + unpleasing) advice to flee from the wrath of God and to be reconciled with + his wife, from whom he was separated. He too, however, was moved by the + sight of her and her straightforward, undeviating purpose. He gave her + four francs, Durand tells us,—not much of a present,—which she + gave to her uncle, and which helped to buy her outfit. Probably he made a + good report of her to his mother, for shortly after her return to + Vaucouleurs (I again follow Michelet who ought to be well informed) a + messenger from Chinon arrived to take her to the King.(4) In the councils + of that troubled Court, perhaps, the idea of a prodigy and miraculous + leader, though she was nothing but a peasant girl, would be not without + attraction, a thing to conjure withal, so far as the multitude were + concerned. + </p> + <p> + Anyhow from any point of view, in the hopeless condition of affairs, it + was expedient that nothing which gave promise of help, either real or + visionary, should lightly be rejected. There was much anxiety no doubt in + the careless Court still dancing and singing in the midst of calamity, but + the reception of the ambitious peasant would form an exciting incident at + least, if nothing more important and notable. + </p> + <p> + Thus the whole anxious world of France stirred round that youthful figure + in the little frontier town, repeating with many an alteration and + exaggeration the sayings of Jeanne, and those popular superstitions about + the Maid from Lorraine which might be so naturally applied to her. It + would seem, indeed, that she had herself attached some importance to this + prophecy, for both her uncle Laxart and her hostess at Vaucouleurs report + that she asked them if they had heard it: which question "stupefied" the + latter, whose mind evidently jumped at once to the conviction that the + prophecy was fulfilled. Not in Domremy itself, however, were these things + considered with the same awe-stricken and admiring faith. Nothing had + softened the mood of Jacques d'Arc. It was a shame to the village <i>prud' + homme</i> to think of his daughter away from all the protection of home, + living among men, encountering the young Seigneurs who cared for no + maiden's reputation, hearing the soldiers' rude talk, exposed to their + insults, or worse still to their kindness. Probably even now he thought of + her as surrounded by troopers and men-at-arms, instead of the princes and + peers with whom henceforth Jeanne's lot was to be cast; but in the former + case there would have perhaps been less to fear than in the latter. + Anyhow, Jeanne's communications with her family were more painful to her + than had been the jeers of Baudricourt or the exorcism of the curé. They + sent her angry orders to come back, threats of parental curses and + abandonment. We may hope that the mother, grieved and helpless, had little + to do with this persecution. The woman who had nourished her children upon + saintly legend and Scripture story could scarcely have been hard upon the + child, of whom she, better than any, knew the perfect purity and steadfast + resolution. One of the little household at least, revolted by the stern + father's fury, perhaps secretly encouraged by the mother, broke away and + joined his sister at a later period. But we hear, during her lifetime, + little or nothing of Pierre. + </p> + <p> + Much time, however, was passed in these preliminaries. The final start was + not made till the 23d February, 1429, when the permission is supposed to + have come by the hands of Colet de Vienne, the King's messenger, who + attended by a single archer, was to be her escort. It is possible that he + had no mission to this effect, but he certainly did escort her to Chinon. + The whole town gathered before the house of Baudricourt to see her depart. + Baudricourt, however, does not seem to have provided any guard for her. + Jean de Metz, who had so chivalrously pledged himself to her service, with + his friend De Poulengy, equally ready for adventure, each with his + servant, formed her sole protectors.(5) Jean de Metz had already sent her + the clothes of one of his retainers, with the light breastplate and + partial armour that suited it; and the townspeople had subscribed to buy + her a further outfit, and a horse which seems to have cost sixteen francs—not + so small a sum in those days as now. Laxart declares himself to have been + responsible for this outlay, though the money was afterwards paid by + Baudricourt, who gave Jeanne a sword, which some of her historians + consider a very poor gift: none, however, of her equipments would seem to + have been costly. The little party set out thus, with a sanction of + authority, from the Captain's gate, the two gentlemen and the King's + messenger at the head of the party with their attendants, and the Maid in + the midst. "Go: and let what will happen," was the parting salutation of + Baudricourt. The gazers outside set up a cry when the decisive moment + came, and someone, struck with the feeble force which was all the + safeguard she had for her long journey through an agitated country—perhaps + a woman in the sudden passion of misgiving which often follows enthusiasm,—called + out to Jeanne with an astonished outcry to ask how she could dare to go by + such a dangerous road. "It was for that I was born," answered the fearless + Maid. The last thing she had done had been to write a letter to her + parents, asking their pardon if she obeyed a higher command than theirs, + and bidding them farewell. + </p> + <p> + The French historians, with that amazement which they always show when + they find a man behaving like a gentleman towards a woman confided to his + honour, all pause with deep-drawn breath to note that the awe of Jeanne's + absolute purity preserved her from any unseemly overture, or even evil + thought, on the part of her companions. We need not take up even the + shadow of so grave a censure upon Frenchmen in general, although in the + far distance of the fifteenth century. The two young men, thus starting + upon a dangerous adventure, pledged by their honour to protect and convey + her safely to the King's presence, were noble and generous cavaliers, and + we may well believe had no evil thoughts. They were not, however, without + an occasional chill of reflection when once they had taken the irrevocable + step of setting out upon this wild errand. They travelled by night to + escape the danger of meeting bands of Burgundians or English on the way, + and sometimes had to ford a river to avoid the town, where they would have + found a bridge. Sometimes, too, they had many doubts, Bertrand says, + perhaps as to their reception at Chinon, perhaps even whether their + mission might not expose them to the ridicule of their kind, if not to + unknown dangers of magic and contact with the Evil One, should this + wonderful girl turn out no inspired virgin but a pretender or sorceress. + Jean de Metz informs us that she bade them not to fear, that she had been + sent to do what she was now doing; that her brothers in paradise would + tell her how to act, and that for the last four or five years her brothers + in paradise and her God had told her that she must go to the war to save + the kingdom of France. This phrase must have struck his ear, as he thus + repeats it. Her brothers in paradise! She had not apparently talked of + them to anyone as yet, but now no one could hinder her more, and she felt + herself free to speak. A great calm seems to have been in her soul. She + had at last begun her work. How it was all to end for her she neither + foresaw nor asked; she knew only what she had to do. When they ventured + into a town she insisted on stopping to hear mass, bidding them fear + nothing. "God clears the way for me," she said; "I was born for this," and + so proceeded safe, though threatened with many dangers. There is something + that breathes of supreme satisfaction and content in her repetition of + those words. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) She was, however, acquainted with the simpler byword, + that France should be destroyed by a woman and afterwards + redeemed by a virgin, which she quoted to several persons on + her first setting out. + + (2) I have to thank Mr. Andrew Lang for making the course of + these events quite clear to myself. + + (3) Mr. Andrew Lang thinks that this appearance at Toul was + made after she had finally left Domremy, and when she was + already accompanied by the escort which was to attend her to + Chinon. + + (4) Mr. Andrew Lang will not hear of this. He thinks the man + was a mere King's messenger with news, probably charged with + the melancholy tidings of the loss at Rouvray (Battle of the + Herrings): and that the fact he did accompany Jeanne and her + little part was entirely accidental. + + (5) Her brother Pierre is said by some to have been of the + party. <i>La Chronique de la Pucelle</i> says two of her + brothers. Mr. Andrew Lang, however, tells us that Pierre did + not join his sister's party till much later—in the + beginning of June: and this is the statement of Jean de + Metz. But Quicherat is also of opinion that they both fought + in the relief of Orleans. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III — BEFORE THE KING. FEB.-APRIL, 1429. + </h2> + <p> + Jeanne and her little party were eleven days on the road, but do not seem + to have encountered any special peril. They lodged sometimes in the + security of a convent, sometimes in a village hostel, pursuing the long + and tedious way across the great levels of midland France, which has so + few features of beauty except in the picturesque towns with their castles + and churches, which the escort avoided. At length they paused in the + village of Fierbois not far from Chinon where the Court was, in order to + announce their arrival and ask for an audience, which was not immediately + accorded. Charles held his Court with incredible gaiety and folly, in the + midst of almost every disaster that could overtake a king, in the castle + of Chinon on the banks of the Vienne. The situation and aspect of this + noble building, now in ruins, is wonderfully like that of Windsor Castle. + The great walls, interrupted and strengthened by huge towers, stretch + along a low ridge of rocky hill, with the swift and clear river, a little + broader and swifter than the Thames, flowing at its foot. The red and + high-pitched roofs of the houses clustered between the castle hill and the + stream, give a point of resemblance the more. The large and ample + dwelling, defensible, but with no thought of any need of defence, a + midland castle surrounded by many a level league of wealthy country, which + no hostile force should ever have power to get through, must have looked + like the home of a well-established royalty. There was no sound or sight + of war within its splendid enclosure. Noble lords and gentlemen crowded + the corridors; trains of gay ladies, attendant upon two queens, filled the + castle with fine dresses and gay voices. There had been but lately a + dreadful and indeed shameful defeat, inflicted by a mere English convoy of + provisions upon a large force of French and Scottish soldiers, the former + led by such men as Dunois, La Hire, Xaintrailles, etc., the latter by the + Constable of Scotland, John Stuart—which defeat might well have been + enough to subdue every sound of revelry: yet Charles's Court was ringing + with music and pleasantry, as if peace had reigned around. + </p> + <p> + It may be believed that there were many doubts and questions how to + receive this peasant from the fields, which prevented an immediate reply + to her demand for an audience. From the first, de la Tremoille, Charles's + Prime Minister and chief adviser, was strongly against any encouragement + of the visionary, or dealings with the supernatural; but there would no + doubt be others, hoping if not for a miraculous maid, yet at least for a + passing wonder, who might kindle enthusiasm in the country and rouse the + ignorant with hopes of a special blessing from Heaven. The gayer and + younger portion of the Court probably expected a little amusement, above + all, a new butt for their wit, or perhaps a soothsayer to tell their + fortunes and promise good things to come. They had not very much to amuse + them, though they made the best of it. The joys of Paris were very far + off; they were all but imprisoned in this dull province of Touraine; + nobody knew at what moment they might be forced to leave even that refuge. + For the moment here was a new event, a little stir of interest, something + to pass an hour. Jeanne had to wait two days in Chinon before she was + granted an audience, but considering the carelessness of the Court and the + absence of any patron that was but a brief delay. + </p> + <p> + The chamber of audience is now in ruins. A wild rose with long, arching, + thorny branches and pale flowers, straggles over the greensward where once + the floor was trod by so many gay figures. From the broken wall you look + sheer down upon the shining river; one great chimney, which at that season + must have been still the most pleasant centre of the large, draughty hall, + shows at the end of the room, with a curious suggestion of warmth and + light which makes ruin more conspicuous. The room must have been on the + ground floor almost level with the soil towards the interior of the + castle, but raised to the height of the cliffs outside. It was evening, an + evening of March, and fifty torches lighted up the ample room; many noble + personages, almost as great as kings, and clothed in the bewildering + splendour of the time, and more than three hundred cavaliers of the best + names in France filled it to overflowing. The peasant girl from Domremy in + the hose and doublet of a servant, a little travel-worn after her tedious + journey, was led in by one of those splendid seigneurs, dazzled with the + grandeur she had never seen before, looking about her in wonder to see + which was the King—while Charles, perhaps with boyish pleasure in + the mystification, perhaps with a little half-conviction stealing over him + that there might be something more in it, stood among the smiling crowd. + </p> + <p> + The young stranger looked round upon all those amused, light-minded, + sceptical faces, and without a moment's hesitation went forward and knelt + down before him. "Gentil Dauphin," she said, "God give you good life." + "But it is not I that am the King; there is the King," said Charles. + "Gentil Prince, it is you and no other," she said; then rising from her + knee: "Gentil Dauphin, I am Jeanne the Maid. I am sent to you by the King + of Heaven to tell you that you shall be consecrated and crowned at Rheims, + and shall be lieutenant of the King of Heaven, who is King of France." The + little masquerade had failed, the jest was over. There would be little + more laughing among the courtiers, when they saw the face of Charles grow + grave. He took the new-comer aside, perhaps to that deep recess of the + window where in the darkening night the glimmer of the clear, flowing + river, the great vault of sky would still be visible dimly, outside the + circle of the blazing interior with all its smoky lights. + </p> + <p> + Charles VII. of France was, like many of his predecessors, a <i>pauvre + Sire</i> enough. He had thought more of his amusements than of the + troubles of his country; but a wild and senseless gaiety will sometimes + spring from despair as well as from lightness of heart; and after all, the + dread responsibility, the sense that in all his helplessness and inability + to do anything he was still the man who ought to do all, would seem to + have moved him from time to time. A secret doubt in his heart, divulged to + no man, had added bitterness to the conviction of his own weakness. Was he + indeed the heir of France? Had he any right to that sustaining confidence + which would have borne up his heart in the midst of every discouragement? + His very mother had given him up and set him aside. He was described as + the so-called Dauphin in treaties signed by Charles and Isabeau his + parents. If anyone knew, she knew; and was it possible that more powerful + even than the English, more cruel than the Burgundians, this stain of + illegitimacy was upon him, making all effort vain? There is no telling + where the sensitive point is in any man's heart, and little worthy as was + this King, the story we are here told has a thrill of truth in it. It is + reported by a certain Sala, who declares that he had it from the lips of + Charles's favourite and close follower, the Seigneur de Boisi, a courtier + who, after the curious custom of the time, shared even the bed of his + master. This was confided to Boisi by the King in the deepest confidence, + in the silence of the wakeful night: + </p> + <p> + "This was in the time of the good King Charles, when he knew not what step + to take, and did nothing but think how to redeem his life: for as I have + told you he was surrounded by enemies on all sides. The King in this + extreme thought, went in one morning to his oratory all alone; and there + he made a prayer to our Lord, in his heart, without pronouncing any words, + in which he asked of Him devoutly that if he were indeed the true heir, + descended from the royal House of France, and that justly the kingdom was + his, that He would be pleased to guard and defend him, or at the worst to + give him grace to escape into Spain or Scotland, whose people, from all + antiquity, were brothers-in-arms, friends and allies of the kings of + France, and that he might find a refuge there." + </p> + <p> + Perhaps there is some excuse for a young man's endeavour to forget himself + in folly or even in dissipation when his secret thoughts are so despairing + as these. + </p> + <p> + It was soon after this melancholy moment that the arrival of Jeanne took + place. The King led her aside, touched as all were, by her look of perfect + sincerity and good faith; but it is she herself, not Charles, who repeats + what she said to him. "I have to tell you," said the young messenger of + God, "on the part of my Lord (<i>Messire</i>) that you are the true heir + of France and the son of the King; He has sent me to conduct you to Rheims + that you may receive your consecration and your crown,"—perhaps + here, Jeanne caught some look which she did not understand in his eyes, + for she adds with, one cannot but think a touch of sternness—"if you + will." + </p> + <p> + Was it a direct message from God in answer to his prayer, uttered within + his own heart, without words, so that no one could have guessed that + secret? At least it would appear that Charles thought so: for how should + this peasant maid know the secret fear that had gnawed at his heart? "When + thou wast in the garden under the fig-tree I saw thee." Great was the + difference between the Israelite without guile and the troubled young man, + with whose fate the career of a great nation was entangled; but it is not + difficult to imagine what the effect must have been on the mind of Charles + when he was met by this strange, authoritative statement, uttered like all + that Jeanne said, <i>de la part de Dieu</i>. + </p> + <p> + The impression thus made, however, was on Charles alone, and he was + surrounded by councillors, so much the more pedantic and punctilious as + they were incapable, and placed amidst pressing necessities with which in + themselves they had no power to cope. It may easily be allowed, also, that + to risk any hopes still belonging to the hapless young King on the word of + a peasant girl was in itself, according to every law of reason, madness + and folly. She would seem to have had the women on her side always and at + every point. The Church did not stir, or else was hostile; the commanders + and military men about, regarded with scornful disgust the idea that an + enterprise which they considered hopeless should be confided to an + ignorant woman—all with perfect reason we are obliged to allow. + Probably it was to gain time—yet without losing the aid of such a + stimulus to the superstitious among the masses—and to retard any + rash undertaking—that it was proposed to subject Jeanne to an + examination of doctors and learned men touching her faith and the + character of her visions, which all this time had been of continual + recurrence, yet charged with no further revelation, no mystic creed, but + only with the one simple, constantly repeated command. + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, after some preliminary handling by half a dozen bishops, + Jeanne was taken to Poitiers—where the university and the local + parliament, all the learning, law, and ecclesiastical wisdom which were on + the side of the King, were assembled—to undergo this investigation. + It is curious that the entire history of this wildest and strangest of all + visionary occurrences is to be found in a series of processes at law, each + part recorded and certified under oath; but so it is. The village maid was + placed at the bar, before a number of acute legists, ecclesiastics, and + statesmen, to submit her to a not-too-benevolent cross-examination. + Several of these men were still alive at the time of the Rehabilitation + and gave their recollections of this examination, though its formal + records have not been preserved. A Dominican monk, Aymer, one of an order + she loved, addressed her gravely with the severity with which that + institution is always credited. "You say that God will deliver France; if + He has so determined, He has no need of men-at-arms." "Ah!" cried the + girl, with perhaps a note of irritation in her voice, "the men must fight; + it is God who gives the victory." To another discomfited Brother, Jeanne, + exasperated, answered with a little roughness, showing that our Maid, + though gentle as a child to all gentle souls, was no piece of subdued + perfection, but a woman of the fields, and lately much in the company of + rough-spoken men. He was of Limoges, a certain Brother Seguin, "<i>bien + aigre homme</i>," and disposed apparently to weaken the trial by questions + without importance: he asked her what language her celestial visitors + spoke? "Better than yours," answered the peasant girl. He could not have + been, as we say in Scotland, altogether "an ill man," for he acknowledged + that he spoke the patois of his district, and therefore that the blow was + fair. But perhaps for the moment he was irritated too. He asked her, a + question equally unnecessary, "do you believe in God?" to which with more + and more impatience she made a similar answer: "Better than you do." There + was nothing to be made of one so well able to defend herself. "Words are + all very well," said the monk, "but God would not have us believe you, + unless you show us some sign." To this Jeanne made an answer more + dignified, though still showing signs of exasperation, "I have not come to + Poitiers to give signs," she said; "but take me to Orleans—I will + then show the signs I am sent to show. Give me as small a band as you + please, but let me go." + </p> + <p> + The situation of Orleans was at the time a desperate one. It was besieged + by a strong army of English, who had built a succession of towers round + the city, from which to assail it, after the manner of the times. The town + lies in the midst of the plain of the Loire, with not so much as a hillock + to offer any advantage to the besiegers. Therefore these great works were + necessary in face of a very strenuous resistance, and the possibility of + provisioning the besieged, which their river secured. The English from + their high towers kept up a disastrous fire, which, though their artillery + was of the rudest kind, did great execution. The siege was conducted by + eminent generals. The works were of themselves great fortifications, the + assailants numerous, and strengthened by the prestige of almost unbroken + success; there seemed no human hope of the deliverance of the town unless + by an overwhelming army, which the King's party did not possess, or by + some wonderful and utterly unexpected event. Jeanne had always declared + the destruction of the English and the relief of Orleans to be the first + step in her mission. + </p> + <p> + Besides the formal and official examination of her faith and character, + held at Poitiers, private inquests of all kinds were made concerning of + the claims of the miraculous maid. She was visited by every curious + person, man or woman, in the neighbourhood, and plied with endless + questions, so that her simple personal story, and that of her revelations—<i>mes + voix</i>, as she called them—became familiarly known from her own + report, to the whole country round about. The women pressed a question + specially interesting—for no doubt, many a good mother half + convinced otherwise, shook her head at Jeanne's costume—Why she wore + the dress of a man? for which the Maid gave very good reasons: in the + first place because it was the only dress for fighting, which, though so + far from her desires or from the habits of her life, was henceforward to + be her work; and also because in her strange circumstances, constrained as + she was to live among men, she considered it safest for herself—statements + which evidently convinced the minds of the questioners. It was, no doubt, + good policy to make her thus widely and generally known, and the result + was a daily growing enthusiasm for her and belief in her, in all classes. + The result of the formal process was that the doctors could find nothing + against her, and they reluctantly allowed that the King might lawfully + take what advantage he could of her offered services. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was then brought back to Chinon, where she was lodged in one of the + great towers still standing, though no special room is pointed out as + hers. And there she was subjected to another process, more penetrating + still than the interrogations of the graver tribunals. The Queens and + their ladies and all the women of the Court took her in hand. They + inquired into her history in every subtle and intimate feminine way, + testing her innocence and purity; and once more she came out triumphant. + The final judgment was given as follows: "After hearing all these reports, + the King taking into consideration the great goodness that was in the + Maid, and that she declared herself to be sent by God, it was by the said + Seigneur and his council determined that from henceforward he should make + use of her for his wars, since it was for this that she was sent." + </p> + <p> + It was now necessary to equip Jeanne for her service. She had a <i>maison</i>, + an <i>état majeur</i>, or staff, formed for her, the chief of which, Jean + d'Aulon, already distinguished and worthy of such a trust never left her + thenceforward until the end of her active career. Her chaplain, Jean + Pasquerel, also followed her fortunes faithfully. Charles would have given + her a sword to replace the probably indifferent weapon given her by + Baudricourt at Vaucouleurs; but Jeanne knew where to find the sword + destined for her. She gave orders that someone should be sent to Fierbois, + the village at which she had paused on her way to Chinon, to fetch a sword + which would be found there buried behind the high altar of the church of + St. Catherine. To make this as little miraculous as possible, we are told + by some historians that it was common for knights to be buried with their + arms, and that Jeanne, in her visit to this church, where she heard three + masses in succession to make up for the absence of constant religious + services on her journey—had probably seen some tomb or other token + that such an interment had taken place. However, as we are compelled to + receive the far greater miracle of Jeanne herself and her work, without + explanation, it is foolish to take the trouble to attempt any explanation + of so small a matter as this. The sword in fact was found, by the clergy + of the church, and was by them cleaned and polished and put in a scabbard + of crimson velvet, scattered over with fleur-de-lys in gold, for her use. + Her standard, which she considered of the greatest importance was made + apparently at Tours. It was of white linen, fringed with silk and + embroidered with a figure of the Saviour holding a globe in His hands, + while an angel knelt at either side in adoration. Jhesus' Maria was + inscribed at the foot. A repetition of this banner, which must have been + re-copied from age to age is to be seen now at Tours. Having indicated the + exact device to be emblazoned upon the banner, as dictated to her by her + saints,—Margaret and Catherine—Jeanne announced her intention + of carrying it herself, a somewhat surprising office for one who was to + act as a general. But it was the command of her heavenly guides. "Take the + standard on the part of God, and carry it boldly," they had said. She had, + besides, a simple, half-childish intention of her own in this, which she + explained shame-faced—she had no wish to use her sword though she + loved it, and would kill no man. The banner was a more safe occupation, + and saved her from all possibility of blood-shedding; it must however, + have required the robust arm of a peasant to sustain the heavy weight. + </p> + <p> + It will show how long a time all these examinations and preparations had + taken when we read that Jeanne set out from Blois, where she had passed + some time in military preparations, only on the 27th day of April; nearly + two whole months had thus been taken up in testing her truth, and + arranging details, trifling and unnecessary in her eyes:—a period + which had been passed in great anxiety by the people of Orleans, with the + huge bastilles of the English—three of which were named Paris, + Rouen, and London—towering round them, their provisions often + intercepted, all the business of life come to a standstill, and the + overwhelming responsibility upon them of being almost the last barrier + between the invader and the final subjugation of France. It is strange to + add that, judging by ordinary rules, the garrison of Orleans ought to have + been quite sufficient in itself in numbers and science of war, to have + beaten and dispersed the English force which had thus succeeded in + shutting them in; there were many notable captains among them, with + Dunois, known as the Bastard of Orleans, one of the most celebrated and + brave of French generals, at their head. Dunois was in no way inferior to + the generals of the English army; he was popular, beloved by the people + and soldiers alike, and though illegitimate, of the House of Orleans, one + of the native seigneurs of the place. The wonder is how he and his + officers permitted the building of these towers, and the shutting in of + the town which they were quite strong enough to protect. But it was a + losing game which they were playing, a part which does not suit the genius + of the nation; and the superstition in favour of the English who had won + so many battles with all the disadvantages on their side,—cutting + the finest armies to pieces—was strong upon the imagination of the + time. It seemed a fate which no valour or skill upon the side of the + French could avert. Dunois, himself an unlikely person, one would have + thought, to yield the honour of the fight to a woman, seems to have + perceived that without a strong counter-motive, not within the range of + ordinary methods, the situation was beyond hope. + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, on the 27th or 28th of April, Jeanne set out at the head of + her little army, accompanied by a great number of generals and captains. + She had been equipped by the Queen of Sicily (with a touch of that keen + sense of decorative effect which belonged to the age) in white armour + inlaid with silver—all shining like her own St. Michael himself, a + radiance of whiteness and glory under the sun—armed <i>de toutes + pièces sauve la teste</i>, her uncovered head rising in full relief from + the dazzling breastplate and gorget. This is the description given of her + by an eye-witness a little later. The country is flat as the palm of one's + hand. The white armour must have flashed back the sun for miles and miles + of the level road, to the eyes which from the height of any neighbouring + tower watched the party setting out. It is all fertile now, the richest + plain, and even then, corn and wine must have been in full bourgeon, the + great fresh greenness of the big leaves coming out upon such low stumps of + vine as were left in the soil; but the devastated country was in those + days covered with a wild growth like the <i>macchia</i> of Italian wilds, + which half hid the movements of the expedition. They went by the Loire to + Tours, where Jeanne had been assigned a dwelling of her own, with the + estate of a general; and from thence to Blois, where they had to wait for + some days while the convoy of provisions, which they were to convey to + Orleans, was being prepared. And there Jeanne fulfilled one of the + preliminary duties of her mission. She had informed her examiners at + Poitiers that she had been commanded to write to the English generals + before attacking them, appealing to them <i>de la part de Dieu</i>, to + give up their conquests, and leave France to the French. The letter which + we quote would seem to have been dictated by her at Poitiers, probably to + the confessor who now formed part of her suite and who attended her + wherever she went: + </p> + <p> + JHESUS MARIA. + </p> + <p> + King of England, and you Duke of Bedford calling yourself Regent of + France, you, William de la Poule, Comte de Sulford, John, Lord of Talbot, + and you Thomas, Lord of Scales, who call yourself lieutenants of the said + Bedford, listen to the King of Heaven: Give back to the Maid who is here + sent on the part of God the King of Heaven, the keys of all the good towns + which you have taken by violence in His France. She is ready to make peace + if you will hear reason and be just towards France and pay for what you + have taken. And you archers, brothers-in-arms, gentles and others who are + before the town of Orleans, go in peace on the part of God; if you do not + so you will soon have news of the Maid who will see you shortly to your + great damage. King of England, if you do not this, I am captain in this + war, and in whatsoever place in France I find your people I will make them + go away. I am sent here on the part of God the King of Heaven to push you + all forth of France. If you obey I will be merciful. And be not strong in + your own opinion, for you do not hold the kingdom from God the Son of the + Holy Mary, but it is held by Charles the true heir, for God, the King of + Heaven so wills, and it is revealed by the Maid who shall enter Paris in + good company. If you will not believe this news on the part of God and the + Maid, in whatever place you may find yourselves we shall make our way + there, and make so great a commotion as has not been in France for a + thousand years, if you will not hear reason. And believe this, that the + King of Heaven will send more strength to the Maid than you can bring + against her in all your assaults, to her and to her good men-at-arms. You, + Duke of Bedford, the Maid prays and requires you to destroy no more. If + you act according to reason you may still come in her company where the + French shall do the greatest work that has ever been done for + Christianity. Answer then if you will still continue against the city of + Orleans. If you do so you will soon recall it to yourself by great + misfortunes. Written the Saturday of Holy Week (22 March, 1429).(1) + </p> + <p> + Jeanne had by this time made a wonderful moral revolution in her little + army; most likely she had not been in the least aware what an army was, + until this moment; but frank and fearless, she had penetrated into every + corner, and it was not in her to permit those abuses at which an ordinary + captain has to smile. The pernicious and shameful crowd of camp followers + fled before her like shadows before the day. She stopped the big oaths and + unthinking blasphemies which were so common, so that La Hire, one of the + chief captains, a rough and ready Gascon, was reduced to swear by his <i>bâton</i>, + no more sacred name being permitted to him. Perhaps this was the origin of + the harmless swearing which abounds in France, meaning probably just as + much and as little as bigger oaths in careless mouths; but no doubt the + soldiers' language was very unfit for gentle ears. Jeanne moved among the + wondering ranks, all radiant in her silver armour and with her virginal + undaunted countenance, exhorting all those rude and noisy brothers to take + thought of their duties here, and of the other life that awaited them. She + would stop the march of the army that a conscience-stricken soldier might + make his confession, and desired the priests to hear it if necessary + without ceremony, or church, under the first tree. Her tender heart was + such that she shrank from any man's death, and her hair rose up on her + head, as she said, at the sight of French blood shed—although her + mission was to shed it on all sides for a great end. But the one thing she + could not bear was that either Frenchmen or Englishmen should die + unconfessed, "unhouseled, disappointed, unannealed." The army went along + attended by songs of choristers and masses of priests, the grave and + solemn music of the Church accompanied strangely by the fanfares and bugle + notes. What a strange procession to pass along the great Loire in its + spring fulness, the raised banners and crosses, and that dazzling white + figure, all effulgence, reflected in the wayward, quick flowing stream! + </p> + <p> + La Hire, who is like a figure out of Dumas, and indeed did service as a + model to that delightful romancer, had come from Orleans to escort Jeanne + upon her way, and Dunois met her as she approached the town. There could + not be found more unlikely companions than these two, to conduct to a + great battle the country maid who was to carry the honours of the day from + them both, and make men fight like heroes, who under them did nothing but + run away. The candour and true courage of such leaders in circumstances so + extraordinary, are beyond praise, for it was an offence both to their + pride and skill in their profession, had she been anything less than the + messenger of God which she claimed to be; and these rude soldiers were not + men to be easily moved by devout imaginations. There would seem, however, + even in the case of the greater of the two, to have arisen a strange + friendship and mutual understanding between the famous man of war and the + peasant girl. Jeanne, always straightforward and simple, speaks to him, + not with the downcast eyes of her humility, but as an equal, as if the + great Dunois had been a <i>prud' homme</i> of her own degree. There is no + appearance indeed that the Maid allowed herself to be overborne now by any + shyness or undue humility. She speaks loudly, so as to be heard by those + fighting men, taking something of their own brief and decisive tone, often + even impatient, as one who would not be put aside either by cunning or + force. + </p> + <p> + Her meeting with Dunois makes this at once evident. She had been deceived + in the manner of her approach to Orleans, her companions, among whom there + were several field-marshals and distinguished leaders, taking advantage of + her ignorance of the place to lead her by the opposite bank of the river + instead of that on which the English towers were built, which she desired + to attack at once. This was the beginning of a long series of deceits and + hostile combinations, by which at every step of her way she was met and + retarded; but it turned, as these devices generally did, to the + discomfiture of the adverse captains. She crossed the river at Chécy above + Orleans, to meet Dunois who had come so far to meet her. It will be seen + by the conversation which she held with him on his first appearance, how + completely Jeanne had learnt to assert herself, and how much she had + overcome any fear of man. "Are you the Bastard of Orleans?" she said. "I + am; and glad of your coming," he replied. "Is it you who have had me led + to this side of the river and not to the bank on which Talbot is and his + English?" He answered that he and the wisest of the leaders had thought it + the best and safest way. "The counsel of God, our Lord, is more sure and + more powerful than yours," she replied. The expedition, as a matter of + fact, had to turn back, and to lose precious time, there being, it is to + be presumed, no means of transporting so large a force across the river. + The large convoy of provisions which Jeanne brought was embarked in boats + while the majority of the army returned to Blois, in order to cross by the + bridge. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne, however, having freely expressed her opinion, adapted herself to + the circumstances, though extremely averse to separate herself from her + soldiers, good men who had confessed and prepared their souls for every + emergency. She finally consented, however, to ride on with Dunois and La + Hire. The wind was against the convoy, so that the heavy boats, deeply + laden with beeves and corn, had a dangerous and slow voyage before them. + "Have patience," cried Jeanne; "by the help of God all will go well"; and + immediately the wind changed, to the astonishment and joy of all, and the + boats arrived in safety "in spite of the English, who offered no hindrance + whatever," as she had predicted. The little party made their way along the + bank, and in the twilight of the April evening, about eight o'clock, + entered Orleans. The Deliverer, it need not be said, was hailed with joy + indescribable. She was on a white horse, and carried, Dunois says, the + banner in her hand, though it was carried before her when she entered the + town. The white figure in the midst of those darkly gleaming mailed men, + would in itself throw a certain glory through the dimness of the night, as + she passed the gates and came into view by the blaze of all the torches, + and the lights in the windows, over the dark swarming crowds of the + citizens. Her white banner waving, her white armour shining, it was little + wonder that the throng that filled the streets received the Maid "as if + they had seen God descending among them." "And they had good reason," says + the Chronicle, "for they had suffered many disturbances, labours, and + pains, and, what is worse, great doubt whether they ever should be + delivered. But now all were comforted, as if the siege were over, by the + divine strength that was in this simple Maid whom they regarded most + affectionately, men, women, and little children. There was a marvellous + press around her to touch her or the horse on which she rode, so much so + that one of the torchbearers approached too near and set fire to her + pennon; upon which she touched her horse with her spurs, and turning him + cleverly, extinguished the flame, as if she had long followed the wars." + </p> + <p> + There could have been nothing she resembled so much as St. Michael, the + warrior-angel, who, as all the world knew, was her chief counsellor and + guide, and who, no doubt, blazed, a familiar figure, from some window in + the cathedral to which this his living picture rode without a pause, to + give thanks to God before she thought of refreshment or rest. She spoke to + the people who surrounded her on every side as she went on through the + tumultuous streets, bidding them be of good courage and that if they had + faith they should escape from all their troubles. And it was only after + she had said her prayers and rendered her thanksgiving, that she returned + to the house selected for her—the house of an important personage, + Jacques Boucher, treasurer to the Duke of Orleans, not like the humble + places where she had formerly lodged. The houses of that age were + beautiful, airy and light, with much graceful ornament and solid comfort, + the arched and vaulted Gothic beginning to give place to those models of + domestic architecture which followed the Renaissance, with their ample + windows and pleasant space and breadth. There the table was spread with a + joyous meal in honour of this wonderful guest, to which, let us hope, + Dunois and La Hire and the rest did full justice. But Jeanne was + indifferent to the feast. She mixed with water the wine poured for her + into a silver cup, and dipped her bread in it, five or six small slices. + The visionary peasant girl cared for none of the dainty meats. And then + she retired to the comfort of a peaceful chamber, where the little + daughter of the house shared her bed: strange return to the days when + Hauvette and Mengette in Domremy lay by her side and talked as girls love + to do, through half the silent night. Perhaps little Charlotte, too, lay + awake with awe to wonder at that other young head on the pillow, a little + while ago shut into the silver helmet, and shining like the archangel's. + The <i>état majeur</i>, the Chevalier d'Aulon, Jean de Metz, and Bertrand + de Poulengy, who had never left her, first friends and most faithful, and + her brother Pierre d'Arc, were lodged in the same house. It was the last + night of April, 1429. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) The dates must of course be reckoned by the old style.— + This letter was dispatched from Tours, during her pause + there. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV — THE RELIEF OF ORLEANS. MAY 1-8, 1429. + </h2> + <p> + Next morning there was a council of war among the many leaders now + collected within the town. It was the eager desire of Jeanne that an + assault should be made at once, in all the enthusiasm of the moment, upon + the English towers, without waiting even for the arrival of the little + army which she had preceded. But the captains of the defence who had borne + the heat and burden of the day, and who might naturally enough be + irritated by the enthusiasm with which this stranger had been received, + were of a different opinion. I quote here a story, for which I am told + there is no foundation whatever, touching a personage who probably never + existed, so that the reader may take it as he pleases, with indulgence for + the writer's weakness, or indignation at her credulity. It seems to me, + however, to express very naturally a sentiment which must have existed + among the many captains who had been fighting unsuccessfully for months in + defence of the beleaguered city. A certain Guillaume de Gamache felt + himself insulted above all by the suggestion. "What," he cried, "is the + advice of this hussy from the fields (<i>une péronnelle de bas lieu</i>) + to be taken against that of a knight and captain! I will fold up my banner + and become again a simple soldier. I would rather have a nobleman for my + master than a woman whom nobody knows." + </p> + <p> + Dunois, who was too wise to weaken the forces at his command by such a + quarrel, is said to have done his best to reconcile and soothe the angry + captain. This, however, if it was true, was only a mild instance of the + perpetual opposition which the Maid encountered from the very beginning of + her career and wherever she went. Notwithstanding her victories, she + remained through all her career a <i>péronnelle</i> to these men of war + (with the noble exception, of course, of Alençon, Dunois, Xaintrailles, La + Hire, and others). They were sore and wounded by her appearance and her + claims. If they could cheat her, balk her designs, steal a march in any + way, they did so, from first to last, always excepting the few who were + faithful to her. Dunois could afford to be magnanimous, but the lesser men + were jealous, envious, embittered. A <i>péronnelle</i>, a woman nobody + knew! And they themselves were belted knights, experienced soldiers, of + the best blood of France. It was not unnatural; but this atmosphere of + hate, malice, and mortification forms the background of the picture + wherever the Maid moves in her whiteness, illuminating to us the whole + scene. The English hated her lustily as their enemy and a witch, casting + spells and enchantments so that the strength was sucked out of a man's arm + and the courage from his heart: but the Frenchmen, all but those who were + devoted to her, regarded her with an ungenerous opposition, the hate of + men shamed and mortified by every triumph she achieved. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was angry, too, and disappointed, more than she had been by all + discouragements before. She had believed, perhaps, that once in the field + these oppositions would be over, and that her mission would be rapidly + accomplished. But she neither rebelled nor complained. What she did was to + occupy herself about what she felt to be her business, without reference + to any commander. She sent out two heralds,(1) who were attached to her + staff, and therefore at her personal disposal, to summon once more Talbot + and Glasdale (Classidas, as the French called him) <i>de la part de Dieu</i> + to evacuate their towers and return home. It would seem that in her + miraculous soul she had a visionary hope that this appeal might be + successful. What so noble, what so Christian, as that the one nation + should give up, of free-will, its attempt upon the freedom and rights of + another, if once the duty were put simply before it—and both + together joining hands, march off, as she had already suggested, to do the + noblest deed that had ever yet been done for Christianity? That same + evening she rode forth with her little train; and placing herself on the + town end of the bridge (which had been broken in the middle), as near as + the breach would permit to the bastille, or fort of the Tourelles, which + was built across the further end of the bridge, on the left side of the + Loire—called out to the enemy, summoning them once more to withdraw + while there was time. She was overwhelmed, as might have been expected, + with a storm of abusive shouts and evil words, Classidas and his captains + hurrying to the walls to carry on the fierce exchange of abuse. To be + called dairy-maid and <i>péronnelle</i> was a light matter, but some of + the terms used were so cruel that, according to some accounts, she + betrayed her womanhood by tears, not prepared apparently for the use of + such foul weapons against her. The <i>Journal du Siège</i> declares, + however, that she was "aucunement yrée" (angry), but answered that they + lied, and rode back to the city. + </p> + <p> + The next Sunday, the 1st of May, Dunois, alarmed by the delay of his main + body, set out for Blois to meet them, and we are told that Jeanne + accompanied him to the special point of danger, where the English from + their fortifications might have stopped his progress, and took up a + position there, along with La Hire, between the expedition and the enemy. + But in the towers not a man budged, not a shot was fired. It was again a + miracle, and she had predicted it. The party of Dunois marched on in + safety, and Jeanne returned to Orleans, once more receiving on the breeze + some words of abuse from the defenders of those battlements, which sent + forth no more dangerous missile, and replying again with her summons, "<i>Retournez + de la par Dieu à Angleterre.</i>" The townsfolk watched her coming and + going with an excitement impossible to describe; they walked by the side + of her charger to the cathedral, which was the end of every progress; they + talked to her, all speaking together, pressing upon her—and she to + them, bidding them to have no fear. "Messire has sent me," she said again + and again. She went out again, Wednesday, 4th May, on the return of + Dunois, to meet the army, with the same result, that they entered quietly, + the English not firing a shot. + </p> + <p> + On this same day, in the afternoon, after the early dinner, there happened + a wonderful scene. Jeanne, it appeared, had fallen asleep after her meal, + no doubt tired with the expedition of the morning, and her chief + attendant, D'Aulon, who had accompanied Dunois to fetch the troops from + Blois, being weary after his journey, had also stretched himself on a + couch to rest. They were all tired, the entry of the troops having been + early in the morning, a fact of which the angry captains of Orleans, who + had not shared in that expedition, took advantage to make a secret sortie + unknown to the new chiefs. All at once the Maid awoke in agitation and + alarm. Her "voices" had awakened her from her sleep. "My council tell me + to go against the English," she cried; "but if to assail their towers or + to meet Fastolfe I cannot tell." As she came to the full command of her + faculties her trouble grew. "The blood of our soldiers is flowing," she + said; "why did they not tell me? My arms, my arms!" Then she rushed down + stairs to find her page amusing himself in the tranquil afternoon, and + called to him for her horse. All was quiet, and no doubt her attendants + thought her mad: but D'Aulon, who knew better than to contradict his + mistress, armed her rapidly, and Luis, the page, brought her horse to the + door. By this time there began to rise a distant rumour and outcry, at + which they all pricked their ears. As Jeanne put her foot in the stirrup + she perceived that her standard was wanting, and called to the page, Louis + de Contes, above, to hand it to her out of the window. Then with the heavy + flag-staff in her hand she set spurs to her horse, her attendants one by + one clattering after her, and dashed onward "so that the fire flashed from + the pavement under the horse's feet." + </p> + <p> + Jeanne's presentiment was well-founded. There had been a private + expedition against the English fort of St. Loup carried out quietly to + steal a march upon her—Gamache, possibly, or other malcontents of + his temper, in the hope perhaps of making use of her prestige to gain a + victory without her presence. But it had happened with this sally as with + many others which had been made from Orleans; and when Jeanne appeared + outside the gate which she and the rest of the followers after her had + almost forced—coming down upon them at full gallop, her standard + streaming, her white armour in a blaze of reflection, she met the + fugitives flying back towards the shelter of the town. She does not seem + to have paused or to have deigned to address a word to them, though the + troop of soldiers and citizens who had snatched arms and flung themselves + after her, arrested and turned them back. Straight to the foot of the + tower she went, Dunois startled in his turn, thundering after her. It is + not for a woman to describe, any more than it was for a woman to execute + such a feat of war. It is said that she put herself at the head of the + citizens, Dunois at the head of the soldiers. One moment of pity and + horror and heart-sickness Jeanne had felt when she met several wounded men + who were being carried towards the town. She had never seen French blood + shed before, and the dreadful thought that they might die unconfessed, + overwhelmed her soul; but this was but an incident of her breathless + gallop to the encounter. To isolate the tower which was attacked was the + first necessity, and then the conflict was furious—the English + discouraged, but fighting desperately against a mysterious force which + overwhelmed them, at the same time that it redoubled the ardour of every + Frenchman. Lord Talbot sent forth parties from the other forts to help + their companions, but these were met in the midst by the rest of the army + arriving from Orleans, which stopped their course. It was not till + evening, "the hour of Vespers," that the bastille was finally taken, with + great slaughter, the Orleanists giving little quarter. During these + dreadful hours the Maid was everywhere visible with her standard, the most + marked figure, shouting to her men, weeping for the others, not fighting + herself so far as we hear, but always in the front of the battle. When she + went back to Orleans triumphant, she led a band of prisoners with her, + keeping a wary eye upon them that they might not come to harm. + </p> + <p> + The next day, May 5th, was the Feast of the Ascension, and it was spent by + Jeanne in rest and in prayer. But the other leaders were not so devout. + They held a crowded and anxious council of war, taking care that no news + of it should reach the ears of the Maid. When, however, they had decided + upon the course to pursue they sent for her, and intimated to her their + decision to attack only the smaller forts, which she heard with great + impatience, not sitting down, but walking about the room in disappointment + and anger. It is difficult(2) for the present writer to follow the plans + of this council or to understand in what way Jeanne felt herself + contradicted and set aside. However it was, the fact seems certain that + their plan failed at first, the English having themselves abandoned one of + the smaller forts on the right side of the river and concentrated their + forces in the greater ones of Les Augustins and Les Tourelles on the left + bank. For all this, reference to the map is necessary, which will make it + quite clear. It was Classidas, as he is called, Glasdale, the most furious + enemy of France, and one of the bravest of the English captains who held + the former, and for a moment succeeded in repulsing the attack. The + fortune of war seemed about to turn back to its former current, and the + French fell back on the boats which had brought them to the scene of + action, carrying the Maid with them in their retreat. But she perceived + how critical the moment was, and reining up her horse from the bank, down + which she was being forced by the crowd, turned back again, closely + followed by La Hire, and at once, no doubt, by the stouter hearts who only + wanted a leader—and charging the English, who had regained their + courage as the white armour of the witch disappeared, and were in full + career after the fugitives—drove them back to their fortifications, + which they gained with a rush, leaving the ground strewn with the wounded + and dying. Jeanne herself did not draw bridle till she had planted her + standard on the edge of the moat which surrounded the tower. + </p> + <p> + Michelet is very brief concerning this first victory, and claims only that + "the success was due in part to the Maid," although the crowd of captains + and men-at-arms where by themselves quite sufficient for the work, had + there been any heart in them. But this was true to fact in almost every + case: and it is clear that she was simply the heart, which was the only + thing wanted to those often beaten Frenchmen; where she was, where they + could hear her robust young voice echoing over all the din, they were as + men inspired; when the impetus of their flight carried her also away, they + became once more the defeated of so many battles. The effect upon the + English was equally strong; when the back of Jeanne was turned, they were + again the men of Agincourt; when she turned upon them, her white + breastplate blazing out like a star, the sunshine striking dazzling rays + from her helmet, they trembled before the sorceress; an angel to her own + side, she was the very spirit of magic and witchcraft to her opponents. + Classidas, or which captain soever of the English side it might happen to + be, blaspheming from the battlements, hurled all the evil names of which a + trooper was capable, upon her, while she from below summoned them, in + different tones of appeal and menace, calling upon them to yield, to go + home, to give up the struggle. Her form, her voice are always evident in + the midst of the great stone bullets, the cloth-yard shafts that were + flying—they were so near, the one above, the other below, that they + could hear each other speak. + </p> + <p> + On the 7th of May the fort of Les Augustins on the left bank was taken. It + will be seen by reference to the map, that this bastille, an ancient + convent, stood at some distance from the river, in peaceful times a little + way beyond the bridge, and no doubt a favourite Sunday walk from the city. + The bridge was now closed up by the frowning bulk of the Tourelles built + upon it, with a smaller tower or "boulevard" on the left bank + communicating with it by a drawbridge. When Les Augustins was taken, the + victorious French turned their arms against this boulevard, but as night + had fallen by this time, they suspended the fighting, having driven back + the English, who had made a sally in help of Les Augustins. Here in the + dark, which suited their purpose, another council was held. The captains + decided that they would now pursue their victory no further, the town + being fully supplied with provisions and joyful with success, but that + they would await the arrival of reinforcements before they proceeded + further; probably their object was solely to get rid of Jeanne, to + conclude the struggle without her, and secure the credit of it. The + council was held in the camp within sight of the fort, by the light of + torches; after she had been persuaded to withdraw, on account of a slight + wound in her foot from a calthrop, it is said. This message was sent after + her into Orleans. She heard it with quiet disdain. "You have held your + council, and I have had mine," she said calmly to the messengers; then + turning to her chaplain, "Come to me to-morrow at dawn," she said, "and do + not leave me; I shall have much to do. My blood will be shed. I shall be + wounded(3) to-morrow," pointing above her right breast. Up to this time no + weapon had touched her; she had stood fast among all the flying arrows, + the fierce play of spear and sword, and had taken no harm. + </p> + <p> + In the morning early, at sunrise, she dashed forth from the town again, + though the generals, her hosts, and all the authorities who were in the + plot endeavoured to detain her. "Stay with us, Jeanne," said the people + with whom she lodged—official people, much above the rank of the + Maid—"stay and help us to eat this fish fresh out of the river." + "Keep it for this evening," she said, "and I shall return by the bridge + and bring you some Goddens to have their share." She had already brought + in a party of the Goddens on the night before to protect them from the + fury of the crowd. The peculiarity of this promise lay in the fact that + the bridge was broken, and could not be passed, even without that + difficulty, without passing through the Tourelles and the boulevard which + blocked it at the other end. At the closed gates another great official + stood by, to prevent her passing, but he was soon swept away by the flood + of enthusiasts who followed the white horse and its white rider. The crowd + flung themselves into the boats to cross the river with her, horse and + man. Les Tourelles stood alone, black and frowning across the shining + river in its early touch of golden sunshine, on the south side of the + Loire, the lower tower of the boulevard on the bank blackened with the + fire of last night's attack, and the smoking ruins of Les Augustins + beyond. The French army, whom Orleans had been busy all night feeding and + encouraging, lay below, not yet apparently moving either for action or + retreat. Jeanne plunged among them like a ray of light, D'Aulon carrying + her banner; and passing through the ranks, she took up her place on the + border of the moat of the boulevard. Her followers rushed after with that + <i>élan</i> of desperate and uncalculating valour which was the great + power of the French arms. In the midst of the fray the girl's clear voice, + <i>assez voix de femme</i>, kept shouting encouragements, <i>de la part de + Dieu</i> always her war-cry. "<i>Bon coeur, bonne espérance</i>," she + cried—"the hour is at hand." But after hours of desperate fighting + the spirit of the assailants began to flag. Jeanne, who apparently did not + at any time take any active part in the struggle, though she exposed + herself to all its dangers, seized a ladder, placed it against the wall, + and was about to mount, when an arrow struck her full in the breast. The + Maid fell, the crowd closed round; for a moment it seemed as if all were + lost. + </p> + <p> + Here we have over again in the fable our friend Gamache. It is a pretty + story, and though we ask no one to take it for absolute fact, there is no + reason why some such incident might not have occurred. Gamache, the angry + captain who rather than follow a <i>péronnelle</i> to the field was + prepared to fold his banner round its staff, and give up his rank, is + supposed to have been the nearest to her when she fell. It was he who + cleared the crowd from about her and raised her up. "Take my horse," he + said, "brave creature. Bear no malice. I confess that I was in the wrong." + "It is I that should be wrong if I bore malice," cried Jeanne, "for never + was a knight so courteous" (<i>chevalier si bien apprins</i>). She was + surrounded immediately by her people, the chaplain whom she had bidden to + keep near her, her page, all her special attendants, who would have + conveyed her out of the fight had she consented. Jeanne had the courage to + pull the arrow out of the wound with her own hand,—"it stood a hand + breadth out" behind her shoulder—but then, being but a girl and this + her first experience of the sort, notwithstanding her armour and her rank + as General-in-Chief, she cried with the pain, this commander of seventeen. + Somebody then proposed to charm the wound with an incantation, but the + Maid indignant, cried out, "I would rather die." Finally a compress soaked + in oil was placed upon it, and Jeanne withdrew a little with her chaplain, + and made her confession to him, as one who might be about to die. + </p> + <p> + But soon her mood changed. She saw the assailants waver and fall back; the + attack grew languid, and Dunois talked of sounding the retreat. Upon this + she got to her feet, and scrambled somehow on her horse. "Rest a little," + she implored the generals about her, "eat something, refresh yourselves: + and when you see my standard floating against the wall, forward, the place + is yours." They seem to have done as she suggested, making a pause, while + Jeanne withdrew a little into a vineyard close by, where there must have + been a tuft of trees, to afford her a little shelter. There she said her + prayers, and tasted that meat to eat that men wot not of, which restores + the devout soul. Turning back she took her standard from her squire's + hand, and planted it again on the edge of the moat. "Let me know," she + said, "when the pennon touches the wall." The folds of white and gold with + the benign countenance of the Saviour, now visible, now lost in the + changes of movement, floated over their heads on the breeze of the May + day. "Jeanne," said the squire, "it touches!" "On!" cried the Maid, her + voice ringing through the momentary quiet. "On! All is yours!" The troops + rose as one man; they flung themselves against the wall, at the foot of + which that white figure stood, the staff of her banner in her hand, + shouting, "All is yours." Never had the French <i>élan</i> been so wildly + inspired, so irresistible; they swarmed up the wall "as if it had been a + stair." "Do they think themselves immortal?" the panic-stricken English + cried among themselves—panic-stricken not by their old enemies, but + by the white figure at the foot of the wall. Was she a witch, as had been + thought? was not she indeed the messenger of God? The dazzling rays that + shot from her armour seemed like butterflies, like doves, like angels + floating about her head. They had thought her dead, yet here she stood + again without a sign of injury; or was it Michael himself, the great + archangel whom she resembled do much? Arrows flew round her on every side + but never touched her. She struck no blow, but the folds of her standard + blew against the wall, and her voice rose through all the tumult. "On! + Enter! <i>de la part de Dieu!</i> for all is yours." + </p> + <p> + The Maid had other words to say, "<i>Renty, renty</i>, Classidas!" she + cried, "you called me vile names, but I have a great pity for your soul." + He on his side showered down blasphemies. He was at the last gasp; one + desperate last effort he made with a handful of men to escape from the + boulevard by the drawbridge to Les Tourelles, which crossed a narrow strip + of the river. But the bridge had been fired by a fire-ship from Orleans + and gave way under the rush of the heavily-armed men; and the fierce + Classidas and his companions were plunged into the river, where a knight + in armour, like a tower falling, went to the bottom in a moment. Nearly + thirty of them, it is said, plunged thus into the great Loire and were + seen no more. + </p> + <p> + It was the end of the struggle. The French flag swung forth on the + parapet, the French shout rose to heaven. Meanwhile a strange sight was to + be seen—the St. Michael in shining armour, who had led that assault, + shedding tears for the ferocious Classidas, who had cursed her with his + last breath. "<i>J'ai grande pitié de ton âme.</i>" Had he but had time to + clear his soul and reconcile himself with God! + </p> + <p> + This was virtually the end of the siege of Orleans. The broken bridge on + the Loire had been rudely mended, with a great <i>gouttière</i> and + planks, and the people of Orleans had poured out over it to take the + Tourelles in flank—the English being thus taken between Jeanne's + army on the one side and the citizens on the other. The whole south bank + of the river was cleared, not an Englishman left to threaten the richest + part of France, the land flowing with milk and honey. And though there + still remained several great generals on the other side with strong + fortifications to fall back upon, they seem to have been paralysed, and + did not strike a blow. Jeanne was not afraid of them, but her ardour to + continue the fight dropped all at once; enough had been done. She awaited + the conclusion with confidence. Needless to say that Orleans was half mad + with joy, every church sounding its bells, singing its song of triumph and + praise, the streets so crowded that it was with difficulty that the Maid + could make her progress through them, with throngs of people pressing + round to kiss her hand, if might be, her greaves, her mailed shoes, her + charger, the floating folds of her banner. She had said she would be + wounded and so she was, as might be seen, the envious rent of the arrow + showing through the white plates of metal on her shoulder. She had said + all should be theirs <i>de par Dieu:</i> and all was theirs, thanks to our + Lord and also to St. Aignan and St. Euvert, patrons of Orleans, and to St. + Louis and St. Charlemagne in heaven who had so great pity of the kingdom + of France: and to the Maid on earth, the Heaven-sent deliverer, the + spotless virgin, the celestial warrior—happy he who could reach to + kiss it, the point of her mailed shoe. + </p> + <p> + Someone says that she rode through all this half-delirious joy like a + creature in a dream,—fatigue, pain, the happy languor of the end + attained, and also the profound pity that was the very inspiration of her + spirit, for all those souls of men gone to their account without help of + Church or comfort of priest—overwhelming her. But next day, which + was Sunday, she was up again and eagerly watching all that went on. A + strange sight was Orleans on that Sunday of May. On the south side of the + Loire, all those half-ruined bastilles smoking and silenced, which once + had threatened not the city only but all the south of France; on the north + the remaining bands of English drawn up in order of battle. The excitement + of the town and of the generals in it, was intense; worn as they were with + three days of continuous fighting, should they sally forth again and meet + that compact, silent, doubly defiant army, which was more or less fresh + and unexhausted? Jeanne's opinion was, No; there had been enough of + fighting, and it was Sunday, the holy day; but apparently the French did + go out though keeping at a distance, watching the enemy. By orders of the + Maid an altar was raised between the two armies in full sight of both + sides, and there mass was celebrated, under the sunshine, by the side of + the river which had swallowed Classidas and all his men. French and + English together devoutly turned towards and responded to that Mass in the + pause of bewildering uncertainty. "Which way are their heads turned?" + Jeanne asked when it was over. "They are turned away from us, they are + turned to Meung," was the reply. "Then let them go, <i>de par Dieu</i>," + the Maid replied. + </p> + <p> + The siege had lasted for seven months, but eight days of the Maid were + enough to bring it to an end. The people of Orleans still, every year, on + the 8th of May, make a procession round the town and give thanks to God + for its deliverance. Henceforth, the Maid was known no longer as Jeanne + d'Arc, the peasant of Domremy, but as <i>La Pucelle d'Orléans</i>, in the + same manner in which one might speak of the Prince of Waterloo, or the Duc + de Malakoff. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) Their special mission seems to have been a demand for + the return of a herald previously sent who had never come + back. As Dunois accompanied the demand by a threat to kill + the English prisoners in Orleans if the herald was not sent + back, the request was at once accorded, with fierce + defiances to the Maid, the dairy-maid as she is called, + bidding her go back to her cows, and threatening to burn her + if they caught her. + + (2) I avail myself here as elsewhere of Mr. Lang's lucid + description. "It is really perfectly intelligible. The + Council wanted a feint on the left bank, Jeanne an attack on + the right. She knew their scheme, untold, but entered into + it. There was, however, no feint. She deliberately forced + the fighting. There was grand fighting, well worth telling," + adds my martial critic, who understands it so much better + than I do, and who I am happy to think is himself telling + the tale in another way. + + (3) She had made this prophecy a month before, and it was + recorded three weeks before the event in the Town Book of + Brabant.—A. L. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V — THE CAMPAIGN OF THE LOIRE. JUNE, JULY, 1429. + </h2> + <p> + The rescue of Orleans and the defeat of the invincible English were news + to move France from one end to the other, and especially to raise the + spirits and restore the courage of that part of France which had no + sympathy with the invaders and to which the English yoke was unaccustomed + and disgraceful. The news flew up and down the Loire from point to point, + arousing every village, and breathing new heart and encouragement + everywhere; while in the meantime Jeanne, partially healed of her wound + (on May 9th she rode out in a <i>maillet</i>, a light coat of chain-mail), + after a few days' rest in the joyful city which she had saved with all its + treasures, set out on her return to Chinon. She found the King at Loches, + another of the strong places on the Loire where there was room for a + Court, and means of defence for a siege should such be necessary, as is + the case with so many of these wonderful castles upon the great French + river. Hot with eagerness to follow up her first great success and + accomplish her mission, Jeanne's object was to march on at once with the + young Prince, with or without his immense retinue, to Rheims where he + should be crowned and anointed King as she had promised. Her instinctive + sense of the necessities of the position, if we use that language—more + justly, her boundless faith in the orders which she believed had been give + her from Heaven, to accomplish this great act without delay, urged her on. + She was straitened, if we may quote the most divine of words, till it + should be accomplished. + </p> + <p> + But the Maid, flushed with victory, with the shouts of Orleans still + ringing in her ears, the applause of her fellow-soldiers, the sound of the + triumphant bells, was plunged all at once into the indolence, the + intrigues, the busy nothingness of the Court, in which whispering + favourites surrounded a foolish young prince, beguiling him into foolish + amusements, alarming him with coward fears. Wise men and buffoons alike + dragged him down into that paltry abyss, the one always counselling + caution, the other inventing amusements. "Let us eat and drink for + to-morrow we die." Was it worth while to lose everything that was + enjoyable in the present moment, to subject a young sovereign to toils and + excitement, and probable loss, for the uncertain advantage of a vain + ceremony, when he might be enjoying himself safely and at his ease, + throughout the summer months, on the cheerful banks of the Loire? On the + other hand, the Chancellor, the Chamberlains, the Church, all his graver + advisers (with the exception of Gerson, the great theologian to whom has + been ascribed the authorship of the <i>Imitation of Christ</i>, who is + reported to have said, "If France deserts her, and she fails, she is none + the less inspired") shook their hands and advised that the way should be + quite safe and free of danger before the King risked himself upon it. It + was thus that Jeanne was received when, newly alighted from her charger, + her shoulder still but half healed, her eyes scarcely clear of the dust + and smoke, she found herself once more in the ante-chamber, wasting the + days, waiting in vain behind closed doors, tormented by the lutes and + madrigals, the light women and lighter men, useless and contemptible, of a + foolish Court. The Maid, in all the energy and impulse of a success which + had proved all her claims, had also a premonition that her own time was + short, if not a direct intimation, as some believe, to that effect: and + mingled her remonstrances and appeals with the cry of warning: "I shall + only last a year: take the good of me as long as it is possible." + </p> + <p> + No doubt she was a very great entertainment to the idle seigneurs and + ladies who would try to persuade her to tell them what was to happen to + them, she who had prophesied the death of Glasdale and her own wound and + so many other things. The Duke of Lorraine on her first setting out had + attempted to discover from Jeanne what course his illness would take, and + whether he should get better; and all the demoiselles and demoiseaux, the + flutterers of the ante-chamber, would be still more likely to surround + with their foolish questions the stout-hearted, impatient girl who had + acquired a little of the roughness of her soldier comrades, and had never + been slow at any time in answering a fool according to his folly; for + Jeanne was no meek or sentimental maiden, but a robust and vigorous young + woman, ready with a quick response, as well as with a ready blow did any + one touch her unadvisedly, or use any inappropriate freedom. At last, one + day while she waited vainly outside the cabinet in which the King was + retired with a few of his councillors, Jeanne's patience failed her + altogether. She knocked at the door, and being admitted threw herself at + the feet of the King. To Jeanne he was no king till he had received the + consecration necessary for every sovereign of France. "Noble Dauphin," she + cried, "why should you hold such long and tedious councils? Rather come to + Rheims and receive your worthy crown." + </p> + <p> + The Bishop of Castres, Christopher de Harcourt, who was present, asked her + if she would not now in the presence of the King describe to them the + manner in which her council instructed her, when they talked with her. + Jeanne reddened and replied: "I understand that you would like to know, + and I would gladly satisfy you." "Jeanne," said the King in his turn, "it + would be very good if you could do what they ask, in the presence of those + here." She answered at once and with great feeling: "When I am vexed to + find myself disbelieved in the things I say from God, I retire by myself + and pray to God, complaining and asking of Him why I am not listened to. + And when I have prayed I hear a voice which says, 'Daughter of God, go, + go, go! I will help thee, go!' And when I hear that voice I feel a great + joy." Her face shone as she spoke, "lifting her eyes to heaven," like the + face of Moses while still it bore the reflection of the glory of God, so + that the men were dazzled who sat, speechless, looking on. + </p> + <p> + The result was that Charles kindly promised to set out as soon as the road + between him and Rheims should be free of the English, especially the towns + on the Loire in which a great part of the army dispersed from Orleans had + taken refuge, with the addition of the auxiliary forces of Sir John + Fastolfe, a name so much feared by the French, but at which the English + reader can scarcely forbear a smile. That the young King did not think of + putting himself at the head of the troops or of taking part in the + campaign shows sufficiently that he was indeed a <i>pauvre sire</i>, + unworthy his gallant people. Jeanne, however, nothing better being + possible, seems to have accepted this mission with readiness, and + instantly began her preparations to carry it out. It is here that the + young Seigneur Guy de Laval comes in with his description of her already + quoted. He was no humble squire but a great personage to whom the King was + civil and pleased to show courtesy. The young man writes to <i>ses mères</i>, + that is, it seems, his mother and grandmother, to whom, in their distant + château, anxiously awaiting news of the two youths gone to the wars, their + faithful son makes his report of himself and his brother. The King, he + says, sent for the Maid, in order, Sir Guy believes, that he might see + her. And afterwards the young man went to Selles where she was just + setting out on the campaign. + </p> + <p> + From Selles, he writes on the 8th June, exactly a month after the + deliverance of Orleans: + </p> + <p> + "I went to her lodging to see her, and she sent for wine and told me we + should soon drink wine in Paris. It was a miraculous thing (<i>toute + divine</i>) to see her and hear her. She left Selles on Monday at the hour + of vespers for Romorantin, the Marshal de Boussac and a great many armed + men with her. I saw her mount her horse, all in white armour excepting the + head, a little axe in her hand. The great black charger was very restive + at her door and would not let her mount. 'Lead him,' she said, 'to the + cross which is in front of the church,' and there she mounted, the horse + standing still as if he had been bound. Then turning towards the church + which was close by she said in a womanly voice (<i>assez voix de femme</i>), + 'You priests and people of the Church, make processions and prayers to God + for us'; then turning to the road, 'Forward,' she said. Her unfolded + standard was carried by a page; she had her little axe in her hand, and by + her side rode a brother who had joined her eight days before. The Maid + told me in her lodging that she had sent you, grandmother, a small gold + ring, which was indeed a very small affair, and that she would fain have + sent you something better, considering your recommendation. To-day M. + d'Alençon, the Bastard of Orleans, and Gaucourt were to leave Selles, + following the Maid. And men are arriving from all parts every day, all + with good hope in God who I believe will help us. But money there is none + at the Court, so that for the present I have no hope of any help or + assistance. Therefore I desire you, <i>Madame ma mère</i>, who have my + seal, spare not the land neither in sale nor mortgage . . . . My much + honoured ladies and mothers, I pray the blessed Son of God that you have a + good life and long; and both of us recommend ourselves to our brother + Louis. And we send our greetings to the reader of this letter. Written + from Selles, Wednesday, 8th June, 1429. This afternoon are arrived M. de + Vendôme, M. de Boussac, and others, and La Hire has joined the army, and + we shall soon be at work (<i>on besognera bientôt</i>)—May God grant + that it should be according to your desire." + </p> + <p> + It was with difficulty that the Duc d'Alençon had been got to start, his + wife consenting with great reluctance. He had been long a prisoner in + England, and had lately been ransomed for a great sum of money; "Was not + that a sufficient sacrifice?" the Duchess asked indignantly. To risk once + more a husband so costly was naturally a painful thing to do, and why + could not Jeanne be content and stay where she was? Jeanne comforted the + lady, perhaps with a little good-humoured contempt. "Fear nothing, + Madame," she said; "I will bring him back to you safe and sound." Probably + Alençon himself had no great desire to be second in command to this + country lass, even though she had delivered Orleans; and if he set out at + all he would have preferred to take another direction and to protect his + own property and province. The gathering of the army thus becomes visible + to us; parties are continually coming in; and no doubt, as they marched + along, many a little château—and they abound through the country + each with its attendant hamlet—gave forth its master or heir, poor + but noble, followed by as many men-at-arms, perhaps only two or three, as + the little property could raise, to swell the forces with the best and + surest of material, the trained gentlemen with hearts full of chivalry and + pride, but with the same hardy, self-denying habits as the sturdy peasants + who followed them, ready for any privation; with a proud delight to hear + that <i>on besognera bientôt</i>—with that St. Michael at their + head, and no longer any fear of the English in their hearts. + </p> + <p> + The first <i>besogne</i> on which this army entered was the siege of + Jargeau, June 11th, into which town Suffolk had thrown himself and his + troops when the siege of Orleans was raised. The town was strong and so + was the garrison, experienced too in all the arts of war, and already + aware of the wild enthusiasm by which Jeanne was surrounded. She passed + through Orleans on the 10th of June, and had there been joined by various + new detachments. The number of her army was now raised, we are told, to + twelve hundred lances, which means, as each "lance" was a separate party, + about three thousand six hundred men, though the <i>Journal du Siège</i> + gives a much larger number; at all events it was a small army with which + to decide a quarrel between the two greatest nations of Christendom. Her + associates in command were here once more seized by the prevailing sin of + hesitation, and many arguments were used to induce her to postpone the + assault. It would seem that this hesitation continued until the very + moment of attack, and was only put an end to when Jeanne herself + impatiently seized her banner from the hand of her squire, and planting + herself at the foot of the walls let loose the fervour of the troops and + cheered them on to the irresistible rush in which lay their strength. For + it was with the commanders, not with the followers, that the weakness lay. + The Maid herself was struck on the head by a stone from the battlements + which threw her down; but she sprang up again in a moment unhurt. "<i>Sus! + Sus!</i> Our Lord has condemned the English—all is yours!" she + cried. She would seem to have stood there in her place with her banner, a + rallying-point and centre in the midst of all the confusion of the fight, + taking this for her part in it, and though she is always in the thick of + the combat, never, so far as we are told, striking a blow, exposed to all + the instruments of war, but injured by none. The effect of her mere + attitude, the steadiness of her stand, under the terrible rain of stone + bullets and dreadful arrows, must of itself have been indescribable. + </p> + <p> + In the midst of the fiery struggle, there is almost a comic point in her + watch over Alençon, for whose safety she had pledged herself, now dragging + him from a dangerous spot with a cry of warning, now pushing him forward + with an encouraging word. On the first of these occasions a gentleman of + Anjou, M. de Lude, who took his place in the front was killed, which seems + hard upon the poor gentleman, who was probably quite as well worth caring + for as Alençon. "<i>Avant, gentil duc</i>," she cried at another moment, + "forward! Are you afraid? you know I promised your wife to bring you safe + home." Thus her voice keeps ringing through the din, her white armour + gleams. "<i>Sus! Sus!</i>" the bold cry is almost audible, sibilant, + whistling amid the whistling of the arrows. + </p> + <p> + Suffolk, the English Bayard, the most chivalrous of knights, was at last + forced to yield. One story tells us that he would give up his sword only + to Jeanne herself,(1) but there is a more authentic description of his + selection of one youth among his assailants whom the quick perceptions of + the leader had singled out. "Are you noble?" Suffolk asks in the brevity + of such a crisis. "Yes; Guillame Regnault, gentleman of Auvergne." "Are + you a knight?" "Not yet." The victor put a knee to the ground before his + captive, the vanquished touched him lightly on the shoulder with the sword + which he then gave over to him. Suffolk was always the finest gentleman, + the most perfect gentle knight of his time. + </p> + <p> + "Now let us go and see the English of Meung," cried Jeanne, unwearying, as + soon as this victory was assured. That place fell easily; it is called the + bridge of Meung, in the Chronicle, without further description, therefore + presumably the fortress was not attacked—and they proceeded onward + to Beaugency. These towns still shine over the plain, along the line of + the Loire, visible as far as the eye will carry over the long levels, the + great stream linking one to another like pearls on a thread. There is + nothing in the landscape now to give even a moment's shelter to the + progress of a marching army which must have been seen from afar, wherever + it moved; or to veil the shining battlements, and piled up citadels rising + here and there, concentrated points and centres of life. The great white + Castle of Blois, the darker tower of Beaugency, still stand where they + stood when Jeanne and her men drew near, as conspicuous in their elevation + of walls and towers as if they had been planted on a mountain top. On more + than one occasion during this wonderful progress from victory to victory, + the triumphant leaders returned for a day or two to Orleans to tell their + good tidings, and to celebrate their success. + </p> + <p> + And there is but one voice as to the military skill which she displayed in + these repeated operations. The reader sees her, with her banner, posted in + the middle of the fight, guiding her men with a sort of infallible + instinct which adds force to her absolute quick perception of every + difficulty and advantage, the unhesitating promptitude, attending like so + many servants upon the inspiration which is the soul of all. These are + things to which a writer ignorant of war is quite unable to do justice. + What was almost more wonderful still was the manner in which the Maid held + her place among the captains, most of whom would have thwarted her if they + could, with a consciousness of her own superior place, in which there is + never the slightest token of presumption or self-esteem. She guarded and + guided Alençon with a good-natured and affectionate disdain; and when + there was risk of a great quarrel and a splitting of forces she held the + balance like an old and experienced guide of men. + </p> + <p> + This latter crisis occurred before Beaugency on the 15th of June, when the + Comte de Richemont, Constable of France, the brother of the Duc de + Bretagne, a great nobleman and famous leader, but in disgrace with the + King and exiled from the Court, suddenly appeared with a considerable army + to join himself to the royalist forces, probably with the hope of securing + the leading place. Richemont was no friend to Jeanne; though he apparently + asked her help and influence to reconcile him with the King. He seems + indeed to have thought it a disgrace to France that her troops should be + led, and victories gained by no properly appointed general, but by a + woman, probably a witch, a creature unworthy to stand before armed men. It + must not be forgotten that even now this was the general opinion of her + out of the range of her immediate influence. The English held it like a + religion. Bedford, in his description of the siege of Orleans and its + total failure, reports to England that the discomfiture of the hitherto + always triumphant army was "caused in great part by the fatal faith and + vain fear that the French had, of a disciple and servant of the enemy of + man, called the Maid, who uses many false enchantments, and witchcraft, by + which not only is the number of our soldiers diminished but their courage + marvellously beaten down, and the boldness of our enemies increased." + Richemont was a sworn enemy of all such. "Never man hated more, all + heresies, sorcerers, and sorceresses, than he; for he burned more in + France, in Poitou, and Bretagne, than any other of his time." The French + generals were divided as to the merits of Richemont and the advantages to + be derived from his support. Alençon, the nominal commander, declared that + he would leave the army if Richemont were permitted to join it. The + letters of the King were equally hostile to him; but on the other hand + there were some who held that the accession of the Constable was of more + importance than all the Maids in France. It was a moment which demanded + very wary guidance. Jeanne, it would seem, did not regard his arrival with + much pleasure; probably even the increase of her forces did not please her + as it would have pleased most commanders, holding so strongly as she did, + to the miraculous character of her own mission and that it was not so much + the strength of her troops as the help of God that got her the victory. + But it was not her part to reject or alienate any champion of France. We + have an account of their meeting given by a retainer of Richemont, which + is picturesque enough. "The Maid alighted from her horse, and the + Constable also. 'Jeanne,' he said, 'they tell me that you are against me. + I know not if you are from God (<i>de la part de Dieu</i>) or not. If you + are from God I do not fear you; if you are of the devil, I fear you still + less.' 'Brave Constable,' said Jeanne, 'you have not come here by any will + of mine; but since you are here you are welcome.'" + </p> + <p> + Armed neutrality but suspicion on one side, dignified indifference but + acceptance on the other, could not be better shown. + </p> + <p> + These successes, however, had been attended by various <i>escarmouches</i> + going on behind. The English, who had been driven out of one town after + another, had now drawn together under the command of Talbot, and a party + of troops under Fastolfe, who came to relieve them, had turned back as + Jeanne proceeded, making various unsuccessful attempts to recover what had + been lost. Failing in all their efforts they returned across the country + to Genville, and were continuing their retreat to Paris when the two + enemies came within reach of each other. An encounter in open field was a + new experience of which Jeanne as yet had known nothing. She had been + successful in assault, in the operations of the siege, but to meet the + enemy hand to hand in battle was what she had never been required to do; + and every tradition, every experience, was in favour of the English. From + Agincourt to the Battle of the Herrings at Rouvray near Orleans, which had + taken place in the beginning of the year (a fight so named because the + field of battle had been covered with herrings, the conquerors in this + case being merely the convoy in charge of provisions for the English, + which Fastolfe commanded), such a thing had not been known as that the + French should hold their own, much less attain any victory over the + invaders. In these circumstances there was much talk of falling back upon + the camp near Beaugency and of retreating or avoiding an engagement; + anything rather than hazard one of those encounters which had infallibly + ended in disaster. But Jeanne was of the same mind as always, to go + forward and fear nothing. "Fall upon them! Go at them boldly," she cried. + "If they were in the clouds we should have them. The gentle King will now + gain the greatest victory he has ever had." + </p> + <p> + It is curious to hear that in that great plain of the Beauce, so flat, so + fertile, with nothing but vines and cornfields now against the horizon, + the two armies at last almost stumbled upon each other by accident, in the + midst of the brushwood by which the country was wildly overgrown. The + story is that a stag roused by the French scouts rushed into the midst of + the English, who were advantageously placed among the brushwood to arrest + the enemy on their march; the wild creature terrified and flying before an + army blundered into the midst of the others, was fired at and thus + betrayed the vicinity of the foe. The English had no time to form or set + up their usual defences. They were so taken by surprise that the rush of + the French came without warning, with a suddenness which gave it double + force. La Hire made the first attack as leader of the van, and there was + thus emulation between the two parties, which should be first upon the + enemy. When Alençon asked Jeanne what was to be the issue of the fight, + she said calmly, "Have you good spurs?" "What! You mean we shall turn our + backs on our enemies?" cried her questioner. "Not so," she replied. "The + English will not fight, they will fly, and you will want good spurs to + pursue them." Even this somewhat fantastic prophecy put heart into the + men, who up to this time had been wont to fly and not to fight. + </p> + <p> + And this was what happened, strange as it may seem. Talbot himself was + with the English forces, and many a gallant captain beside: but the men + and their leaders were alike broken in spirit and filled with + superstitious terrors. Whether these were the forces of hell or those of + heaven that came against them no one could be sure; but it was a power + beyond that of earth. The dazzled eyes which seemed to see flights of + white butterflies fluttering about the standard of the Maid, could + scarcely belong to one who thought her a servant of the enemy of men. But + she was a pernicious witch to Talbot, and strangely enough to Richemont + also, who was on her own side. The English force was thrown into + confusion, partly, we may suppose, from the broken ground on which they + were discovered, the undergrowth of the wood which hid both armies from + each other. But soon that disorder turned into the wildest panic and + flight. It would almost seem as if between these two hereditary opponents + one must always be forced into this miserable part. Not all the chivalry + of France had been able to prevent it at the long string of battles in + which they were, before the revelation of the Maid; and not the desperate + and furious valour of Talbot could preserve his English force from the + infection now. Fastolfe, with the philosophy of an old soldier, deciding + that it was vain to risk his men when the field was already lost, rode off + with all his band. Talbot fought with desperation, half mad with rage to + be thus a second time overcome by so unlikely an adversary, and finally + was taken prisoner; while the whole force behind him fled and were killed + in their flight, the plain being scattered with their dead bodies. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne herself made use of those spurs concerning which she had enquired, + and carried away by the passion of battle, followed in the pursuit, we are + told, until she met a Frenchman brutally ill-using a prisoner whom he had + taken, upon which the Maid, indignant, flung herself from her horse, and, + seating herself on the ground beside the unfortunate Englishman, took his + bleeding head upon her lap and, sending for a priest, made his departure + from life at least as easy as pity and spiritual consolation could make it + on such a disastrous field. In all the records there is no mention of any + actual fighting on her part. She stands in the thick of the flying arrows + with her banner, exposing herself to every danger; in moments of alarm, + when her forces seem flagging, she seizes and places a ladder against the + wall for an assault, and climbs the first as some say; but we never see + her strike a blow. On the banks of the Loire the fate of the mail-clad + Glasdale, hopeless in the strong stream underneath the ruined bridge, + brought tears to her eyes, and now all the excitement of the pursuit + vanished in an instant from her mind, when she saw the English man-at-arms + dying without the succour of the Church. Pity was always in her heart; she + was ever on the side of the angels, though an angel of war and not of + peace. + </p> + <p> + It is perhaps because the numbers engaged were so few that this flight or + "Chasse de Patay," has not taken a more important place in the records of + French historians. In general it is only by means of Fontenoy that the <i>amour + propre</i> of the French nation defends itself against the overwhelming + list of battles in which the English have had the better of it. But this + was probably the most complete victory that has ever been gained over the + stubborn enemy whom French tactics are so seldom able to touch; and the + conquerors were purely French without any alloy of alien arms, except a + few Scots, to help them. The entire campaign on the Loire was one of + triumph for the French arms, and of disaster for the English. They—it + is perhaps a point of national pride to admit it frankly—were as + well beaten as heart of Frenchman could desire, beaten not only in the + result, but in the conduct of the campaign, in heart and in courage, in + skill and in genius. There is no reason in the world why it should not be + admitted. But it was not the French generals, not even Dunois, who secured + these victories. It was the young peasant woman, the dauntless Maid, who + underneath the white mantle of her inspiration, miraculous indeed, but not + so miraculous as this, had already developed the genius of a soldier, and + who in her simplicity, thinking nothing but of her "voices" and the + counsel they gave her, was already the best general of them all. + </p> + <p> + When Talbot stood before the French generals, no less a person than + Alençon himself is reported to have made a remark to him, of that + ungenerous kind which we call in feminine language "spiteful," and which + is not foreign to the habit of that great nation. "You did not think this + morning what would have happened to you before sunset," said the Duc + d'Alençon to the prisoner. "It is the fortune of war," replied the English + chief. + </p> + <p> + Once more, however it is like a sudden fall from the open air and sunshine + when the victorious army and its chiefs turned back to the Court where the + King and his councillors sat idle, waiting for news of what was being done + for them. A battle-field is no fine sight; the excitement of the conflict, + the great end to be served by it, the sense of God's special protection, + even the tremendous uproar of the fight, the intoxication of personal + action, danger, and success have, we do not doubt a rapture and passion in + them for the moment, which carry the mind away; but the bravest soldier + holds his breath when he remembers the after scene, the dead and dying, + the horrible injuries inflicted, the loss and misery. However, not even + the miserable scene of the Chasse de Patay is so painful as the reverse of + the dismal picture, the halls of the royal habitation where, while men + died for him almost within hearing of the fiddling and the dances, the + young King trifled away his useless days among his idle favourites, and + the musicians played, the assemblies were held, and all went on as in the + Tuileries. We feel as if we had fallen fathoms deep into the meannesses of + mankind when we come back from the bloodshed and the horror outside, to + the King's presence within. The troops which had gone out in uncertainty, + on an enterprise which might well have proved too great for them, had + returned in full flush of triumph, having at last fully broken the spell + of the English superiority—which was the greatest victory that could + have been achieved: besides gaining the substantial advantage of three + important towns brought back to the King's allegiance—only to find + themselves as little advanced as before, coming back to the self-same + struggle with indolent complaining, indifference, and ingratitude. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne had given the signs that had been demanded from her. She had + delivered Orleans, she cleared the King's road toward the north. She had + filled the French forces with an enthusiasm and transport of valour which + swept away all the traditions of ill fortune. From every point of view the + instant march upon Rheims and the accomplishment of the great object of + her mission had not only become practicable, but was the wisest and most + prudent thing to do. + </p> + <p> + But this was not the opinion of the Chancellor of France, the Archbishop + of Rheims, and La Tremouille, or of the indolent young King himself, who + was very willing to rejoice in the relief from all immediate danger, the + restoration of the surrounding country, and even the victory itself, if + only they would have left him in quiet where he was, sufficiently + comfortable, amused, and happy, without forcing necessary dangers. + Jeanne's successes and her unseasonable zeal and the commotion that she + and her train of captains made, pouring in, in all the excitement of their + triumph, into the midst of the madrigals—seem to have been anything + but welcome. Go to Rheims to be crowned? yes, some time when it was + convenient, when it was safe. But in the meantime what was more important + was to forbid Richemont, whom the Chancellor hated and the King did not + love, to come into the presence or to have any share either in warfare or + in pageant. This was not only in itself an extremely foolish thing to do, + which is always a recommendation, but it was at the same time an excuse + for wasting a little precious time. When this was at last accomplished, + and Richemont, though deeply wounded and offended, proved himself so much + a man of honour and a patriot, that though dismissed by the King he still + upheld, if languidly, his cause—there was yet a great deal of + resistance to be overcome. Paris though so far off was thrown into great + excitement and alarm by the flight at Patay, and the whole city was in + commotion fearing an immediate advance and attack. But in Loches, or + wherever Charles may have been, it was all taken very easily. Fastolfe, + the fugitive, had his Garter taken from him as the greatest disgrace that + could be inflicted, for his shameful flight, about the time when + Richemont, one of the victors, was being sent off and disgraced on the + other side for the crime of having helped to inflict, without the consent + of the King, the greatest blow which had yet been given to the English + domination! So the Court held on its ridiculous and fatal course. + </p> + <p> + However the force of public feeling which must have been very frankly + expressed by many important voices was too much for Charles and he was at + length compelled to put himself in motion. The army had assembled at Gien, + where he joined it, and the great wave of enthusiasm awakened by Jeanne, + and on which he now moved forth as on the top of the wave, was for the + time triumphant. No one dared say now that the Maid was a sorceress, or + that it was by the aid of Beelzebub that she cast out devils; but a + hundred jealousies and hatreds worked against her behind backs, among the + courtiers, among the clergy, strange as that may sound, in sight of the + absolute devotion of her mind, and the saintly life she led. So much was + this the case still, notwithstanding the practical proofs she had given of + her claims, that even persons of kindred mind, partially sharing her + inspirations, such as the famous Brother Richard of Troyes, looked upon + her with suspicion and alarm—fearing a delusion of Satan. It is more + easy perhaps to understand why the archbishops and bishops should have + been inclined against her, since, though perfectly orthodox and a good + Catholic, Jeanne had been independent of all priestly guidance and had + sought no sanction from the Church to her commission, which she believed + to be given by Heaven. "Give God the praise; but we know that this woman + is a sinner." This was the best they could find to say of her in the + moment of her greatest victories; but indeed it is no disparagement to + Jeanne or to any saint that she should share with her Master the + opprobrium of such words as these. + </p> + <p> + At last however a reluctant start was made. Jeanne with her "people," her + little staff, in which, now, were two of her brothers, a second having + joined her after Orleans, left Gien on the 28th of June; and the next day + the King very unwillingly set out. There is given a long list of generals + who surrounded and accompanied him, three or four princes of the blood, + the Bastard of Orleans, the Archbishop of Rheims, marshals, admirals, and + innumerable seigneurs, among whom was our young Guy de Laval who wrote the + letter to his "mothers" which we have already quoted and whose faith in + the Maid we thus know; and our ever faithful La Hire, the big-voiced + Gascon who had permission to swear by his <i>bâton</i>, the d'Artagnan of + this history. We reckon these names as those of friends: Dunois the + ever-brave, Alençon the <i>gentil Duc</i> for whom Jeanne had a special + and protecting kindness, La Hire the rough captain of Free Lances, and the + graceful young seigneur, Sir Guy as we should have called him had he been + English, who was so ready to sell or mortgage his land that he might + convey his troop befittingly to the wars. This little group brightens the + march for us with their friendly faces. We know that they have but one + thought of the warrior maiden in whose genius they had begun to have a + wondering confidence as well as in her divine mission. While they were + there we feel that she had at least so many who understood her, and who + bore her the affection of brothers. We are told that in the progress of + the army Jeanne had no definite place. She rode where she pleased, + sometimes in the front, sometimes in the rear. One imagines with pleasure + that wherever her charger passed along the lines it would be accompanied + by one or other of those valiant and faithful companions. + </p> + <p> + The first place at which a halt was made was Auxerre, a town occupied + chiefly by Burgundians, which closed its gates, but by means of bribes, + partly of provisions to be supplied, partly of gifts to La Tremouille, + secured itself from the attack which Jeanne longed to lead. Other smaller + strongholds on the road yielded without hesitation. At last they came to + Troyes, a large and strong place, well garrisoned and confident in its + strength, the town distinguished in the history of the time by the treaty + made there, by which the young King had been disinherited—and by the + marriage of Henry of England with the Princess Catherine of France, in + whose right he was to succeed to the throne. It was an ill-omened place + for a French king and the camp was torn with dissensions. Should the army + march by, taking no notice of it and so get all the sooner to Rheims? or + should they pause first, to try their fortune against those solid walls? + But indeed it was not the camp that debated this question. The camp was of + Jeanne's mind whichever side she took, and her side was always that of the + promptest action. The garrison made a bold sortie, the very day of the + arrival of Charles and his forces, but had been beaten back: and the King + encamped under the walls, wavering and uncertain whether he might not + still depart on the morrow, but sending a repeated summons to surrender, + to which no attention was paid. + </p> + <p> + Once more there was a pause of indecision; the King was not bold enough + either to push on and leave the city, or to attack it. Again councils of + war succeeded each other day after day, discussing the matter over and + over, leaving the King each time more doubtful, more timid than before. + From these debates Jeanne was anxiously held back, while every silken fool + gave his opinion. At last, one of the councillors was stirred by this + strange anomaly. He declared among them all, that as it was by the advice + of the Maid that the expedition had been undertaken, without her + acquiescence it ought not to be abandoned. "When the King set out it was + not because of the great puissance of the army he then had with him, or + the great treasure he had to provide for them, nor yet because it seemed + to him a probable thing to be accomplished; but the said expedition was + undertaken solely at the suit of the said Jeanne, who urged him constantly + to go forward, to be crowned at Rheims, and that he should find little + resistance, for it was the pleasure and will of God. If the said Jeanne is + not to be allowed to give her advice now, it is my opinion that we should + turn back," said the Seigneur de Treves, who had never been a partisan of + or believer in Jeanne. We are told that at this fortunate moment when one + of her opponents had thus pronounced in her favour, Jeanne, impatient and + restless, knocked at the door of the council chamber as she had done + before in her rustic boldness; and then there occurred a brief and + characteristic dialogue. + </p> + <p> + "Jeanne," said the Archbishop of Rheims, taking the first word, probably + with the ready instinct of a conspirator to excuse himself from having + helped to shut her out, "the King and his council are in great perplexity + to know what they should do." + </p> + <p> + "Shall I be believed if I speak?" said the Maid. + </p> + <p> + "I cannot tell," replied the King, interposing; "though if you say things + that are reasonable and profitable, I shall certainly believe you." + </p> + <p> + "Shall I be believed?" she repeated. + </p> + <p> + "Yes," said the King, "according as you speak." + </p> + <p> + "Noble Dauphin," she exclaimed, "order your people to assault the city of + Troyes, to hold no more councils; for, by my God, in three days I will + introduce you into the town of Troyes, by love or by force, and false + Burgundy shall be dismayed." + </p> + <p> + "Jeanne," said the Chancellor, "if you could do that in six days, we might + well wait." + </p> + <p> + "You shall be master of the place," said the Maid, addressing herself + steadily to the King, "not in six days, but to-morrow." + </p> + <p> + And then there occurred once more the now habitual scene. It was no longer + the miracle it had been to see her dash forward to her post under the + walls with her standard which was the signal for battle, to which the + impatient troops responded, confident in her, as she in herself. But for + the first time we hear how the young general, learning her trade of war + day by day, made her preparations for the siege. She was a gunner born, + according to all we hear, and was quick to perceive the advantage of her + rude artillery though she had never seen one of these <i>bouches de feu</i> + till she encountered them at Orleans. The whole army was set to work + during the night, knights and men-at-arms alike, to raise—with any + kind of handy material, palings faggots, tables, even doors and windows, + taken it must be feared from some neighbouring village or faubourg—a + mound on which to place the guns. The country as we have said is as flat + as the palm of one's hand. They worked all night under cover of the + darkness with incredible devotion, while the alarmed townsfolk not knowing + what was being done, but no doubt divining something from the unusual + commotion, betook themselves to the churches to pray, and began to ponder + whether after all it might not be better to join the King whose armies + were led by St. Michael himself in the person of his representative, than + to risk a siege. Once more the spell of the Maid fell on the defenders of + the place. It was witchcraft, it was some vile art. They had no heart to + man the battlements, to fight like their brothers at Orleans and Jargeau + in face of all the powers of the evil one: the cry of "<i>Sus! Sus!</i>" + was like the death-knell in their ears. + </p> + <p> + While the soldiers within the walls were thus trembling and drawing back, + the bishop and his clergy took the matter in hand; they sallied forth, a + long procession attended by half the city, to parley with the King. It was + in the earliest dawn, while yet the peaceful world was scarcely awake; but + the town had been in commotion all night, every visionary person in it + seeing visions and dreaming dreams, and a panic of superstition and + spiritual terror taking the strength out of every arm. Jeanne was already + at her post, a glimmering white figure in the faint and visionary twilight + of the morning, when the gates of the city swung back before this + tremulous procession. The King, however, received the envoys graciously, + and readily promised to guarantee all the rights of Troyes, and to permit + the garrison to depart in peace, if the town was given up to him. We are + not told whether the Maid acquiesced in this arrangement, though it at + once secured the fulfilment of her prophecy; but in any case she would + seem to have been suspicious of the good faith of the departing garrison. + Instead of retiring to her tent she took her place at the gate, watchful, + to see the enemy march forth. And her suspicion was not without reason. + The allied troops, English and Burgundian, poured forth from the city + gates, crestfallen, unwilling to look the way of the white witch, who + might for aught they knew lay them under some dreadful spell, even in the + moment of passing. But in the midst of them came a darker band, the French + prisoners whom they had previously taken, who were as a sort of funded + capital in their hands, each man worth so much money as a ransom, It was + for this that Jeanne had prepared herself. "<i>En nom Dieu</i>," she + cried, "they shall not be carried away." The march was stopped, the alarm + given, the King unwillingly aroused once more from his slumbers. Charles + must have been disturbed at the most untimely hour by the ambassadors from + the town, and it mattered little to his supreme indolence and indifference + what might happen to his unfortunate lieges; but he was forced to bestir + himself, and even to give something from his impoverished exchequer for + the ransom of the prisoners, which must have been more disagreeable still. + The feelings of these men who would have been dragged away in captivity + under the eyes of their victorious countrymen, but for the vigilance of + the Maid, may easily be imagined. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne seems to have entered the town at once, to prepare for the + reception of the King, and to take instant possession of the place, + forestalling all further impediment. The people in the streets, however, + received her in a very different way from those of Orleans, with trouble + and alarm, staring at her as at a dangerous and malignant visitor. The + Brother Richard, before mentioned, the great preacher and reformer, was + the oracle of Troyes, and held the conscience of the city in his hands. + When he suddenly appeared to confront her, every eye was turned upon them. + But the friar himself was in no less doubt than his disciples; he + approached her dubiously, crossing himself, making the sacred sign in the + air, and sprinkling a shower of holy water before him to drive away the + demon, if demon there was. Jeanne was not unused to support the rudest + accost, and her frank voice, still <i>assez femme</i>, made itself heard + over every clamour. "Come on, I shall not fly away," she cried, with, one + hopes, a laugh of confident innocence and good-humour, in face of those + significant gestures and the terrified looks of all about her. French art + has been unkind to Jeanne, occupying itself very little about her till + recently; but her short career is full of pictures. Here the simple page + grows bright with the ancient houses and highly coloured crowd: the + frightened and eager faces at every window, the white warrior in the + midst, sending forth a thousand rays from the polished steel and silver of + breastplate and helmet: and the brown Franciscan monk advancing amid a + shower of water drops, a mysterious repetition of signs. It gives us an + extraordinary epitome of the history of France at that period to turn from + this scene to the wild enthusiasm of Orleans, its crowd of people + thronging about her, its shouts rending the air; while Troyes was full of + terror, doubt, and ill-will, though its nearest neighbour, so to speak, + the next town, and so short a distance away. + </p> + <p> + A little later in the same day, the next after the surrender, Jeanne, + riding with her standard by the side of the King, conducted him to the + cathedral where he confirmed his previous promises and received the homage + of the town. It was a beautiful sight, the chronicle tells us, to see all + these magnificent people, so well dressed and well mounted; "<i>il feroit + très beau voir.</i>" + </p> + <p> + The fate of Troyes decided that of Chalons, the only other important town + on the way, the gates of which were thrown open as Charles and his army, + which grew and increased every day, proceeded on its road. Every promise + of the Maid had been so far accomplished, both in the greater object and + in the details: and now there was nothing between Charles the disinherited + and almost ruined Dauphin of three months ago, trying to forget himself in + the seclusion and the sports of Chinon—and the sacred ceremonial + which drew with it every tradition and every assurance of an ancient and + lawful throne. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne had her little adventure, personal to herself on the way. Though + there were neither posts nor telegraphs in those days, there has always + been a strange swift current in the air or soil which has conveyed news, + in a great national crisis, from one end of the country to the other. It + was not so great a distance to Domremy on the Meuse from Troyes on the + Loire, and it appears that a little group of peasants, bolder than the + rest, had come forth to hang about the road when the army passed and see + what was so fine a sight, and perhaps to catch a glimpse of their <i>payse</i>, + their little neighbour, the <i>commère</i> who was godmother to Gerard + d'Epinal's child, the youthful gossip of his young wife—but who was + now, if all tales were true, a great person, and rode by the side of the + King. They went as far as Chalons to see if perhaps all this were true and + not a fable; and no doubt stood astonished to see her ride by, to hear all + the marvellous tales that were told of her, and to assure themselves that + it was truly Jeanne upon whom, more than upon the King, every eye was + bent. This small scene in the midst of so many great ones would probably + have been the most interesting of all had it been told us at any length. + The peasant travellers surrounded her with wistful questions, with wonder + and admiration. Was she never afraid among all those risks of war, when + the arrows hailed about her and the <i>bouches de feu</i>, the mouths of + fire, bellowed and flung forth great stones and bullets upon her? "I fear + nothing but treason," said the victorious Maid. She knew, though her + humble visitors did not, how that base thing skulked at her heels, and + infested every path. It must not be forgotten that this wonderful and + victorious campaign, with all its lists of towns taken and armies + discomfited, lasted six weeks only, almost every day of which was + distinguished by some victory. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) The former story was written in 1429, by the Greffier of + Rochelle. "I will yield me only to her, the most valiant + woman in the world." The Greffier was writing at the moment, + but not, of course, as an eyewitness.—A. L. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI — THE CORONATION. JULY 17, 1429. + </h2> + <p> + The road was now clear, and even the most timid of counsellors could not + longer hold back the most indolent of kings. Jeanne had kept her word once + more and fulfilled her own prophecy, and a force of enthusiasm and + certainty, not to be put down, pressed forward the unwilling Court towards + the great ceremonial of the coronation, to which all except those most + chiefly concerned attached so great an importance. Charles would have + hesitated still, and questioned the possibility of resistance on the part + of Rheims, if that city had not sent a deputation of citizens with the + keys of the town, to meet him. After this it was but a triumphal march + into the sacred place, where the great cathedral dominated a swarming, + busy, mediæval city. King and Archbishop had a double triumph, for the + priest like the monarch had been shut out from his lawful throne, and it + was only in the train of the Maid that this great ecclesiastic was able to + take possession of his dignities. The King alighted with the Archbishop at + the Archevêché which is close to the cathedral, an immense, old palace in + which the heads of the expedition were lodged. There is a magnificent old + hall still remaining in which no doubt they all assembled, scarcely able + to believe that their object was accomplished and that the King of France + was actually in Rheims, and all the prophecies fulfilled. The Archbishop + marched into the city in the morning; Charles and his Court, and all his + great seigneurs, and the body of his army, in which there were many + fighting men half armed, and some in their rustic clothes as they had left + their fields to join the King in his march—poured in in the evening, + after the ecclesiastical procession, filling the town with commotion. + Jeanne rode beside the King, her banner in her hand. It was July, the + vigil of the Madeleine, and every church poured forth its crowd to witness + the entry, and the populace, half troubled, half glad, gazed its eyes out + upon the white warrior at the side of the King. Her father and uncle were + there to meet her at the old inn in the Place, which still proudly + preserves the record of the peasant guests: two astonished rustics, no + doubt, were thrust forth from some window to watch that incredible sight—Jacques + who would rather have drowned his daughter with his own hands, than have + seen her thus launched among men, gazing still aghast at the resplendent + figure of the chevalière at the head of the procession. This was very + different from what he had thought of when his village respectability was + tortured by the idea of his girl among the troopers, yet probably the + rigid peasant had never changed his mind. + </p> + <p> + We are told by M. Blaze de Bury of an ancient custom which we do not find + stated elsewhere. A platform was erected, he tells us, outside the choir + of the cathedral to which the King was led the evening before the + coronation, surrounded by his peers, who showed him to the assembled + people with a traditional proclamation: "Here is your King whom we, peers + of France, crown as King and sovereign lord. And if there is a soul here + which has any objection to make, let him speak and we will answer him. And + to-morrow he shall be consecrated by the grace of the Holy Spirit if you + have nothing to say against it." The people replied by cries of "Noël, + Noël!" It is not to be supposed that the veto of the people of Rheims + would have been effectual had they opposed: but the scene is wonderfully + picturesque. No doubt Jeanne too was there, watching over her King, as she + seems to have done, like a mother over her child, at this crisis of his + affairs. + </p> + <p> + That night there was little sleep in Rheims, for everything had to be + prepared in haste, the decorations of the cathedral, the provisions for + the ceremonial. Many of the necessary articles were at Saint Denis in the + hands of the English, and the treasury of the cathedral had to be + ransacked to find the fitting vessels. Fortunately it was rich, more rich + probably than it is now, when the commonplace silver of the beginning of + this century has replaced the ancient vials. Through the short summer + night everyone was at work in these preparations; and by the dawn of day + visitors began to flow into the city, great personages and small, to + attend the great ceremonial and to pay their homage. The greatest of all + was the Duke of Lorraine, he who had consulted Jeanne about his health, + husband of the heiress of that rich principality, and son of Queen Yolande + who was no doubt with the Court. All France seemed to pour into the famous + town, where so important an act was about to be accomplished, with money + and wine flowing on all hands, and the enthusiasm growing along with the + popular excitement and profit. Even great London is stirred to its limits, + many miles off from the centre of proceedings, by such a great event; how + much more the little mediæval city, in which every one might hope to see + something of the pageant, as one shining group after another, with armour + blazing in the sun, and sleek horses caracoling, arrived at the great + gates of the Archevêché: and lesser parties scarcely less interesting + poured in in need of lodging, of equipment and provisions; while every + housewife searched her stores for a piece of brilliant stuff, of old silk + or embroidery, to make her house shine like the rest. + </p> + <p> + Early in the morning, a wonderful procession came out of the Archbishop's + house. Four splendid peers of France, in full armour with their banners, + rode through the streets to the old Abbey of Saint Remy—the old + church which Leo IX. consecrated, in the eleventh century, on an equally + splendid occasion, and which may still be seen to-day—to fetch from + its shrine, where it was strictly guarded by the monks, the Sainte + Ampoule, the holy and sacred vial in which the oil of consecration had + been sent to Clovis out of Heaven. These noble messengers were the + "hostages" of this sacred charge, engaging themselves by an oath never to + lose sight of it by night or day, till it was restored to its appointed + guardians. This vow having been made, the Abbot of St. Remy, in his + richest robes, appeared surrounded by his monks, carrying the treasure in + his hands; and under a splendid canopy, blazing in the sunshine with cloth + of gold, marched towards the cathedral under the escort of the Knights + Hostages, blazing also in the flashes of their armour. This procession was + met half-way, before the Church of St. Denis, by another, that of the + Archbishop and his train, to whom the holy oil was solemnly confided, and + carried by them to the cathedral, already filled by a dazzled and dazzling + crowd. + </p> + <p> + The Maid had her occupations this July morning like the rest. We hear + nothing of any interview with her father, or with Durand the good uncle + who had helped her in the beginning of her career; though it was Durand + who was sent for to the King and questioned as to Jeanne's life in her + childhood and early youth; which we may take as proof that Jacques d'Arc + still stood aloof, <i>dour</i>, as a Scotch peasant father might have + been, suspicious of his daughter's intimacy with all these fine people, + and in no way cured of his objections to the publicity which is little + less than shame to such rugged folk. And there were his two sons who would + take him about, and with whom probably in their easier commonplace he was + more at home than with Jeanne. What the Maid had to do on the morning of + the coronation day was something very different from any home talk with + her relations. She who felt herself commissioned not only to lead the + armies of France, but to deal with her princes and take part in her + councils, occupied the morning in dictating a letter to the Duke of + Burgundy. She had summoned the English by letter three times repeated, to + withdraw peaceably from the possessions which by God's will were French. + It was with still better reason that she summoned Philip of Burgundy to + renounce his feud with his cousin, and thus to heal the breach which had + torn France in two: + </p> + <p> + JHESUS, MARIA. + </p> + <p> + High and redoubtable Prince, Duke of Burgundy. Jeanne the Maid requires on + the part of the King of Heaven, my most just sovereign and Lord (<i>mon + droicturier souverain seigneur</i>), that the King of France and you make + peace between yourselves, firm, strong and that will endure. Pardon each + other of good heart, entirely, as loyal Christians ought to do, and if you + desire to fight let it be against the Saracens. Prince of Burgundy, I + pray, supplicate, and require, as humbly as may be, fight no longer + against the holy kingdom of France: withdraw, at once and speedily, your + people who are in any strongholds or fortresses of the said holy kingdom; + and on the part of the gentle King of France, he is ready to make peace + with you, having respect to his honour, and upon your life that you never + will gain a battle against loyal Frenchmen and that all those who war + against the said holy kingdom of France, war against the King Jesus, King + of Heaven and of all the world and my just and sovereign Lord. And I pray + and require with clasped hands that you fight not, nor make any battle + against us, neither your friends nor your subjects; but believe always + however great in number may be the men you lead against us, that you will + never win, and it would be great pity for the great battle and the blood + that would be shed of those who came against us. Three weeks ago I sent + you a letter by a herald that you should be present at the consecration of + the King, which to-day, Sunday, the seventeenth of the present month of + July, is done in the city of Rheims: to which I have had no answer, nor + even any news by the said herald. To God I commend you, and may He be your + guard if it pleases Him, and I pray God to make good peace. + </p> + <p> + Written at the aforesaid Rheims, the seventeenth day of July, 1429. + </p> + <p> + When the letter was finished Jeanne put on her armour and prepared for the + great ceremony. We are not told what part she took in it, nor is any more + prominent position assigned to her than among the noble crowd of peers and + generals who surrounded the altar, where her place would naturally be, + upon the broad raised platform of the choir, so excellently adapted for + such ceremonies. Her banner we are told was borne into the cathedral, in + order, as she proudly explained afterwards, that having been foremost in + the danger it should share the honour. + </p> + <p> + But we have no right to suppose that the Maid took the position of the + chief actor in the pageant and stood alone by the side of Charles, as the + exigencies of the pictorial art have required her to do. When, however, + the ceremony was completed, and he had received on his knees the anointing + which separated him as king from every other class of men, and while the + lofty vaults echoed with the cries of Noël! Noël! by which the people + hailed the completed ceremony, Jeanne could contain herself no longer. The + object was attained for which she had laboured and struggled, and overcome + every opponent. She stepped forward out of the brilliant crowd, and threw + herself at the feet of the now crowned monarch, embracing his knees. + "Gentle King," she cried with tears, "now is the pleasure of God fulfilled—whose + will it was that I should raise the siege of Orleans and lead you to this + city of Rheims to receive your consecration. Now has He shown that you are + true King, and that the kingdom of France truly belongs to you alone." + </p> + <p> + Those broken words, her tears, the cry of that profound satisfaction which + is almost anguish, the "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in + peace," which is so suitable to the lips of the old, so poignant from + those of the young, pierced all hearts. It is added that she asked leave + to withdraw, her work being done, and that all who saw her were filled + with sympathy. It was no doubt the irresistible outburst of a heart too + full; and though that fulness was all joy and triumph, yet there was in it + a sense of completed work, a rending asunder and tearing away from life, + the end of a wonderful and triumphant tale. + </p> + <p> + There is a considerable controversy as to the precise meaning of that + outburst of emotion. Did the Maid mean that her work was over, and her + divine mission fulfilled? Was this all that she believed herself to be + appointed to do? or did she expect, as she sometimes said, to <i>bouter</i> + the English out of France altogether? In the one case she ought to have + relinquished her work, and in not doing so she acted without the + protection of God which had hitherto made her invulnerable. In the other, + her "voices," her inspiration, must have failed her, for her course of + triumph went no farther. It is impossible to decide between these + contending theories. She did speak in both senses, sometimes declaring + that she was to take Paris, sometimes, her intention to <i>bouter</i> the + English out of the kingdom. At the same time she betrayed a constant + conviction that her office had limitations and must come to an end. "I + will last but a year," she said to the King and to Alençon. The testimony + of Dunois seems to be the best we can have on this point. He says in his + deposition, made many years after her death: "Although Jeanne sometimes + talked playfully to amuse people, of things concerning the war which were + not afterwards accomplished, yet when she spoke seriously of the war, and + of her own career and her vocation, she never affirmed anything but that + she was sent to raise the siege of Orleans and to lead the King to Rheims + to be crowned." + </p> + <p> + If this were so was she wrong in continuing her warfare, and did she place + herself in the position of one who goes on her own charges, finding the + mission from on high unnecessary? Or in the other case did her inspiration + fail her, or were the intrigues of Charles and his Court sufficient to + balk the designs of Heaven? We prefer to think that Jeanne's commission + concerned only those two things which she accomplished so completely; but + that in continuing the war, she acted only as a well inspired and + honourable young soldier might, though no longer as the direct messenger + of God. She had as much right to do so as to return to her distaff or her + needle in her native village; but she became subject to all the ordinary + laws of war by so doing, exposed herself to be taken or overthrown like + any man-at-arms, and accepted that risk. What is certain is, that every + intrigue sprang up again afresh on the evening of that brilliant and + triumphant ceremonial, and that from the moment of the accomplishment of + her great work the failure of the Maid began. + </p> + <p> + These intrigues had been in her way since her very first beginning, as has + been seen. At Orleans, in the very field as well as in the council chamber + and the presence, everything was done to balk her, and to cross her plans, + but in vain; she triumphed over every contrivance against her, and broke + through the plots, and overcame the plotters. But after Rheims the + combination of dangers became ever greater and greater, and we may say + that no merely human general would have had a chance in face of the many + and bewildering influences of evil. Charles who was himself, at least at + this period of his career, sufficiently indolent and unenterprising to + have damped the energies of any commander, was, in addition, surrounded by + advisers who had always been impatient and jealous of the interference of + Jeanne, and would have cast her off as a witch, or passed her by as an + impostor, had that been possible, without permitting her to strike a blow. + They had now grudgingly made use of her, or rather, for this is too much + to say, had permitted her action where they had no power to restrain it: + but they were as little friendly, as malignant in their treatment of the + Maid as ever, and more hopeful, now that so much had been done by her + means, of being able to shake her off and pursue their fate in their own + way. + </p> + <p> + The position of Charles crowned King of France with all the traditional + pomp, master of the Orleannais, with fresh bands of supporters coming in + to swell his army day by day, and Paris itself almost within his reach, + was very different from that of the discredited Dauphin at Chinon, whom + half the world believed to have no right to the crown which his own mother + had signed away from him, and who wasted his idle days in folly to the + profit of the greedy councillors who schemed and trafficked with his + enemies, and to the destruction of all his hopes. The strange apparition + of virginal purity, energy, and faith which had taken up and saved him + against his will and all his efforts had not ceased for a moment to be + hateful to La Tremouille and his party; and Charles—though he seems + to have had a certain appreciation of the Maid, and even a liking for her + frank and fearless character, apart from any faith in her mission—was + far too ready to accept the facts of the moment, and probably to believe + that, after all, his own worth and favour with Heaven had a great deal to + do with this dazzling triumph and success: certainly he was not the man to + make any stand for his deliverer. But that she was an auxiliary too + important to be sent away was reluctantly apparent to them all. To keep + her as a sort of tame angel about the Court in order to be produced when + she was wanted, to put heart into the soldiers and frighten the English as + she certainly had the gift of doing, no doubt appeared to all as a thing + desirable enough. And they dared not let her go "because of the people," + nor, may we believe, would Alençon, Dunois, La Hire, and the rest have + tolerated thus the abandonment of their comrade. To dismiss her even at + her own word would have been impossible, and it is hard to believe that + Jeanne, after that extraordinary brief career as a triumphant general and + leader, could have gone back to her father's cottage of the village, + though she thought she would fain have done so. If we are to believe that + she felt her mission to be fulfilled, she was yet mistress of her fate to + serve France and the King as seemed best. + </p> + <p> + And we have no evidence that her "voices" forsook her, or discouraged her. + They seem to have changed a little in their burden, they began to mingle a + sadder tone in their intimations. It began to be breathed into her mind + though not immediately, that something was to happen to her, some disaster + not explained, yet that God was to be with her. It seems to me that all + the circumstances are compatible with a change in Jeanne's consciousness, + from the moment of the coronation. It might have been a grander thing had + she retired there and then, her work being accomplished as she declared it + to be; but it would not have been human. She was still a power, if no + longer the direct messenger from Heaven; a general, with much skill and + natural aptitude if not the Sent of God; and the ardour of a military + career had got into her veins. No doubt she was much more good for that, + now, than for sitting by the side of Isabeau d'Arc at Domremy, and working + even into a piece of embroidery for the altar, her remembrances and + visions of camp and siege and the intoxication of victory. She remained, + conscious that she was no longer exactly as of old, to fight not only + against the English, but with intimate enemies, far more bitter, whom now + she knew, against the ordinary fortune of war, and against that which is a + thousand times worse, the hatred and envy, the cruel carelessness, and the + malignant schemes of her own countrymen for whom she had fought. + </p> + <p> + This, so far as we can judge, appears to be the position of Jeanne in the + second portion of her career; perhaps only dimly apprehended and at + moments, by herself; not much thought of probably by those around her, the + wisest of whom had always been sceptical of her divine commission; while + the populace never saw any change in her, and believed that at one time as + well as at another the Maid was the Maid, and had victory at her command. + And no doubt that influence would have endured for some time at least, and + her dauntless rush against every obstacle would have carried success with + it, had she been able to carry out her plans, and fly forth upon Paris as + she had done upon Orleans, carrying on the campaign swiftly, promptly, + without pause or uncertainty. Bedford himself said that Paris "would fall + at a blow," if she came on. It had been hard enough, however, to do that, + as we have seen, when she was the only hope of France and had the fire of + the divine enthusiasm in her veins; but it was still more hard now to + mould a young King elated with triumph, beginning to feel the crown safe + upon his head, and to feel that if there was still much to gain, there was + now a great deal to be lost. The position was complicated and made more + difficult for Jeanne by every advantage she had gained. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime the secret negotiations, which were always being carried + on under the surface, had come to this point, that Charles had made a + private treaty with Philip of Burgundy by which that prince pledged + himself to give up Paris into the King's hands within fifteen days. This + agreement furnished a sufficient pretext for the delay in marching against + Paris, delay which was Charles's invariable method, and which but for + Jeanne's hardihood and determination, had all but crushed the expedition + to Rheims itself. It was never with any will of his or of his adviser, La + Tremouille, that any stronghold was assailed. He would fain have passed by + Troyes, as the reader will remember, he would fain have delayed going to + Rheims; in each case he had been forced to move by the impetuosity of the + Maid. But a treaty which touched the honour of the King was a different + matter. Philip of Burgundy, with whom it was made, seems to have held the + key of the position. He was called to Paris by Bedford on one side to + defend the city against its lawful King; he had pledged himself on the + other to Charles to give it up. He had in his hands, though it is + uncertain whether he ever read it, that missive of the sorceress, the + letter of Jeanne which I have quoted, calling upon him on the part of God + to make peace. What was he to do? There were reasons drawing him to both + sides. He was the enemy of Charles on account of the murder of his father, + and therefore had every interest in keeping Paris from him; he was angry + with the English on account of the marriage of the Duke of Gloucester with + Jacqueline of Brabant, which interfered with his own rights and safety in + Flanders, and therefore might have served himself by giving up the capital + to the King. As for the appeal of Jeanne, what was the letter of that mad + creature to a prince and statesman? The progress of affairs was arrested + by this double problem. Jeanne had been the prominent, the only important + figure in the history of France for some months past. Now that shining + figure was jostled aside, and the ordinary laws of life, with all the + counter changes of negotiation, the ineffectual comings and goings, the + meaner half-seen persons, the fierce contending personal interests—in + which there was no love of either God or man, or any elevated notion of + patriotism—came again into play. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne would seem to have already foreseen and felt this change even + before she left Rheims; there is a new tone of sadness in some of her + recorded words; or if not of sadness, at least of consciousness that an + end was approaching to all these triumphs and splendours. The following + tale is told in various different versions, as occurring with different + people; but the account I give is taken from the lips of Dunois himself, a + very competent witness. As the King, after his coronation, wended his way + through the country, receiving submission and joyous welcome from every + village and little town, it happened that while passing through the town + of La Ferté, Jeanne rode between the Archbishop of Rheims and Dunois. The + Archbishop had never been friendly to the Maid, and now it was clear, + watched her with that half satirical, half amused look of the wise man, + curious and cynical in presence of the incomprehensible, observing her + ways and very ready to catch her tripping and to entangle her if possible + in her own words. The people thronged the way, full of enthusiasm, + acclaiming the King and shouting their joyful exclamations of "Noël!" + though it does not appear that any part of their devotion was addressed to + Jeanne herself. "Oh, the good people," she cried with tears in her eyes, + "how joyful they are to see their noble King! And how happy should I be to + end my days and be buried here among them!" The priest unmoved by such an + exclamation from so young a mouth attempted instantly, like the Jewish + doctors with our Lord, to catch her in her words and draw from her some + expression that might be used against her. "Jeanne," he said, "in what + place do you expect to die?" It was a direct challenge to the messenger of + Heaven to take upon herself the gift of prophecy. But Jeanne in her + simplicity shattered the snare which probably she did not even perceive: + "When it pleases God," she said. "I know neither the place nor the time." + </p> + <p> + It was enough, however, that she should think of death and of the + sweetness of it, after her work accomplished, in the very moment of her + height of triumph—to show something of a new leaven working in her + virgin soul. + </p> + <p> + One characteristic reward, however, Jeanne did receive. Her father and + uncle were lodged at the public cost as benefactors of the kingdom, as may + still be seen by the inscription on the old inn in the great Place at + Rheims; and when Jacques d'Arc left the city he carried with him a patent—better + than one of nobility which, however, came to the family later—of + exemption for the villages of Domremy and Greux of all taxes and tributes; + "an exemption maintained and confirmed up to the Revolution, in favour of + the said Maid, native of that parish, in which are her relations." "In the + register of the Exchequer," says M. Blaze de Bury, "at the name of the + parish of Greux and Domremy, the place for the receipt is blank, with + these words as explanation: <i>à cause de la Pucelle</i>, on account of + the Maid." There could not have been a more delightful reward or one more + after her own heart. It would be a graceful act of the France of to-day, + which has so warmly revived the name and image of her maiden deliverer, to + renew so touching a distinction to her native place. + </p> + <p> + We are told that Jeanne parted with her father and uncle with tears, + longing that she might return with them and go back to her mother who + would rejoice to see her again. This was no doubt quite true, though it + might be equally true that she could not have gone back. Did not the + father return, a little sullen, grasping the present he had himself + received, not sure still that it was not disreputable to have a daughter + who wore coat armour and rode by the side of the King, a position + certainly not proper for maidens of humble birth? The dazzled peasants + turned their backs upon her while she was thus at the height of glory, and + never, so far as appears, saw her face again. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII — THE SECOND PERIOD. 1429-1430. + </h2> + <p> + The epic so brief, so exciting, so full of wonder had now reached its + climax. Whatever we may think on the question as to whether Jeanne had now + reached the limit of her commission, it is at least evident that she had + reached the highest point of her triumph, and that her short day of glory + and success came to an end in the great act which she had always spoken of + as her chief object. She had crowned her King; she had recovered for him + one of the richest of his provinces, and established a strong base for + further action on his part. She had taught Frenchmen how not to fly before + the English, and she had filled those stout-hearted English, who for a + time had the Frenchmen in their powerful steel-clad grip, with terror and + panic, and taught them how to fly in their turn. This was, from the first, + what she had said she was appointed to do, and not one of her promises had + been broken. Her career had been a short one, begun in April, ending in + July, one brief continuous course of glory. But this triumphant career had + come to its conclusion. The messenger of God had done her work; the + servant must not desire to be greater than his Lord. There have been + heroes in this world whose career has continued a glorious and a happy one + to the end. Our hearts follow them in their noble career, but when the + strain and pain are over they come into their kingdom and reap their + reward the interest fails. We are glad, very glad, that they should live + happy ever after, but their happiness does not attract us like their + struggle. + </p> + <p> + It is different with those whose work and whose motives are not those of + this world. When they step out of the brilliant lights of triumph into + sorrow and suffering, all that is most human in us rises to follow the + bleeding feet, our hearts swell with indignation, with sorrow and love, + and that instinctive admiration for the noble and pure, which proves that + our birthright too is of Heaven, however we may tarnish or even deny that + highest pedigree. The chivalrous romance of that age would have made of + Jeanne d'Arc the heroine of human story. She would have had a noble lover, + say our young Guy de Laval, or some other generous and brilliant Seigneur + of France, and after her achievements she would have laid by her sword, + and clothed herself with the beautiful garments of the age, and would have + grown to be a noble lady in some half regal chateau, to which her name + would have given new lustre. The young reader will probably long that it + should be so; he will feel it an injustice, a wrong to humanity that so + generous a soul should have no reward; it will seem to him almost a + personal injury that there should not be a noble chevalier at hand to + snatch that devoted Maid out of the danger that threatened her, out of the + horrible fate that befell her; and we can imagine a generous boy, and + enthusiastic girl, ready to gnash their teeth at the terrible and + dishonouring thought that it was by English hands that this noble creature + was tied to the stake and perished in the flames. For the last it becomes + us(1) to repent, for it was to our everlasting shame; but not more to us + than to France who condemned her, who lifted no finger to help her, who + raised not even a cry, a protest, against the cruelty and wrong. But for + her fate in itself let us not mourn over-much. Had the Maid become a great + and honoured lady should not we all have said as Satan says in the Book of + Job: Did Jeanne serve God for nought? We should say: See what she made by + it. Honour and fame and love and happiness. She did nobly, but nobly has + she been rewarded. + </p> + <p> + But that is not God's way. The highest saint is born to martyrdom. To + serve God for nought is the greatest distinction which He reserves for His + chosen. And this was the fate to which the Maid of France was consecrated + from the moment she set out upon her mission. She had the supreme glory of + accomplishing that which she believed herself to be sent to do, and which + I also believe she was sent to do, miraculously, by means undreamed of, + and in which no one beforehand could have believed. But when that was done + a higher consecration awaited her. She had to drink of the cup of which + our Lord drank, and to be baptised with the baptism with which He was + baptised. It was involved in every step of the progress that it should be + so. And she was herself aware of it, vaguely, at heart, as soon as the + object of her mission was attained. What else could have put the thought + of dying into the mind of a girl of eighteen in the midst of the adoring + crowd, to whom to see her, to touch her, was a benediction? When she went + forth from those gates she was going to her execution, though the end was + not to be yet. There was still a long struggle before her, lingering and + slow, more bitter than death, the preface of discouragement, of + disappointment, of failure when she had most hoped to succeed. + </p> + <p> + She was on the threshold of this second period when she rode out of Rheims + all brilliant in the summer weather, her banner faded now, but glorious, + her shining armour bearing signs of warfare, her end achieved—yet + all the while her heart troubled, uncertain, and full of unrest. And it is + impossible not to note that from this time her plans were less defined + than before. Up to the coronation she had known exactly what she meant to + do, and in spite of all obstructions had done it, keeping her genial + humour and her patience, steering her simple way through all the intrigues + of the Court, without bitterness and without fear. But now a vague mist + seems to fall about the path which was so open and so clear. Paris! Yes, + the best policy, the true generalship would have been to march straight + upon Paris, to lose no time, to leave as little leisure as possible to the + intriguers to resume their old plots. So the generals thought as well as + Jeanne: but the courtiers were not of that mind. The weak and foolish + notion of falling back upon what they had gained, and of contenting + themselves with that, was all they thought of; and the un-French, + unpatriotic temper of Paris which wanted no native king, but was content + with the foreigner, gave them a certain excuse. We could not even imagine + London as being ever, at any time, contented with an alien rule. But Paris + evidently was so, and was ready to defend itself to the death against its + lawful sovereign. Jeanne had never before been brought face to face with + such a complication. It had been a straightforward struggle, each man for + his own side, up to this time. But now other things had to be taken into + consideration. Here was no faithful Orleans holding out eager arms to its + deliverer, but a crafty, self-seeking city, deaf to patriotism, + indifferent to freedom, calculating which was most to its profit—and + deciding that the stranger, with Philip of Burgundy at his back, was the + safer guide. This was enough of itself to make a simple mind pause in + astonishment and dismay. + </p> + <p> + There is no evidence that the supernatural leaders who had shaped the + course of the Maid failed her now. She still heard her "voices." She still + held communion with the three saints who, she believed devoutly, came out + of Heaven to aid her. The whole question of this supernatural guidance is + one which is of course open to discussion. There are many in these days + who do not believe in it at all, who believe in the exaltation of Jeanne's + brain, in the excitement of her nerves, in some strange complication of + bodily conditions, which made her believe she saw and heard what she did + not really see or hear. For our part, we confess frankly that these + explanations are no explanation at all so far as we are concerned; we are + far more inclined to believe that the Maid spoke truth, she who never told + a lie, she who fulfilled all the promises she made in the name of her + guides, than that those people are right who tell us on their own + authority that such interpositions of Heaven are impossible. Nobody in + Jeanne's day doubted that Heaven did interpose directly in human affairs. + The only question was, Was it Heaven in this instance? Was it not rather + the evil one? Was it sorcery and witchcraft, or was it the agency of God? + The English believed firmly that it was witchcraft; they could not imagine + that it was God, the God of battles, who had always been on their side, + who now took the courage out of their hearts and taught their feet to fly + for the first time. It was the devil, and the Maid herself was a wicked + witch. Neither one side nor the other believed that it was from Jeanne's + excited nerves that these great things came. There were plenty of women + with excited nerves in France, nerves much more excited than those of + Jeanne, who was always reasonable at the height of her inspiration; but to + none of them did it happen to mount the breach, to take the city, to drive + the enemy—up to that moment invincible,—flying from the field. + </p> + <p> + But it would seem as if these celestial visitants had no longer a clear + and definite message for the Maid. Their words, which she quotes, were now + promises of support, vague warnings of trouble to come. "Fear not, for God + will stand by you." She thought they meant that she would be delivered in + safety as she had been hitherto, her wounds healing, her sacred person + preserved from any profane touch. But yet such promises have always + something enigmatical in them, and it might be, as proved to be the case, + that they meant rather consolation and strength to endure than + deliverance. For the first time the Maid was often sad; she feared + nothing, but the shadow was heavy on her heart. Orleans and Rheims had + been clear as daylight, her "voices" had said to her "Do this" and she had + done it. Now there was no definite direction. She had to judge for herself + what was best, and to walk in darkness, hoping that what she did was what + she was meant to do, but with no longer any certainty. This of itself was + a great change, and one which no doubt she felt to her heart. M. Fabre + tells (alone among the biographers of Jeanne) that there were symptoms of + danger to her sound and steady mind, in her words and ways during the + moment of triumph. Her chaplain Pasquerel wrote a letter in her name to + the Hussites, against whom the Pope was then sending crusades, in which + "I, the Maid," threatened, if they were not converted, to come against + them and give them the alternative of death or amendment. Quicherat says + that to the Count d'Armagnac who had written to her, whether in good faith + or bad, to ask which of the three then existent Popes was the real one, + she is reported to have answered that she would tell him as soon as the + English left her free to do so. But this is a perverted account of what + she really did say, and M. Fabre seems to be, like the rest of us, a + little confused in his dates: and the documents themselves on which he + builds are not of unquestioned authority. These, however, would be but + small speck upon the sunshine of her perfect humility and sobriety; if + indeed they are to be depended upon as authentic at all. + </p> + <p> + The day of Jeanne, her time of glory and success, was but a short one—Orleans + was delivered on the 8th of May, the coronation of Charles took place on + the 17th of July; before the earliest of these dates she had spent nearly + two months in an anxious yet hopeful struggle of preparation, before she + was permitted to enter upon her career. The time of her discouragement was + longer. It was ten months from the day when she rode out of Rheims, the + 25th of July, 1429, till the 23d of May, 1430, when she was taken. She had + said after the deliverance of Orleans that she had but a year in which to + accomplish her work, and at a later period, Easter, 1430, her "voices" + told her that "before the St. Jean" she would be in the power of her + enemies. Both these statements came true. She rose quickly but fell more + slowly, struggling along upon the downward course, unable to carry out + what she would, hampered on every hand, and not apparently followed with + the same fervour as of old. It is true that the principal cause of all + seems to have been the schemes of the Court and the indolence of Charles; + but all these hindrances had existed before, and the King and his + treacherous advisers had been unwillingly dragged every mile of the way, + though every step made had been to Charles's advantage. But now though the + course is still one of victory the Maid no longer seems to be either the + chief cause or the immediate leader. Perhaps this may be partly due to the + fact that little fighting was necessary, town after town yielding to the + King, which reduced the part of Jeanne to that of a spectator; but there + is a change of atmosphere and tone which seems to point to something more + fundamental than this. The historians are very unwilling to acknowledge, + except Michelet who does so without hesitation, that she had herself fixed + the term of her commission as ending at Rheims; it is certain that she + said many things which bear this meaning, and every fact of her after + career seems to us to prove it: but it is also true that her conviction + wavered, and other sayings indicate a different belief or hope. She did no + wrong in following the profession of arms in which she had made so + glorious a beginning; she had many gifts and aptitudes for it of which she + was not herself at first aware: but she was no longer the Envoy of God. + Enough had been done to arouse the old spirit of France, to break the + spell of the English supremacy; it was right and fitting that France + should do the rest for herself. Perhaps Jeanne was not herself very clear + on this point, and after her first statement of it, became less assured. + It is not necessary that the servant should know the designs of the + master. It did not after all affect her. Her business was to serve God to + the best of her power, not to take the management out of His hands. + </p> + <p> + The army went forth joyously upon its way, directing itself towards Paris. + There was a pilgrimage to make, such as the Kings of France were in the + habit of making after their coronation; there were pleasant incidents, the + submission of a village, the faint resistance, instantly overcome, of a + small town, to make the early days pleasant. Laon and Soissons both + surrendered. Senlis and Beauvais received the King's envoys with joy. The + independent captains of the army made little circles about, like parties + of pleasure, bringing in another and another little stronghold to the + allegiance of the King. When he turned aside, taking as he passed through, + without as yet any serious deflection, the road rather to the Loire than + to Paris, success still attended him. At Château-Thierry resistance was + expected to give zest to the movement of the forces, but that too yielded + at once as the others had done. The dates are very vague and it seems + difficult to find any mode of reconciling them. Almost all the historians + while accusing the King of foolish dilatoriness and confusion of plans + give us a description of the undefended state of Paris at the moment, + which a sudden stroke on the part of Charles might have carried with + little difficulty, during the absence of all the chiefs from the city and + the great terror of the inhabitants; but a comparison of dates shows that + the Duke of Bedford re-entered Paris with strong reinforcements on the + very day on which Charles left Rheims three days only after his + coronation, so that he scarcely seems so much to blame as appears. But the + general delay, inefficiency, and hesitation existing at headquarters, + naturally lead to mistakes of this kind. + </p> + <p> + The great point was that Paris itself was by no means disposed to receive + the King. Strange as it seems to say so Paris was bitterly, fiercely + English at that extraordinary moment, a fact which ought to be taken into + account as the most important in the whole matter. There was no answering + enthusiasm in the capital of France to form an auxiliary force behind its + ramparts and encourage the besiegers outside. The populace perhaps might + be indifferent: at the best it had no feeling on the subject; but there + was no welcome awaiting the King. During the time of Bedford's absence the + city felt itself to have "no lord"—<i>ceux de Paris avoit grand peur + car nul seigneur n' y avoit</i>. It was believed that Charles would put + all the inhabitants to the sword, and their desperation of feeling was + rather that which leads to a wild and hopeless defence than to submission. + The Duke of Bedford, governing in the name of the infant Henry VI. Of + England, was their seigneur, instead of their natural sovereign. It is a + fact which to us seems scarcely credible, but it was certainly true. There + seems to have been no feeling even, on the subject, no general shame as of + a national betrayal; nothing of the kind. Paris was English, holding by + the English kings who had never lost a certain hold on France, and + thinking no shame of its party. It was a hostile town, the chief of the + English possessions. In the <i>Journal du Bourgeois de Paris</i>—who + was no <i>bourgeois</i> but a distinguished member of that university + which held the Maid and all her ways in horror—Jeanne the deliverer, + the incarnation of patriotism and of France is spoken of as "a creature in + the form of a woman." How extraordinary is this evidence of a state of + affairs in which it is almost impossible to believe! Paris is France + nowadays to many people, though no doubt this is but a superficial + judgment; but in the early part of the fifteenth century, she was frankly + English, not by compulsion even, but by habit and policy. Perhaps the + delays, the hesitation, the terrors of Charles and his counsellors are + thus rendered more excusable than by any other explanation. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime it is almost impossible to follow the wanderings of this + vacillating army without a map. If the reader should trace its movements, + he would see what a stumbling and devious course it took as of a man + blundering in the dark. From Rheims to Soissons the way was clear; then + there came a sudden move southward to Château-Thierry from which indeed + there was still a straight line to Paris but which still more clearly + indicated the highroad leading to the Orleannais, the faithful districts + of the Loire. This retrograde movement was not made without a great outcry + from the generals. Their opinion was that the King ought to press on to + conquer everything while the English forces were still depressed and + discouraged. In their mind this deflection towards the south was an + abandonment at once of honour and safety. An unimportant check on the way, + however, gave an argument to the leaders of the army, and Charles + permitted himself to be dragged back. They then made their way by La + Ferté-Milon, Crépy, and Daumartin, and on this road the English troops + which had been led out from Paris by Bedford to intercept them came twice + within fighting distance of the French army. The English, as all the + French historians are eager to inform us, invariably entrenched themselves + in their positions, surrounding their lines with sharp-pointed posts by + which the equally invariable rush of the French could be broken. But the + French on these occasions were too wise to repeat the impetuous charge + which had ruined them at Crécy and Agincourt, and the consequence was that + the two forces remained within sight of each other, with a few skirmishes + going on at the flanks, but without any serious encounter. + </p> + <p> + It will be more satisfactory, however, to copy the following <i>itineraire</i> + of Charles's movements from the Chronicle of Perceval de Cagny who was a + member of the household of the Duc d'Alençon, and probably present, + certainly at all events bound to have the best and most correct + information. He informs us that the King left Rheims on Thursday the 21st + of July, and dined, supped, and lay at the Abbey of St. Nanuol that night, + where were brought to him the keys of the city of Laon. He then set out on + <i>le voyage à venir devant Paris</i>. + </p> + <p> + "And on Saturday the 23d of the same month the King dined, supped and lay + at Soissons, and was there received the most honourably that the + churchmen, burghers and other people of the town were capable of: for they + had all great fear because of the destruction of the town which had been + taken by the Burgundians and made to rebel against the King. + </p> + <p> + "Friday the 29th day of July the King and his company were all day before + Château-Thierry in order of battle, hoping that the Duke of Bedford would + appear to fight. The place surrendered at the hour of vespers, and the + King lodged there till Monday the first of August. On that day the King + lay at Monmirail in Brie. + </p> + <p> + "Tuesday the 2d of August he passed the night in the town of Provins, and + had the best possible reception there, and remained till the Friday + following, the 5th August. Sunday the 7th the King lay at the town of + Coulommièrs in Brie. Wednesday the 10th he lay at La Ferté- Milon, + Thursday at Crespy in Valois—Friday at Laigny-le-Sec. The following + Saturday the 13th the King held the field near Dammartin-en-Gouelle, for + the whole day looking out for the English: but they came not. + </p> + <p> + "On Sunday the 14th August the Maid, the Duc d'Alençon, the Count de + Vendosme, the Marshals and other captains accompanied by six or seven + thousand combatants were at the hour of vespers lodged in the fields near + Montépilloy, nearly two leagues from the town of Senlis—The Duke of + Bedford and other English captains with between eight and ten thousand + English lying half a league from Senlis between our people and the said + city on a little stream, in a village called Notre Dame de la Victoire. + That evening our people skirmished with the English near to their camp and + in this skirmish were people taken on each side, and of the English + Captain d'Orbec and ten or twelve others, and people wounded on both + sides: when night fell each retired to their own quarters." + </p> + <p> + The same writer records an appeal in the true tone of chivalry addressed + to the English by Jeanne and Alençon desiring them to come out from their + entrenchments and fight: and promising to withdraw to a sufficient + distance to permit the enemy to place himself in the open field. The + French troops had first "put themselves in the best state of conscience + that could possibly be, hearing mass at an early hour and then to horse." + But the English would not come out. Jeanne, with her standard in her hand + rode up to the English entrenchments, and some one says (not de Cagny) + struck the posts with her banner, challenging the force within to come out + and fight; while they on their side waved at the French in defiance, a + standard copied from that of Jeanne, on which was depicted a distaff and + spindle. But neither host approached any nearer. Finally, Charles made his + way to Compiègne. + </p> + <p> + At Château-Thierry there was concluded an arrangement with Philip of + Burgundy for a truce of fifteen days, before the end of which time the + Duke undertook to deliver Paris peaceably to the French. That this was + simply to gain time and that no idea of giving up Paris had ever been + entertained is evident; perhaps Charles was not even deceived. He, no more + than Philip, had any desire to encounter the dangers of such a siege. But + he was able at least to silence the clamours of the army and the + representations of the persistent Maid by this truce. To wait for fifteen + days and receive the prize without a blow struck, would not that be best? + The counsellors of the King held thus a strong position, though the delay + made the hearts of the warriors sick. + </p> + <p> + The figure of Jeanne appears during these marchings and counter-marchings + like that of any other general, pursuing a skilful but not unusual plan of + campaign. That she did well and bravely there can be no doubt, and there + is a characteristic touch which we recognise, in the fact that she and all + of her company "put themselves in the best state of conscience that could + be," before they took to horse; but the skirmishes and repulses are such + as Alençon himself might have made. "She made much diligence," the same + chronicler tells us, "to reduce and place many towns in the obedience of + the King," but so did many others with like success. We hear no more her + vigorous knock at the door of the council chamber if the discussion there + was too long or the proceedings too secret. Her appearances are those of a + general among many other generals, no longer with any special certainty in + her movements as of a person inspired. We are reminded of a story told of + a previous period, after the fight at Patay, when blazing forth in the + indignation of her youthful purity at the sight of one of the camp + followers, a degraded woman with some soldiers, she struck the wanton with + the flat of her sword, driving her forth from the camp, where was no + longer that chastened army of awed and reverent soldiers making their + confession on the eve of every battle, whom she had led to Orleans. The + sword she used on this occasion, was, it is said, the miraculous sword + which had been found under the high altar of St. Catharine at Fierbois; + but at the touch of the unclean the maiden brand broke in two. If this was + an allegory(2) to show that the work of that weapon was over, and the + common sword of the soldier enough for the warfare that remained, it could + not be more clearly realised than in the history of this campaign. The + only touch of our real Maid in her own distinct person comes to us in a + letter written in a field on that same wavering road to Paris, dated as + early as the 5th of August and addressed to the good people of Rheims, + some of whom had evidently written to her to ask what was the meaning of + the delay, and whether she had given up the cause of the country. There is + a terse determination in its brief, indignant sentences which is a relief + to the reader weary of the wavering and purposeless campaign: + </p> + <p> + "Dear and good friends, good and loyal Frenchmen of the town of Rheims. + Jeanne, the Maid, sends you news of her. It is true that the King has made + a truce of fifteen days with the Duke of Burgundy, who promises to render + peaceably the city of Paris in that time. Do not, however, be surprised if + I enter there sooner, for I like not truces so made, and know not whether + I will keep them, but if I keep them, it will be only because of the + honour of the King." + </p> + <p> + While Jeanne and her army thus played with the unmoving English, advancing + and retiring, attempting every means of drawing them out, the enemy took + advantage of one of these seeming withdrawals to march out of their camp + suddenly and return to Paris, which all this time had been lying + comparatively defenceless, had the French made their attack sooner. At the + same time Charles moved on to Compiègne where he gave himself up to fresh + intrigues with Philip of Burgundy, this time for a truce to last till + Christmas. The Maid was grievously troubled by this step, <i>moult marrie</i>, + and by the new period of delay and negotiation on which the Court had + entered. Paris was not given up, nor was there any appearance that it ever + would be, and to all the generals as well as to the Maid it was very + evident that this was the next step to be taken. Some of the leaders + wearied with inaction had pushed on to Normandy where four great + fortresses—greatest of all the immense and mysterious stronghold on + the high cliffs of the Seine, that imposing Château Gaillard which Richard + Coeur-de-lion had built, the ruins of which, white and mystic, still + dominate, like some Titanic ghost, above the course of the river—had + yielded to them. So great was the danger of Normandy, the most securely + English of all French provinces, that Bedford had again been drawn out of + Paris to defend it. Here then was another opportunity to seize the + capital. But Charles could not be induced to move. He found many ways of + amusing himself at Compiègne, and the new treaty was being hatched with + Burgundy which gave an excuse for doing nothing. The pause which wearied + them all out, both captains and soldiers, at last became more than flesh + and blood could bear. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne once more was driven to take the initiative. Already on one + occasion she had forced the hand of the lingering Court, and resumed the + campaign of her own accord, an impatient movement which had been perfectly + successful. No doubt again the army itself was becoming demoralised, and + showing symptoms of falling to pieces. One day she sent for Alençon in + haste during the absence of the ambassadors at Arras. "<i>Beau duc</i>," + she cried, "prepare your troops and the other captains. <i>En mon Dieu, + par mon martin</i>,(3) I will see Paris nearer than I have yet seen it." + She had seen the towers from afar as she wandered over the country in + Charles's lingering train. Her sudden resolution struck like fire upon the + impatient band. They set out at once, Alençon and the Maid at the head of + their division of the army, and all rejoiced to get to horse again, to + push their way through every obstacle. They started on the 23d August, + nearly a month after the departure from Rheims, a month entirely lost, + though full of events, lost without remedy so far as Paris was concerned. + At Senlis they made a pause, perhaps to await the King, who, it was hoped, + would have been constrained to follow; then carrying with them all the + forces that could be spared from that town, they spurred on to St. Denis + where they arrived on the 27th: St. Denis, the other sacred town of + France, the place of the tomb, as Rheims was the place of the crown. + </p> + <p> + The royalty of France was Jeanne's passion. I do not say the King, which + might be capable of malinterpretation, but the kings, the monarchy, the + anointed of the Lord, by whom France was represented, embodied and made + into a living thing. She had loved Rheims, its associations, its triumphs, + the rejoicing of its citizens. These had been the accompaniments of her + own highest victory. She came to St. Denis in a different mood, her heart + hot with disappointment and the thwarting of all her plans. From whatever + cause it might spring, it was clear that she was no longer buoyed up by + that certainty which only a little while before had carried her through + every danger and over every obstacle. But to have reached St. Denis at + least was something. It was a place doubly sacred, consecrated to that + royal House for which she would so willingly have given her life. And at + last she was within sight of Paris, the greatest prize of all. Up to this + time she had known in actual warfare nothing but victory. If her heart for + the first time wavered and feared, there was still no certain reason that, + <i>de par Dieu</i>, she might not win the day again. + </p> + <p> + At St. Denis there was once more a cruel delay. Nearly a fortnight passed + and there was no news of the King. The Maid employed the time in + skirmishes and reconnoissances, but does not seem to have ventured on an + attack without the sanction of Charles, whom Alençon, finally, going back + on two several occasions, succeeded in setting in motion. Charles had + remained at Compiègne to carry out his treaty with Burgundy, and the last + thing he desired was this attack; but when he could resist no longer he + moved on reluctantly to St. Denis, where his arrival was hailed with great + delight. This was not until the 5th of September, and the army, wrought up + to a high pitch of excitement and expectation, was eager for the fight. + "There was no one of whatever condition, who did not say, 'She will lead + the King into Paris, if he will let her,'" says the chronicler. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime the authorities in Paris were at work, strengthening its + fortifications, frightening the populace with threats of the vengeance of + Charles, persuading every citizen of the danger of submission. + </p> + <p> + The <i>Bourgeois</i> tells us that letters came from "les Arminoz," that + is, the party of the King, sealed with the seal of the Duc d'Alençon, and + addressed to the heads of the city guilds and municipality inviting their + co-operation as Frenchmen. "But," adds the Parisian, "it was easy to see + through their meaning, and an answer was returned that they need not throw + away their paper as no attention was paid to it." There is no sign at all + that any national feeling existed to respond to such an appeal. Paris—its + courts of law, Parliaments (salaried by Bedford), University, Church—every + department, was English in the first place, Burgundian in the second, + dependent on English support and money. There was no French party + existing. The Maid was to them an evil sorceress, a creature in the form + of a woman, exercising the blackest arts. Perhaps there was even a breath + of consciousness in the air that Charles himself had no desire for the + fall of the city. He had left the Parisians full time to make every + preparation, he had held back as long as was possible. His favour was all + on the side of his enemies; for his own forces and their leaders, and + especially for the Maid, he had nothing but discouragement, distrust, and + auguries of evil. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, these oppositions came to an end, and Jeanne, though less + ready and eager for the assault, found herself under the walls of Paris at + last. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) "The English, not US," says Mr. Andrew Lang: and it is + pleasant to a Scot to know that this is true. England and + Scotland were then twain, and the Scots fought in the ranks + of our auld Ally. But for the present age the distinction + lasts no longer, and to the writer of an English book on + English soil it would be ungenerous to take the advantage. + + (2) It is taken as a miraculous sign by another chronicler, + Jean Chartier, who tells us that when this fact came to the + knowledge of the King the sword was given by him to the + workmen to be re-founded—"but they could not do it, nor put + the pieces together again: which is a great proof (<i>grant + approbation</i>) that the sword came to her divinely. And it is + notorious that since the breaking of that sword, the said + Jeanne neither prospered in arms to the profit of the King + nor otherwise as she had done before." + + (3) "It was her oath," adds the chronicler; no one is quite + sure what it means, but Quicherat is of opinion that it was + her <i>baton</i>, her stick or staff. Perceval de Cagny puts in + this exclamation in almost all the speeches of the Maid. It + must have struck him as a curious adjuration. Perhaps it + explains why La Hire, unable to do without something to + swear by, was permitted by Jeanne in their frank and + humorous <i>camaraderie</i> to swear by his stick, the same + rustic oath. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII — DEFEAT AND DISCOURAGEMENT. AUTUMN, 1429. + </h2> + <p> + It was on the 7th September that Jeanne and her immediate followers + reached the village of La Chapelle, where they encamped for the night. The + next day was the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, a great + festival of the Church. It could scarcely be a matter of choice on the + part of so devout a Catholic as Jeanne to take this day of all others, + when every church bell was tinkling forth a summons to the faithful, for + the day of assault. In all probability she was not now acting on her own + impulse but on that of the other generals and nobles. Had she refused, + might it not have been alleged against her that after all her impatience + it was she who was the cause of delay? The forces with Jeanne were not + very large, a great proportion of the army remaining with Charles no one + seems to know where, either at St. Denis or at some intermediate spot, + possibly to form a reserve force which could be brought up when wanted. + The best informed historian only knows that Charles was not with the + active force. But Alençon was at the head of the troops, along with many + other names well known to us, La Hire, and young Guy de Laval, and + Xantrailles, all mighty men of valour and the devoted friends of Jeanne. + There is a something, a mist, an incertitude in the beginning of the + assault which was unlike the previous achievements of Jeanne, a certain + want of precaution or knowledge of the difficulties which does not reflect + honour upon the generals with her. Absolutely new to warfare as she was + before Orleans she had ridden out at once on her arrival there to inspect + the fortifications of the besiegers. But probably the continual + skirmishing of which we are told made this impossible here, so that, + though the Maid studied the situation of the town in order to choose the + best point for attack, it was only when already engaged that the army + discovered a double ditch round the walls, the inner one of which was full + of water. By sheer impetuosity the French took the gate of St. Honoré and + its "boulevard" or tower, driving its defenders back into the city: but + their further progress was arrested by that discovery. It was on this + occasion that Jeanne is supposed to have seized from a Burgundian in the + mêlée, a sword, of which she boasted afterwards that it was a good sword + capable of good blows, though we have no certain record that in all her + battles she ever gave one blow, or shed blood at all. + </p> + <p> + It would seem to have been only after the taking of this gate that the + discovery was made as to the two deep ditches, one dry, the other filled + with water. Jeanne, whose place had always been with her standard at the + immediate foot of the wall, from whence to direct and cheer on her + soldiers, pressed forward to this point of peril, descending into the + first fosse, and climbing up again on the second, the <i>dos d'ane</i>, + which separated them, where she stood in the midst of a rain of arrows, + fully exposed to all the enraged crowd of archers and gunners on the + ramparts above, testing with her lance the depth of the water. We seem in + the story to see her all alone or with her standard-bearer only by her + side making this investigation; but that of course is only a pictorial + suggestion, though it might for a moment be the fact. She remained there, + however, from two in the afternoon till night, when she was forced away. + The struggle must have raged around while she stood on the dark edge of + the ditch probing the muddy water to see where it could best be crossed, + shouting directions to her men in that voice <i>assez femme</i>, which + penetrated the noise of battle, and summoning the active and desperate + enemy overhead. "<i>Renty! Renty!</i>" she cried as she had done at + Orleans—"<i>surrender to the King of France!</i>" + </p> + <p> + We hear nothing now of the white armour; it must have been dimmed and worn + by much fighting, and the banner torn and glorious with the chances of the + war; but it still waved over her head, and she still stood fast, on the + ridge between the two ditches, shouting her summons, cheering the men, a + spot of light still, amid all the steely glimmering of the mail-coats and + the dark downpour of that iron rain. Half a hundred war cries rending the + air, shrieks from the walls of "Witch, Devil, Ribaude," and names still + more insulting to her purity, could not silence that treble shout, the + most wonderful, surely, that ever ran through such an infernal clamour, so + prodigious, the chronicler says, that it was a marvel to hear it. <i>De + par Dieu, Rendez vous, rendez vous, au roy de France</i>. If as we believe + she never struck a blow, the aspect of that wonderful figure becomes more + extraordinary still. While the boldest of her companions struggled across + to fling themselves and what beams and ladders they could drag with them + against the wall, she stood without even such shelter as close proximity + to it might have given, cheering them on, exposed to every shot. + </p> + <p> + The fight was desperate, and though there was no marked success on the + part of the besiegers, yet there seems to have been nothing to discourage + them, as the fight raged on. Few were wounded, notwithstanding the noise + of the cannons and culverins, "by the grace of God and the good luck of + the Maid." But towards the evening Jeanne herself suddenly swayed and + fell, an arrow having pierced her thigh; she seems, however, to have + struggled to her feet again, undismayed, when a still greater misfortune + befell: her standard-bearer was hit, first in the foot, and then, as he + raised his visor to pull the arrow from the wound, between his eyes, + falling dead at her feet. What happened to the banner, we are not told; + Jeanne most likely herself caught it as it fell. But at this stroke, more + dreadful than her own wound, her strength failed her, and she crept behind + a bush or heap of stones, where she lay, refusing to quit the place. Some + say she managed to slide into the dry ditch where there was a little + shelter, but resisted all attempts to carry her away, and some add that + while she lay there she employed herself in a vain attempt to throw + faggots into the ditch to make it passable. It is said that she kept + calling out to them to persevere, to go on and Paris would be won. She had + promised, they say, to sleep that night within the conquered city; but + this promise comes to us with no seal of authority. Jeanne knew that it + had taken her eight days to free Orleans, and she could scarcely have + promised so sudden a success in the more formidable achievement. But she + was at least determined in her conviction that perseverance only was + needed. She must have lain for hours on the slope of the outer moat, + urging on the troops with such force as her dauntless voice could give, + repeating again and again that the place could be taken if they but held + on. But when night came Alençon and some other of the captains overcame + her resistance, and there being clearly no further possibility for the + moment, succeeded in setting her upon her horse, and conveyed her back to + the camp. While they rode with her, supporting her on her charger, she did + nothing but repeat "<i>Quel dommage!</i>" Oh, what a misfortune, that the + siege of Paris should fail, all for want of constancy and courage. "If + they had but gone on till morning," she cried, "the inhabitants would have + known." It is evident from this that she must have expected a rising + within, and could not yet believe that no such thing was to be looked for. + "<i>Par mon martin</i>, the place would have been taken," she said in the + hearing one cannot but feel of the chronicler, who reports so often those + homely words. + </p> + <p> + Thus Jeanne was led back after the first day's attack. Her wound was not + serious, and she had been repulsed during one of the day's fighting at + Orleans without losing courage. But something had changed her spirit as + well as the spirit of the army she led. There is a curious glimpse given + us into her camp at this point, which indeed comes to us through the + observation of an enemy, yet seems to have in it an unmistakable gleam of + truth. It comes from one of the parties which had been granted a + safe-conduct to carry away the dead of the English and Burgundian side. + They tell us, among other circumstances,—such as that the French + burnt their dead, a manifest falsehood, but admirably calculated to make + them a horror to their neighbours,—that many in the ranks cursed the + Maid who had promised that they should without any doubt sleep that night + in Paris and plunder the wealthy city. The men with their safe-conduct + creeping among the dead, to recover those bodies which had fallen on their + own side, and furtively to count the fallen on the other—who were + delighted to bring a report that the Maid was no longer the fountain of + strength and blessing, but secretly cursed by her own forces—are + sinister figures groping their way through the darkness of the September + night. + </p> + <p> + Next morning, however, her wound being slight, Jeanne was up early and in + conference with Alençon, begging him to sound his trumpets and set forth + once more. "I shall not budge from here, till Paris is taken," she said. + No doubt her spirit was up, and a determination to recover lost ground + strong in her mind. While the commanders consulted together, there came a + band of joyful augury into the camp, the Seigneur of Montmorency with + sixty gentlemen, who had left the party of Burgundy in order to take + service under the banner of the Maid. No doubt this important and welcome + addition to their number exhilarated the entire camp, in the commotion of + the reveillé, while each man looked to his weapons, wiping off from + breastplate and helmet the heavy dew of the September morning, greeting + the new friends and brothers-in-arms who had come in, and arranging, with + a better knowledge of the ground than that of yesterday, the mode of + attack. Jeanne would not confess that she felt her wound, in her eagerness + to begin the assault a second time. And all were in good spirits, the + disappointment of the night having blown away, and the determination to do + or die being stronger than ever. Were the men-at-arms perhaps less + amenable? Were they whispering to each other that Jeanne had promised them + Paris yesterday, and for the first time had not kept her word? It would + almost require such a fact as this to explain what follows. For as they + began to set out, the whole field in movement, there was suddenly seen + approaching another party of cavaliers—perhaps another reinforcement + like that of Montmorency? This new band, however, consisted but of two + gentlemen and their immediate attendants, the Duc de Bar and the Comte de + Clermont,(1) always a bird of evil omen, riding hot from St. Denis with + orders from the King. These orders were abrupt and peremptory—to + turn back. Jeanne and her companions were struck dumb for the moment. To + turn back, and Paris at their feet! There must have burst forth a storm of + remonstrance and appeal. We cannot tell how long the indignant parley + lasted; the historians do not enlarge upon the disastrous incident. But at + last the generals yielded to the orders of the King—Jeanne + humiliated, miserable, and almost in despair. We cannot but feel that on + no former occasion would she have given way so completely; she would have + rushed to the King's presence, overwhelmed him with impetuous prayers, + extorted somehow the permission to go on. But Charles was safe at seven + miles' distance, and his envoys were imperious and peremptory, like men + able to enforce obedience if it were not given. She obeyed at last, + recovering courage a little in the hope of being able to persuade Charles + to change his mind, and sanction another assault on Paris from the other + side, by means of a bridge over the Seine towards St. Denis, which Alençon + had constructed. Next morning it appears that without even asking that + permission a portion of the army set out very early for this bridge: but + the King had divined their project, and when they reached the river side + the first thing they saw was their bridge in ruins. It had been + treacherously destroyed in the night, not by their enemies, but by their + King. + </p> + <p> + It is natural that the French historians should exhaust themselves in + explanation of this fatal change of policy. Quicherat, who was the first + to bring to light all the most important records of this period of + history, lays the entire blame upon La Tremoïlle, the chief adviser of + Charles. But that Charles himself was at heart equally guilty no one can + doubt. He was a man who proved himself in the end of his career to possess + both sense and energy, though tardily developed. It was to him that Jeanne + had given that private sign of the truth of her mission, by which he was + overawed and convinced in the first moment of their intercourse. Within + the few months which had elapsed since she appeared at Chinon every thing + that was wonderful had been done for him by her means. He was then a + fugitive pretender, not even very certain of his own claim, driven into a + corner of his lawful dominions, and fully prepared to abandon even that + small standing ground, to fly into Spain or Scotland, and give up the + attempt to hold his place as King of France. Now he was the consecrated + King, with the holy oil upon his brows, and the crown of his ancestors on + his head, accepted and proclaimed, all France stirring to her old + allegiance, new conquests falling into his hands every day, and the + richest portion of his kingdom secure under his sway. To check thus + peremptorily the career of the deliverer who had done so much for him, + degrading her from her place, throwing more than doubt upon her + inspiration, falsifying by force the promises which she had made—promises + which had never failed before,—was a worse and deeper sin on the + part of a young man, by right of his kingly office the very head of + knighthood and every chivalrous undertaking, than it could be on the part + of an old and subtle diplomatist who had never believed in such wild + measures, and all through had clogged the steps and endeavoured to + neutralise the mission of the warrior Maid. It is very clear, however, + that between them it was the King and his chamberlain who made this + assault upon Paris so evident and complete a failure. One day's repulse + was nothing in a siege. There had been one great repulse and several + lesser ones at Orleans. Jeanne, even though weakened by her wound, had + sprung up that morning full of confidence and courage. In no way was the + failure to be laid to her charge. + </p> + <p> + But this could never, perhaps, have been explained to the whole body of + the army, who had believed her word without a doubt and taken her success + for granted. If they had been wavering before, which seems possible—for + they must have been, to a considerable extent, new levies, the campaigners + of the Loire having accomplished their period of feudal service,—this + sudden downfall must have strengthened every doubt and damped every + enthusiasm. The Maid of whom such wonderful tales had been told, she who + had been the angel of triumph, the irresistible, before whom the English + fled, and the very walls fell down—was she after all only a + sorceress, as the others called her, a creature whose incantations had + failed after the flash of momentary success? Such impressions are too apt + to come like clouds over every popular enthusiasm, quenching the light and + chilling the heart. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was thus dragged back to St. Denis against her will and every + instinct of her being, and there ensued three days of passionate debate + and discussion. For a moment it appeared as if she would have thrown off + the bonds of loyal obedience and pursued her mission at all hazards. Her + "voices," if they had previously given her uncertain sound, promising only + the support and succour of God, but no success, now spoke more plainly and + urged the continuance of the siege; and the Maid was torn in pieces + between the requirements of her celestial guardians and the force of + authority around her. If she had broken out into open rebellion who would + have followed her? She had never yet done so; when the King was against + her she had pleaded or forced an agreement, and received or snatched a + consent from the malevolent chamberlain, as at Jargeau and Troyes. Never + yet had she set herself in public opposition to the will of her sovereign. + She had submitted to all kinds of tests and trials rather than this. And + to have lain half a day wounded outside Paris and to stand there pleading + her cause with her wound still unhealed were not likely things to + strengthen her powers of resistance. "The Voices bade me remain at St. + Denis," she said afterwards at her trial, "and I desired to remain; but + the seigneurs took me away in spite of myself. If I had not been wounded I + should never have left." Added to the force of these circumstances, it was + no doubt apparent to all that to resume operations after that forced + retreat, and the betrayal it gave of divided counsels, would be less + hopeful than ever. These arguments even convinced the bold La Hire, who + for his part, being no better than a Free Lance, could move hither and + thither as he would; and thus the first defeat of the Maid, a disaster + involving all the misfortunes that followed in its train, was + accomplished. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne's last act in St. Denis was one to which perhaps the modern reader + gives undue significance, but which certainly must have had a certain + melancholy meaning. Before she left, dragged almost a captive in the train + of the King, we are told that she laid on the altar of the cathedral the + armour she had worn on that evil day before Paris. It was not an unusual + act for a warrior to do this on his return from the wars. And if she had + been about to renounce her mission it would have been easily + comprehensible. But no such thought was in her mind. Was it a movement of + despair, was it with some womanish fancy that the arms in which she had + suffered defeat should not be borne again?—or was it done in some + gleam of higher revelation made to her that defeat, too, was a part of + victory, and that not without that bitterness of failure could the fame of + the soldier of Christ be perfected? I have remarked already that we hear + no more of the white armour, inlaid with silver and dazzling like a + mirror, in which she had begun her career; perhaps it was the remains of + that panoply of triumph which she laid out before the altar of the patron + saint of France, all dim now with hard work and the shadow of defeat. It + must have marked a renunciation of one kind or another, the sacrifice of + some hope. She was no longer Jeanne the invincible, the triumphant, whose + very look made the enemy tremble and flee, and gave double force to every + Frenchman's arm. Was she then and there abdicating, becoming to her own + consciousness Jeanne the champion only, honest and true, but no longer the + inspired Maid, the Envoy of God? To these questions we can give no answer; + but the act is pathetic, and fills the mind with suggestions. She who had + carried every force triumphantly with her, and quenched every opposition, + bitter and determined though that had been, was now a thrall to be dragged + almost by force in an unworthy train. It is evident that she felt the + humiliation to the bottom of her heart. It is not for human nature to have + the triumph alone: the humiliation, the overthrow, the chill and tragic + shadow must follow. Jeanne had entered into that cloud when she offered + the armour, that had been like a star in front of the battle, at the + shrine of St. Denis.(2) Hers was now to be a sadder, a humbler, perhaps a + still nobler part. + </p> + <p> + It is enough to trace the further movements of the King to perceive how at + every step the iron must have entered deeper and deeper into the heart of + the Maid. He made his arrangements for the government of each of the towns + which had acknowledged him: Beauvais, Compiègne, Senlis, and the rest. He + appointed commissioners for the due regulation of the truce with Philip of + Burgundy. And then the retreating army took its march southward towards + the mild and wealthy country, all fertility and quiet, where a recreant + prince might feel himself safe and amuse himself at his leisure—by + Lagny, by Provins, by Bercy-sur Seine, where he had been checked before in + his retreat and almost forced to the march on Paris—by Sens, and + Montargis: until at last on the 29th of September, no doubt diminished by + the withdrawal of many a local troop and knight whose service was over, + the forces arrived at Gien, whence they had set forth at the end of June + for a series of victories. It is to be supposed that the King was well + enough satisfied with the conquests accomplished in three months. And, + indeed, in ordinary circumstances they would have formed a triumphant + list. Charles must have felt himself free to play after the work which he + had not done; and to leave his good fortune and the able negotiators, who + hoped to get Paris and other good things from Philip of Burgundy without + paying anything for them, to do the rest. + </p> + <p> + We can imagine nothing more dreadful for the Maid than the months that + followed. The Court was not ungrateful to her; she received the warmest + welcome from the Queen; she had a <i>maison</i> arranged for her like the + household of a noble chief, with the addition of women and maidens of rank + to her existing staff, and everything which could serve to show that she + was one whom the King delighted to honour. And Charles would have her + apparelled gloriously like the king's daughter in the psalm. "He gave her + a mantle of cloth of gold, open at both sides, to wear over her armour," + and apparently did his best to make her, if not a noble lady, yet into the + semblance of a noble young chevalière, one the glories of his Court, with + all the distinction of her achievements and all the complacences of a + carpet knight. It was said afterwards, in the absence of any graver + possibility of accusation, that she liked her fine clothes. The tears rise + to the eyes at such a suggestion. She was so natural that let us hope she + did, the martyr Maid whose torture had already begun. If that mantle of + gold gave her a moment of pleasure, it is something to be thankful for in + the midst of the dismal shadows that were already closing round her. They + were ready to give her any shining mantle, any beautiful dress, even a + title and a noble name if she would; but what the King and his counsellors + were determined on, was, that she should no more have the fame of + individual triumph, or do anything save under their orders. + </p> + <p> + Alençon, the gentle duke, with whom she had taken so much trouble, and who + had grown into a true and noble comrade, made one effort to free his + friend and leader. He planned an expedition into Normandy, where, with the + help of Jeanne, he hoped to inflict upon the English a loss so tremendous, + the destruction of their base of operations, that they would be compelled + to abandon the centre of France altogether, and leave the way open to + Paris and to the recovery of the entire kingdom; but the King, or La + Tremoïlle, as the historians prefer to say, would not permit Jeanne to + accompany him, and this hope came to nothing. Alençon disbanded his + troops, everything in the form of an army was broken up—the short + period of feudal service making this inevitable, unless new levies were + made—and no forces were left under arms except those bands which + formed the body-guard of the King. Nevertheless, there was plenty of work + to be done still, and the breaking up of the French forces encouraged many + a little garrison of English partisans, which would have yielded naturally + and easily to a strong national party. + </p> + <p> + In the midst of the winter, however, it seemed appropriate to the Court to + launch forth an expedition against some of the unsubdued towns, perhaps on + account of the mortal languishment of Jeanne herself, perhaps for some + other reason of its own. The first necessity was to collect the necessary + forces, and for this reason Jeanne came to Bourges, where she was lodged + in one of the great houses of the city, that of Raynard de Bouligny, <i>conseiller + de roi</i>, and his wife, Marguerite, one of the Queen's ladies. She was + there for three weeks collecting her men, and the noble gentlewoman, who + was her hostess, was afterwards in the Rehabilitation trial, one of the + witnesses to the purity of her life. + </p> + <p> + From this lady and others we have a clear enough view of what the Maid was + in this second chapter of her history. She spent her time in the most + intimate intercourse with Madam Marguerite, sharing even her room, so that + nothing could be more complete than the knowledge of her hostess of every + detail of her young guest's life. And wonderful as was the difference + between the peasant maiden of Domremy and the most famous woman in France, + the life of Jeanne, the Deliverer of her country, is as the life of + Jeanne, the cottage sempstress,—as simple, as devout, and as pure. + She loved to go to church for the early matins, but as it was not fit that + she should go out alone at that hour, she besought Madame Marguerite to go + with her. In the evening she went to the nearest church, and there with + all her old childish love for the church bells, she had them rung for half + an hour, calling together the poor, the beggars who haunt every Catholic + church, the poor friars and bedesmen, the penniless and forlorn from all + the neighbourhood. This custom would, no doubt, soon become known, and not + only her poor pensioners, but the general crowd would gather to gaze at + the Maid as well as to join in her prayers. It was her great pleasure to + sing a hymn to the Virgin, probably one of the litanies which the + unlearned worshipper loves, with its choruses and constant repetitions, in + company with all those untutored voices, in the dimness of the church, + while the twilight sank into night, and the twinkling stars of candles on + the altar made a radiance in the middle of the gloom. When she had money + to give she divided it, according to the liberal custom of her time, among + her poor fellow-worshippers. These evening services were her recreation. + The days were full of business, of enrolling soldiers, and regulating the + "lances," groups of retainers, headed by their lord, who came to perform + their feudal service. + </p> + <p> + The ladies of the town who had the advantage of knowing Madame Marguerite + did not fail to avail themselves of this privilege, and thronged to visit + her wonderful guest. They brought her their sacred medals and rosaries to + bless, and asked her a hundred questions. Was she afraid of being wounded; + or was she assured that she would not be wounded? "No more than others," + she said; and she put away their religious ornaments with a smile, bidding + Madame Marguerite touch them, or the visitors themselves, which would be + just as good as if she did it. She would seem to have been always smiling, + friendly, checking with a laugh the adulation of her visitors, many of + whom wore medals with her own effigy (if only one had been saved for us!) + as there were many banners made after the pattern of hers. But cheerful as + she was, a prevailing tone of sadness now appears to run through her life. + On several occasions she spoke to her confessor and chaplain, who attended + her everywhere, of her death. "If it should be my fate to die soon, tell + the King our master on my part to build chapels where prayer may be made + to the Most High for the salvation of the souls of those who shall die in + the wars for the defence of the kingdom." This was the one thing she + seemed anxious for, and it returned again and again to her mind. Her + thoughts indeed were heavy enough. Her larger enterprises had been cruelly + put a stop to: her companions-in-arms had been dispersed: she had been + separated from her lieutenant Alençon, and from all the friends between + whom and herself great mutual confidence had sprung up. Even the + commission which had at last been put in her hands was a trifling one and + led to nothing, bringing the King no nearer to any satisfactory end: and + the troops were under command of a new captain whom she scarcely knew, + d'Albert, who was the son-in-law of La Tremoïlle, and probably little + inclined to be a friend to Jeanne. In these circumstances there was little + of an exhilarating or promising kind. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless as an episode, few things had happened to Jeanne more + memorable than the siege of St. Pierre-le-Moutier. The first assault upon + the town was unsuccessful; the retreat had sounded and the troops were + streaming back from the point of attack, when Jean d'Aulon, the faithful + friend and brave gentleman who was at the head of the Maid's military + household, being himself wounded in the heel and unable to stand or walk, + saw the Maid almost alone before the stronghold, four or five men only + with her. He dragged himself up as well as he could upon his horse, and + hastened towards her, calling out to her to ask what she did there, and + why she did not retire with the rest. She answered him, taking off her + helmet to speak, that she would leave only when the place was taken—and + went on shouting for faggots and beams to make a bridge across the ditch. + It is to be supposed that seeing she paid no attention, nor budged a step + from that dangerous point, this brave man, wounded though he was, must + have made an effort to rally the retiring besiegers: but Jeanne seems to + have taken no notice of her desertion nor ever to have paused in her shout + for planks and gabions. "All to the bridge," she shouted, "<i>aux fagots + et aux claies tout le monde!</i> every one to the bridge." "Jeanne, + withdraw, withdraw! You are alone," some one said to her. Bareheaded, her + countenance all aglow, the Maid replied: "I have still with me fifty + thousand of my men." Were those the men whom the prophet's servant saw + when his eyes were opened and he beheld the innumerable company of angels + that surrounded his master? But Jeanne, rapt in the trance and ecstasy of + battle, gave no explanation. "To work, to work!" her clear voice went on, + ringing over the startled head of the good knight who knew war, but not + any rapture like this. History itself, awe-stricken, would almost have us + believe that alone with her own hand the Maid took the city, so entirely + does every figure disappear but that one, and the perplexed and terrified + spectator vainly urging her to give up so desperate an attempt. But no + doubt the shouts of a voice so strange to every such scene, the <i>vox + infantile</i>, the amazing and clear voice, silvery and womanly, <i>assez + femme</i>, and the efforts of d'Aulon to bring back the retreating troops + were successful, and Jeanne once more, triumphantly kept her word. The + place was strongly fortified, well provisioned, and full of people. + Therefore the whole narrative is little less than miraculous, though very + little is said of it. Had they but persevered, as she had said, a few + hours longer before Paris, who could tell that the same result might not + have been obtained? + </p> + <p> + She was not successful, however, with La Charité, which after a siege of a + month's duration still held out, and had to be abandoned. These long + operations of regular warfare were not in Jeanne's way; and her coadjutor + in command, it must be remembered, was in this case commissioned by her + chief enemy. We are told that she was left without supplies, and in the + depths of winter, in cold and rain and snow, with every movement hampered, + and the ineffective government ever ready to send orders of retreat, or to + cause bewildering and confusing delays by the want of every munition of + war. Finally, at all events, the French forces withdrew, and again an + unsuccessful enterprise was added to the record of the once victorious + Maid. That she went on continually promising victory as in her early + times, is probably the mere rumour spread by her detractors who were now + so many, for there is no real evidence that she did so. Everything rather + points to discouragement, uncertainty, and to a silent rage against the + coercion which she could not overcome. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) Clermont it was who deserted the Scots at the Battle of + the Herrings. + + (2) Jeanne's arms, offered at St. Denis, were afterwards + taken by the English and sent to the King of England (all + except the sword with its ornaments of gold) without giving + anything to the church in return: "qui est pur sacrilege et + manifeste," says Jean Chartier. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX — COMPIÈGNE. 1430. + </h2> + <p> + By this time France was once more all in flames: the English and + Burgundians had entered and then abandoned Paris—Duke Philip + cynically leaving that city, which he had promised to give up to Charles, + to its own protection, in order to look after his more pressing personal + concerns: while Bedford spread fire and flame about the adjacent country, + retaking with much slaughter many of the towns which had opened their + gates to the King. Thus while Charles gave no attention to anything beyond + the Loire, and kept his chief champion there, as it were, on the leash, + permitting no return to the most important field of operations, almost all + that had been gained was again lost upon the banks of the Seine. This was + the state of affairs when Jeanne returned humbled and sad from the + abandoned siege of La Charité. Her enemy's counsels had triumphed all + round and this was the result. Individual fightings of no particular + account and under no efficient organisation were taking place day by day; + here a town stood out heroically, there another yielded to the foreign + arms; the population were thrown back into universal misery, the spring + fields trampled under foot, the villages burned, every evil of war in full + operation, invasion aggravated by faction, the English always aided by one + side of France against the other, and neither peace nor security anywhere. + </p> + <p> + This was the aspect of affairs on one side. On the other appeared a still + less satisfactory scene. Charles amusing himself, his counsellors, La + Tremoïlle, and the Archbishop of Rheims carrying on fictitious + negotiations with Burgundy and playing with the Maid who was in their + power, sending her out to make a show and cast a spell, then dragging her + back at the end of their shameful chain: while the Court, the King and + Queen, and all their flattering attendants gilded that chain and tried to + make her forget by fine clothes and caresses, at once her mission and her + despair. They were not ungrateful, no: let us do them justice, for they + might well have added this to the number of their sins: mantles of cloth + of gold, patents of nobility were at her command, had these been what she + wanted. The only personal wrong they did to Jeanne was to set up against + her a sort of opposition, another enchantress and visionary who had + "voices" and apparitions too, and who was admitted to all the councils and + gave her advice in contradiction of the Maid, a certain Catherine de la + Rochelle, who was ready to say anything that was put into her mouth, but + who had done nothing to prove any mission for France or from God. We have + little light however upon the state of affairs in those castles, which one + after another were the abode of the Court during this disastrous winter. + They were safe enough on the other side of the Loire in the fat country + where the vines still flourished and the young corn grew. Now and then a + band of armed men was sent forth to succour a fighting town in the + suffering and struggling Île-de-France, always under the conflicting + orders of those intrigants and courtiers: but within the Court, all was + gay; "never man," as rough La Hire had said on an earlier occasion, "lost + his kingdom more gaily or with better grace" than did Charles. Where was + La Hire? Where was Dunois?—there is no appearance of these champions + anywhere. Alençon had returned to his province. Only La Tremoïlle and the + Archbishop holding all the strings in their hands, upsetting all military + plans, disgusting every chief, met and talked and carried on their busy + intrigues, and played their Sibyl—<i>Sibylle de carrefour</i>, says + one of the historians indignantly—against the Maid, who, all + discouraged and downcast, fretted by caresses, sick of inactivity, dragged + out the uneasy days in an uncongenial world; but Jeanne has left no record + of the sensations with which she saw these days pass, eating her heart + out, gazing over that rapid river, on the other side of which all the + devils were unchained and every result of her brief revolution was being + lost. + </p> + <p> + At length however the impatience and despair were more than she could + bear; the Court was then at Sully and the spring had begun with its longer + days and more passable roads. Without a word to anyone the Maid left the + castle. The war had rolled towards these princely walls, as near as Melun, + which was threatened by the English. A little band of intimate servants + and associates, her two brothers, and a few faithful followers, were with + her. So far as we know she never saw Charles or his courtiers again. They + arrived at Melun in time to witness and to take part in the repulse of the + English, and it was here that a communication was make to Jeanne by her + saints of which afterwards there was frequent mention. Little had been + said of them during her dark time of inaction, and their tone was no + longer as of old. It was on the side of the moat of Melun where probably + she was superintending some necessary work to strengthen the + fortifications or to put them in better order for defence, that this + message reached her. The "Voices" which so often had urged her to victory + and engaged the faith of heaven for her success, had now a word to say, + secret and personal to herself. It was that she should be taken prisoner; + and the date was fixed, before the St. Jean. It was the middle of April + when this communication was made and the Feast of St. Jean, as everybody + knows, is in the end of June; two months only to work in, to strike + another blow for France. The "Voices" bade her not to fear, that God would + sustain her. But it would be impossible not to be startled by such a + sudden intimation in the midst of her reviving plans. The Maid made one + terrified prayer, that God would let her die when she was taken, not + subject her to long imprisonment; her heart prophetically sprang to a + sudden consciousness of the most likely, most terrible end that lay before + her, for she had been often enough threatened with the stake and the fire + to know what to expect. But the saintly voices made no reply. They bade + her be strong and of good courage: is not that the all-sustaining, + all-delusive message for every martyr? It was the will of God, and His + support and sustaining power, which we often take to mean deliverance, but + which is not always so—were promised. She asked where this terrible + thing was to happen, but received no reply. Natural and simple as she was, + she confessed afterwards that had she known she was to be taken on any + certain day, she would not have gone out to meet the catastrophe unless + she had been forced by evident duty to do so. But this was not revealed to + her. "Before the St. Jean!" It must almost have seemed a guarantee that + until that time or near it she was safe. She would seem to have said + nothing immediately of this vision to sadden those about her. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime, however, there were other adventures in store for her. + From Melun to Lagny was no long journey, but it was through a country full + of enemies in which she must have been subject to attack at every corner + of every road or field. And she had not been long in the latter place + which is said to have had a garrison of Scots, when news came of the + passing of a band of Burgundians, a troop of raiders indeed, ravaging the + country, taking advantage of the war to rob and lay waste churches, + villages, and the growing fields wherever they passed. The troops was led + by Franquet d'Arras, a famous "<i>pillard</i>," robber of God and man. + Jeanne set out to encounter this bandit with a party of some four hundred + men, and various noble companions, among whom, however, we find no name + familiar in her previous career, a certain Hugh Kennedy, a Scot, who is to + be met with in various records of fighting, being one of the most notable + among them. Franquet's band fought vigorously but were cut to pieces, and + the leader was taken prisoner. When this man was brought back to Lagny, a + prisoner to be ransomed, and whom Jeanne desired to exchange for one of + her own side, the law laid claim to him as a criminal. He was a prisoner + of war: what was it the Maid's duty to do? The question is hotly debated + by the historians and it was brought against her at her trial. He was a + murderer, a robber, the scourge of the country—especially to the + poor whom Jeanne protected and cared for everywhere, was he pitiless and + cruel. She gave him up to justice, and he was tried, condemned, and + beheaded. If it was wrong from a military point of view, it was her only + error, and shows how little there was with which to reproach her. + </p> + <p> + In Lagny other things passed of a more private nature. Every day and all + day long her "voices" repeated their message in her ears. "Before the St. + Jean." She repeated it to some of her closest comrades but left herself no + time to dwell upon it. Still worse than the giving up of Franquet was the + supposed resuscitation of a child, born dead, which its parents implored + her to pray for that it might live again to be baptised. She explained the + story to her judges afterwards. It was the habit of the time, nay, we + believe continues to this day in some primitive places, to lay the dead + infant on the altar in such a case, in hope of a miracle. "It is true," + said Jeanne, "that the maidens of the town were all assembled in the + church praying God to restore life that it might be baptised. It is also + true that I went and prayed with them. The child opened its eyes, yawned + three or four times, was christened and died. This is all I know." The + miracle is not one that will find much credit nowadays. But the devout + custom was at least simple and intelligible enough, though it afforded an + excellent occasion to attribute witchcraft to the one among those maidens + who was not of Lagny but of God. + </p> + <p> + From Lagny Jeanne went on to various other places in danger, or which + wanted encouragement and help. She made two or three hurried visits to + Compiègne, which was threatened by both parties of the enemy; at one time + raising the siege of Choicy, near Compiègne, in company with the + Archbishop of Rheims, a strange brother in arms. On another of her visits + to Compiègne there is said to have occurred an incident which, if true, + reveals to us with very sad reality the trouble that overshadowed the + Maid. She had gone to early mass in the Church of St. Jacques, and + communicated, as was her custom. It must have been near Easter—perhaps + the occasion of the first communion of some of the children who are so + often referred to, among whom she loved to worship. She had retired behind + a pillar on which she leaned as she stood, and a number of people, among + whom were many children, drew near after the service to gaze at her. + Jeanne's heart was full, and she had no one near to whom she could open it + and relieve her soul. As she stood against the pillar her trouble burst + forth. "Dear friends and children," she said, "I have to tell you that I + have been sold and betrayed, and will soon be given up to death. I beg of + you to pray for me; for soon I shall no longer have any power to serve the + King and the kingdom." These words were told to the writer who records + them, in the year 1498, by two very old men who had heard them, being + children at the time. The scene was one to dwell in a child's + recollection, and, if true, it throws a melancholy light upon the thoughts + that filled the mind of Jeanne, though her actions may have seemed as + energetic and her impulses as strong as in her best days. + </p> + <p> + At last the news came speeding through the country that Compiègne was + being invested on all sides. It had been the headquarters of Charles and + had received him with acclamations, and therefore the alarm of the + townsfolk for the retribution awaiting them, should they fall into the + hands of the enemy, was great; it was besides a very important position. + Jeanne was at Crespy en Valois when this news reached her. She set out + immediately (May 22, 1430) to carry aid to the garrison: "<i>F'irai voir + mes bons amis de Compiègne</i>," she said. The words are on the base of + her statue which now stands in the Place of that town. Something of her + early impetuosity was in this impulse, and no apparent dread of any + fatality. She rode all night at the head of her party, and arrived before + the dawn, a May morning, the 23d, still a month from the fatal "St. Jean." + Though the prophecy was always in her ears, she must have felt that whole + month still before her, with a sensation of almost greater safety because + the dangerous moment was fixed. The town received her with joy, and no + doubt the satisfaction and relief which hailed her and her reinforcements + gave additional fervour to the Maid, and drove out of her mind for a + moment the fatal knowledge which oppressed it. There is some difficulty in + understanding the events of this day, but the lucid narrative of + Quicherat, which we shall now quote, gives a very vivid picture of it. + Jeanne had timed her arrival so early in the morning, probably with the + intention of keeping the adversaries in their camps unaware of so + important an addition to the garrison, in order that she might surprise + them by the sortie she had determined upon; but no doubt the news had + leaked forth somehow, if through no other means, by the sudden ringing of + the bells and sounds of joy from the city. She paid her usual visits to + the churches, and noted and made all her arrangements for the sortie with + her usual care, occupying the long summer day in these preparations. And + it was not till five o'clock in the evening that everything was complete, + and she sallied forth. We hear nothing of the state of the town, or of any + suspicion existing at the time as to the governor Flavy who was afterwards + believed by some to be the man who sold and betrayed her. It is a question + debated warmly like all these questions. He was a man of bad reputation, + but there is no evidence that he was a traitor. The incidents are all + natural enough, and seem to indicate clearly the mere fortune of war upon + which no man can calculate. We add from Quicherat the description of the + field and what took place there: + </p> + <p> + "Compiègne is situated on the left bank of the Oise. On the other side + extends a great meadow, nearly a mile broad, at the end of which the + rising ground of Picardy rises suddenly like a wall, shutting in the + horizon. The meadow is so low and so subject to floods that it is crossed + by an ancient foot of the low hills. Three village churches mark the + extent of the landscape visible from the walls of Compiègne; Margny + (sometimes spelt Marigny) at the end of the road; Clairoix three quarters + of a league higher up, at the confluence of the two rivers, the Aronde and + the Oise, close to the spot where another tributary, the Aisne, also flows + into the Oise; and Venette a mile and a half lower down. The Burgundians + had one camp at Margny, another at Clairoix; the headquarters of the + English were at Venette. As for the inhabitants of Compiègne, their first + defence facing the enemy was one of those redoubts or towers which the + chronicles of the fifteenth century called a boulevard. It was placed at + the end of the bridge and commanded the road. + </p> + <p> + "The plan of the Maid was to make a sortie towards the evening, to attack + Margny and afterwards Clairoix, and then at the opening of the Aronde + valley to meet the Duke of Burgundy and his forces who were lodged there, + and who would naturally come to the aid of his other troops when attacked. + She took no thought for the English, having already carefully arranged + with Flavy how they should be prevented from cutting off her retreat. The + governor provided against any chance of this by arming the boulevard + strongly with archers to drive off any advancing force, and also by + keeping ready on the Oise a number of covered boats to receive the + foot-soldiers in case of a retrograde movement. + </p> + <p> + "The action began well: the garrison of Margny yielded in the twinkling of + an eye. That of Clairoix rushing to the support of their brothers in arms + was repulsed, then in its turn repulsed the French; and three times this + alternative of advance and retreat took place on the flat ground of the + meadow without serious injury to either party. This gave time to the + English to take part in the fray;(1) though thanks to the precautions of + Flavy all they could do was to swell the ranks of the Burgundians. But + unfortunately the rear of the Maid's army was struck with the possibility + that a diversion might be attempted from behind, and their retreat cut + off. A panic seized them; they broke their ranks, turned back and fled, + some to the boats, some to the barrier of the boulevard. The English + witnessing this flight rushed after them, secure now on the side of + Compiègne, where the archers no longer ventured to shoot lest they should + kill the fugitives instead of the enemies. They (the English) thus got + possession of the raised road, and pushed on so hotly after the fugitives + that their horses' heads touched the backs of the crowd. It thus became + necessary for the safety of the town to close the gates until the barrier + of the boulevard should be set up again." + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + These disastrous accidents had taken place while Jeanne, charging in front + with her companions and body-guard, remained quite unaware of any + misfortune. She would hear no call to retreat, even when her companions + were roused to the dangers of their position. "Forward, they are ours!" + was all her cry. As at St. Pierre-le-Moutier she was ready to defeat the + Burgundian army alone. At length the others perceiving something of what + had happened seized her bridle and forced her to retire. She was of + herself too remarkable a figure to be concealed amid the group of armed + men who rode with her, encircling her, defending the rear of the flying + party. Over her armour she wore a crimson tunic, or according to some + authorities a short cloak, of gorgeous material embroidered with gold, and + though by this time the twilight must have afforded a partial shelter, yet + the knowledge that she was there gave keenness to every eye. Behind, the + scattered Burgundians had rallied and begun to pursue, while the armour + and spears of the English glittered in front between the little party and + the barrier which was blocked by a terrified crowd of fugitives. Even then + a party of horsemen might have cut their way through; but at the moment + when Jeanne and her followers drew near, the barrier was sharply closed + and the wild, confused, and fighting crowd, treading each other down, + struggling for life, were forced back upon the English lances. Thus the + retreating band riding hard along the raised road, in order and unbroken, + found the path suddenly barred by the forces of the enemy, the fugitives + of their own army, and the closed gates of the town. + </p> + <p> + An attempt was then made by the Maid and her companions to turn towards + the western gate where there still might have been a chance of safety; but + by this time the smaller figure among all those steel-clad men, and the + waving mantle, must have been distinguished through the dusk and the dust. + There was a wild rush of combat and confusion, and in a moment she was + surrounded, seized, her horse and her person, notwithstanding all + resistance. With cries of "Rendez vous," and many an evil name, fierce + faces and threatening weapons closed round her. One of her assailants—a + Burgundian knight, a Picard archer, the accounts differ—caught her + by her mantle and dragged her from her horse; no Englishman let us be + thankful, though no doubt all were equally eager and ready. Into the midst + of that shouting mass of men, in the blinding cloud of dust, in the + darkening of the night, the Maid of France disappeared for one terrible + moment, and was lost to view. And then, and not till then, came a clamour + of bells into the night, and all the steeples of Compiègne trembled with + the call to arms, a sally to save the deliverer. Was it treachery? Was it + only a perception, too late, of the danger? There are not wanting voices + to say that a prompt sally might have saved Jeanne, and that it was quite + within the power of the Governor and city had they chosen. Who can answer + so dreadful a suggestion? it is too much shame to human nature to believe + it. Perhaps within Compiègne as without, they were too slow to perceive + the supreme moment, too much overwhelmed to snatch any chance of rescue + till it was too late. + </p> + <p> + Happily we have no light upon the tumult around the prisoner, the ugly + triumph, the shouts and exultation of the captors who had seized the + sorceress at last; nor upon the thoughts of Jeanne, with her threatened + doom fulfilled and unknown horrors before her, upon which imagination must + have thrown the most dreadful light, however strongly her courage was + sustained by the promise of succour from on high. She had not been sent + upon this mission as of old. No heavenly voice had said to her "Go and + deliver Compiègne." She had undertaken that warfare on her own charges + with no promise to encourage her, only the certainty of being overthrown + "before the St. Jean." But the St. Jean was still far off, a long month of + summer days between her and that moment of fate! So far as we can see + Jeanne showed no unseemly weakness in this dark hour. One account tells us + that she held her sword high over her head declaring that it was given by + a higher than any who could claim its surrender there. But she neither + struggled nor wept. Not a word against her constancy and courage could any + one, then or after, find to say. The Burgundian chronicler tells us one + thing, the French another. "The Maid, easily recognised by her costume of + crimson and by the standard which she carried in her hand, alone continued + to defend herself," says one; but that we are sure could not have been the + case as long as d'Aulon, who accompanied her, was still able to keep on + his horse. "She yielded and gave her parole to Lyonnel, bâtard de + Wandomme," says another; but Jeanne herself declares that she gave her + faith to no one, reserving to herself the right to escape if she could. In + that dark evening scene nothing is clear except the fact that the Maid was + taken, to the exultation and delight of her captors and to the terror and + grief of the unhappy town, vainly screaming with all its bells to arms,—and + with its sons and champions by hundreds dying under the English lances and + in the dark waves of the Oise. + </p> + <p> + The archer or whoever it was who secured this prize, took Jeanne back, + along the bloody road with its relics of the fight, to Margny, the + Burgundian camp, where the leaders crowded together to see so important a + prisoner. "Thither came soon after," says Monstrelet, "the Duke of + Burgundy from his camp of Coudon, and there assembled the English, the + said Duke and those of the other camps in great numbers, making, one with + the other, great cries and rejoicings on the taking of the Maid: whom the + said Duke went to see in the lodging where she was and spoke some words to + her which I cannot call to mind, though I was there present; after which + the said Duke and the others withdrew for the night, leaving the Maid in + the keeping of Messer John of Luxembourg"—to whom she had been + immediately sold by her first captor. The same night, Philip, this noble + Duke and Prince of France, wrote a letter to convey the blessed + information: + </p> + <p> + "The great news of this capture should be spread everywhere and brought to + the knowledge of all, that they may see the error of those who could + believe and lend themselves to the pretensions of such a woman. We write + this in the hope of giving you joy, comfort, and consolation, and that you + may thank God our Creator. Pray that it may be His holy will to be more + and more favourable to the enterprises of our royal master and to the + restoration of his sway over all his good and faithful subjects." + </p> + <p> + This royal master was Henry VI. of England, the baby king, doomed already + to expiate sins that were not his, by the saddest life and reign. The + French historians whimsically but perhaps not unnaturally, have the air of + putting down this baseness on Philip's part, and on that of his + contemporaries in general, to the score of the English, which is hard + measure, seeing that the treachery of a Frenchman could in no way be + attributed to the other nation of which he was the natural enemy, or at + least, antagonist. Very naturally the subsequent proceedings in all their + horror and cruelty are equally put down to the English account, although + Frenchmen took, exulted over as a prisoner, tried and condemned as an + enemy of God and the Church, the spotless creature who was France + incarnate, the very embodiment of her country in all that was purest and + noblest. We shall see with what spontaneous zeal all France, except her + own small party, set to work to accomplish this noble office. + </p> + <p> + Almost before one could draw breath the University of Paris claimed her as + a proper victim for the Inquisition. Compiègne made no sally for her + deliverance; Charles, no attempt to ransom her. From end to end of France + not a finger was lifted for her rescue; the women wept over her, the poor + people still crowded around the prisoner wherever seen, but the France of + every public document, of every practical power, the living nation, when + it did not utter cries of hatred, kept silence. We in England have over + and over again acknowledged with shame our guilty part in her murder; but + still to this day the Frenchman tries to shield his under cover of the + English influence and terror. He cannot deny La Tremoïlle, nor Cauchon, + nor the University, nor the learned doctors who did the deed; individually + he is ready to give them all up to the everlasting fires which one cannot + but hope are kept alive for some people in spite of all modern + benevolences; but he skilfully turns back to the English as a moving cause + of everything. Nothing can be more untrue. The English were not better + than the French, but they had the excuse at least of being the enemy. + France saved by a happy chance her <i>blanches mains</i> from the actual + blood of the pure and spotless Maid; but with exultation she prepared the + victim for the stake, sent her thither, played with her like a cat with a + mouse and condemned her to the fire. This is not to free us from our + share: but it is the height of hypocrisy to lay the blood of Jeanne, + entirely to our door. + </p> + <p> + Thus Jeanne's inspiration proved itself over again in blood and tears; it + had been proved already on battle-field and city wall, with loud trumpets + of joy and victory. But the "voices" had spoken again, sounding another + strain; not always of glory—it is not the way of God; but of prison, + downfall, distress. "Be not astonished at it," they said to her; "God will + be with you." From day to day they had spoken in the same strain, with no + joyful commands to go forth and conquer, but the one refrain: "Before the + St. Jean." Perhaps there was a certain relief in her mind at first when + the blow fell and the prophecy was accomplished. All she had to do now was + to suffer, not to be surprised, to trust in God that He would support her. + To Jeanne, no doubt, in the confidence and inexperience of her youth, that + meant that God would deliver her. And so He did; but not as she expected. + The sunshine of her life was over, and now the long shadow, the bitter + storm was to come. + </p> + <p> + Nothing could be more remarkable than the response of France in general to + this extraordinary event. In Paris there were bonfires lighted to show + their joy, the <i>Te Deum</i> was sung at Notre Dame. At the Court Charles + and his counsellors amused themselves with another prophet, a shepherd + from the hills who was to rival Jeanne's best achievements, but never did + so. Only the towns which she had delivered had still a tender thought for + Jeanne. At Tours the entire population appeared in the streets with bare + feet, singing the <i>Miserere</i> in penance and affliction. Orleans and + Blois made public prayers for her safety. Rheims, in which there was much + independent interest in Jeanne and her truth, had to be specially soothed + by a letter from the Archbishop, in which he made out with great + cleverness that it was the fault of Jeanne alone that she was taken. "She + did nothing but by her own will, without obeying the commandments of God," + he says; "she would hear no counsel, but followed her own pleasure,"; and + it is in this letter that we hear of the shepherd lad who was to replace + Jeanne, and that it was his opinion or revelation that God had suffered + the Maid to be taken because of her growing pride, because she loved fine + clothes, and preferred her own will to any guidance. We do not know + whether this contented the city of Rheims; similar reasoning however seems + to have silenced France. Nobody uttered a protest, nor struck a blow; the + mournful procession of Tours, where she had been first known in the outset + of her career, the prayers of Orleans which she had delivered, are the + only exceptions we know of. Otherwise there was lifted in France neither + voice nor hand to avert her doom. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) The three camps must have formed a sort of irregular + triangle. The English at Venette being only half a mile from + the gates of Compiègne. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X — THE CAPTIVE. MAY, 1430-JAN., 1431. + </h2> + <p> + We have here to remark a complete suspension of all the ordinary laws at + once of chivalry and of honest warfare. Jeanne had been captured as a + general at the head of her forces. She was a prisoner of war. Such a + prisoner ordinarily, even in the most cruel ages, is in no bodily danger. + He is worth more alive than dead—a great ransom perhaps—perhaps + the very end of the warfare, and the accomplishment of everything it was + intended to gain: at least he is most valuable to exchange for other + important prisoners on the opposite side. It was like taking away so much + personal property to kill a prisoner, an outrage deeply resented by his + captor and unjustified by any law. It was true that Jeanne herself had + transgressed this universal custom but a little while before, by giving up + Franquet d'Arras to his prosecutors. But Franquet was beyond the + courtesies of war, a noted criminal, robber, and destroyer: yet she ought + not perhaps to have departed from the military laws of right and wrong + while everything in the country was under the hasty arbitration of war. No + one, however, so far as we know, produces this matter of Franquet as a + precedent in her own case. From the first moment of her seizure there was + no question of the custom and privilege of warfare. She was taken as a + wild animal might have been taken, the only doubt being how to make the + most signal example of her. Vengeance in the gloomy form of the + Inquisition claimed her the first day. No such word as ransom was breathed + from her own side, none was demanded, none was offered. Her case is at + once separated from every other. + </p> + <p> + Yet the reign of chivalry was at its height, and women were supposed to be + the objects of a kind of worship, every knight being sworn to succour and + help them in need and trouble. There was perhaps something of the subtle + jealousy of sex so constantly denied on the stronger side, but yet always + existing, in the abrogation of every law of chivalry as well as of + warfare, in respect to the Maid. That man is indeed of the highest strain + of generosity who can bear to be beaten by a woman. And all the seething, + agitated world of France had been beaten by this girl. The English and + Burgundians, in the ordinary sense of the word, had been overcome in fair + field, forced to fly before her; the French, her own side, had experienced + an even more penetrating downfall by having the honours of victory taken + from them, she alone winning the day where they had all failed. This is + bitterer, perhaps, than merely to be compelled to raise a siege or to fail + in a fight. The Frenchmen fought like lions, but the praise was to Jeanne + who never struck a blow. Such great hearts as Dunois, such a courteous + prince as Alençon, were too magnanimous to feel, or at least to resent, + the grievance; they seconded her and fought under her with a nobility of + mind and disinterestedness beyond praise; but it was not to be supposed + that the common mass of the French captains were like these; she had + wronged and shamed them by taking the glory from them, as much as she had + shamed the English by making those universal victors fly before her. The + burghers whom she had rescued, the poor people who were her brethren and + whom she sought everywhere, might weep and cry out to Heaven, but they + were powerless at such a moment. And every law that might have helped her + was pushed aside. + </p> + <p> + On the 25th the news was known in Paris, and immediately there appears in + the record a new adversary to Jeanne, the most bitter and implacable of + all; the next day, May 26, 1430, without the loss of an hour, a letter was + addressed to the Burgundian camp from the capital. Quicherat speaks of it + as a letter from the Inquisitor or vicar-general of the Inquisition, + written by the officials of the University; others tell us that an + independent letter was sent from the University to second that of the + Inquisitor. The University we may add was not a university like one of + ours, or like any existing at the present day. It was an ecclesiastical + corporation of the highest authority in every cause connected with the + Church, while gathering law, philosophy, and literature under its wing. + The first theologians, the most eminent jurists were collected there, not + by any means always in alliance with the narrower tendencies and methods + of the Inquisition. It is notable, however, that this great institution + lost no time in claiming the prisoner, whose chief offence in its eyes was + less her career as a warrior than her position as a sorceress. The actual + facts of her life were of secondary importance to them. Orleans, Rheims, + even her attack upon Paris were nothing in comparison with the black art + which they believed to be her inspiration. The guidance of Heaven which + was not the guidance of the Church was to them a claim which meant only + rebellion of the direst kind. They had longed to seize her and strip her + of her presumptuous pretensions from the first moment of her appearance. + They could not allow a day of her overthrow to pass by without snatching + at this much-desired victim. + </p> + <p> + No one perhaps will ever be able to say what it is that makes a trial for + heresy and sorcery, especially in the days when fire and flame, the rack + and the stake, stood at the end, so exciting and horribly attractive to + the mind. Whether it is the revelations that are hoped for, of these + strange commerces between earth and the unknown, into which we would all + fain pry if we could, in pursuit of some better understanding than has + ever yet fallen to the lot of man; whether it is the strange and dreadful + pleasure of seeing a soul driven to extremity and fighting for its life + through all the subtleties of thought and fierce attacks of interrogation—or + the mere love of inflicting torture, misery, and death, which the Church + was prevented from doing in the common way, it is impossible to tell; but + there is no doubt that a thrill like the wings of vultures crowding to the + prey, a sense of horrible claws and beaks and greedy eyes is in the air, + whenever such a tribunal is thought of. The thrill, the stir, the + eagerness among those black birds of doom is more evident than usual in + the headlong haste of that demand. <i>Sous l'influence de l'Angleterre</i>, + say the historians; the more shame for them if it was so; but they were + clearly under influence wider and more infallible, the influence of that + instinct, whatever it may be, which makes a trial for heresy ten thousand + times more cruel, less restrained by any humanities of nature, than any + other kind of trial which history records. + </p> + <p> + That is what the Inquisitor demanded after a long description of Jeanne, + "called the Maid," as having "dogmatised, sown, published, and caused to + be published, many and diverse errors from which have ensued great + scandals against the divine honour and our holy faith." "Using the rights + of our office and the authority committed to us by the Holy See of Rome we + instantly command, and enjoin you in the name of the Catholic faith, and + under penalty of the law: and all other Catholic persons of whatsoever + condition, pre-eminence, authority, or estate, to send or to bring as + prisoner before us with all speed and surety the said Jeanne, vehemently + suspected of various crimes springing from heresy, that proceedings may be + taken against her before us in the name of the Holy Inquisition, and with + the favour and aid of the doctors and masters of the University of Paris, + and other notable counsellors present there." + </p> + <p> + It was the English who put it into the heads of the Inquisitor and the + University to do this, all the anxious Frenchmen cry. We can only reply + again, the more shame for the French doctors and priests! But there was + very little time to bring that influence to bear; and there is an + eagerness and precipitation in the demand which is far more like the + headlong natural rush for a much desired prize than any course of action + suggested by a third party. Nor is there anything to lead us to believe + that the movement was not spontaneous. It is little likely, indeed, that + the Sorbonne nowadays would concern itself about any inspired maid, any + more than the enlightened Oxford would do so. But the ideas of the + fifteenth century were widely different, and witchcraft and heresy were + the most enthralling and exciting of subjects, as they are still to + whosoever believes in them, learned or unlearned, great or small. + </p> + <p> + It must be added that the entire mind of France, even of those who loved + Jeanne and believed in her, must have been shaken to its depths by this + catastrophe. We have no sympathy with those who compare the career of any + mortal martyr with the far more mysterious agony and passion of our Lord. + Yet we cannot but remember what a tremendous element the disappointment of + their hopes must have been in the misery of the first disciples, the + Apostles, the mother, all the spectators who had watched with wonder and + faith the mission of the Messiah. Had it failed? had all the signs come to + nothing, all those divine words and ways, to our minds so much more + wonderful than any miracles? Was there no meaning in them? Were they mere + unaccountable delusions, deceptions of the senses, inspirations perhaps of + mere genius—not from God at all except in a secondary way? In the + three terrible days that followed the Crucifixion the burden of a world + must have lain on the minds of those who had seen every hope fail: no + legions of angels appearing, no overwhelming revelation from heaven, no + change in a moment out of misery into the universal kingship, the + triumphant march. That was but the self-delusion of the earth which + continually travesties the schemes of Heaven; yet the most terrible of all + despairs is such a pause and horror of doubt lest nothing should be true. + </p> + <p> + But in the case of this little Maiden, this handmaid of the Lord, the + deception might have been all natural and perhaps shared by herself. Were + her first triumphs accidents merely, were her "voices" delusions, had she + been given up by Heaven, of which she had called herself the servant? It + was a stupor which quenched every voice—a great silence through the + country, only broken by the penitential psalms at Tours. The Compiègne + people, writing to Charles two days after May 23d, do not mention Jeanne + at all. We need not immediately take into account the baser souls always + plentiful, the envious captains and the rest who might be secretly + rejoicing. The entire country, both friends and foes, had come to a + dreadful pause and did not know what to think. The last circumstance of + which we must remind the reader, and which was of the greatest importance, + is, that it was only a small part of France that knew anything personally + of Jeanne. From Tours it is a far cry to Picardy. All her triumphs had + taken place in the south. The captive of Beaulieu and Beaurevoir spent the + sad months of her captivity among a population which could have heard of + her only by flying rumours coming from hostile quarters. From the midland + of France to the sea, near to which her prison was situated, is a long + way, and those northern districts were as unlike the Orleannais as if they + had been in two different countries. Rouen in Normandy no more resembled + Rheims, than Edinburgh resembled London: and in the fifteenth century that + was saying a great deal. Nothing can be more deceptive than to think of + these separate and often hostile duchies as if they bore any resemblance + to the France of to-day. + </p> + <p> + The captor of Jeanne was a vassal of Jean de Luxembourg and took her as we + have seen to the quarters of his master at Margny, into whose hands she + thenceforward passed. She was kept in the camp three or four days and then + transferred to the castle of Beaulieu, which belonged to him; and + afterwards to the more important stronghold of Beaurevoir, which seems to + have been his principal residence. We know very few details of her + captivity. According to one chronicler, d'Aulon, her faithful friend and + intendant, was with her at least in the former of those prisons, where at + first she would appear to have been hopeful and in good spirits, if we may + trust to the brief conversation between her and d'Aulon, which is one of + the few details which reach us of that period. While he lamented over the + probable fate of Compiègne she was confident. "That poor town of Compiègne + that you loved so much," he said, "by this time it will be in the hands of + the enemies of France." "No," said the Maid, "the places which the king of + Heaven brought back to the allegiance of the gentle King Charles by me, + will not be retaken by his enemies." In this case at least the prophecy + came true. + </p> + <p> + And perhaps there might have been at first a certain relief in Jeanne's + mind, such as often follows after a long threatened blow has fallen. She + had no longer the vague tortures of suspense, and probably believed that + she would be ransomed as was usual: and in this silence and seclusion her + "voices" which she had not obeyed as at first, but yet which had not + abandoned her, nor shown estrangement, were more near and audible than + amid the noise and tumult of war. They spoke to her often, sometimes three + times a day, as she afterwards said, in the unbroken quiet of her prison. + And though they no longer spoke of new enterprises and victories, their + words were full of consolation. But it was not long that Jeanne's young + and vigorous spirit could content itself with inaction. She was no mystic; + willingly giving herself over to dreams and visions is more possible to + the old than to the young. Her confidence and hope for her good friends of + Compiègne gave way before the continued tale of their sufferings, and the + inveterate siege which was driving them to desperation. No doubt the worst + news was told to Jeanne, and twice over she made a desperate attempt to + escape, in hope of being able to succour them, but without any sanction, + as she confesses, from her spiritual instructors. At Beaulieu the attempt + was simple enough: the narrative seems to imply that the doorway, or some + part of the wall of her room, had been closed with laths or planks nailed + across an opening: and between these she succeeded in slipping, "as she + was very slight," with the hope of locking the door to an adjoining + guard-room upon the men who had charge of her, and thus getting free. But + alas! The porter of the château, who had no business there, suddenly + appeared in the corridor, and she was discovered and taken back to her + chamber. At Beaurevoir, which was farther off, her attempt was a much more + desperate one, and indicates a despair and irritation of mind which had + become unbearable. At this place her own condition was much alleviated; + the castle was the residence of Jean de Luxembourg's wife and aunt, ladies + who visited Jeanne continually, and soon became interested and attached to + her; but as the master of the house was himself in the camp before + Compiègne, they had the advantage or disadvantage, as far as the prisoner + was concerned, of constant news, and Jeanne's trouble for her friends grew + daily. + </p> + <p> + She seems, indeed, after the assurance she had expressed at first, to have + fallen into great doubt and even carried on within herself a despairing + argument with her spiritual guides on this point, battling with these + saintly influences as in the depths of the troubled heart many have done + with the Creator Himself in similar circumstances. "How," she cried, + "could God let them perish who had been so good and loyal to their King?" + St. Catherine replied gently that He would Himself care for these <i>bons + amis</i>, and even promised that "before the St. Martin" relief would + come. But Jeanne had probably by this time—in her great + disappointment and loneliness, and with the sense in her of so much power + to help were she only free—got beyond her own control. They bade her + to be patient. One of them, amid their exhortations to accept her fate + cheerfully, and not to be astonished at it, seems to have conveyed to her + mind the impression that she should not be delivered till she had seen the + King of England. "Truly I will not see him! I would rather die than fall + into the hands of the English," cried Jeanne in her petulance. The King of + England is spoken of always, it is curious to note, as if he had been a + great, severe ruler like his father, never as the child he really was. But + Jeanne in her helplessness and impotence was impatient even with her + saints. Day by day the news came in from Compiègne, all that was + favourable to the Burgundians received with joy and thanksgiving by the + ladies of Luxembourg, while the captive consumed her heart with vain + indignation. At last Jeanne would seem to have wrought herself up to the + most desperate of expedients. Whether her room was in the donjon, or + whether she was allowed sufficient freedom in the house to mount to the + battlements there, we are not informed—probably the latter was the + case: for it was from the top of the tower that the rash girl at last + flung herself down, carried away by what sudden frenzy of alarm or sting + of evil tidings can never be known. Probably she had hoped that a miracle + would be wrought on her behalf, and that faith was all that was wanted, as + on so many other occasions. Perhaps she had heard of the negotiations to + sell her to the English, which would give a keener urgency to her + determination to get free; all that appears in the story, however, is her + wild anxiety about Compiègne and her <i>bons amis</i>. How she escaped + destruction no one knows. She was rescued for a more tremendous and harder + fate. + </p> + <p> + The Maid was taken up as dead from the foot of the tower (the height is + estimated at sixty feet); but she was not dead, nor even seriously hurt. + Her frame, so slight that she had been able to slip between the bars put + up to secure her, had so little solidity that the shock would seem to have + been all that ailed her. She was stunned and unconscious and remained so + far some time; and for three days neither ate nor drank. But though she + was so humbled by the effects of the fall, "she was comforted by St. + Catherine, who bade her confess and implore the mercy of God" for her rash + disobedience—and repeated the promise that before Martinmas + Compiègne should be relieved. Jeanne did not perhaps in her rebellion + deserve this encouragement; but the heavenly ladies were kind and pitiful + and did not stand upon their dignity. The wonderful thing was that Jeanne + recovered perfectly from this tremendous leap. + </p> + <p> + The earthly ladies, though so completely on the other side, were scarcely + less kind to the Maid. They visited her daily, carried their news to her, + were very friendly and sweet: and no doubt other visitors came to make the + acquaintance of a prisoner so wonderful. There was one point on which they + were very urgent, and this was about her dress. It shamed and troubled + them to see her in the costume of a man. Jeanne had her good reasons for + that, which perhaps she did not care to tell them, fearing to shock the + ears of a demoiselle of Luxembourg with the suggestion of dangers of which + she knew nothing. No doubt it was true that while doing the serious work + of war, as she said afterwards, it was best that she should be dressed as + a man; but Jeanne had reason to know besides, that it was safer, among the + rough comrades and gaolers who now surrounded her, to wear the + tight-fitting and firmly fastened dress of a soldier. She answered the + ladies and their remonstrances with all the grace of a courtier. Could she + have done it she would rather have yielded the point to them, she said, + than to any one else in France, except the Queen. The women wherever she + went were always faithful to this young creature, so pure-womanly in her + young angel-hood and man-hood. The poor followed to kiss her hands or her + armour, the rich wooed her with tender flatteries and persuasions. There + is not record in all her career of any woman who was not her friend. + </p> + <p> + For the last dreary month of that winter she was sent to the fortress of + Crotoy on the Somme, for what reason we are not told, probably to be more + near the English into whose hands she was about to be given up: again + another shameful bargain in which the guilt lies with the Burgundians and + not with the English. If Charles I. was sold as we Scots all indignantly + deny, the shame of the sale was on our nation, not on England, whom nobody + has ever blamed for the transaction. The sale of Jeanne was brutally + frank. It was indeed a ransom which was paid to Jean of Luxembourg with a + share to the first captor, the archer who had secured her; but it was + simple blood-money as everybody knew. At Crotoy she had once more the + solace of female society, again with much pressing upon her of their own + heavy skirts and hanging sleeves. A fellow-prisoner in the dungeon of + Crotoy, a priest, said mass every day and gave her the holy communion. And + her mind seems to have been soothed and calmed. Compiègne was relieved; + the saints had kept their word: she had that burden the less upon her + soul: and over the country there were against stirrings of French valour + and success. The day of the Maid was over, but it began to bear the fruit + of a national quickening of vigour and life. + </p> + <p> + It was at Crotoy, in December, that she was transferred to English hands. + The eager offer of the University of Paris to see her speedy condemnation + had not been accepted, and perhaps the Burgundians had been willing to + wait, to see if any ransom was forthcoming from France. Perhaps too, + Paris, which sang the <i>Te Deum</i> when she was taken prisoner, began to + be a little startled by its own enthusiasm and to ask itself the question + what there was to be so thankful about?—a result which has happened + before in the history of that impulsive city:—and Paris was too near + the centre of France, where the balance seemed to be turning again in + favour of the national party, to have its thoughts distracted by such a + trial as was impending. It seemed better to the English leaders to conduct + their prisoner to a safer place, to the depths of Normandy where they were + most strong. They seem to have carried her away in the end of the year, + travelling slowly along the coast, and reaching Rouen by way of Eu and + Dieppe, as far away as possible from any risk of rescue. She arrived in + Rouen in the beginning of the year 1431, having thus been already for + nearly eight months in close custody. But there were no further + ministrations of kind women for Jeanne. She was now distinctly in the + hands of her enemies, those who had no sympathy or natural softening of + feeling towards her. + </p> + <p> + The severities inflicted upon her in her new prison at Rouen were + terrible, almost incredible. We are told that she was kept in an iron cage + (like the Countess of Buchan in earlier days by Edward I.), bound hands, + and feet, and throat, to a pillar, and watched incessantly by English + soldiers—the latter being an abominable and hideous method of + torture which was never departed from during the rest of her life. + Afterwards, at the beginning of her trial she was relieved from the cage, + but never from the presence and scrutiny of this fierce and hateful + bodyguard. Such detestable cruelties were in the manner of the time, which + does not make us the less sicken at them with burning indignation and the + rage of shame. For this aggravation of her sufferings England alone was + responsible. The Burgundians at their worst had not used her so. It is + true that she was to them a piece of valuable property worth so much good + money; which is a powerful argument everywhere. But to the English she + meant no money: no one offered to ransom Jeanne on the side of her own + party, for whom she had done so much. Even at Tours and Orleans, so far as + appears, there was no subscription—to speak in modern terms,—no + cry among the burghers to gather their crowns for her redemption—not + a word, not an effort, only a barefooted procession, a mass, a Miserere, + which had no issue. France stood silent to see what would come of it; and + her scholars and divines swarmed towards Rouen to make sure that nothing + but harm should come of it to the ignorant country lass, who had set up + such pretences of knowing better than others. The King congratulated + himself that he had another prophetess as good as she, and a Heaven-sent + boy from the mountains who would do as well and better than Jeanne. Where + was Dunois? Where was La Hire,(1) a soldier bound by no conventions, a + captain whose troop went like the wind where it listed, and whose valour + was known? Where was young Guy de Laval, so ready to sell his lands that + his men might be fit for service? All silent; no man drawing a sword or + saying a word. It is evident that in this frightful pause of fate, Jeanne + had become to France as to England, the Witch whom it was perhaps a danger + to have had anything to do with, whose spells had turned the world upside + down for a moment: but these spells had become ineffectual or worn out as + is the nature of sorcery. No explanation, not even the well-worn and so + often valid one of human baseness, could explain the terrible situation, + if not this. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) La Hire was at Louvain, which we hear a little later the + new English levies would not march to besiege till the Maid + was dead, and where Dunois joined him in March of this fatal + year. These two at Louvain within a few leagues of Rouen and + not a sword drawn for Jeanne!—the wonder grows. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI — THE JUDGES. 1431. + </h2> + <p> + The name of Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, appears to us at this long + distance as arising out of the infernal mists, into which, when his + ministry of shame was accomplished, he disappeared again, bearing with him + nothing but hatred and ill fame. Yet in his own day and to his + contemporaries, he was not an inconsiderable man. He was of Rheims, a + great student, and excellent scholar, the friend of many good men, highly + esteemed among the ranks of the learned, a good man of business, which is + not always the attribute of a scholar, and at the same time a Burgundian + of pronounced sentiments, holding for his Duke, against the King. When + Beauvais was summoned by Charles, after his coronation, at that moment of + universal triumph when all seemed open for him to march upon Paris if he + would, the city had joyfully thrown open its doors to the royal army, and + in doing so had driven out its Bishop, who was hot on the other side. He + would not seem to have been wanted in Paris at that moment. The "triste + Bedford," as Michelet calls him, had no means of employing an ambitious + priest, no dirty work for the moment to give him. It is natural to suppose + that a man so admirably adapted for that employment went in search of it + to the ecclesiastical court, not beloved of England, which the Cardinal + Bishop of Winchester held there. Winchester was the only one of the House + of Lancaster who had money to carry on the government either at home or + abroad. The two priests, as the historians are always pleased to insinuate + in respect to ecclesiastics, soon understood each other, and Winchester + became aware that he had in Cauchon a tool ready for any shameful + enterprise. It is not, however, necessary to assume so much as this, for + we have not the least reason to believe that either one or the other of + them had the slightest doubt on the subject of Jeanne, or as to her + character. She was a pernicious witch, filling a hitherto invincible army + with that savage fright which is but too well understood among men, and + which produces cruel outrages as well as cowardly panic. The air of this + very day, while I write, is ringing with the story of a woman burnt to + death by her own family under the influence of that same horrible panic + and terror. Cauchon was the countryman, almost the <i>pays</i>—an + untranslatable expression,—of Jeanne; but he did not believe in her + any more than the loftier ecclesiastics of France believed in Bernadette + of Lourdes, who was of the spiritual lineage of Jeanne, nor than we should + believe to-day in a similar pretender. It seems unnecessary then to think + of dark plots hatched between these two dark priests against the white, + angelic apparition of the Maid. + </p> + <p> + What services Cauchon had done to recommend him to the favour of + Winchester we are not told, but he was so much in favour that the Cardinal + had recommended him to the Pope for the vacant archbishopric of Rouen a + few months before there was any immediate question of Jeanne. The + appointment was opposed by the clergy of Rouen, and the Pope had not come + to any decision as yet on the subject. But no doubt the ambition of + Cauchon made him very eager, with such a tempting prize before him, to + recommend himself to his English patron by every means in his power. And + he it was who undertook the office of negotiating the ransom of Jeanne + from the hands of Jean de Luxembourg. We doubt whether after all it would + be just even to call this a nefarious bargain. To the careless seigneur it + would probably be very much a matter of course. The ransom offered—six + thousand francs—was as good as if she had been a prince. The ladies + at home might be indignant, but what was their foolish fancy for a + high-flown girl in comparison with these substantial crowns in his pocket; + and to be free from the responsibility of guarding her would be an + advantage too. And if her own party did not stir on her behalf, why should + he? A most pertinent question. Cauchon, on the other hand, could assure + all objectors that no summary vengeance was to be taken on the Maid. She + was to be judged by the Church, and by the best men the University could + provide, and if she were found innocent, no doubt would go free. + </p> + <p> + They must have been sanguine indeed who hoped for a triumphant acquittal + of Jeanne; but still it may have been hoped that a trial by her countrymen + would in every case be better for her than to languish in prison or to be + seized perhaps by the English on some after occasion, and to perish by + their hands. Let us therefore be fair to Cauchon, if possible, up to the + beginning of the <i>Procès</i>. He was no Frenchman, but a Burgundian; his + allegiance was to his Duke, not to the King of England; but his natural + sovereign did so, and many, very many men of note and importance were + equally base, and did not esteem it base at all. Had the inhabitants of + Rheims, his native town, or of Rouen, in which <i>his</i> trial and + downfall took place as well as Jeanne's, pronounced for the King of + Prussia in the last war, and proclaimed themselves his subjects, the + traitors would have been hung with infamy from their own high towers, or + driven into their river headlong. But things were very different in the + fifteenth century. There has never been a moment in our history when + either England or Scotland has pronounced for a foreign sway. Scotland + fought with desperation for centuries against the mere name of suzerainty, + though of a kindred race. There have been terrible moments of forced + subjugation at the point of the sword; but never any such phenomena as + appeared in France, so far on in the world's history as was that brilliant + and highly cultured age. Such a state of affairs is to our minds + impossible to understand or almost to believe: but in the interests of + justice it must be fully acknowledged and understood. + </p> + <p> + Cauchon arises accordingly, not at first with any infamy, out of the + obscurity. He had been expelled and dethroned from his See, but this only + for political reasons. He was ecclesiastically Bishop of Beauvais still; + it was within his diocese that the Maid had taken prisoner, and there also + her last acts of magic, if magic there was, had taken place. He had + therefore a legal right to claim the jurisdiction, a right which no one + had any interest in taking from him. If Paris was disappointed at not + having so interesting a trial carried on before its courts, there was + compensation in the fact that many doctors of the University were called + to assist Cauchon in his examination of the Maid, and to bring her, witch, + sorceress, heretic, whatever she might be, to question. These doctors were + not undistinguished or unworthy men. A number of them held high office in + the Church; almost all were honourably connected with the University, the + source of learning in France. "With what art were they chosen!" exclaims + M. Blaze de Bury. "A number of theologians, the élite of the time, had + been named to represent France at the council of Bâle; of these Cauchon + chose the flower." This does not seem on the face of it to be a fact + against, but rather in favour of, the tribunal, which the reader naturally + supposes must have been the better, the more just, for being chosen among + the flower of learning in France. They were not men who could be imagined + to be the tools of any Bishop. Quicherat, in his moderate and able remarks + on this subject, selects for special mention three men who took a very + important part in it, Guillame Érard, Nicole Midi, and Tomas de + Courcelles. They were all men who held a high place in the respect of + their generation. Érard was a friend of Machet, the confessor of Charles + VII., who had been a member of the tribunal at Poitiers which first + pronounced upon the pretensions of Jeanne; yet after the trial of the Maid + Machet still describes him as a man of the highest virtue and heavenly + wisdom. Nicole Midi continued to hold an honourable place in his + University for many years, and was the man chosen to congratulate Charles + when Paris finally became again the residence of the King. Courcelles was + considered the first theologian of the age. "He was an austere and + eloquent young man," says Quicherat, "of a lucid mind, though nourished on + abstractions. He was the first of theologians long before he had attained + the age at which he could assume the rank of doctor, and even before he + had finished his studies he was considered as the successor of Gerson. He + was the light of the council of Bâle. Eneas Piccolomini (Pope Pius II.) + speaks with admiration of his capacity and his modesty. In him we + recognise the father of the freedom of the Gallican Church. His + disinterestedness is shown by the simple position with which he contented + himself. He died with no higher rank than that of Dean of the Chapter of + Paris." + </p> + <p> + Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious? Was this the man to be used for their + vile ends by a savage English party thirsting for the blood of an innocent + victim, and by the vile priest who was its tool? It does not seem so to + our eyes across the long level of the centuries which clear away so many + mists. And no more dreadful accusation can be brought against France than + the suggestion that men like these, her best and most carefully trained, + were willing to act as blood-hounds for the advantage and the pay of the + invader. But there are many French historians to whom the mere fact of a + black gown or at least an ecclesiastical robe, confounds every testimony, + and to whom even the name of Frenchman does not make it appear possible + that a priest should retain a shred of honour or of honesty. We should + have said by the light of nature and probability that had every guarantee + been required for the impartiality and justice of such a tribunal, they + could not have been better secured than by the selection of such men to + conduct its proceedings. They made a great and terrible mistake, as the + wisest of men have made before now. They did much worse, they behaved to + an unfortunate girl who was in their power with indescribable ferocity and + cruelty; but we must hope that this was owing to the period at which they + lived rather than to themselves. + </p> + <p> + It is not perhaps indeed from the wise and learned, the Stoics and Pundits + of a University, that we should choose judges for the divine simplicity of + those babes and sucklings out of whose mouth praise is perfected. At the + same time to choose the best men is not generally the way adopted to + procure a base judgement. Cauchon might have been subject to this blame + had he filled the benches of his court with creatures of his own, nameless + priests and dialecticians, knowing nothing but their own poor science of + words. He did not do so. There were but two Englishmen in the assembly, + neither of them men of any importance or influence although there must + have been many English priests in the country and in the train of + Winchester. There were not even any special partisans of Burgundy, though + some of the assessors were Burgundian by birth. We should have said, had + we known no more than this, that every precaution had been taken to give + the Maid the fairest trial. But at the same time a trial which is + conducted under the name of the Inquisition is always suspect. The mere + fact of that terrible name seems to establish a foregone conclusion; few + are the prisoners at that bar who have ever escaped. This fact is almost + all that can be set against the high character of the individuals who + composed the tribunal. At all events it is no argument against the English + that they permitted the best men in France to be chosen as Jeanne's + judges. It is the most bewildering and astonishing of historical facts + that they were so, and yet came to the conclusion they did, by the means + they did, and that without falling under the condemnation, or scorn, or + horror of their fellow-men. + </p> + <p> + This then was the assembly which gathered in Rouen in the beginning of + 1431. Quicherat will not venture to affirm even that intimidation was + directly employed to effect their decision. He says that the evidence + "tends to prove" that this was the case, but honestly allows that, "it is + well to remark that the witnesses contradict each other." "In all that I + have said," he adds, "my intention has been to prove that the judges of + the Maid had in no way the appearance of partisans hotly pursuing a + political vengeance; but that, on the contrary, their known weight, the + consideration which most of them enjoyed, and the nature of the tribunal + for which they were assembled, were all calculated to produce generally an + expectation full of confidence and respect." + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile there is not a word to be said for the treatment to which Jeanne + herself was subjected, she being, so far as is apparent, entirely in + English custody. She had been treated with tolerable gentleness it would + seem in the first part of her captivity while in the hands of Jean de + Luxembourg, the Count de Ligny. The fact that the ladies of the house were + for her friends must have assured this, and there is no complaint made + anywhere of cruelty or even unkindness. When she arrived in Rouen she was + confined in the middle chamber of the donjon, which was the best we may + suppose, neither a dungeon under the soil, nor a room under the leads, but + one to which there was access by a short flight of steps from the + courtyard, and which was fully lighted and not out of reach or sight of + life. But in this chamber was an iron cage,(1) within which she was bound, + feet, and waist and neck, from the time of her arrival until the beginning + of the trial, a period of about six weeks. Five English soldiers of the + lowest class watched her night and day, three in the room itself, two at + the door. It is enough to think for a moment of the probable manners and + morals of these troopers to imagine what torture must have been inflicted + by their presence upon a young woman who had always been sensitive above + all things to the laws of personal modesty and reserve. Their course jests + would no doubt be unintelligible to her, which would be an alleviation; + but their coarse laughter, their revolting touch, their impure looks, + would be an endless incessant misery. We are told that she indignantly + bestowed a hearty buffet on the cheek of a tailor who approached her too + closely when it was intended to furnish her with female dress; but she was + helpless to defend herself when in her irons, and had to endure as she + best could—the bars of her cage let us hope, if cage there was, + affording her some little protection from the horror of the continual + presence of these rude attendants, with whom it was a shame to English + gentlemen and knights to surround a helpless woman. + </p> + <p> + When her trial began Jeanne was released from her cage, but was still + chained by one foot to a wooden beam during the day, and at night to the + posts of her bed. Sometimes her guards would wake her to tell her that she + had been condemned and was immediately to be led forth to execution; but + that was a small matter. Attempts were also made to inflict the barest + insult and outrage upon her, and on one occasion she is said to have been + saved only by the Earl of Warwick, who heard her cries and went to her + rescue. By night as by day she clung to her male garb, tightly fastened by + the innumerable "points" of which Shakespeare so often speaks. Such were + the horrible circumstances in which she awaited her public appearance + before her judges. She was brought before them every day for months + together, to be badgered by the keenest wits in France, coming back and + back with artful questions upon every detail of every subject, to + endeavour to shake her firmness or force her into self-contradiction. + Imagine a cross-examination going on for months, like those—only + more cruel than those—to which we sometimes see an unfortunate + witness exposed in our own courts of law. There is nothing more usual than + to see people break down entirely after a day or two of such a tremendous + ordeal, in which their hearts and lives are turned inside out, their minds + so bewildered that they know not what they are saying, and everything they + have done in their lives exhibited in the worst, often in an entirely + fictitious, light, to the curiosity and amusement of the world. + </p> + <p> + But all our processes are mercy in comparison with those to which French + prisoners at the bar are still exposed. It is unnecessary to enter into an + account of these which are so well known; but they show that even such a + trial as that of Jeanne was by no means so contrary to common usage, as it + would be, and always would have been in England. In England we warn the + accused to utter no rash word which may be used against him; in France the + first principle is to draw from him every rash word that he can be made to + bring forth. This was the method employed with Jeanne. Her judges were all + Churchmen and dialecticians of the subtlest wit and most dexterous + faculties in France; they had all, or almost all, a strong prepossession + against her. Though we cannot believe that men of such quality were + suborned, there was, no doubt, enough of jealous and indignant feeling + among them to make the desire of convicting Jeanne more powerful with them + than the desire for pure justice. She was a true Christian, but not + perhaps the soundest of Church-women. Her visions had not the sanction of + any priest's approval, except indeed the official but not warm affirmation + of the Council at Poitiers. She had not hastened to take the Church into + her confidence nor to put herself under its protection. Though her claims + had been guaranteed by the company of divines at Poitiers, she herself had + always appealed to her private instructions, through her saints, rather + than to the guiding of any priest. The chief ecclesiastical dignitary of + her own party had just held her up to the reprobation of the people for + this cause: she was too independent, so proud that she would take no + advice but acted according to her own will. The more accustomed a + Churchman is to experience the unbounded devotion and obedience of women, + the more enraged he is against those who judge for themselves or have + other guides on whom they rely. Jeanne was, beside all other sins alleged + against her, a presumptuous woman: and very few of these men had any + desire to acquit her. They were little accustomed to researches which were + solely intended to discover the truth: their principle rather was, as it + has been the principle of many, to obtain proofs that their own particular + way of thinking was the right one. It is not perhaps very good even for a + system of doctrine when this is the principle by which it is tested. It is + more fatal still, on this principle, to judge an individual for death or + for life. It will be abundantly proved, however, by all that is to follow, + that in face of this tribunal, learned, able, powerful, and prejudiced, + the peasant girl of nineteen stood like a rock, unmoved by all their + cleverness, undaunted by their severity, seldom or never losing her head, + or her temper, her modest steadfastness, or her high spirit. If they hoped + to have an easy bargain of her, never were men more mistaken. Not knowing + a from b, as she herself said, untrained, unaided, she was more than a + match for them all. + </p> + <p> + Round about this centre of eager intelligence, curiosity, and prejudice, + the cathedral and council chamber teeming with Churchmen, was a dark and + silent ring of laymen and soldiers. A number of the English leaders were + in Rouen, but they appear very little. Winchester, who had very lately + come from England with an army, which according to some of the historians + would not budge from Calais, where it had landed, "for fear of the Maid"—was + the chief person in the place, but did not make any appearance at the + trial, curiously enough; the Duke of Bedford we are informed was visible + on one shameful occasion, but no more. But Warwick, who was the Governor + of the town, appears frequently and various other lords with him. We see + them in the mirror held up to us by the French historians, pressing round + in an ever narrowing circle, closing up upon the tribunal in the midst, + pricking the priests with perpetual sword points if they seem to loiter. + They would have had everything pushed on, no delay, no possibility of + escape. It is very possible that this was the case, for it is evident that + the Witch was deeply obnoxious to the English, and that they were eager to + have her and her endless process out of the way; but the evidence for + their terror and fierce desire to expedite matters is of the feeblest. A + canon of Rouen declared at the trial that he had heard it said by Maître + Pierre Morice, and Nicolas l'Oyseleur, judges assessors, and by other + whose names he does not recollect, "that the said English were so afraid + of her that they did not dare to begin the siege of Louviers until she was + dead; and that it was necessary if one would please them, to hasten the + trial as much as possible and to find the means of condemning her." Very + likely this was quite true: but it cannot at all be taken for proved by + such evidence. Another contemporary witness allows that though some of the + English pushed on her trial for hate, some were well disposed to her; the + manner of Jeanne's imprisonment is the only thing which inclines the + reader to believe every evil thing that is said against them. + </p> + <p> + Such were the circumstances in which Jeanne was brought to trail. The + population, moved to pity and to tears as any population would have been, + before the end, would seem at the beginning to have been indifferent and + not to have taken much interest one way or another: the court, a hundred + men and more with all their hangers-on, the cleverest men in France, one + more distinguished and impeccable than the others: the stern ring of the + Englishmen outside keeping an eye upon the tedious suit and all its + convolutions: these all appear before us, surrounding as with bands of + iron the young lonely victim in the donjon, who submitting to every + indignity, and deprived of every aid, feeling that all her friends had + abandoned her, yet stood steadfast and strong in her absolute simplicity + and honesty. It was but two years in that same spring weather since she + had left Vaucouleurs to seek the fortune of France, to offer herself to + the struggle which now was coming to an end. Not a soul had Jeanne to + comfort or stand by her. She had her saints who—one wonders if such + a thought ever entered into her young visionary head—had lured her + to her doom, and who still comforted her with enigmatical words, promises + which came true in so sadly different a sense from that in which they were + understood. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) We are glad to add that the learned Quicherat has doubts + on the subject of the cage. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII — BEFORE THE TRIAL. LENT, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + We have not, however, sufficiently described the horror of the prison, and + the treatment to which Jeanne was exposed, though the picture is already + dark enough. It throws a horrible yet also a grotesque light upon the + savage manners of the time to find that the chamber in which she was + confined, had secret provision for an <i>espionnage</i> of the most base + kind, openings made in the walls through which everything that took place + in the room, every proceeding of the unfortunate prisoner, could be spied + upon and every word heard. The idea of such a secret watch has always been + attractive to the vulgar mind, and no doubt it has been believed to exist + many times when there was little or no justification for such an infernal + thought. From the "ear" of Dionysius, down to the <i>Trou Judas</i>, which + early tourists on the Continent were taught to fear in every chamber door, + the idea has descended to our own times. It would seem, however, to be + beyond doubt that this odious means of acquiring information was in full + operation during the trial of Jeanne, and various spies were permitted to + peep at her, and to watch for any unadvised word she might say in her most + private moments. We are told that the Duke of Bedford made use of the + opportunity in a still more revolting way, and was present, a secret + spectator, at the fantastic scene when Jeanne was visited by a committee + of matrons who examined her person to prove or to disprove one of the + hateful insinuations which were made about her. The imagination, however, + refuses to conceive that a man of serious age and of high functions should + have degraded himself to the level of a Peeping Tom in this way; all the + French historians, nevertheless, repeat the story though on the merest + hearsay evidence. And they also relate, with more apparent truth, how a + double treachery was committed upon the unfortunate prisoner by stationing + two secretaries at these openings, to take down her conversation with a + spy who had been sent to her in the guise of a countryman of her own; and + that not only Cauchon but Warwick also was present on this occasion, + listening, while their plot was carried out by the vile traitor inside. + The clerks, we are glad to say, are credited with a refusal to act: but + Warwick did not shrink from the ignominy. The Englishmen indeed shrank + from no ignominy; nor did the great French savants assembled under the + presidency of the Bishop. It is necessary to grant to begin with that they + were neither ignorant nor base men, yet from the beginning of the trial + almost every step taken by them appears base, as well as marked, in the + midst of all their subtlety and diabolical cunning, by the profoundest + ignorance of human nature. The spy of whom we have spoken, L'Oyseleur + (bird-snarer, a significant name), was sent, and consented to be sent, to + Jeanne in her prison, as a fellow prisoner, a <i>pays</i>, like herself + from Lorraine, to invite her confidence: but his long conversations with + the Maid, which were heard behind their backs by the secretaries, elicited + nothing from her that she did not say in the public examination. She had + no secret devices to betray to a traitor. She would not seem, indeed, to + have suspected the man at all, not even when she saw him among her judges + taking part against her. Jeanne herself suspected no falsehood, but made + her confession to him, when she found that he was a priest, and trusted + him fully. The bewildering and confusing fact, turning all the + contrivances of her judges into foolishness, was, that she had nothing to + confess that she was not ready to tell in the eye of day. + </p> + <p> + The adoption of this abominable method of eliciting secrets from the + candid soul which had none, was justified, it appears, by the manner of + her trial, which was after the rules of the Inquisition—by which + even more than by those which regulate an ordinary French trial the guilt + of the accused is a foregone conclusion for which proof is sought, not a + fair investigation of facts for abstract purposes of justice. The first + thing to be determined by the tribunal was the counts of the indictment + against Jeanne; was she to be tried for magical arts, for sorcery and + witchcraft? It is very probable that the mission of L'Oyseleur was to + obtain evidence that would clear up this question by means of recalling to + her the stories of her childhood, of the enchanted tree, and the Fairies' + Well; from which sources, her accusers anxiously hoped to prove that she + derived her inspiration. But it is very clear that no such evidence was + forthcoming, and that it seemed to them hopeless to attribute sorcery to + her; therefore the accusation was changed to that of heresy alone. The + following mandate from the University authorising her prosecution will + show what the charge was; and the reader will note that one of its darkest + items is the costume, which for so many good and sufficient reasons she + wore. Here is the official description of the accused: + </p> + <p> + "A woman, calling herself the Maid, leaving the dress and habit of her sex + against the divine law, a thing abominable to God, clothed and armed in + the habit and condition of a man, has done cruel deeds of homicide, and as + is said has made the simple people believe, in order to abuse and lead + them astray, that she was sent by God, and had knowledge of His divine + secrets; along with several other doctrines (<i>dogmatisations</i>), very + dangerous, prejudicial, and scandalous to our holy Catholic faith, in + pursuing which abuses, and exercising hostility against us and our people, + she has been taken in arms, before Compiègne, and brought as a prisoner + before us." + </p> + <p> + According to French law the indictment ought to have been founded upon a + preliminary examination into the previous life of the accused, which, as + it does not appear in the formal accusations, it was supposed had never + been made. Recent researches, however, have proved that it was made, but + was not of a nature to strengthen or justify any accusation. All that the + examiners could discover was that Jeanne d'Arc was a good and honest maid + who left a spotless reputation behind her in her native village, and that + not a suspicion of <i>dogmatisations</i>, nor worship of fairies, nor any + other unseemly thing was associated with her name. Other things less + favourable, we are told, were reported of her: the statement, for + instance, made in apparent good faith by Monstrelet the Burgundian + chronicler, that she had been for some time a servant in an <i>auberge</i>, + and there had learned to ride, and to consort with men—a statement + totally without foundation, which was scarcely referred to in the trial. + </p> + <p> + The skill of M. Quicherat discovered the substance of those inquiries + among the many secondary papers, but they were not made use of in the + formal proceedings. This also we are told, though contrary to the habit of + French law, was justified by the methods of the Inquisition, which were + followed throughout the trial. One breach of law and justice, however, is + permitted by no code. It is expressly forbidden by French, and even by + inquisitorial law, that a prisoner should be tried by his enemies—that + is by judges avowedly hostile to him: an initial difficulty which it would + have been impossible to get over and which had therefore to be ignored. + One brave and honest man, Nicolas de Houppeville, had the courage to make + this observation in one of the earliest sittings of the assembly: + </p> + <p> + "Neither the Bishop of Beauvais" (he said) "nor the other members of the + tribunal ought to be judges in the matter; and it did not seem to him a + good mode of procedure that those who were of the opposite party to the + accused should be her judges—considering also that she had been + examined already by the clergy of Poitiers, and by the Archbishop of + Rheims, who was the metropolitan of the said Bishop of Beauvais." + </p> + <p> + Nicolas de Houppeville was a lawyer and had a right to be heard on such a + point; but the reply of the judges was to throw him into prison, not + without threats on the part of the civil authorities to carry the point + further by throwing him into the Seine. This was the method by which every + honest objection was silenced. That the examination at Poitiers, where the + judges, as has been seen, were by no means too favourable to Jeanne, + should never have been referred to by her present examiners, though there + was no doubt it ought to have been one of the most important sources of + the preliminary information—is also very remarkable. It was + suggested indeed to Jeanne at a late period of the trial, that she might + appeal to the Archbishop; but he was, as she well knew, one of her most + cruel enemies. + </p> + <p> + Still more important was the breach of all justice apparent in the fact + that she had no advocate, no counsel on her side, no one to speak to her + and conduct her defence. It was suggested to her near the end of the + proceedings that she might choose one of her judges to fill this office; + but even if the proposal had been a genuine one or at all likely to be to + her advantage, it was then too late to be of any use. These particulars, + we believe, were enough to invalidate any process in strict law; but the + name of law seems ridiculous altogether as applied to this rambling and + cruel cross-examination in which was neither sense nor decorum. The reader + will understand that there were no witnesses either for or against her, + the answers of the accused herself forming the entire evidence. + </p> + <p> + One or two particulars may still be added to make the background at least + more clear. The prison of Jeanne, as we have seen, was not left in the + usual silence of such a place; the constant noise with which the English + troopers filled the air, jesting, gossiping, and carrying on their noisy + conversation, if nothing worse and more offensive—sometimes, as + Jeanne complains, preventing her from hearing (her sole solace) the soft + voices of her saintly visitors—was not her only disturbance. Her + solitude was broken by curious and inquisitive visitors of various kinds. + L'Oyseleur, the abominable detective, who professed to be her countryman + and who beguiled her into talk of her childhood and native place, was the + first of these; and it is possible that at first his presence was a + pleasure to her. One other visitor of whom we hear accidentally, a citizen + of Rouen, Pierre Casquel, seems to have got in private interest and with a + more or less good motive and no evil meaning. He warned her to answer with + prudence the questions put to her, since it was a matter of life and + death. She seemed to him to be "very simple" and still to believe that she + might be ransomed. Earl Warwick, the commander of the town, appears on + various occasions. He probably had his headquarters in the Castle, and + thus heard her cry for help in her danger, executing, let us hope, summary + vengeance on her brutal assailant; but he also evidently took advantage of + his power to show his interesting prisoner to his friends on occasion. And + it was he who took her original captor, Jean de Luxembourg, now Comte de + Ligny, by whom she had been given up, to see her, along with an English + lord, sometimes named as Lord Sheffield. The Belgian who had put so many + good crowns in his pocket for her ransom, thought it good taste to enter + with a jesting suggestion that he had come to buy her back. + </p> + <p> + "Jeanne, I will have you ransomed if you will promise never to bear arms + against us again," he said. The Maid was not deceived by this mocking + suggestion. "It is well for you to jest," she said, "but I know you have + no such power. I know that the English will kill me, believing, after I am + dead, that they will be able to win all the kingdom of France: but if + there were a hundred thousand more Goddens than there are, they shall + never win the kingdom of France." The English lord drew his dagger to + strike the helpless girl, all the stories say, but was prevented by + Warwick. Warwick, however, we are told, though he had thus saved her + twice, "recovered his barbarous instincts" as soon as he got outside, and + indignantly lamented the possibility of Jeanne's escape from the stake. + </p> + <p> + Such incidents as these alone lightened or darkened her weary days in + prison. A traitor or spy, a prophet of evil shaking his head over her + danger, a contemptuous party of jeering nobles; afterwards inquisitors, + for ever repeating in private their tedious questions: these all visited + her—but never a friend. Jeanne was not afraid of the English lord's + dagger, or of the watchful eye of Warwick over her. Even when spying + through a hole, if the English earl and knight, indeed permitted himself + that strange indulgence, his presence and inspection must have been almost + the only defence of the prisoner. Our historians all quote, with an + admiration almost as misplaced as their horror of Warwick's "barbarous + instincts," the <i>vrai galant homme</i> of an Englishman who in the midst + of the trial cried out "<i>Brave femme</i>!" (it is difficult to translate + the words, for <i>brave</i> means more than brave)—"why was she not + English?" However we are not concerned to defend the English share of the + crime. The worst feature of all is that she never seems to have been + visited by any one favourable and friendly to her, except afterwards, the + two or three pitying priests whose hearts were touched by her great + sufferings, though they remained among her judges, and gave sentence + against her. No woman seems ever to have entered that dreadful prison + except those "matrons" who came officially as has been already said. The + ladies de Ligny had cheered her in her first confinement, the kind women + of Abbeville had not been shut out even from the gloomy fortress of Le + Crotoy. But here no woman ever seems to have been permitted to enter, a + fact which must either be taken to prove the hostility of the population, + or the very vigorous regulations of the prison. Perhaps the barbarous + watch set upon her, the soldiers ever present, may have been a reason for + the absence of any female visitor. At all events it is a very distinct + fact that during the whole period of her trial, five months of misery, + except on the one occasion already referred to, no woman came to console + the unfortunate Maid. She had never before during all her vicissitudes + been without their constant ministrations. + </p> + <p> + One woman, the only one we ever hear of who was not the partisan and lover + of the Maid, does, however, make herself faintly seen amid the crowd. + Catherine of La Rochelle—the woman who had laid claim to saintly + visitors and voices like those of Jeanne, and who had been for a time + received and fêted at the Court of Charles with vile satisfaction, as + making the loss of the Maid no such great thing—had by this time + been dropped as useless, on the appearance of the shepherd boy quoted by + the Archbishop of Rheims, and had fallen into the hands of the English: + was not she too a witch, and admirably qualified to give evidence as to + the other witch, for whose blood all around her were thirsting? Catherine + was ready to say anything that was evil of her sister sorceress. "Take + care of her," she said; "if you lose sight of her for one moment, the + devil will carry her away." Perhaps this was the cause of the guard in + Jeanne's room, the ceaseless scrutiny to which she was exposed. The vulgar + slanderer was allowed to escape after this valuable testimony. She comes + into history like a will-o'-the-wisp, one of the marsh lights that mean + nothing but putrescence and decay, and then flickers out again with her + false witness into the wastes of inanity. That she should have been + treated so leniently and Jeanne so cruelly! say the historians. Reason + good: she was nothing, came of nothing, and meant nothing. It is profane + to associate Jeanne's pure and beautiful name with that of a mountebank. + This is the only woman in all her generation, so far as appears to us, who + was not the partisan and devoted friend of the spotless Maid. + </p> + <p> + The aspect of that old-world city of Rouen, still so old and picturesque + to the visitor of to-day, though all new since that time except the + churches, is curious and interesting to look back upon. It must have + hummed and rustled with life through every street; not only with the + English troops, and many a Burgundian man-at-arms, swaggering about, + swearing big oaths and filling the air with loud voices,—but with + all the polished bands of the doctors, men first in fame and learning of + the famous University, and beneficed priests of all classes, canons and + deans and bishops, with the countless array that followed them, the + cardinal's tonsured Court in addition, standing by and taking no share in + the business: but all French and English alike, occupied with one subject, + talking of the trial, of the new points brought out, of the opinions of + this doctor and that, of Maître Nicolas who had presumed on his lawyership + to correct the bishop, and had suffered for it: of the bold canon who + ventured to whisper a suggestion to the prisoner, and who ever since had + had the eye of the governor upon him: of Warwick, keeping a rough shield + of protection around the Maid but himself fiercely impatient of the law's + delay, anxious to burn the witch and be done with her. And Jeanne herself, + the one strange figure that nobody understood; was she a witch? Was she an + angelic messenger? Her answers so simple, so bold, so full of the spirit + and sentiment of truth, must have been reported from one to another. This + is what she said; does that look like a deceiver? could the devils inspire + that steadfastness, that constancy and quiet? or was it not rather the + angels, the saints as she said? Never, we may be sure, had there been in + Rouen a time of so much interest, such a theme for conversations, such a + subject for all thoughts. The eager court sat with their tonsured heads + together, keen to seize every weak point. Did you observe how she + hesitated on this? Let us push that, we'll get an admission on that point + to-morrow. It is impossible to believe that in such an assembly every man + was a partisan, much less that each one of them was thinking of the fee of + the English, the daily allowance which it was the English habit to make. + That were to imagine a France, base indeed beyond the limits of human + baseness. All the Norman dignitaries of the Church, all the most learned + doctors of the University—no! that is too great a stretch of our + faith. The greater part no doubt believed as an indisputable fact, that + Jeanne was either a witch or an impostor, as we should all probably do + now. And the vertigo of Inquisition gained upon them; they became day by + day more exasperated with her seeming innocence, with what must have + seemed to them the cunning and cleverness, impossible to her age and sex, + of her replies. Who could have kept the girl so cool, so dauntless, so + embarrassing in her straight-forwardness and sincerity? The saints? the + saints were not dialecticians; far more likely the evil one himself, in + whom the Church has always such faith. "He hath a devil and by Beelzebub + casteth out devils." It was all like a play, only more exciting than any + play, and going on endlessly, the excitement always getting stronger till + it became the chief stimulus and occupation of life. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII — THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION. FEBRUARY, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + It was in the chapel of the Castle of Rouen, on the 21st of February, that + the trial of Jeanne was begun. The judges present numbered about forty, + and are carefully classed as doctors in theology, abbots, canons, doctors + in canonical and civil law, with the Bishop of Beauvais at their head (the + archepiscopal see of Rouen being vacant, as is added: but not that my lord + of Beauvais hoped for that promotion). They were assembled there in all + the solemnity of their priestly and professional robes, the reporters + ready with their pens, the range of dark figures forming a semicircle + round the presiding Bishop, when the officer of the court led in the + prisoner, clothed in her worn and war-stained tunic, like a boy, with her + hair cut close as for the helmet, and her slim figure, no doubt more slim + than ever, after her long imprisonment. She had asked to be allowed to + hear mass before coming to the bar, but this was refused. It was a + privilege which she had never failed to avail herself of in her most + triumphant days. Now the chapel—the sanctuary of God contained for + her no sacred sacrifice, but only those dark benches of priests amid whom + she found no responsive countenance, no look of kindness. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was addressed sternly by Cauchon, in an exhortation which it is sad + to think was not in Latin, as it appears in the <i>Procès</i>. She was + then required to take the oath on the Scriptures to speak the truth, and + to answer all questions addressed to her. Jeanne had already held that + conversation with L'Oyseleur in the prison which Cauchon and Warwick had + listened to in secret with greedy ears, but which Manchon, the honest + reporter, had refused to take down. Perhaps, therefore, the Bishop knew + that the slim creature before him, half boy half girl, was not likely to + be overawed by his presence or questions; but it cannot have been but a + wonder to the others, all gazing at her, the first men in Normandy, the + most learned in Paris, to hear her voice, <i>assez femme</i>, young and + clear, arising in the midst of them, "I know not what things I may be + asked," said Jeanne. "Perhaps you may ask me questions which I cannot + answer." The assembly was startled by this beginning. + </p> + <p> + "Will you swear to answer truly all that concerns the faith, and that you + know?" + </p> + <p> + "I will swear," said Jeanne, "about my father and mother and what I have + done since coming to France; but concerning my revelations from God I will + answer to no man, except only to Charles my King; I should not reveal them + were you to cut off my head, unless by the secret counsel of my visions." + </p> + <p> + The Bishop continued not without gentleness, enjoining her to swear at + least that in everything that touched the faith she would speak truth; and + Jeanne kneeling down crossed her hands upon the book of the Gospel, or + Missal as it is called in the report, and took the required oath, always + under the condition she stated, to answer truly on everything she knew + concerning the faith, except in respect to her revelations. + </p> + <p> + The examination then began with the usual formalities. She was asked her + name (which she said with touching simplicity was Jeannette at home but + Jeanne in France), the names of her father and mother, godfather and + godmothers, the priest who baptised her, the place where she was born, + etc., her age, almost nineteen; her education, consisting of the Pater + Noster, Ave Maria, and Credo, which her mother had taught her. + </p> + <p> + Here she was asked, a curious interruption to the formal interrogatory, to + say the Pater Noster—the reason of which sudden demand was that + witches and sorcerers were supposed to be unable to repeat that prayer. As + unexpected as the question was Jeanne's reply. She answered that if the + Bishop would hear her in confession she would say it willingly. She had + been refused all the exercises of piety, and she was speaking to a company + of priests. + </p> + <p> + There is a great dignity of implied protest against this treatment in such + an answer. The request was made a second time with a promise of selecting + two worthy Frenchmen to hear her: but her reply was the same. She would + say the prayer when she made her confession but not otherwise. She was + ready it would seem in proud humility to confess to any or to all of her + enemies, as one whose conscience was clear, and who had nothing to + conceal. + </p> + <p> + She was then commanded not to attempt to escape from her prison, on pain + of being condemned for heresy, but to this again she demurred at once. She + would not accept the prohibition, but would escape if she could, so that + no man could say that she had broken faith; although since her capture she + had been bound in chains and her feet fastened with irons. To this, her + examiner said that it was necessary so to secure her in order that she + might not escape. "It is true and certain," she replied, "whatever others + may wish, that to every prisoner it is lawful to escape if he can." It may + be remarked, as she forcibly pointed out afterwards, that she had never + given her faith, never surrendered, but had always retained her freedom of + action. + </p> + <p> + The tribunal thereupon called in the captain in charge of Jeanne's prison, + a gentleman called John Gris in the record, probably John Grey, along with + two soldiers, Bernoit and Talbot, and enjoined them to guard her securely + and not to permit her to talk with any one without the permission of the + court. This was all the business done on the first day of audience. + </p> + <p> + On the 22d of February at eight o'clock in the morning, the sitting was + resumed. In the meantime, however, the chapel had been found too small and + too near the outer world, the proceedings being much interrupted by shouts + and noises from without, and probably incommoded within by the audience + which had crowded it the first day. The judges accordingly assembled in + the great hall of the castle; they were forty-nine in number on the second + day, the number being chiefly swelled by canons of Rouen. After some + preliminary business the accused was once more introduced, and desired + again to take the oath. Jeanne replied that she had done so on the + previous day and that this was enough; upon which there followed a short + altercation, which, however, ended by her consent to swear again that she + would answer truly in all things that concerned the faith. The questioner + this day was Jean Beaupère (<i>Pulchri patris</i>, as he is called in the + Latin), a theologian, Master of Arts, Canon of Paris and of Besançon, "one + of the greatest props of the University of Paris," a man holding a number + of important offices, and who afterwards appeared at the Council of Bâle + as the deputy of Normandy. He began by another exhortation to speak the + truth, to which Jeanne replied as before that what she did say she would + say truly, but that she would not answer upon all subjects. "I have done + nothing but by revelation," she said. + </p> + <p> + These preliminaries on both sides having been gone through, the + examination was resumed. Jeanne informed the court in answer to Beaupère's + question that she had been taught by her mother to sew and did not fear to + compete with any woman in Rouen in these crafts; that she had once been + absent from home when her family were driven out of their village by fear + of the Burgundians, and that she had then lived for about fifteen days in + the house of a woman called La Rousse, at Neufchâteau; that when she was + at home she was occupied in the work of the house and did not go to the + fields with the sheep and other animals; that she went to confession + regularly to the Curé of her own village, or when he could not hear her, + to some other priest, by permission of the Curé; also that two or three + times she had made her confession to the mendicant friars—this being + during her stay in Neufchâteau (where presumably she was not acquainted + with the clergy); and that she received the sacrament always at Easter. + Asked whether she had communicated at other feasts than Easter, she said + briefly that this was enough. "Go on to the rest," <i>passez outre</i>, + she added, and the questioner seems to have been satisfied. Then came the + really vital part of the matter. She proceeded—no direct question on + the point being recorded, though no doubt it was made—to tell how + when she was about thirteen she heard voices from God bidding her to be + good and obedient. The first time she was much afraid. The voice came + about the hour of noon, in summer, in her father's garden. She was fasting + but had not fasted the preceding day. The voice came from the right, + towards the church; and came rarely without a great light. This light came + always from the side whence the voice proceeded, and was a very bright + radiance. When she came into France she still continued to hear the same + voices. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked how she could see the light when it was at the side; to + which foolish question Jeanne gave no reply, but "turned to other + matters," saying voluntarily with a soft implied reproof of the noise + around her—that if she were in a wood, that is in a quiet place, she + could hear the voices coming towards her. She added (going on, one could + imagine, in a musing, forgetting the congregation of sinners about her) + that it seemed to her a noble voice, and that she believed it came from + God, and that when she had heard it three times she knew it was the voice + of an angel; the voice always came quite clearly to her, and she + understood it well. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked what it said to her concerning the salvation of her + soul. + </p> + <p> + She said that it taught her to rule her life well, to go often to church: + and told her that it was necessary that she, Jeanne, should go to France. + The said Jeanne added that she would not be questioned further concerning + the voice, or the manner in which it was made known to her, but that two + or three times in a week it had said to her that she must go to France; + but that her father knew nothing of this. The voice said to her that she + should go to France, until she could endure it no longer; it said to her + that she should raise the siege, which was set against the city of + Orleans. It said also that she must go to Robert of Baudricourt, in the + city of Vaucouleurs, who was captain of that place, and that he would give + her people to go with her; to which she had answered that she was a poor + girl who knew not how to ride, nor how to conduct war. She then said that + she went to her uncle and told him that she wished to go with him for a + little while to his house, and that she lived there for eight days; she + then told her uncle that she must go to Vaucouleurs, and the said uncle + took her there. Also she went on to say that when she came to the said + city of Vaucouleurs, she recognised Robert of Baudricourt; though she had + never seen him before she knew him by the voice that said to her which was + he. She then told this Robert that it was necessary that she should go to + France, but twice over he refused and repulsed her; the third time, + however, he received her, and gave her certain men to go with her; the + voice had told her that this would be so. + </p> + <p> + She said also that the Duke of Lorraine sent for her to come to him, and + that she went under a safe conduct granted by him, and told him that she + must go to France. He asked her whether he should recover from his + illness; but she told him that she knew nothing of that, and she talked + very little to him of her journey. She told the Duke that he ought to send + his son and his people with her to take her to France, and that she would + pray God to restore his health; and then she was taken back to + Vaucouleurs. She said also that when she left Vaucouleurs she wore the + dress of a man, without any other arms than a sword which Robert de + Baudricourt had given her; and that she had with her a chevalier, a + squire, and four servants, and that they slept for the first night at St. + Urbain, in the abbey there. She was then asked by whose advice she wore + the dress of a man, but refused to answer. Finally she said that she + charged no man with giving her this advice. + </p> + <p> + She went on to say that the said Robert de Baudricourt exacted an oath + from those who went with her, that they would conduct her to the end of + her journey well and safely; and that he said, as she left him, "Go, and + let come what will." She also said that she knew well that God loved the + Duke of Orleans, concerning whom she had more revelations than about any + other living man, except him whom she called her King. She added that it + was necessary for her to wear male attire, and that whoever advised her to + do so had given her wise counsel. + </p> + <p> + She then said that she sent a letter to the English before Orleans, in + which she required them to go away, a copy of which letter had been read + to her in Rouen; but there were two or three mistakes, especially in the + words which called upon them to surrender to the Maid instead of to + surrender to the King. (There is no indication why these two latter + statements should have been introduced into the midst of her narrative of + the journey; it may have been in reply to some other question interjected + by another of her examiners: <i>Passez outre</i>, as she herself says. She + immediately resumes the simple and straightforward tale.) + </p> + <p> + The said Jeanne went on to say that her further journey to him whom she + called her King was without any impediment; and that when she arrived at + the town of St. Catherine de Fierbois she sent news of her arrival to the + town of Chasteau-Chinon where the said King was. She arrived there herself + about noon and went to an inn(1); and after dinner went to him whom she + called her King, who was in the castle. She then said that when she + entered the chamber where he was, she knew him among all others, by the + revelation of her "voices." She told her King that she wished to make war + against the English. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked whether when she heard the "voices" in the presence of + the King the light was also seen in that place. She answered as before: <i>Passez + outre: Transeatis ultra</i>. "Go on," as we might say, "to the other + questions." + </p> + <p> + She was asked if she had seen an angel hovering over her King. She + answered: "Spare me; <i>passez outre</i>." She added afterwards, however, + that before he put his hand to the work, the King had many beautiful + apparitions and revelations. She was asked what these were. She answered: + "I will not tell you; it is not I who should answer; send to the King and + he will tell you." + </p> + <p> + She was then asked if her voices had promised her that when she came to + the King he would receive her. She answered that those of her own party + knew that she had been sent from God and that some had heard and + recognised the voices. Further, she said that her King and various others + had heard and seen(2) the voices coming to her—Charles of Bourbon + (Comte de Clermont) and two or three others with him. She then said that + there was no day in which she did not hear that voice; but that she asked + nothing from it except the salvation of her soul. Besides this, Jeanne + confessed that the voice said she should be led to the town of St. Denis + in France, where she wished to remain—that is after the attack on + Paris—but that against her will the lords forced her to leave it: if + she had not been wounded she would not have gone: but she was wounded in + the moats of Paris: however she was healed in five days. She then said + that she had made an assault, called in French <i>escarmouche</i> + (skirmish), upon the town of Paris. She was asked if it was on a holy day, + and said that she believed it was on a festival. She was then asked if she + thought it well done to fight on a holy day, and answered, "<i>Passez + outre</i>." Go on to the next question. + </p> + <p> + This is a verbatim account of one day of the trial. Most of the + translations which exist give questions as well as answers: but these are + but occasionally given in the original document, and Jeanne's narrative + reads like a calm, continuous statement, only interrupted now and then by + a question, usually a cunning attempt to startle her with a new subject, + and to hurry some admission from her. The great dignity with which she + makes her replies, the occasional flash of high spirit, the calm + determination with which she refuses to be led into discussion of the + subjects which she had from the first moment reserved, are very + remarkable. We have seen her hitherto only in conflict, in the din of + battle and the fatigue, yet exuberant energy, of rapid journeys. Her + circumstances were now very different. She had been shut up in prison for + months, for six weeks at least she had been in irons, and the air of + heaven had not blown upon this daughter of the fields; her robust yet + sensitive maidenhood had been exposed to a hundred offences, and to the + constant society, infecting the very air about, of the rudest of men; yet + so far is her spirit from being broken that she meets all those potent, + grave, and reverend doctors and ecclesiastics, with the simplicity and + freedom of a princess, answering frankly or holding her peace as seems + good to her, afraid of nothing, keeping her self-possession, all her wits + about her as we say, without panic and without presumption. The trial of + Jeanne is indeed almost more miraculous than her fighting; a girl not yet + nineteen, forsaken of all, without a friend! It is less wonderful that she + should have developed the qualities of a general, of a gunner, every gift + of war—than that in her humiliation and distress she should thus + hold head against all the most subtle intellects in France, and bear, with + but one moment of faltering, a continued cross-examination of three + months, without losing her patience, her heart, or her courage. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The third day brought a still larger accession of judges, sixty-two of + them taking their places on the benches round the Bishop in the great + hall; and the day began with another and longer altercation between + Cauchon and Jeanne on the subject of the oath again demanded of her. She + maintained her resolution to say nothing of her voices. "We" according to + the record "required of her that she should swear simply and absolutely + without reservation." She would seem to have replied with impatience, "Let + me speak freely:" adding "By my faith you may ask me many questions which + I will not answer": then explaining, "Many things you may ask me, but I + will tell you nothing truly that concerns my revelations; for you might + compel me to say things which I have sworn not to say; and so I should + perjure myself, which you ought not to wish." This explains several + statements which she made later in respect to her introduction to the + King. She repeated emphatically: "I warn you well, you who call yourselves + my judges, that you take a great responsibility upon you, and that you + burden me too much." She said also that it was enough to have already + sworn twice. She was again asked to swear simply and absolutely, and + answered, "It is enough to have sworn twice," and that all the clerks in + Rouen and Paris could not condemn her unless lawfully; also that of her + coming she would speak the truth but not all the truth; and that the space + of eight days would not be enough to tell all. + </p> + <p> + "We the said Bishop" (continues the report) "then said to her that she + should ask advice from those present whether she ought to swear or not. + She replied again that of her coming she would speak truly and not + otherwise, nor would it be fit that she should talk at large. We then told + her that it would throw suspicion on what she said if she did not swear to + speak the truth. She answered as before. We repeated that she must swear + precisely and absolutely. She answered that she would say what she knew, + but not all, and that she had come on the part of God, and appealed to God + from whom she came. Again requested and admonished to swear on pain of + every punishment that could be put on her, again answered '<i>Passez outre</i>.' + Finally she consented to swear that she would speak the truth in + everything that concerned the trial." + </p> + <p> + Her examination was then resumed by Beaupère as before, who elicited from + her that she had fasted (he seems to have wished to make out that the + fasting had something to do with her visions) since noon the day before + (it was Lent); and also that she had heard her voices both on that day and + the day before, three times on the previous day, the first time in the + morning when she was asleep, and awakened by them. Did she kneel and thank + them? She thanked them, sitting up in her bed (to which she was chained, + as her questioner knew) and clasping her hands. She asked them what she + was to do, and they told her to answer boldly. + </p> + <p> + It may be remarked here that more frequently as the examination goes on, + part of Jeanne's words are quoted in the first person, as if the reporters + had been specially struck by them, while the bulk of her evidence goes on + more calmly in the third person, the narrative form. After saying that she + was bidden to answer boldly, she seems to have turned to the Bishop, and + to have addressed him individually: "You say you are my judge; I warn you + to take care what you are doing, for I am sent from God, and you are + putting yourself in much peril" (<i>magno periculo: gallice</i>, adds the + reporter, <i>en grant dangier</i>). + </p> + <p> + She was then asked if her voices ever changed their meaning, and answered + that she had never heard two speak contrary to each other; what they had + said that day was that she should speak boldly. Asked, if the voice + forbade her to reply to questions asked, she replied; "I will not answer + you. I have revelations touching the King which I will not tell you." + Asked, if the voices forbade her to reveal these revelations, she + answered, "I have not consulted them; give me fifteen days' delay and I + will answer you"; but being again exhorted to reply, said: "If the voice + forbade me to speak, how many times should I tell you?" Again asked, if + she were forbidden to speak, answered, "I believe I am not forbidden by + men"—repeating that she would not reply, and knew not how far she + should reply, for it had not been revealed to her; but that she believed + firmly, as firmly as the Christian faith, and that God had redeemed us + from the pains of hell, that this voice came from Him. + </p> + <p> + Questioned concerning the voice, what it appeared to be when it spoke, if + that of an angel, or from God Himself; or if it was the voice of a saint + or of saints (feminine), answered: "The voice comes from God; and I + believe that I should not tell you all I know, for I should displease + these voices if I answered you; and as for this question I pray you to + leave me free." Asked if she thought that to speak the truth would + displease God, she answered, "What the voices say I am to tell to the + King, not to you," adding that during that night they had said much to her + for the good of the King, and that if she could but let him know she would + willingly drink no wine up to Easter (the reader will remember that her + frugal fare consisted of bread dipped in the wine and water, which is + justly called <i>eau rougie</i> in France). Asked, if she could not induce + the voices to speak to her King directly, she answered that she knew not + whether her voices would consent, unless it were the will of God, and God + consented to it, adding, "They might well reveal it to the King; and with + that I should be content." Asked, if the voices could not communicate with + the King as they did in her presence, she answered, that she did not know + whether this was God's will; and added, that unless it were the will of + God she would not know how to act. Asked, if it was by the advice of her + voices that she attempted to escape from her prison, she answered, "I have + nothing to say to you on that point." Asked, if she always saw a light + when the voices were heard, she answered: "Yes: that with the sound of the + voices light came." Asked if she saw anything else coming with the voices, + answered: "I do not tell you all. I am not allowed to do so, nor does my + oath touch that; the voices are good and noble, but neither of that will I + answer." She was then asked to give in writing the points on which she + would not reply. Then she was asked if her voices had eyes and ears, and + answered, "You shall not have this either," adding, that it was a saying + among children that men were sometimes hanged for speaking the truth. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked if she knew herself to be in the grace of God. She + replied: "If I am not so, may God put me in His grace; if I am, may God + keep me in it. I should be the most miserable in the world if I were not + in the grace of God." She said besides, that if she were in a state of sin + she did not believe her voices would come to her, and she wished that + everyone could understand them as she did, adding, that she was about + thirteen when they came to her first. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked, whether in her childhood she had played with the other + children in the fields, and various other particulars about Domremy, + whether there were any Burgundians there? to which Jeanne answered boldly + that there was one, and that she wished his head might be cut off, adding + piously, "that is, if it pleased God"(3); she was also asked whether she + had fought along with the other children against the children of the + neighbouring Burgundian village of Maxy (Maxey sur Meuse): why she hated + the Burgundians, and many questions of this kind, with a close examination + about a certain tree near the village of Domremy, which some called the + Tree of the good Ladies, and others, the Fairies' Tree; and also about a + well there, the Fairies' Well, of which poor patients were said to drink + and get well. Jeanne (no doubt relieved by the simple character of these + questions) made answer freely and without hesitation, in no way denying + that she had danced and sung with the other children, and made garlands + for the image of the Blessed Marie of Domremy; but she did not remember + whether she had ever done so after attaining years of discretion, and + certainly she had never seen a fairy, nor worked any spell by their means. + At the end, after having thus been put off her guard, she was suddenly + asked about her dress (a capital point in the eyes of her judges): whether + she wished to have a woman's dress. Probably she was, as they hoped, + tired, and expecting no such question, for she answered quickly yet with + instant recovery: "Bring me one to go home in and I will accept it; + otherwise no. I prefer this, since it pleases God that I should wear it." + The recollection of Domremy and of the pleasant fields, must have carried + her back to the days when the little Jeanne was like the rest in her + short, full petticoats of crimson stuff, free of any danger: what could be + better to go home in? but she immediately remembered the obvious and + excellent reasons she had for wearing another costume now. So ended the + third day. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime there had been, we are told, various interruptions during + the examination; perhaps it was then that Nicolas de Houppeville protested + against Bishop Cauchon as a partisan and a Burgundian, and therefore + incapable by law of judging a member of the opposite party: and had been + rudely silenced, and afterwards punished, as we have already heard. + Another kind of opposition less bold had begun to be remarked, which was + that one of the persons present, by word and sign, whispering suggestions + to her, or warning her with his eyes, was helping the unfortunate prisoner + in her defence. Probably this did little good, "for she was often troubled + and hurried in her answers," we are told; but it was a sign of good-will, + at least. When Frère Isambard, who was the person in question, speaks at a + later period he tells us that "the questions put to Jeanne were too + difficult, subtle, and dangerous, so that the great clerks and learned men + who were present scarcely would have known how to answer them, and that + many in the assembly murmured at them." Perhaps the good Frère Isambard + might have spared himself the trouble; for Jeanne, however she may have + suffered, was probably more able to hold her own than many of those great + clerks, and did so with unfailing courage and spirit. One of the other + judges, Jean Fabry, a bishop, declared afterwards that "her answers were + so good, that for three weeks he believed that they were inspired." + Manchon, the reporter, he who had refused to take down the private + conversation of Jeanne in her prison with the vile traitor, L'Oyseleur, + makes his voice heard also to the effect that "Monseigneur of Beauvais + would have had everything written as pleased him, and when there was + anything that displeased him he forbade the secretaries to report it as + being of no importance for the trial." On another day a humbler witness + still, Massieu, one of the officers of the court, who had the charge of + taking Jeanne daily from her prison to the hall, and back again, met in + the courtyard an Englishman, who seems to have been a singing man or lay + clerk "of the King's chapel in England," probably attached to Winchester's + ecclesiastical retinue. This man asked him: "What do you think of her + answers? Will she be burned? What will happen?" "Up to this time," said + Massieu, "I have heard nothing from her that was not honourable and good. + She seems to me a good woman, but how it will all end God only knows!" + </p> + <p> + No doubt conversations of this kind were being carried on all over Rouen. + Would she be burned? What would happen? Could any one stand and answer + like that hour after hour and day by day, inspired only by the devil? + There was no popular enthusiasm for her even now. How should there have + been in that partisan province, more English than French? But a chill + doubt began to steal into many minds whether she was so bad as had been + thought, whether indeed she might not after all be something quite + different from what she had been thought? Nature had begun to work in the + agitated place, and even in that black-robed, eager assembly. If there was + a vile L'Oyseleur trying to get her confidence in private, and so betray + her, there was also a kind Frère Isambard, privately plucking at her + sleeve, imploring her to be cautious, whispering an answer probably not + half so wise as her own natural reply, yet warming her heart with the + suggestion of a friend at hand. + </p> + <p> + On the fourth day, Jeanne was again required to swear, and replied as + before, that so far as concerned the trial she would answer truly, but not + all she knew. "You ought to be satisfied: I have sworn sufficiently," she + said; and with this her judges seem to have been content. Beaupère then + resumed his questions, but first asked her, perhaps with a momentary gleam + of compassion and a sudden consciousness of the pallor and weariness of + the young prisoner, how she did. She answered, one can imagine with what + tone of indignant disdain: "You see how I am: I am as well as I can be." + He then cross-examined her closely as to what voices she had heard since + her last appearance in court, but drew from her only the same answer, "The + voice tells me to answer boldly," and that she would tell them as much as + she was permitted by God to tell them, but concerning her revelations for + the King of France she would say nothing except by permission of her + voices. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked what kind of voices they were which she heard, were + they voices of angels, or of saints (<i>sancti aut sanctæ</i>, male or + female saints) or from God Himself? She answered that the voices were + those of St. Catherine and St. Margaret, whose heads were crowned with + beautiful crowns, very rich and precious. "So much as this God allows me + to say. If you doubt send to Poitiers, where I was questioned before." (It + may perhaps be permissible to suppose that the kind whisperer at her elbow + might have suggested the repeated references to Poitiers that follow, but + which are not to be found before: though it was most natural she should + refer to this place where she was examined at the beginning of her + mission.) Asked how she knew which of these two saints, she answered that + she could quite distinguish one from the other by the manner of their + salutation; that she had been led and guided by them for seven years, and + that she knew them because they had named themselves to her. She was then + asked how they were dressed? and answered: "I cannot tell you; I am not + permitted to reveal this; if you do not believe me send to Poitiers." She + said also that at her coming into France she had revealed these things, + but could not now. She was asked what was the age of her saints, but + replied that she was not permitted to tell. Asked, if both saints spoke at + once or one after the other, she replied: "I have not permission to tell + you: but I always consult them both together." Asked, which had appeared + to her first, and answered: "I do not know which it was; I did know, but + have forgotten. It is written in the register of Poitiers." + </p> + <p> + "She then said she had much comfort from St. Michael. Again, asked, which + had come first, she replied that it was St. Michael. Asked, if a long time + had passed since she first heard the voice of St. Michael, answered: "I do + not name to you the voice of St. Michael; but his conversation was of + great comfort to me." Asked, again, what voice came first to her when she + was thirteen, answered, that it was St. Michael whom she saw before her + eyes, and that he was not alone, but accompanied by many angels of Heaven. + She said also that she would not have come into France but by the command + of God. Asked, if she saw St. Michael and the angels really, with her + ordinary senses, she answered: "I saw them with my bodily eyes as I see + you, and when they left me I wept, desiring much that they would take me + with them." Asked, what was the form in which he appeared, she replied: "I + cannot answer you; I am not permitted." Asked, what St. Michael said to + her the first time, she cried, "You shall have no answer to-day." Then + went on to say that her voices told her to reply boldly. Afterwards she + said that she had told her King once all that had been revealed to her; + said also that she was not permitted to say here what St. Michael had + said; but that it would be better to send for a copy of the books which + were at Poitiers than to question her on this subject. Asked, what sign + she had that these were revelations of God, and that it was really St. + Catherine and St. Margaret with whom she talked, she answered: "It is + enough that I tell you they were St. Catherine and St. Margaret: believe + me or not as you will." + </p> + <p> + Asked how she distinguished the points on which she was allowed to speak + from the others, she answered, that on some points she had asked + permission to speak, and not on others, adding, that she would rather have + been torn by wild horses than to have come to France, unless by the + license of God. Asked how it was that she put on a man's dress, she + answered, that dress appeared to her a small matter, that she did not + adopt that dress by the counsel of any man, and that she neither put on a + dress nor did anything, but according as God, or the angels, commanded her + to do so. Asked, if she knew whether such a command to assume the dress of + a man was lawful, she answered: "All that I did, I did by the precepts of + our Lord; and if I were bidden to wear another dress I would do so, + because it was at the bidding of God." Asked, if she had done it by the + orders of Robert de Baudricourt, answered "No." Asked, if she thought that + she had done well in assuming a man's dress, answered, that as all she did + was by the command of the Lord, she believed that she had done well, and + expected a good guarantee and good succour. Asked, if in this particular + case of assuming the dress of a man she thought she had done well, + answered, that nothing in the world had made her do it, but the command of + God. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked whether light always accompanied the voices when they + came to her, she answered, with an evident reference to her first + interview with Charles, that there were many lights on every side as was + fit. "It is not only to you that light comes" (or you have not all the + light to yourself,—a curious phrase). Asked, if there was an angel + over the head of the King when she saw him for the first time, she + answered: "By the Blessed Mary, if there were, I know not, I saw none." + Asked, if there was light, she answered: "There were about three hundred + soldiers, and fifty of them held torches, without counting any spiritual + light. And rarely do I have the revelations without light." Asked, if her + King had faith in what she said, she answered, that he had good signs, and + also by his clergy. Asked, what revelations her King had, she answered: + "You shall have nothing from me this year." Then added that for three + weeks she was cross-examined by the clergy, both in the town of Chinon and + at Poitiers, and that her King had signs concerning her, before he + believed in her. And the clergy of his party had found nothing in her, in + respect to her faith, that was not good. Asked, whether she gone to the + church of St. Catherine of Fierbois, answered: "yes," and that she had + there heard three masses in one day, and from thence went to Chinon; she + added that she had sent a letter thence to the King, in which it was + contained that she sent this to know if she might come to the town in + which the King was; for that she had travelled a hundred and fifty leagues + to come to him and to bring him help, for she knew much good concerning + him. And she thought it was contained in this letter that she should + recognise the King among all the rest. + </p> + <p> + She said besides, that she had a sword which was given to her at + Vaucouleurs; she said also that, being in Tours or at Chinon, she sent for + a sword which was in the church of St. Catherine of Fierbois behind the + altar, and that when it was found it was rusty. Asked, how she knew about + this sword, she answered, that it was rusty because of being in the + ground, and there were five crosses on it, and that she knew this sword by + her voices, and not by any man's report. She wrote to the ecclesiastics of + the place where it was and asked them for this sword, and they sent it to + her. It was found not much below the ground behind the altar; she was not + sure if it was before or behind the altar, but wrote that it was behind + the altar. And when it was found the clergy cleaned it and rubbed off the + rust, which came off easily; and it was an armourer of Tours who went to + fetch it. The clergy made a scabbard for it before sending it to the said + Jeanne, and they of Tours made another, so that it had two scabbards, one + of crimson velvet and one of cloth of gold. And she herself procured + another of strong leather. She said also that when she was captured she + had not that sword. Said also that she continued to wear the said sword + until she left St. Denis after the assault on Paris. Asked, what + benediction she made, or if she made any on this sword, she answered, that + she made no benediction, nor knew how to make one, but that she loved the + sword because it had come to her from the Church of the blessed Catherine + whom she loved much. Asked, if she had placed it on the altar at the + village of Coulenges, Les Vineuses, or elsewhere, placing it there that it + might bring good luck, she answered, that she knew nothing of this. Asked, + if she did not pray that the sword might have good fortune: "It is good to + know that I wish all my armour (<i>harnesseum meum; gallice, mon harnois</i>) + to be very fortunate." Asked, where she had left the sword, answered, that + she had deposited a sword and armour at St. Denis, but it was not this + sword. She added that she had it in Lagny: but that she afterwards wore + the sword which had been taken from a Burgundian, which was a good sword + for war and gave good strokes (<i>gallice, de bonnes bouffes</i> and <i>de + bons torchons</i>). Said also that to tell where she left it had nothing + to do with the trial, and she would answer nothing. + </p> + <p> + She said also that her brothers had everything that belonged to her, her + horses, swords, and everything, and that she believed they were worth in + all about 12,000 francs. She was also asked whether when she was at + Orleans she had a standard, and what colour it was; answered, that she had + a standard, the field of which was sown with lilies, and on it was a + figure of the world with angels on each side. It was white, and made of a + stuff called boucassin, upon which was written the name <i>Jhesus Maria</i>, + so that all might see, and it was fringed with silk. Asked, if the name <i>Jhesus + Maria</i> was written above or below or at the side, she answered, "At the + side." Asked, if she loved her sword or standard best, she answered, that + she loved her standard best. Asked, why she had that picture on the + standard, she answered: "I have sufficiently told you that I did nothing + but by the command of God." She added that she herself carried her + standard when in battle that she might not hurt anyone, and said that she + had never killed any man. + </p> + <p> + Asked, how many men her King gave her when she began her work, answered, + from ten to twelve(4) thousand men, and that she attacked first the + bastile of St. Loup at Orleans, and afterwards that of the bridge. Asked, + from which bastile it was that her men were driven back, she answered, + that she did not remember; adding, that she had been sure that she could + raise the siege at Orleans, for it had been so revealed to her; and that + she told this to her King before it occurred. Asked, whether, when she + made assault, she told her men that all the arrows, stones, cannon-balls, + etc., would be intercepted by her, she answered no—that more than a + hundred were wounded: that what she had said to her people was that they + should have no doubts, for they should certainly raise the siege of + Orleans. She said also that in attacking the bastile of the bridge she + herself was wounded by an arrow in the neck, and was much comforted by St. + Catherine, and was healed in fifteen days; but that she never gave up + riding and working all that time. Asked, if she knew that she would be + wounded, she answered, that she knew it well and had told her King, but + that, notwithstanding, she went about her business. It was revealed to her + by the voices of her two saints, the blessed Catherine and the blessed + Margaret. She said besides, that she was the first to place a scaling + ladder on the bastile of the bridge, and as she raised it she was struck + in the neck. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked why she did not treat with the Captain of Jargeau; she + answered that the lords of her party had replied to the English, who had + asked for a truce of fifteen days, that they could not have it, but that + they might retire, they and their horses at once; she had said for her + part that if they retired in their doublets and tunics their lives should + be spared, otherwise the city would be taken by storm. Asked, if she had + consulted with her counsel, that is with her voices, whether the truce + should be granted or not, she answered, that she did not remember. + </p> + <p> + It will be remarked, as the slow examination goes on day after day, that + Jeanne, becoming at moments impatient, sometimes gives a rough answer, and + at other times plays a little with her questioner as if in contempt. "By + the Blessed Mary, I know not!" is evidently an outburst of impatience at + the exhausting, exasperating folly of some of these questions, and this + will be further visible in future sittings. It seems very likely that the + reference to Poitiers, which was an excellent suggestion, commending + itself to her invariable good sense, came from the kind priest who tried + to serve her as he best could; but there are other answers a little + incoherent, which look as if Frère Isambard, if it were he, had confused + her in her own response without conveying anything better to her mind, + especially on the occasions when she refuses to reply, and then does so, + abandoning her ground at once. Her patience and steadiness are quite + extraordinary however even in the less self-collected moments. Thus end + the proceedings of the fourth day. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The fifth day began with the usual dispute about the oath, Jeanne still + retaining her reservation with the greatest firmness. She seems, however, + at the end, to have repeated her oath to answer everything that had to do + with the trial—"And as much as I say I will say as if I were before + the Pope of Rome." These words must have given the Magister Beaupère an + admirable occasion for introducing one of the things charged against her + for which there was actual proof—her letter to the Comte d'Armagnac + in respect to the Pope. He seized upon it evidently with eagerness, and + asked her which she held to be the true Pope. To this she answered + quietly, "Are there two?"—the most confusing reply.(5) + </p> + <p> + She was asked if she had received letters from the Comte d'Armagnac, + asking to know which of the three existing Popes he ought to obey; she + answered that she had his letter, and had replied to it, saying among + other things that when she was in Paris and at rest she would answer him; + and added that she was on the point of mounting her horse when she gave + that reply. The copy of the letter and the reply being read to her she was + asked if that was what she had said; to which she replied that she had + answered his letter in part, not in full. Asked, if she knew the counsels + of the King of Kings so as to be able to say which the count should obey, + she answered, that she knew nothing. Asked, if she was in doubt as to + which the count ought to obey, she replied that she knew not which to bid + him obey; but that she, the said Jeanne, held and believed that we ought + to obey our Pope who was in Rome; that as for what he asked, that she + should tell him which God desired him to obey, she had said she knew + nothing; but she sent much to him which was not put in writing. And as for + herself she believed in the Lord Pope of Rome. Asked, whether in respect + to the three pontiffs she had received counsel, she answered, that she had + neither written nor made to be written anything about the three pontiffs. + And this she swore on her oath. Asked, if she were in the habit of putting + on her letters the name <i>Jhesus Maria</i> with a cross, answered, that + she did so sometimes but not always, and that sometimes she put a cross to + shew that these letters were not to be taken seriously (as likely to fall + into the enemy's hands). + </p> + <p> + Some questions were then put to her about her letters to the Duke of + Bedford and to the English King, and copies were read to her to which she + objected on some small points, but mistakenly it would seem, as that she + had summoned them to surrender to the King, while the scribe had put + "surrender to the Maid." She said, however, that they were her letters, + and that she held by them. She added that before seven years the English + would lose more than they had lost at Orleans,(6) and that their cause + would be lost in France; she said also that the said English should have + greater disasters than they had yet had in France, and that God would give + greater victories to France. Asked, how she knew this, she replied: "I + know it by the revelations made to me, and that it will happen in seven + years, and I might well be angry that it is deferred so long." Asked, when + this would happen, she said that she knew neither the day nor the hour. + </p> + <p> + She was tormented a little further as to the dates, whether this would + happen before the St. Jean, or before the St. Martin in winter, but made + no answer except that before the St. Martin in winter they should see many + things, and it might be that the English should fail; as a matter of fact + Paris opened its gates to Charles VII. within the seven years specified, + so that Jeanne's prophecy may be held to have been fulfilled. + </p> + <p> + We then come once more to a long and profitless interrogatory upon her + saints, in which the crowd of judges forgot their dignity and overwhelmed + her with a flood of often very foolish, and sometimes worse than foolish + questions. + </p> + <p> + Asked, how she knew the future, she answered that she knew it by St. + Catherine and St. Margaret; asked, if St. Gabriel was with St. Michael + when he came to her, she answered, that she could not remember. Asked, if + she saw them always in the same dress, answered yes, and they were crowned + very richly. Of their other garments she could not speak; she knew nothing + of their tunics. Asked, how she knew whether they were men or women, + answered, that she knew well by their voices which revealed them to her; + and that she knew nothing save by revelation and the precepts of God. + Asked, what appearances she saw, she answered, that she saw faces. Asked, + if these saints had hair, she answered, "It is good to know." Asked, if + there was anything between their crowns and their hair, answered, no. + Asked, if their hair was long and hanging down, answered, "I know nothing + about it." She also said that their voices were beautiful sweet, and + humble, and that she understood them well. Asked, how they could speak + when they had no bodies, she answered, "I refer it to God." She repeated + that the voices were beautiful, humble, and sweet, and that they could + speak French. Asked, if St. Margaret did not speak English, answered: "How + could she speak English when she was not on the English side?" + </p> + <p> + This would seem to infer that the St. Margaret referred to was not the + legendary St. Margaret of the dragon, but St. Margaret of Scotland, well + known in France from the long connection between those two countries, and + a popular mediæval saint. She would naturally have spoken English, being a + Saxon, but also quite naturally would have been against the English, as a + Scottish queen; but of these refinements it is very unlikely that Jeanne + knew anything, and her prompt and somewhat sharp reply evidently cut the + inquiry short. The next question was, did they wear gold rings in their + ears or elsewhere, these crowned saints; to which she answered a little + contemptuously, "I know nothing about it." She was then asked if she + herself had rings: on which "turning to us the aforesaid Bishop, she said, + 'You have one of mine; give it back to me.' She then said that the + Burgundians had her other ring, and asked of us if we had the ring to shew + it to her. Asked, who gave her this ring, answered, her father or her + mother, and that the name <i>Jhesus Maria</i> was written upon it, but + that she knew not who put it there, nor even whether there was a stone in + the ring; it was given to her in the village of Domremy. She added that + her brother gave her another ring which we had, and said that she desired + that it might be given to the Church." + </p> + <p> + A sudden change was now made in the cross-examination according to the + methods of that operation, throwing her back without warning upon the + village superstitions of Domremy, the magic tree and fountain. Many of the + questions which follow are so trivial and are so evidently instinct with + evil meaning, that it seems a wrong to Beaupère to impute the whole of the + interrogatory to him; other questions were evidently interposed by the + excited assembly. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if St. Catherine and St. Margaret talked with her under the tree of + which mention had been made above, she answered, "I know nothing about + it." Asked, if the saints were seen at the fountain near the tree, + answered yes, that she had heard them there; but what her saints promised + to her, there or elsewhere, she answered, that nothing was promised except + by permission from God. Asked, what promises were made to her, she + answered, "This has nothing at all to do with your trial," but added, that + among other things they said to her that her King should be restored to + his kingdom, and that his adversaries should be destroyed. She said also + that they promised to take her, the said Jeanne, to Paradise, as she had + asked them to do. Asked, if she had any other promises, she said there was + one promise that had nothing to do with the trial, but that in three + months she would tell them what that other promise was. Asked, if the + voices told her she would be set free from her prison in three months, she + answered: "This does not concern your trial; nor do I know when I shall be + set free." And she added that those who wished to send her out of this + world might well go before her. Asked, if her council did not tell her + when she should be set free from her present prison, answered: "Ask me + this in three months' time; I can promise you as much as that"—but + added: "You may ask those present, on their oaths, if this has anything to + do with the trial." + </p> + <p> + Startled by this suggestion, the judges seem to have held a hurried + consultation among themselves to see whether these matters did really + touch the trial; the result apparently decided them to return again to the + question of the local superstitions of Domremy, the only point on which + there seemed a chance of breaking down the extraordinarily just and + steadfast intelligence of the girl who stood before them. After this pause + she resumed, apparently not in answer to any question. + </p> + <p> + "I have well told you that there were things you should not know, and some + time I must needs be set free. But I must have permission if I speak; + therefore I will ask to have delay in this." Asked, if her voices forbade + her to speak the truth, she said: "Do you expect me to tell you things + that concern the King of France? There is a great deal here that has + nothing to do with the trial." She said also that she knew that her King + should enjoy the kingdom of France, as well as she knew that they were + there before her in judgment. She added that she would have been dead but + for the revelations which comforted her daily. She was then asked what she + had done with her mandragora (mandrake)? she answered that she had no + mandragora, nor had ever had. She had heard say that near her village + there was one, but had never seen it. She had heard say that it was a + dangerous thing, and that it was wicked to keep it; but knew nothing of + its use. Asked, in what place this mandrake was, and what she had heard of + it? she said that she had heard that it grew under the tree of which + mention has been made, but did not know the place; she said also that she + had heard that above the mandragora was a hazel tree. Asked, what she + heard was done with the mandragora, answered, that she had heard that it + brought money, but did not believe it; and added that her voices had never + told her anything about it. + </p> + <p> + Asked, what was the appearance of St. Michael when she saw him first, she + answered, that she saw no crown, and knew nothing of his dress. Asked, if + he was naked, she answered, "Do you think God has nothing to clothe him + with?" Asked, if he had hair, she answered, "Why should it have been cut?" + She said further that she had not seen the blessed Michael since she left + the castle of Crotoy, nor did she see him often. At last she said that she + knew not whether he had hair or not. Asked, whether he carried scales, she + answered, "I know nothing of it," but added that she had much joy in + seeing him, and she knew when she saw him that she was not in a state of + sin. She also said that St. Catherine and St. Margaret often made her + confess to them, and said that if she had been in a state of sin it was + without knowing it. She was then asked whether, when she confessed, she + believed herself to be in a state of mortal sin; she answered, that she + knew not whether she had been in that state, but did not believe she had + done the works of sin. "It would not have pleased God," she said, "that I + should have been so; nor would it have pleased Him that I should have done + the works of sin by which my soul should have been burdened." + </p> + <p> + She was then asked what sign she gave to the King that she came to him + from God; she answered: "I have told you always that nothing should draw + this from me.(7) Ask me no more." Asked, if she had not sworn to reveal + what was asked of her touching the trial, answered, "I have told you that + I will tell you nothing that was for our King; and of this which belongs + to him I will not speak." Asked, if she knew the sign which she gave to + the King, she answered: "You shall know nothing from me." When it was said + to her that this did concern the trial, she answered, "Of that which I + have promised to keep secret I shall tell you nothing"; and further she + said, "I promised in that place and I could not tell you without perjuring + myself." Asked, to whom she promised? answered, that she had promised to + Saints Catherine and Margaret, and this was shown to the King. She also + said she had promised it to these two saints, because they had required it + of her. And the same Jeanne had done this at their request. "Too many + people would have asked me concerning it, if I had not promised to the + aforesaid saints." She was then asked, when she showed this sign to the + King if there were others with him; she answered, that to her there was no + one near him, even though many people might have been present. (As a + matter of fact the sign was given to Charles when he talked with the Maid + apart in a recess, the great hall being full of the Court and followers; + so that this was strictly true.) Asked further, if she saw a crown over + the head of her King when she showed him this sign, but replied: "I cannot + answer you without perjury." Asked further if her King had a crown when he + was at Rheims, answered, that in her opinion her King had a crown which he + found at Rheims, but a very fine one was afterwards brought for him. He + did this to hasten matters, at the desire of the city of Rheims; but if he + had been more certain, he could have had a crown a thousand times richer. + (All this is very obscure.) + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she had seen this crown, she answered: "I could not tell you + without perjury, but I heard that it was a very rich one." It was then + determined to conclude for this day. + </p> + <p> + On the sixth day there was again the same questions about the oath, ending + in the usual way. And the cross-examination was at once continued. + </p> + <p> + She was asked if she would say whether St. Michael had wings, and what + bodies and members had St. Catherine and St. Margaret; and she answered, + "I have told you what I know, and will make no other reply"; she said, + moreover, that when she saw St. Michael and St. Catherine and St. + Margaret, she knew at once that they were saints of Paradise. Asked, if + she saw anything more than their faces, she answered: "I have told you all + I know of them: and I would rather have had my head taken off than tell + you all I know." She then said that in whatever concerned the trial she + would speak freely. Asked, if she believed that St. Michael and St. + Gabriel had natural heads, she answered: "I saw them with my eyes and I + believe that they are, as firmly as I believe that God is." Asked, if she + believed that God made them in the form in which she saw them, she + answered, "Yes." Asked, if she believed that God had created them in the + same form from the beginning, answered: "You shall have no more for the + present, except what I have already said." + </p> + <p> + This subject was then dropped, and the examiner made another leap forward + to a different part of her life. "Did you know by revelation that you + should break prison?" he said. To this Jeanne answered indignantly: "This + has nothing to do with your trial. Would you have me speak against + myself?" + </p> + <p> + Again questioned what her "voices" had said to her in respect to her + attempts at escape, she again answered: "This has nothing to do with the + trial; I go back to the trial. If all your questions were about that, I + should tell you all." She said besides, on her faith, that she knew + neither the day nor the hour when she should escape. She was then asked + what the voices said to her generally, and answered: "In truth, they tell + me I shall be freed, but neither the day nor the hour; and that I ought to + speak boldly, and with a glad countenance." She was then asked whether, + when first she saw her King, he asked her whether it was by revelation + that she had assumed the dress of a man? she replied: "I have answered + this. I cannot recollect whether he asked me. But it is written in the + book at Poitiers." Asked, whether the doctors who examined her there, some + for a month, some for three weeks, had asked her about her change of + dress; she answered: "I don't remember; but I know they asked me when I + assumed the dress of a man, and I told them it was in the town of + Vaucouleurs." Asked, whether these doctors had inquired whether it was her + voices which had made her take that dress, answered, "I don't remember." + Asked if her Queen wished her to change her dress when she first saw her, + answered, "I don't remember." Asked if her King, Queen, and all of her + party did not ask her to lay aside the dress of a man, she answered, "This + has nothing to do with the trial." Asked, if the same was not requested of + her in the castle of Beaurevoir, she answered: "It is true. And I replied + that I could not lay it aside without the permission of God." She said + further that the demoiselle of Luxembourg (aunt of Jeanne's captor, and a + very old woman) and the lady of Beaurevoir offered her a woman's dress, or + stuff to make one, and begged her to wear it; but she replied that she had + not yet the permission of our Lord, and that it was not yet time. Asked, + if M. Jean de Pressy and others at Arras had offered her a woman's dress, + she answered, "He and others have often asked it of me." Asked, if she + thought she would have done wrong in putting on a woman's dress, she + answered, that it was better to obey her sovereign Lord, that is, God; she + said also that if she had done it, she would rather have done it at the + request of these two ladies than of any other in France, except her Queen. + Asked, if, when God revealed to her that she should change her dress, it + was by the voice of St. Michael, St. Catherine, or St. Margaret, she + answered, "You shall hear no more about it." Asked, when the King first + employed her, and her standard was made, whether the men-at-arms and + others who took part in the war did not have flags imitated from hers? she + answered, "It is well to know that the lords retained their own arms"; she + also added that her brothers-in-arms made such pennons as pleased them. + Asked, how these were made, if they were of linen or cloth, answered, that + they were of white satin, some of them with lilies; that she had but two + or three lances in her own company—but that in the rest of the army + some carried pennons like hers, but only to distinguish them from others. + Asked, if the banners were often renewed, answered: "I know not; when the + staff was broken it was renewed." Asked, if she had not said that the + pennons copied from hers were fortunate, answered, that she had said, "Go + in boldly among the English"; and that she had done the same herself. + Asked, if she said that they should have good luck if they bore the + banners well, answered, that she had told them what would happen, and what + should still happen. Asked, if she had caused holy water to be sprinkled + on the pennons when they were new, she answered, "That has nothing to do + with the trial"; but added that if she did so sprinkle them she was not + instructed to answer that question now. Asked, if the others put <i>Jhesus + Maria</i> upon their pennons, she answered: "By my faith, I know nothing + about it." Asked, if she had ever carried or caused to be carried in a + procession round a church or altar the linen of which the pennons were + made, answered no, that she had never seen anything of the kind done. + </p> + <p> + Asked, when she was before Jargeau, what it was that she wore behind her + helmet, and if she had not something round it, she answered: "By my faith, + there was nothing." Asked, if she knew a certain Brother Richard, she + answered: "I never saw him till I was before Troyes." Asked, what cheer + Brother Richard made to her, answered, that she thought the people of + Troyes had sent him to her, doubting whether she had come on the part of + God, and that as he approached her he made the sign of the cross, and + sprinkled holy water; she said to him: "Come on boldly; I shall not fly + away." Asked, if she had seen, or had caused to be made, any images or + pictures of herself, she answered, that at Arras she had seen a picture in + the hands of a Scot, where she was represented fully armed, kneeling on + one knee, and presenting a letter to the King; but that she had never + caused any image or picture of herself to be made. Asked concerning a + table in the house of her host, upon which were painted three women, with + <i>Justice, Peace, Union</i> inscribed beneath, answered, that she knew + nothing of it. Asked, if she knew that those of her party caused masses + and prayers to be made in her honour, she answered, that she knew not; and + if they did so, it was not by any command of hers; but that if they did + so, her opinion was that they did no wrong. Asked, if those of her party + firmly believed that she was sent from God, she answered: "I know not + whether they believed it; but even if they did not believe it, I am none + the less sent on the part of God." Asked, whether she thought that to + believe that she was sent from god was a worthy faith, she answered, that + if they believed that she was sent from God they were not mistaken. Asked, + if she knew what her party meant by kissing her feet and hands and her + garments, answered, that many people did it, but that her hands were + kissed as little as she could help it. The poor people, however, came to + her of their own free will, because she never oppressed them, but + protected them as far as was in her power. Asked, what reverence the + people of Troyes made to her, she answered, "None at all," and added that + she believed Brother Richard came into Troyes with her army, but that she + had not seen him coming in. Asked, if he had not preached at the gates + when she came, answered, that she scarcely paused there at all, and knew + nothing of any sermon. Asked, how long she was at Rheims, and answered, + four or five days. Asked, whether she baptised (stood godmother to) + children there, she answered: To one at Troyes, but did not remember any + at Rheims or at Château-Thierry; but there were two at St. Denis; and + willingly she called the boys "Charles," in honour of her King, and the + girls "Jeanne," according to what their mothers wished. Asked, if the good + women of the town did not touch with their rings the rings she wore, she + answered, that many women touched her hands and her rings; but she did not + know why they did it. Asked, what she did with the gloves in which her + King was consecrated, she answered that "Gloves were distributed to the + knights and nobles that came there"; and there was one who lost his; but + she did not say that she would find it for him. Also she said that her + standard was in the church at Rheims, and she believed near the altar, and + she herself had carried it for a short time, but did not know whether + Brother Richard had held it. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked if she communicated and went to confession often while + moving about the country, and if she received the sacrament in her male + costume; to which she answered "yes, but without her arms"; she was then + questioned about a horse belonging to the Bishop of Senlis, which had not + suited her, a matter completely without importance. The inference intended + was that it was taken from him without being paid for; but there was no + evidence that the Maid knew anything about it. We then come to the + incident of Lagny. + </p> + <p> + She was asked how old the child was which she saw at Lagny, and answered, + three days; it had been brought to Lagny to the Church of Nôtre Dame, and + she was told that all the maids in Lagny were before our Lady praying for + it, and she also wished to go and pray God and our Lady that its life + might come back; and she went, and prayed with the rest. And finally life + appeared; it yawned three times, and was baptised and buried in + consecrated ground. It had given no sign of life for three days and was + black as her coat, but when it yawned its colour began to come back. She + was there with the other maids on her knees before our Lady to make her + prayer. + </p> + <p> + The reader must understand that this was no special appeal to Jeanne's + miraculous power, but a custom of that intense and tender charity with + which the Church of Rome corrects her dogmatism upon questions of + salvation. A child unbaptised could not be buried in consecrated ground, + and was subject to all the sorrows of the unredeemed; but who could doubt + that the priest would be easily persuaded by some wavering of the tapers + on the altar upon the little dead face, some flicker of his own + compassionate eyelids, that sufficient life had come back to permit the + holy rite to be administered? The whole little scene is affecting in the + extreme, the young creatures all kneeling, fervently appealing to the + Maiden-mother, the priest ready to take instant advantage of any possible + flicker, the Maid of France, no conspicuous figure, but weeping and + praying among the rest. There was no thought here of the raising of the + dead—the prayer was for breath enough only to allow of the holy + observance, the blessed water, the last possibility of human love and + effort. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was then questioned concerning Catherine of La Rochelle, the + supposed prophetess, who had been played against her by La Tremouille and + his follows, and narrated how she had watched two nights to see the + mysterious lady clothed in cloth of gold who was said to appear to + Catherine, but had not seen her, and that she had advised the woman to + return to her husband and children. Catherine's mission was to go through + the "good towns" with heralds and trumpets to call upon those who had + money or treasure of any kind to give it to the King, and she professed to + have a supernatural knowledge where such money was hidden. (No doubt La + Tremouille must have thought that to get money, which was so scarce, in + such a simple way, was worth trying at least. But Jeanne's opinion was + that it was folly, and that there was nothing in it; an opinion fully + verified. Catherine's advice had been that Jeanne should go to the Duke of + Burgundy to make peace; but Jeanne had answered that no peace could be + made save at the end of the lance.) + </p> + <p> + She was then asked about the siege of La Charité; she answered, that she + had made an assault: but had not sprinkled holy water, or caused it to be + sprinkled. Asked, why she did not enter the city as she had the command of + God to do so, she replied: "Who told you that I was commanded to enter?" + Asked, if she had not had the advice of her voices, she answered, that she + had desired to go into France (meaning towards Paris), but the generals + had told her that it was better to go first to La Charité. She was then + asked if she had been long in the tower of Beaurevoir; answered, that she + was there about four months, and that when she heard the English come she + was angry and much troubled. Her voices forbade her several times to + attempt to escape; but at last, in the doubt she had of the English she + threw herself down, commending herself to God and to our Lady, and was + much hurt. But after she had done this the voice of St. Catherine said to + her not to be afraid, that she should be healed, and that Compiègne would + be relieved. + </p> + <p> + Also she said that she prayed always for the relief of Compiègne with her + council. Asked, what she said after she had thrown herself down, she + answered, that some said that she was dead; and as soon as the Burgundians + saw that she was not dead, they told her that she had thrown herself down. + Asked, if she had said that she would rather die than fall into the hands + of the English, she answered, that she would much rather have rendered her + soul to God than have fallen into the hands of the English. Asked, if she + was not in a great rage, and if she did not blaspheme the name of God, she + answered, that she never said evil of any saint, and that it was not her + custom to swear. Asked respecting Soissons, when the captain had + surrendered the town, whether she had not cursed God, and said that if she + had gotten hold of the captain, she would have cut him into four pieces; + she answered, that she never swore by any saint, and that those who said + so had not understood her. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + At this point the public trial of Jeanne came to a sudden end. Either the + feeling produced in the town, and even among the judges, by her + undeviating, simple, and dignified testimony had begun to be more than her + persecutors had calculated upon; or else they hoped to make shorter work + with her when deprived of the free air of publicity, the sight no doubt of + some sympathetic faces, and the consciousness of being still able to + vindicate her cause and to maintain her faith before men. Two or three + fierce Inquisitors within her cell, and the Bishop, that man without heart + or pity at their head, might still tear admissions from her weariness, + which a certain sympathetic atmosphere in a large auditory, swept by waves + of natural feeling, would strengthen her to keep back. The Bishop made a + proclamation that in order not to vex and tire his learned associates he + would have the minutes of the previous sittings reduced into form, and + submitted to them for judgment, while he himself carried on apart what + further interrogatory was necessary. We are told that he was warned by a + counsellor of the town that secret examinations without witnesses or + advocate on the prisoner's side, were illegal; but Monseigneur de Beauvais + was well aware that anything would be legal which effected his purpose, + and that once Jeanne was disposed of, the legality or illegality of the + proceedings would be of small importance. I have thought it right to give + to the best of my power a literal translation of these examinations, + notwithstanding their great length; as, except in one book, now out of + print and very difficult to procure, no such detailed translation,(8) so + far as I am aware, exists; and it seems to me that, even at the risk of + fatiguing the reader (always capable of skipping at his pleasure), it is + better to unfold the complete scene with all its tedium and badgering, + which brings out by every touch the extraordinary self-command, valour, + and sense of this wonderful Maid, the youngest, perhaps, and most ignorant + of the assembly, yet meeting all with a modest and unabashed countenance, + true, pure, and natural,—a far greater miracle in her simplicity and + noble steadfastness than even in the wonders she had done. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) She was in reality detained two days, which fact, no + doubt, she judged to be an unimportant detail. + + (2) Probably meaning, had been present when the voices came + to her and had perceived her state of listening and + abstraction. + + (3) This was her special friend, Gerard of Epinal—her + <i>compère</i> and gossip; was it jesting beguiled by some + childish recollection, or mock threat of youthful days that + she said this? + + (4) An answer evidently given in the vagueness of imperfect + knowledge, meaning a very great number. + + (5) Quicherat gives a note on this subject to point out that + there was really was but one Pope at this moment, the + question having been settled by the abdication of Clement + VIII., Benedict XIV. being a mere impostor. We cannot + believe, however, that this historical cutting of the knot + could be known to Jeanne. She probably felt only, with her + fine instinct, that there could be but one Pope, and that to + be deceived on such a matter ought to have been a thing + impossible to all those priests and learned men; as a matter + of fact the three claimants, on account of whom the Comte + d'Armagnac had appealed to her, were no longer existing at + the time he wrote. + + (6) She meant Paris, which was lost by the English, + according to her prophecy within the time named. + + (7) It should here be noted that Jeanne's sign to the King + being, as he afterwards declared, the answer to his most + private devotions and the final setting at rest of a doubt + which might have injured him much had it been known that he + entertained it—it would have been dishonourable on her part + and a great wrong to him had she revealed it. + + (8) The translation of M. Fabre is now, I believe, + reprinted, but it is not satisfactory. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV —THE EXAMINATION IN PRISON. LENT, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + It must not be forgotten, in the history of this strange trial, that the + prisoner was brought from the other side of France expressly that she + might be among a people who were not of her own party, and who had no + natural sympathies with her, but a hereditary connection with England, + which engaged all its partialities on that side. For this purpose it was + that the <i>venue</i>, the town expected the coming of the Witch, and all + the dark revelations that might be extracted from her, her spells, and the + details of that contract with the devil which was so entrancing to the + popular imagination, with excitement and eagerness. Such a <i>Cause + Célèbre</i> had never taken place among them before; and everybody no + doubt looked forward to the pleasure of seeing it proved that it was not + by the will of Heaven, but by some monstrous combination of black arts, + that such an extraordinary result as the defeat of the invincible English + soldiers had been brought about. The litigious and logical Normans no + doubt looked forward to it as to the most interesting entertainment, + ending in the complete vindication of their own side and the exposure of + the nefarious arms used by their adversaries. + </p> + <p> + But when the proceedings had been opened, and in place of some dark-browed + and termagant sorceress, with the mark of every evil passion in her face, + there appeared before the spectators crowding into every available corner, + the slim, youthful figure—was it boy or girl?—the serene and + luminous countenance of the Maid, the flower of youth raising its + whiteness and innocence in the midst of all those black-robed, subtle + Doctors, it is impossible but that the very first glance must have given a + shock and thrill of amazement and doubt to what may be called the lay + spectators, those who had no especial bias more than common report, and + whose credit or interest were not involved in bringing this unlikely + criminal to condemnation. "A girl! Like our own Jeanne at home," might + many a father have said, dismayed and confounded. She had, they all say, + those eyes of innocence which it is so impossible not to believe, and that + virginal voice, <i>assez femme</i>, which a sentimental Frenchman insists + upon as belonging only to the spotless. At all events she had the bearing + of honesty, purity, and truth. She was not afraid though all the powers of + hell—or was it only of the Church and the Law?—were arrayed + against her: no guilty mystery to be discovered, was in her countenance. + But it must have been plain to the keen and not too charitable Normans + that such semblances are not always to be trusted, and that the devil + himself even, on occasion, can take upon himself the appearance of an + angel of light; so that after the first shock of wonder they no doubt + settled themselves to listen, believing that soon they would have their + imaginations fed with tales of horror, and would discover the hoofs and + the horns and unveil with triumph the lurking demon. The French historians + never take into consideration the fact that it was the belief of Rouen and + Normandy, as well as of any similar town or province in England, that the + child Henry VI. was lawful king, and that whatever was on the other side + was a hateful adversary, to be brought to such disaster and shame as was + possible, without mercy and without delay. + </p> + <p> + But after a few days of the examination which we have just reported, + public opinion was greatly staggered, and knew not how to turn. Gradually + the conviction must have been forced upon every mind which had any candour + left, that Jeanne, at that dreadful bar, with the stake in sight, and all + the learning of Paris—the entire power of one great national and + half of another, all England and half France against—(many more than + half France, for the other part had abandoned her cause),—showed + nothing of the demon, but all—if not of the angel, yet of the Maid, + the emblem of perfection to that rude world, though often so barbarously + handled. It might almost be said of the age, notwithstanding its + immorality and rampant viciousness, that in its eyes a true virgin could + do no harm. And hers was one if ever such a thing existed on earth. The + talk in the streets began to take a very different tone. Massieu the + clerical sheriff's officer saw nothing in her answers that was not good + and right. Out of the midst of the crowd of listeners would burst an + occasional cry of "Well said!" An Englishman, even a knight, overcome by + his feelings, cried out: "Why was not she English, this brave girl!" All + these were ominous sounds. Still more ominous was the utterance of Maître + Jean Lohier, a lawyer of Rouen, who declared loudly that the trial was not + a legal trial for the reasons which follow: + </p> + <p> + "In the first place because it was not in the form of an ordinary trial; + secondly, because it was not held in a public court, and those present had + not full and complete freedom to say what was their full and unbiassed + opinion; thirdly, because there was question of the honour of the King of + France of whose party Jeanne was, without calling him, or any one for him; + fourthly, because neither libel nor articles were produced, and this woman + who was only an uninstructed girl, had no advocate to answer for her + before so many Masters and Doctors, on such grave matters, and especially + those which touched upon the revelations of which she spoke; therefore it + seemed to him that the trial was worth nothing. For these things + Monseigneur de Beauvais was very indignant against the said Maître Lohier, + saying: 'Here is Lohier who is going to make a fine fuss about our trial; + he calumniates us all, and tells the world it is of no good. If one were + to go by him, one would have to begin everything over again, and all that + has been done would be of no use.' Monseigneur de Beauvais said besides: + 'It is easy to see on which foot he halts (<i>de quel pied il cloche</i>). + By St. John, we shall do nothing of the kind; we shall go on with our + trial as we have begun it.'" + </p> + <p> + A day or two later Manchon, the Clerk of the Court (he who refused to take + down Jeanne's conversation with her Judas), met this same lawyer Lohier at + church, and asked him, as no doubt every man asked every other whom he + met, how did he think the trial was going? to which Lohier answered: "You + see the manner in which they proceed; they will take her, if they can, in + her words—that is to say, the assertions in which she says <i>I know + for certain</i>, things that concern her apparitions. If she would say, + 'It seems to me' instead of 'I know for certain,' I do not see how any man + could condemn her. It appears that they proceed against her rather from + hate than from any other cause, and for this reason I shall not remain + here. I will have nothing to do with it." This I think shows very clearly + that Lohier, like the bulk of the population, by no means thought at first + that it was "from hate" that the trial proceeded, but honestly believed + that he had been called to try Jeanne as a professor of the black arts; + and that he had discovered from her own testimony that she was not so, and + that the motive of the trial was entirely a different one from that of + justice; one in fact with which an honest man could have nothing to do. + </p> + <p> + It is very significant also that the number of judges present in court on + the sixth day, the last of the public examination, was only thirty-eight, + as against the sixty-two of the second day, which seems to prove that a + general disgust and alarm was growing in the minds of those most closely + concerned. Warwick and the soldiers, impatient of all such business, + striding in noisily from time to time to give a careless glance at the + proceedings, might not stay long enough to share the impression—or + might, who can say? Their business was to get this pestilent woman, even + if by chance she might be an innocent fanatic, cleared off the face of the + earth and out of their way. + </p> + <p> + After the sixth day, however, it would seem that the Bishop and his tools + had taken fright at the progress of public opinion. Before dismissing the + court on that occasion, Cauchon made an address to the disturbed and + anxious judges, informing them that he would not tire them out with + prolonged sittings, but that a few specially chosen assistants would now + examine into what further details were necessary. In the meantime all + would be put in writing; so that they might think it over and deliberate + within themselves, so as to be able each to make a report either to + himself, the Bishop, or to some one deputed by him. The assessors, thus + thrown out of work, were however forbidden to leave Rouen without the + Bishop's permission—probably because of the threat of Lohier. + Repeated meetings were held in Cauchon's house to arrange the details of + the proceedings to follow; and during this time it was perhaps hoped that + any excitement outside would quiet down. The Bishop himself had in the + meantime other work in hand. He had to receive certain important visitors, + one of them the man who held the appointment of Chancellor of France on + the English side, and who was well acquainted with the mind of his + masters. We have no information whatever whether Cauchon ever himself + wavered, or allowed the possibility of acquitting Jeanne to enter his + mind; but he must have seen that it was of the last necessity to know what + would satisfy the English chiefs. No doubt he was confirmed and + strengthened in the conviction that by hook or by crook her condemnation + must be accomplished, by the conversation of these illustrious visitors. + To save Jeanne was impossible he must have been told. No English soldier + would strike a blow while she lived. England itself, the whole country, + trembled at her name. Till she was got rid of nothing could be done. + </p> + <p> + There was of course great exaggeration in all this, for the English had + fought desperately enough in her presence except on the one occasion of + Patay, notwithstanding all the early prestige of Jeanne. But at all events + it was made perfectly clear that the foregoing conclusion must be carried + out, and that Jeanne must die: and, not only so, but she must die with + opprobrium and disgrace as a witch, which almost everybody out of Rouen + now believed her to be. The public examination which lasted six days was + concluded on the third of March, 1430. On the following days, the fourth, + fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth of March, meetings were held, as + we have said, in the Bishop's house to consider what it would be well to + do next, at one of which a select company of Inquisitors was chosen to + carry on the examination in private. These were Jean de la Fontaine, a + lawyer learned in canon law; Jean Beaupère, already her interrogator; + Nicolas Midi, a Doctor in Theology; Pierre Morice, Canon of Rouen and + Ambassador from the English King to the Council of Bâle; Thomas de + Courcelles, the learned and excellent young Doctor already described; + Nicolas l'Oyseleur, the traitor, also already sufficiently referred to; + and Manchon, the honest Clerk of the court: the names of Gerard Feuillet, + also a distinguished man, and Jean Fecardo, an advocate, are likewise also + mentioned. They seem to have served in their turn, three or four at a + time. This private session began on the 10th of March, a week after the + conclusion of the public trial, and was held in the prison chamber + inhabited by the Maid. + </p> + <p> + We shall not attempt to follow literally those private examinations, which + would take a great deal more space than we have at our command, and would + be fatiguing to the reader from the constant and prolonged repetitions; we + shall therefore quote only such parts as are new or so greatly enlarged + from Jeanne's original statements as to seem so. At the first day's + examination in her prison she was questioned about Compiègne and her + various proceedings before reaching that place.(1) She was asked, for one + thing, if her voices had bidden her make the sally in which she was taken; + to which she answered that had she known the time she was to be taken she + would not have gone out, unless upon the express command of the saints. + She was then asked about her standard, her arms, and her horses, and + replied that she had no coat-of-arms, but her brothers had, who also had + all her money, from ten to twelve thousand francs, which was "no great + treasure to make war upon," besides five chargers, and about seven other + horses, all from the King. The examiners then came to their principal + object, and having lulled her mind with these trifles, turned suddenly to + a subject on which they still hoped she might commit herself, the sign + which had proved her good faith to the King. It is scarcely possible to + avoid the feeling, grave as all the circumstances were, that a little <i>malice</i>, + a glance of mischievous pleasure, kindled in Jeanne's eye. She had refused + to enter into further explanations again and again. She had warned them + that she would give them no true light on the subjects that concerned the + King. Now she would seem to have had sudden recourse to the mystification + that is dear to youth, to have tossed her young head and said: "<i>Have + then your own way</i>"; and forthwith proceeded to romance, according to + the indications given her of what was wanted, without thought of + preserving any appearance of reality. Most probably indeed, her air and + tone would make it apparent to her persistent questioners how complete a + fable, or at least parable, it was. + </p> + <p> + Asked, what sign she gave to the King, she replied that it was a beautiful + and honourable sign, very creditable and very good, and rich above all. + Asked, if it still lasted; answered, "It would be good to know; it will + last a thousand years and more if well guarded," adding that it was in the + treasure of the King. Asked, if it was of gold or silver or of precious + stones, or in the form of a crown; answered: "I will tell you nothing + more; but no man could devise a thing so rich as this sign; but the sign + that is necessary for you is that God should deliver me out of your hands, + and that is what He will do." She also said that when she had to go to the + King it was said by her voices: "Go boldly; and when you are before the + King he will have a sign which will make him receive and believe in you." + Asked, what reverence she made when the sign came to the King, and if it + came from God; answered, that she had thanked God for having delivered her + from the priests of her own party who had argued against her, and that she + had knelt down several times; she also said that an angel from God, and + not from another, brought the sign to the King; and she had thanked the + Lord many times; she added that the priests ceased to argue against when + they had seen that sign. Asked, if the clergy of her party (<i>de par delà</i>) + saw the above sign; answered yes, that her King if he were satisfied; and + he answered yes. And afterwards she went to a little chapel close by, and + heard them say that after she was gone more than three hundred people saw + the said sign. She said besides that for love of her, and that they should + give up questioning her, God permitted those of her party to see the sign. + Asked, if the King and she made reverence to the angel when he brought the + sign; answered yes, for herself, that she knelt down and took off her + hood. + </p> + <p> + What Jeanne meant by this strange romance can only, I think be explained + by this hypothesis. She was "dazed and bewildered," say some of the + historians, evidently not knowing how to interpret so strange an + interruption to her narrative; but there is no other sign of bewilderment; + her mind was always clear and her intelligence complete. Granting that the + whole story was boldly ironical, its object is very apparent. Honour + forbade her to betray the King's secret, and she had expressly said she + would not do so. But her story seems to say—<i>since you will insist + that there was a sign, though I have told you I could give you no + information, have it your own way; you shall have a sign and one of the + very best; it delivered me from the priests of my own party (de par delà)</i>. + Jeanne was no milk-sop; she was bold enough to send a winged shaft to the + confusion of the priests of the other side who had tormented her in the + same way. One can imagine a lurking smile at the corner of her mouth. Let + them take it since they would have it. And we may well believe there was + that in her eye, and in the details heaped up so lightly to form the + miraculous tale, which left little doubt in the minds of the questioners, + of the spirit in which she spoke: though to us who only read the record + the effect is of a more bewildering kind. + </p> + <p> + Two days after, on Monday, the 12th of March, the Inquisitors began by + several additional questions concerning the angel who brought the sign to + the King; was it the same whom she first saw, or another? She answered + that it was the same, and no other was wanted. Asked, if this angel had + not deceived her since she had been taken prisoner; answered, that SHE + BELIEVED SINCE IT SO PLEASED OUR LORD THAT IT WAS BEST THAT SHE SHOULD BE + TAKEN. Asked, if the angel had not failed her; answered, "How could he + have failed me, when he comforts me every day?" This comfort is what she + understands to come through St. Catherine and St. Margaret. Asked, whether + she called them, or they came without being called, she answered, that + they often came without being called, and if they did not come soon + enough, she asked our Saviour to send them. Asked, if St. Denis had ever + appeared to her; answered, not that she knew. Asked, if when she promised + to our Lord to remain a virgin she spoke to Him; answered, that it ought + to be enough to speak to those who were sent by Him that is to say, St. + Catherine and St. Margaret. Asked, what induced her to summon a man to + Toul, in respect to marriage; answered, "I did not summon him; it was he + who summoned me"; and that on that occasion she had sworn before the judge + to speak the truth, which was that she had not made him any promise. She + also said that the first time she had heard the voices she made a vow of + virginity so long as it pleased God, being then about the age of thirteen. + </p> + <p> + It was the object of the judges by these questions to prove that, + according to a fable which had obtained some credit, Jeanne during her + visit to La Rousse, the village inn-keeper at Neufchâteau, had acted as + servant in the house and tarnished her good fame—so that her + betrothed had refused to marry her: and that he had been brought before + the Bishop's court at Toul for his breach of promise, as we should say. + Exactly the reverse was the case, as the reader will remember. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was further asked, if she had spoken of her visions to her curé or + to any ecclesiastic: and answered no, but only to Robert de Baudricourt + and to her King; but added that she was not bidden by her voices to + conceal them, but feared to reveal them lest the Burgundians should hear + of them and prevent her going. And especially she had much doubt of her + father, lest he should hinder her from going. Asked, if she thought she + did well to go away without the permission of her father and mother, when + it is certain we ought to honour our father and mother; answered, that in + every other thing she had fully obeyed him, except in respect to her + departure; but she had written to them, and they had pardoned her. Asked, + if when she left her father and mother she did not think it was a sin; + answered, that her voices were quite willing that she should tell them, if + it were not for the pain it would have given them; but as for herself, she + would not have told them for any consideration; also that her voices left + her to do as she pleased, to tell or not. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Having gone so far the reverend fathers went to dinner, and Jeanne we hope + had her piece of bread and her <i>eau rougie</i>. In the afternoon these + indefatigable questioners returned, and the first few questions throw a + fuller light on the troubled cottage at Domremy, out of which this + wonderful maiden came like a being of another kind. + </p> + <p> + She was questioned as to the dreams of her father; and answered, that + while she was still at home her mother told her several times that her + father said he had dreamt that Jeanne his daughter had gone away with the + troopers, that her father and mother took great care of her and held her + in great subjection: and she obeyed them in every point except that of her + affair at Toul in respect to marriage. She also said that her mother had + told her what her father had said to her brothers: "If I could think that + the thing would happen of which I have dreamed, I wish she might be + drowned first; and if you would not do it, I would drown her with my own + hands"; and that he nearly lost his senses when she went to Vaucouleurs. + </p> + <p> + How profound is this little village tragedy! The suspicious, stern, and + unhopeful peasant, never sure even that the most transparent and pure may + not be capable of infamy, distracted with that horror of personal + degradation which is involved in family disgrace, cruel in the intensity + of his pride and fear of shame! He has been revealed to us in many lands, + always one of the most impressive of human pictures, with no trust of love + in him but an overwhelming faith in every vicious possibility. If there is + no evidence to prove that, even at the moment when Jeanne was supreme, + when he was induced to go to Rheims to see the coronation, Jacques d'Arc + was still dark, unresponsive, never more sure than any of the Inquisitors + that his daughter was not a witch, or worse, a shameless creature linked + to the captains and the splendid personages about her by very different + ties from those which appeared—there is at least not a word to prove + that he had changed his mind. She does not add anything to soften the + description here given. The sudden appearance of this dark remorseless + figure, looking on from his village, who probably in all Domremy—when + Domremy got to hear the news—would be the only person who would in + his desperation almost applaud that stake and devouring flame, is too + startling for words. + </p> + <p> + The end of this day's examination was remarkable also for a sudden light + upon the method she had intended to adopt in respect to the Duke of + Orleans, then in prison in England, whom it was one of her most cherished + hopes to deliver. + </p> + <p> + Asked, how she meant to rescue the Duc d'Orléans: she answered, that by + that time she hoped to have taken English prisoners enough to exchange for + him: and if she had not taken enough she should have crossed the sea, in + power, to search for him in England. Asked, if St. Catherine and St. + Margaret had told her absolutely and without condition that she should + take enough prisoners to exchange for the Duc d'Orléans, who was in + England, or otherwise, that she should cross the sea to fetch him and + bring him back within three years; she answered yes: and that she had told + the King and had begged him to permit her to make prisoners. She said + further that if she had lasted three years without hindrance, she should + have delivered him. Otherwise she said she had not thought of so long a + time as three years, although it should have been more than one; but she + did not at present recollect exactly. + </p> + <p> + There is a curious story existing, though we do not remember whence it + comes and there is not a scrap of evidence for it, which suggests a rumour + that Jeanne was not the child of the d'Arc family at all, but in fact an + abandoned and illegitimate child of the Queen, Isabel of Bavaria, and that + her real father was the murdered Duc d'Orléans. This suggestion might + explain the ease with which she fell into the way of Courts, a sort of air + <i>à la Princesse</i> which certainly was about her, and her especial + devotion to Orleans, both to the city and the duke. A shadow of a supposed + child of our own Queen Mary has also appeared in history, quite without + warrant or likelihood. It is a little conventional and well worn even in + the way of romance, yet there are certain fanciful suggestions in the + thought. + </p> + <p> + After the above, Jeanne was again questioned and at great length upon the + sign given to the King, upon the angel who brought it, the manner of his + coming and going, the persons who saw him, those who saw the crown + bestowed upon the King, and so on, in the most minute detail. That the + purpose of the sign was that "they should give up arguing and so let her + proceed on her mission," she repeated again and again; but here is a + curious additional note. + </p> + <p> + She was asked how the King and the people with him were convinced that it + was an angel; and answered, that the King knew it by the instruction of + the ecclesiastics who were there, and also by the sign of the crown. + Asked, how the ecclesiastics (<i>gens d'église</i>) knew it was an angel + she answered, "By their knowledge (science), and because they were + priests." + </p> + <p> + Was this the keenest irony, or was it the wandering of a weary mind? We + cannot tell; but if the latter, it was the only occasion on which Jeanne's + mind wandered; and there was method and meaning in the strange tale. + </p> + <p> + She was further questioned whether it was by the advice of her voices that + she attacked La Charité, and afterwards Paris, her two points of failure; + the purpose of her examiners clearly being to convince her that those + voices had deceived her. To both questions she answered no. To Paris she + went at the request of gentlemen who wished to make a skirmish, or assault + of arms (<i>vaillance d'armes</i>); but she intended to go farther, and to + pass the moats; that is, to force the fighting and make the skirmish into + a serious assault; the same was the case before La Charité. She was asked + whether she had no revelation concerning Pont l'Evêque, and said that + since it was revealed to her at Melun that she should be taken, she had + had more recourse to the will of the captains than to her own; but she did + not tell them that it was revealed to her that she should be taken. Asked, + if she thought it was well done to attack Paris on the day of the Nativity + of our Lady, which was a festival of the Church; she answered, that it was + always well to keep the festivals of our Lady: and in her conscience it + seemed to her that it was and always would be a good thing to keep the + feasts of our Lady, from one end to the other. + </p> + <p> + In the afternoon the examiners returned to the attempt at escape or + suicide—they seemed to have preferred the latter explanation—made + at Beaurevoir; and as Jeanne expresses herself with more freedom as to her + personal motives in these prison examinations and opens her heart more + freely, there is much here which we give in full. + </p> + <p> + She was asked first what was the cause of her leap from the tower of + Beaurevoir. She answered that she had heard that all the people of + Compiègne, down to the age of seven, were to be put to the sword, and that + she would rather die than live after such a destruction of good people; + this was one of the reasons; the other was that she knew that she was sold + to the English and that she would rather die than fall into the hands of + the English, her enemies. Asked, if she made that leap by the command of + her voices; answered, that St. Catherine said to her almost every day that + she was not to leap, for that God would help her, and also the people of + Compiègne: and she, Jeanne, said to St. Catherine that since God intended + to help the people of Compiègne she would fain be there. And St. Catherine + said: "You must take it in good part, but you will not be delivered till + you have seen the King of the English." And she, Jeanne, answered: "Truly + I do not wish to see him. I would rather die than fall into the hands of + the English." Asked, if she had said to St. Catherine and St. Margaret, + "Will God leave the good people of Compiègne to die so cruelly?" answered, + that she did not say "so cruelly," but said it in this way: "Will God + leave these good people of Compiègne to die, who have been and are so + loyal to their lord?" She added that after she fell there were two or + three days that she would not eat; and that she was so hurt by the leap + that she could not eat; but all the time she was comforted by St. + Catherine, who told her to confess and ask pardon of God for that act, and + that without doubt the people of Compiègne would have succour before + Martinmas. And then she took pains to recover and began to eat, and + shortly was healed. + </p> + <p> + Asked, whether, when she threw herself down, she wished to kill herself, + she answered no; but that in throwing herself down she commended herself + to God, and hoped by means of that leap to escape and to avoid being + delivered to the English. Asked, if, when she recovered the power of + speech, she had denied and blasphemed God and the saints, as had been + reported; answered, that she remembered nothing of the kind, and that, as + far as she knew, she had never denied and blasphemed God and His saints + there nor anywhere else, and did not confess that she had done so, having + no recollection of it. Asked, if she would like to see the information + taken on the spot, answered: "I refer myself to God, and not another, and + to a good confession." Asked, if her voices ever desired delay for their + replies; answered, that St. Catherine always answered her at once, but + sometimes she, Jeanne, could not hear because of the tumult round her (<i>turbacion + des personnes</i>) and the noise of her guards; but that when she asked + anything of St. Catherine, sometimes she, and sometimes St. Margaret asked + of our Lord, and then by the command of our Lord an answer was given to + her. Asked, if, when they came, there was always light accompanying them, + and if she did not see that light when she heard the voice in the castle + without knowing whether it was in her chamber or not: answered, that there + was never a day that they did not come into the castle, and that they + never came without light: and that time she heard the voice, but did not + remember whether she saw the light, or whether she saw St. Catherine. Also + she said she had asked from her voices three things: one, her release: the + other, that God would help the French, and keep the town faithful: and the + other the salvation of her soul. Afterwards she asked that she might have + a copy of these questions and her answers if she were to be taken to + Paris, that she may give them to the people in Paris, and say to them, + "This is how I was questioned in Rouen, and here are my replies," that she + might not be exhausted by so many questions. + </p> + <p> + Asked, what she meant when she said that Monseigneur de Beauvais put + himself in danger by bringing her to trial, and why Monseigneur de + Beauvais more than others, she answered, that this was and is what she + said to Monseigneur de Beauvais: "You say that you are my judge. I know + not whether you are so; but take care that you judge well, or you will put + yourself in great danger. I warn you, so that if our Lord should chastise + you for it, I may have done my duty in warning you." Asked, what was that + danger? she answered, that St. Catherine had said that she should have + succour, but that she knew not whether this meant that she would be + delivered from prison, or that, when she was before the tribunal, there + might come trouble by which she should be delivered; she thought, however, + it would be the one or the other. And all the more that her voices told + her that she would be delivered by a great victory; and afterwards they + said to her: "Take everything cheerfully, do not be disturbed by this + martyrdom: thou shalt thence come at last to the kingdom of Heaven." And + this the voices said simply and absolutely—that is to say, without + fail; she explained that she called It martyrdom because of all the pain + and adversity that she had suffered in prison; and she knew not whether + she might have still more to suffer, but waited upon our Lord. She was + then asked whether, since her voices had said that she should go to + Paradise, she felt assured that she should be saved and not damned in + hell; she answered, that she believed firmly what her voices said about + her being saved, as firmly as if she were so already. And when it was said + to her that this answer was of great weight, she answered that she herself + held it as a great treasure. + </p> + <p> + We have said that Jeanne's answers to the Inquisitors in prison had a more + familiar form than in the public examination; which seem to prove that + they were not unkind to her, further, at least, than by the persistence + and tediousness of their questions. The Bishop for one thing was seldom + present; the sittings were frequently presided over by the Deputy + Inquisitor, who had made great efforts to be free of the business + altogether, and had but very recently been forced into it; so that we may + at least imagine, as he was so reluctant, that he did what he could to + soften the proceedings. Jean de la Fontaine, too, was a milder man than + her former questioners, and in so small an assembly she could not be + disturbed and interrupted by Frère Isambard's well-meant signs and + whispers. She speaks at length and with a self-disclosure which seems to + have little that was painful in it, like one matured into a kind of age by + long weariness and trouble, who regards the panorama of her life passing + before her with almost a pensive pleasure. And it is clear that Jeanne's + ear, still so young and keen, notwithstanding that attitude of mind, was + still intent upon sounds from without, and that Jeanne's heart still + expected a sudden assault, a great victory for France, which should open + her prison doors—or even a rising in the very judgment hall to + deliver her. How could they keep still outside, Dunois, Alençon, La Hire, + the mighty men of valour, while they knew that she was being racked and + tortured within? She who could not bear to be out of the conflict to serve + her friends at Compiègne, even when succour from on high had been + promised, how was it possible that these gallant knights could live and + let her die, their gentle comrade, their dauntless leader? In those long + hours, amid the noise of the guards within and the garrison around, how + she must have thought, over and over again, where were they? when were + they coming? how often imagined that a louder clang of arms than usual, a + rush of hasty feet, meant that they were here! + </p> + <p> + But honour and love kept Jeanne's lips closed. Not a word did she say that + could discredit King, or party, or friends; not a reproach to those who + had abandoned her. She still looked for the great victory in which + Monseigneur, if he did not take care, might run the risk of being roughly + handled, or of a sudden tumult in his own very court that would pitch him + form his guilty seat. It was but the fourteenth of March still, and there + were six weary weeks to come. She did not know the hour or the day, but + yet she believed that this great deliverance was on its way. + </p> + <p> + And there was a great deliverance to come: but not of this kind. The + voices of God—how can we deny it?—are often, though in a + loftier sense, like those fantastic voices that keep the word of promise + to the ear but break it to the heart. They promised her a great victory: + and she had it, and also the fullest deliverance: but only by the stake + and the fire, which were not less dreadful to Jeanne than to any other + girl of her age. They did not speak to deceive her, but she was deceived; + they kept their promise, but not as she understood it. "These all died in + faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, + and were persuaded of them, and embraced them." Jeanne too was persuaded + of them, but was not to receive them—except in the other way. + </p> + <p> + On the afternoon of the same day (it was still Lent, and Jeanne fasted, + whatever our priests may have done), she was again closely questioned on + the subject, this time, of Franquet d'Arras, who, as has been above + narrated, was taken by her in the course of some indiscriminate fighting + in the north. She was asked if it was not mortal sin to take a man as + prisoner of war and then give him up to be executed. There was evidently + no perception of similarities in the minds of the judges, for this was + precisely what had been done in the case of Jeanne herself; but even she + does not seem to have been struck by the fact. Their object, apparently, + was by proving that she was in a state of sin, to prove also that her + voices were of no authority, as being unable to discover so simple a + principle as this. + </p> + <p> + When they spoke to her of "one named Franquet d'Arras, who was executed at + Lagny," she answered that she consented to his death, as he deserved it, + for he had confessed to being a murderer, a thief, and a traitor. She said + that his trial lasted fifteen days, the Bailli de Senlis and the law + officers of Lagny being the judges; and she added that she had wished to + have Franquet, to exchange him for a man of Paris, Seigneur de Lours + (corrected, innkeeper at the sign of l'Ours); but when she heard that this + man was dead, and when the Bailli told her that she would go very much + against justice if she set Franquet free, she said to the Bailli: "Since + my man is dead whom I wished to deliver, do with this one whatever justice + demands." Asked, if she took the money or allowed it to be taken by him + who had taken Franquet, she answered, that she was not a money changer or + a treasurer of France, to deal with money. + </p> + <p> + She was then reminded that having assaulted Paris on a holy day, having + taken the horse of Monseigneur de Senlis, having thrown herself down from + the tower of Beaurevoir, having consented to the death of Franquet + d'Arras, and being still dressed in the costume of a man, did she not + think that she must be in a state of mortal sin? She answered to the first + question about Paris: "I do not think I was guilty of mortal sin, and if I + have sinned it is to God that I would make it known, and in confession to + God by the priest." To the second question, concerning the horse of + Senlis, she answered, that she believed firmly that there was not mortal + sin in this, seeing it was valued, and the Bishop had due notice of it, + and at all events it was sent back to the Seigneur de la Trémouille to + give it back to Monseigneur de Senlis. The said horse was of no use to + her; and, on the other hand, she did not wish to keep it because she heard + that the Bishop was displeased that his horse should have been taken. And + as for the tower of Beaurevoir: "I did it not to destroy myself, but in + the hope of saving myself and of going to the aid of the good people who + were in need." But after having done it, she had confessed her sin, and + asked pardon of our Lord, and had pardon of Him. And she allowed that it + was not right to have made that leap, but that she did wrong. + </p> + <p> + The next day an important question was introduced, the only one as yet + which Jeanne does not seem to have been able to answer with understanding. + On points of fact or in respect to her visions she was always quite clear, + but questions concerning the Church were beyond her knowledge. It is only + indeed after some time has elapsed that we perceive why such a question + was introduced. + </p> + <p> + After admonitions made to her she was required, if she had done anything + contrary to the faith, to submit herself to the decision of the Church. + She replied, that her answers had all been heard and seen by clerks, and + that they could say whether there was anything in them against the faith: + and that if they would point out to her where any error was, afterwards + she would tell them what was said by her counsellors. At all events if + there was anything against the faith which our Lord had commanded, she + would not sustain it, and would be very sorry to go against that. Here it + was shown to her that there was a Church militant and a Church triumphant, + and she was asked if she knew the difference between them. She was also + required to put herself under the jurisdiction of the Church, in respect + to what she had done, whether it was good or evil, but replied, "I will + answer no more on this point for the present." + </p> + <p> + Having thrown in this tentative question which she did not understand, + they returned to the question of her dress, which holds such an important + place in the entire interrogatory. If she were allowed to hear mass as she + wished, having been all this time deprived of religious ordinances, did + not she think it would be more honest and befitting that she should go in + the dress of a woman? To this she replied vaguely, that she would much + rather go to mass in the dress of a woman than to retain her male costume + and not to hear mass; and that if she were certified that she should hear + mass, she would be there in a woman's dress. "I certify you that you shall + hear mass," the examiner replied, "but you must be dressed as a woman." + "What would you say," she answered as with a momentary doubt, "if I had + sworn to my King never to change?" but she added: "Anyhow I answer for it. + Find me a dress, long, touching the ground, without a train, and give it + to me to go to mass; but I will return to my present dress when I come + back." She was then asked why she would not have all the parts of a female + dress to go to mass in; she said, "I will take counsel upon that, and + answer you," and begged again for the honour of God and our Lady that she + might be allowed to hear mass in this good town. Afterwards she was again + recommended to assume the whole dress of a woman and gave a conditional + assent: "Get me a dress like that of a young <i>bourgeoise</i>, that is to + say, a long <i>houppelande</i>; I will wear that and a woman's hood to go + to mass." After having promised, however, she made an appeal to them to + leave her free, and to think no more of her garb, but to allow her to hear + mass without changing it. This would seem to have been refused, and all at + once without warning the jurisdiction of the Church was suddenly + introduced again. + </p> + <p> + She was asked, whether in all she did and said she would submit herself to + the Church, and replied: "All my deeds and works are in the hands of God, + and I depend only on Him; and I certify that I desire to do nothing and + say nothing against the Christian faith; and if I have done or said + anything in the body that was against the Christian faith which our Lord + has established, I should not defend it but cast it forth from me." Asked + again, if she would not submit to the laws of the Church she replied: "I + can answer no more to-day on this point; but on Saturday send the clerk to + me, if you do not come, and I will answer by the grace of God, and it can + be put in writing." + </p> + <p> + A great many questions followed as to her visions, but chiefly what had + been asked before. One thing only we may note, since it was one of the + special sayings all her own, which fell from the lips of Jeanne, during + this private and almost sympathetic examination. After being questioned + closely as to how she knew her first visitor to be St. Michael, etc., she + was asked, how she would have known had he been "l'Anemy" himself (a + Norman must surely have used this word), taking the form of an angel: and + finally, what doctrine he taught her? + </p> + <p> + She answered; above all things he said that she was to be a good child and + that God would help her: and among other things that she was to go to the + succour of the King of France. But the greater part of what the angel + taught her, she continued, was already in their book; and THE ANGEL SHOWED + HER THE GREAT PITY THERE WAS OF THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE. + </p> + <p> + The pity of it! That which has always gone most to the tender heart: a + country torn in pieces, brother fighting against brother, the invader + seated at the native hearth, and blood and fire making the smiling land a + desert: "<i>la pitie qui estoit au royaume de France</i>." + </p> + <p> + Did the Inquisitor break down here? Could no one go on? or was it mere + human incompetence to feel the divine touch? Some one broke into a foolish + question about the height of the angel, and the sitting was hurriedly + concluded. Monseigneur might well be on his mettle; that very pity, was it + not stealing into the souls of his private committee deputed for so + different a use? + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + Next day the questions about St. Michael's personal appearance were + resumed, as a little feint we can only suppose, for the great question of + the Church was again immediately introduced; but in the meantime Jeanne + had described her visitor in terms which it is pleasant to dwell on. "He + was in the form of a <i>très vrai prud' homme</i>." The term is difficult + to translate, as is the Galantuomo of Italy. The "King-Honest Man," we + used to say in English in the days of his late Majesty Victor Emmanuel of + Italy; but that is not all that is meant—<i>un vrai prud' homme</i>, + a man good, honest, brave, the best man, is more like it. The girl's + honest imagination thought of no paraphernalia of wings or shining plumes. + It was not the theatrical angel, not even the angel of art whom she saw—whom + it would have been so easy to invent, nay to take quite truthfully from + the first painted window, radiating colour and brightness through the dim, + low-roofed church. But even with such material handy, Jeanne was not led + into the conventional. She knew nothing about wings or emblematic scales. + He was in the form of a brave and gentle man. She knew not anything + greater, nor would she be seduced into fable however sacred. Then once + more the true assault began. + </p> + <p> + She was asked, if she would submit all her sayings and doings, good or + evil, to the judgment of our Holy Mother, the Church. She replied, that as + for the Church, she loved it and would sustain it with all her might for + our Christian faith; and that it was not she whom they ought to disturb + and hinder from going to church or from hearing mass. As to the good + things she had done, and that had happened, she must refer all to the King + of Heaven, who had sent her to Charles, King of France; and it should be + seen that the French would soon gain a great advantage which God would + send them, so great that all the kingdom of France would be shaken. And + this, she said, that when it came to pass, they might remember that she + had said it. She was again asked, if she would submit to the jurisdiction + of the Church, and answered, "I refer everything to our Lord who sent me, + to our Lady, and to the blessed Saints of Paradise"; and added her opinion + was that our Lord and the Church meant the same thing, and that + difficulties should not be made concerning this, when there was no + difficulty, and they were both one. She was then told that there was the + Church triumphant, in which are God, the saints, the angels, and all saved + souls. The Church militant is our Holy Father the Pope, vicar of God on + earth, the cardinals, the prelates of the Church, and the clergy and all + good Christians and Catholics, which Church properly assembled cannot err, + but is guided by the Holy Spirit. And this being the case she was asked if + she would refer her cause to the Church militant thus explained to her. + She replied that she had come to the King of France on the part of God, on + the part of the Virgin Mary, the blessed Saints of Paradise, and the + Church victorious in Heaven, and at their commandment; and to that Church + she submitted all her good deeds, and all that she had done and might do. + And if they asked her whether she would submit to the Church militant, + answered, that she would now answer no more than this. + </p> + <p> + Here again the argument strayed back to the futile subject of dress, + always at hand to be taken up again, one would say, when the judges were + non-plussed. Her first reply on this subject is remarkable and shows that + dark and terrible forebodings were already beginning to mingle with her + hopes. + </p> + <p> + Asked, what she had to say about the woman's dress that had been offered + to her, to hear mass in: she answered, that she would not take it yet, not + until the Lord pleased; but that if it were necessary to lead her out to + be executed, and if she should then have to be undressed, she required of + the Lords of the Church that they would give her the grace to have a long + chemise, and a kerchief for her head; that she would prefer to die rather + than to alter what our Lord had directed her to do, and that she firmly + believed our Lord would not let her descend so low, but that she should + soon be helped by God and by a miracle. She was then asked, if what she + did in respect to the man's costume was by command of God, why she asked + for a woman's chemise in case of death? answered, <i>It is enough that it + should be long</i>. + </p> + <p> + The effect of these words in which so much was implied, must have made a + supreme sensation among the handful of men gathered round the helpless + girl in her prison, bringing the stake in all its horror before the eyes + of the judges as before her own. No other thing could have been suggested + by that piteous prayer. The stake, the scaffold, the fire—and the + shrinking figure all maidenly, helpless, exposed to every evil gaze, must + have showed themselves at least for a moment against that dark background + of prison wall. It was enough that it should be long—to hide her as + much as was possible from those dreadful staring eyes. + </p> + <p> + The interrogatory goes on wildly after this about the age and the dress of + the saints. But a tone of fate had come into it, and Jeanne herself, it + was evident, was very serious; her mind turned to more weighty thoughts. + Presently they asked if the saints hated the English, to which she replied + that they hated what God hated and loved what He loved. She was then asked + if God hated the English. She replied that of the love or hate that God + had for the English, or what God did for their souls, she knew nothing; + but she knew well that they should be driven out of France, except those + who died there; and that God would send victory to the French against the + English. Asked, if God was for the English so long as they were prosperous + in France: she answered, that she knew not whether God hated the French, + but believed He had allowed them to be beaten because of their sins. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was then brought to a test which, had she been a great statesman or + a learned doctor, would have been as dangerous, as the question concerning + John the Baptist was to the priests and scribes. "If we shall say: From + heaven, he will say, Why then believed ye him not? but if we shall say of + men we fear the people." And she was only a peasant girl and the event of + which they spoke had been before her little time. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she thought and believed firmly that her King did well to kill + Monseigneur de Bourgogne, she answered that IT WAS A GREAT MISFORTUNE FOR + THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE: but that however it might be among themselves, God + had sent her to the succour of the King. + </p> + <p> + One or two other questions of some importance followed amid perpetual + changes of the subject: one of which called forth as follows her last + deliverance on the subject of the Pope. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she had said to Monseigneur de Beauvais that she would answer as + exactly to him and to his clerks as she would have done before our Holy + Father the Pope, although at several points in the trial she would have + had to refuse to answer, if she did not answer more plainly than before + Monseigneur de Beauvais—she said that she had answered as much as + she knew, and that if anything came to her memory that she had forgotten + to say, she would say it willingly. Asked, if it seemed to her that she + would be bound to answer the plain truth to the Pope, the vicar of God, in + all he asked her touching the faith and her conscience, she replied that + she desired to be taken before him, and then she would answer all that she + ought to answer. + </p> + <p> + Here we seem to perceive dimly that there was beginning to be a second + party among those examiners, one of which was covertly but earnestly + attempting to lead Jeanne into an appeal to the Pope, which would have + conveyed her out of the hands of the English at least, and gained time, + probably deliverance for her, could Jeanne have been made to understand + it. + </p> + <p> + This, however, was by no means the wish of Cauchon, whose spy and + whisperer, L'Oyseleur, was working against it in the background. Jeanne + evidently failed to take up what they meant. She did not understand the + distinction between the Church militant and the Church triumphant: that + God alone was her judge, and that no tribunal could decide upon the + questions which were between her Lord and herself, was too firmly fixed in + her mind: and again and again the men whose desire was to make her adopt + this expedient, were driven back into the ever repeated questions about + St. Catherine and St. Margaret. + </p> + <p> + One other of her distinctive sayings fell from her in the little interval + that remained, in a series of useless questions about her standard. Was it + true that this standard had been carried into the Cathedral at Rheims when + those of the other captains were left behind? "It had been through the + labour and the pain," she said, "there was good reason that it should have + the honour." + </p> + <p> + This last movement of a proud spirit, absolutely disinterested and without + thought of honour or advancement in the usual sense of the word, gives a + sort of trumpet note at the end of these wonderful wranglings in prison, + in which, however, there is a softening of tone visible throughout, and + evident effect of human nature bringing into immediate contact divers + human creatures day after day. Jeanne is often at her best, and never so + frequently as during these less formal sittings utters those flying words, + simple and noble and of absolute truth to nature, which are noted + everywhere, even in the most rambling records. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + The private examination, concluding with that last answer about the + banner, came to an end on the 17th March, the day before Passion Sunday. + Several subsequent days were occupied with repeated consultations in the + Bishop's palace, and the reading over of the minutes of the examinations, + to the judges first and afterwards to Jeanne, who acknowledged their + correctness, with one or two small amendments. It is only now that Cauchon + reappears in his own person. On the morning of the following Sunday, which + was Palm Sunday, he and four other doctors with him had a conversation + with Jeanne in her prison, very early in the morning, touching her + repeated application to be allowed to hear mass and to communicate. The + Bishop offered her his ultimatum: if she consented to resume her woman's + dress, she might hear mass, but not otherwise; to which Jeanne replied, + sorrowfully, that she would have done so before now if she could; but that + it was not in her power to do so. Thus after the long and bitter Lent her + hopes of sharing in the sacred feast were finally taken from her. It + remains uncertain whether she considered that her change of dress would be + direct disobedience to God, which her words seem often to imply; or + whether it would mean renunciation of her mission, which she still hoped + against hope to be able to resume; or if the fear of personal insult + weighed most with her. The latter reason had evidently something to do + with it, but, as evidently, not all. + </p> + <p> + The background to these curious sittings, afterwards revealed to us, casts + a hazy side-light upon them. Probably the Bishop, never present, must have + been made aware by his spies of an intention on the part of those most + favourable to Jeanne to support an appeal to the Pope; and L'Oyseleur, the + traitor, who was all this time admitted to her cell by permission of + Cauchon, and really as his tool and agent, was actively employed in + prejudicing her mind against them, counselling her not to trust to those + clerks, not to yield to the Church. How he managed to explain his own + appearance on the other side, his official connection with the trial, and + constant presence as one of her judges, it is hard to imagine. Probably he + gave her to believe that he had sought that position (having got himself + liberated from the imprisonment which he had represented himself as + sharing) for her sake, to be able to help her. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand her friends, whose hearts were touched by her candour + and her sufferings, were not inactive. Jean de la Fontaine and the two + monks—l'Advenu and Frère Isambard—also succeeded in gaining + admission to her, and pressed upon her the advantage of appealing to the + Church, to the Council of Bâle about to assemble, or to the Pope himself, + which would have again changed the <i>venue</i>, and transferred her into + less prejudiced hands. It is very likely that Jeanne in her ignorance and + innocence might have held by her reference to the supreme tribunal of God + in any case; and it is highly unlikely that of the English authorities, + intent on removing the only thing in France of which their forces were + afraid, should have given her up into the hands of the Pope, or allowed + her to be transferred to any place of defence beyond their reach; but at + least it is a relief to the mind to find that all these men were not base, + as appears on the face of things, but that pity and justice and human + feeling sometimes existed under the priest's gown and the monk's cowl, if + also treachery and falsehood of the blackest kind. The Bishop, who + remained withdrawn, we know not why, from all these private sittings in + the prison (probably busy with his ecclesiastical duties as Holy Week was + approaching), heard with fury of this visit and advice, and threatened + vengeance upon the meddlers, not without effect, for Jean de la Fontaine, + we are told—who had been deep in his councils, and indeed his + deputy, as chief examiner—disappeared from Rouen immediately after, + and was heard of no more. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) Compiègne was a strong point. Had she proclaimed a + promise from St. Catherine, of victory? Chastelain says so, + long after date and with errors in fact. Two Anglo- + Compiègnais were at her trial. The Rehabilitation does not + go into this question.—(From Mr. Lang.) +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV — RE-EXAMINATION. MARCH-MAY, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + Upon all these contentions followed the calm of Palm Sunday, a great and + touching festival, the first break upon the gloom of Lent, and a + forerunner of the blessedness of Easter. We have already told how—a + semblance of charity with which the reader might easily be deceived—the + Bishop and four of his assessors had gone to the prison to offer to the + Maid permission to receive the sacrament if she would do so in a woman's + dress: and how after pleading that she might be allowed that privilege as + she was, in her male costume, and with a pathetic statement that she would + have yielded if she could, but that it was impossible—she finally + refused; and was so left in her prison to pass that sacred day unsuccoured + and alone. The historian Michelet, in the wonderful sketch in which he + rises superior to himself, and which amidst all after writings remains the + most beautiful and touching memorial of Jeanne d'Arc, has made this day a + central point in his tale, using with the skill of genius the service of + the Church appropriate to the day, in heart-rending contrast with those + doors of the prison which did not open, and the help of God which did not + come to the young and solitary captive. <i>Le beau jour fleuri</i> passed + over her in darkness and desertion: her agony and passion lay before her + like those of the Divine Sufferer, to whom every day of the succeeding + week is specially consecrated. There is almost indeed a painful following + of the Saviour's steps in these dark days, the circumstances lending + themselves in a wonderful way to the comparison which French writers love + to make, but which many of us must always feel, however spotless the + sufferer, to have a certain irreverence in them. But if ever martyr were + worthy of being called a partaker of the sufferings of Christ it was + surely this girl, free, if ever human creature was, from self-seeking, or + thought of reward, or ambitious hope, in whose heart there had never been + any motive but the service of God and the deliverance of her country, who + had neither looked before nor after, nor put her own interests into + consideration in any way. Silently the feast passed with no holy + privileges of religion, no blessed token of the spring, no remembrance of + the waving palms and scattered blossoms over which her Lord rode into + Jerusalem to die. She had not that sweet fallacious triumph; but the + darker ordeal remained for her to follow. + </p> + <p> + On Tuesday the 27th of March, her troubles began again. Before Palm + Sunday, the report of the trial had been read to her. She had now to hear + the formal reading of the articles founded upon it, to give a final + response if she had any to give, or explanation, or addition, if she + thought proper. The sitting was held in the great hall of the Castle of + Rouen before a band of more than forty, all assembled for this final test. + The Bishop made a prefactory speech to the prisoner, pointing out to her + how benign and merciful were the judges now assembled, that they had no + wish to punish, but rather to instruct and lead her in the right way; and + requesting her at this late period in the proceedings to choose one or + more from among them to help her. To which Jeanne replied; "In the first + place concerning my good and our faith, I thank you and all the company. + As for the counsellor you offer me I thank you also, but I have no need to + depart from our Lord as my counsellor." + </p> + <p> + The articles, in which the former questions put to her and answered by + her, were now repeated in the form of accusations, were then read to her + one by one; her sorcery, sacrilege, etc., being taken as facts. To a few + she repeated, with various forcible and fine turns of phrase, her previous + answers, with here and there a new explanation; but to the great majority + she referred simply to her former replies, or denied the charge, as + follows: "The second article concerning sortilège, superstitious acts and + divination, she denied, and in respect to adoration (i.e. allowing herself + to be adored) said: If any kissed her hands or her garments, it was not by + her will, and that she kept herself from it as much as she could; and the + rest of the article she denies." This is a specimen of the manner in which + she responded, with a clear-headed and undisturbed intelligence, point + after point—<i>ipsa Johanna negat</i>, is the usual refrain: or else + she referred with dignity to previous replies as her sole answer. But + sometimes the girl was moved to indignation, sometimes added a word in her + own defence: "As for fairies she knew not what they were, and as for her + education she had been well and duly instructed what to believe, as a good + child should." This was her answer to the article in which all the + folk-lore of Domremy, all the fairy tales, had been collected into a + solemn statement of heresy. The matter of dress was once more treated in + endless detail, with many interjected questions and reports of what she + had already said: and at the end, answering the statement that woman's + dress was most fit for woman's work, Jeanne added the quick <i>mot</i>: + "As for the usual work of women, there are enough of other women to do + it." On another occasion when the report ran that she claimed to have done + all things by the counsel of God, she interrupted and said "that it ought + to be, all that I have done well." To her former answer that she had + yielded to the desire of the French knights in attacking Paris, she added + the fine words, "It seemed to me that it was their duty to attack their + adversaries." In respect to her visions she added to her former answer, + "that she had not asked advice of bishop, curé, or any other before + believing her revelations, but had many times prayed God to reveal them to + others of her party." About calling her saints when she required their aid + she added, that she asked God and Our Lady to send her council and + comfort, and immediately her heavenly visitors came; and that this was the + prayer she made: + </p> + <p> + "Gentle God, in honour of Your(1) passion, I pray You, if You love me, + that You would reveal to me how I ought to answer these people of the + Church. I know well by what command it was that I took this dress, but I + know not in what manner I ought to give it up. For this may it please You + to teach me." + </p> + <p> + In respect to the reproach that she had been a general in the war (<i>chef + de guerre</i>), she explained that if she were, it was to drive out the + English, repelling the accusation that she had assumed this title in + pride; and to that which accused her of preferring to live among men, she + explained that when she was in a lodging she generally had a woman with + her; but that when engaged in war she lived in her clothes whenever there + was not a woman present. In respect to her hope of escaping from prison, + she was asked if her council had thrown any light on that question, and + replied, "I have yet to tell you." Manchon, the clerk, makes a note upon + his margin at these words, "Proudly answered"—<i>superbe responsum</i>. + </p> + <p> + This re-examination lasted for two long days, the 27th and 28th of March. + On several points Jeanne requested that she might be allowed to give an + answer on Saturday, and accordingly, on Saturday, the last day of March, + Easter Eve, she was visited in prison by the Bishop and seven or eight + assessors. She was then asked if she would submit to the judgment of the + Church on earth all that she had done and said, specially in things that + concerned her trial. She answered that she would submit to the judgment of + the Church militant, provided that it did not enforce anything that was + impossible. She explained that what she called impossible was to + acknowledge that the visions and revelations came otherwise than from God, + or that what she had done was not on the part of God: these she would + never deny or revoke for any power on earth: and that which our Lord had + commanded or should command, she would not give up for any living man, and + this would be impossible to her. And in case the Church should command her + to do anything contrary to the command given her by God she would not do + it for any reason whatsoever. Asked whether she would submit to the Church + if the Church militant pronounced that her revelations were delusions or + from the devil, or superstitious, or evil things, she answered that she + would refer everything to our Lord, whose command she always obeyed; and + that she knew well that everything had come to her by the commandment of + God; and that what she had affirmed during this trial to have been done by + the commandment of God it would be impossible for her to deny. And in case + the Church militant commanded her to go against God, she would submit + herself to no man in this world but to our Lord, whose good commandment + she had always obeyed. She was asked if she did not believe that she was + subject to the Church on earth, that is, to our Holy Father the Pope, the + Cardinals, Bishops, and other prelates of the Church. She answered, "<i>Yes, + our Lord being served first</i>." Asked if she had directions from her + voices not to submit to the Church militant which is on earth, nor to its + judgment, she replied that she does not answer according to what comes + into her head, but that when she replies it is by commandment; and that + she has never been told not to obey the Church, our Lord being served + first (<i>noster Sire premier servi</i>). + </p> + <p> + Other less formal particulars come to us long after, from various + witnesses at the <i>procès de rehabilitation</i>, in which a lively + picture is given of this scene. Frère Isambard had apparently managed, as + was his wont, to get close to the prisoner, and to whisper to her to + appeal to the Council of Bâle. "What is this Council of Bâle?" she asked + in the same tone. Isambard replied that it was the "congregation of the + whole Church, Catholic and Universal, and that there would be as many + there on her side as on that of the English." "Ah!" she cried, "since + there will be some of our party in that place, I will willingly yield and + submit to the Council of Bâle, to our Holy Father the Pope, and to the + sacred Council."(2) And immediately—continues the deposition—the + Bishop of Beauvais cried out, "Silence, in the devil's name!" and told the + notary to take no notice of what she said, that she would submit herself + to the Council of Bâle; whereupon a second cry burst from the bosom of + Jeanne, "You write what is against me, but you will not write what is for + me." "Because of these things, the English and their officers threatened + terribly the said Frère Isambard, warning him that if he did not hold his + peace he would be thrown in the Seine." No notice whatever is taken of any + such interruption in the formal record. It must have been before this time + that Jean de la Fontaine disappeared. He left Rouen secretly and never + returned, nor does he ever appear again. Frère Isambard is said to have + taken temporary refuge in his convent; they scattered, <i>de par l'diable</i>, + according to the Christian adjuration of Mgr. De Beauvais; though l'Advenu + would seem to have held his ground, and served as Confessor to Jeanne in + her agony, at which Frère Isambard was also present. We are told that the + Deputy Inquisitor Lemâitre, he who had been got to lend the aid of his + presence with such difficulty, fiercely warned the authorities that he + would have no harm done to those two friars, from which we may infer that + he too had leanings towards the Maid; and these honest and loyal men, well + deserving of their country and of mankind, should not lose their record + when the tragic story of so much human treachery and baseness has to be + told. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + After this there came a long pause, full of much business to the judges, + councillors, and clerks who had to reduce the seventy articles to twelve, + in order to forward a summary of the case to the University of Paris for + their judgment. Jeanne in the meantime had been left, but not neglected, + in her prison. The great Feast of Easter had passed without any sacred + consolation of the Church; but Monseigneur de Beauvais, in his kindness, + sent her a carp to keep the feast withal, if not any spiritual food. It + was quite congenial to the spirit of the time to imagine that the carp had + been poisoned, and such a thought seems to have crossed the mind of + Jeanne, who was very ill after eating of it, and like to die. But it was + not thus, poisoned in prison, that it would have suited any of her + persecutors to let her die. As a matter of fact, as soon as it was known + that she was ill, the best doctors procurable were sent to the prison with + peremptory orders to prolong her life and cure her at any cost. But for a + little time we lose sight of the sick-bed on which the unfortunate Maid + lay fully dressed, never relinquishing the garb which was her protection, + with her feet chained to her uneasy couch. Even at the moment when her + life hung in the balance we read of no indulgence granted in this respect, + no unlocking of the infamous chain, nor substitution of a gentler nurse + for the attendant <i>houspillers</i>, who were her guards night and day. + </p> + <p> + When the Bishop and his court had completed their business and sent off to + Paris the important document on which so much depended, they found + themselves at leisure to return to Jeanne, to inquire after her health and + to make her "a charitable admonition." It was on the 18th of April, after + the silence of more than a fortnight, that their visit was made with this + benevolent purpose. Seven of her judges attended the Bishop into the + sick-chamber. They had come, he assured her, charitably and familiarly, to + visit her in her sickness and to carry her comfort and consolation. Most + of these men were indeed familiar enough: she had seen their faces already + through many a dreadful day, though there were one or two which were new + and strange, come to stare at her in the depths of her distress. Cauchon + reminded her how much and how carefully she had been questioned by the + most wise and learned men; and that those there present were ready to do + anything for the salvation of her soul and body in every possible way, by + instructing or advising her. He added, however, that if she still refused + to accept advice, and to act according to the counsel of the Church, she + was in the greatest danger—to which she replied: + </p> + <p> + "It seems to me, being so ill as I am, that I am in great danger of death. + And if it is thus that God pleases to decide for me, I ask of you to be + allowed to confess and receive my Saviour, and to be laid in holy ground." + </p> + <p> + "If you desire to have the rites and sacraments of the Church," said + Cauchon, "you must do as good Catholics ought to do, submit to Holy + Church." She answered, "I can say no other thing to you." She was then + told that if she was in fear of death through sickness she ought all the + more to amend her life; but that she could not have the privileges of the + Church as a Catholic, if she did not submit to the Church. She answered: + "If my body dies in prison, I hope that you will bury me in consecrated + ground: yet if not, I still hope in our Lord." + </p> + <p> + She was then reminded that she had said in her trial—if anything had + been said or done by her against our Christian faith ordained by our Lord, + that she would not stand by it. She answered, "I refer to the answer I + made, and to our Lord." + </p> + <p> + It was then asked of her, since she believed herself to have had many + revelations from God by St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret, + whether if there should appear some good creature (<i>sic</i>) who + professed to have had a revelation from God in respect to her, she would + believe that? She answered that there was no Christian in the world who + could come to her professing to have had a revelation, of whom she should + not know whether he spoke the truth or not: she would know it through St. + Catherine and St. Margaret. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she could not imagine that God might reveal something to a good + creature who might be unknown to her, she answered: "Yes; but I would not + believe either man or woman without a sign." + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she believed that the Holy Scripture was revealed by God, she + answered, "You know that I do, and it is good to know." + </p> + <p> + The last answer she made in respect to submission to Holy Church was this, + "Whatever may happen to me I will neither do nor say anything else, for I + have answered before, during the trial." + </p> + <p> + She was then "exhorted powerfully by the venerable doctors present" (four + are mentioned by name) to submit to our Mother the Church, with many + authorities and examples drawn from the Holy Scriptures; and finally, + Magister Nicolas Midi made her an exhortation from Matthew xviii.: "If + your brother trespass against you," and what follows, "If he will not hear + the Church, let him be to you as a heathen man and a publican." This was + expounded to Jeanne in the French tongue and, finally, she was told that + if she would not obey and submit to the Church she must be given up as if + she was a Saracen. To which Jeanne replied that she was a good Christian + and well baptised, and that she desired to die as a Christian. She was + then asked whether, since she begged leave of the Church to receive her + Saviour, she would submit to the Church if it were promised to her that + she should receive. She answered that she would say no more than she had + said; that she loved God, served Him, and was a good Christian, and would + aid and uphold the Holy Church with all her power. Asked if she wished + that a beautiful procession should be made for her to restore her to + health, she answered that she would be glad if the Church and the + Catholics would pray for her. + </p> + <p> + For another fortnight Jeanne was sent back into the silence, and to her + own thoughts, which must have grown heavier and heavier as the weary days + went on, and no sound of approaching deliverance came, no rumour of help + at hand. All was quiet and safe at Rouen; amid the babble of the courtyard + which she might hear fitfully when her guardians were quieter than usual, + there was not one word which brought the hope of a French army at hand, or + of any movement to rescue her. All was silent in the world around, not a + breath of hope, not the whisper of a friend. It was not till the 2d of May + that the dreadful blank was again broken, and she was called to the great + hall of the castle for another interview with her tormentors. When she was + led into the hall it was full, as in the first sitting, sixty-three judges + in all being present. The interest had flagged or the pity had grown as + the trial dragged its slow length along; but now, when every day the + verdict was expected from Paris, the interest had risen again. On her way + from her prison to the hall, it was necessary to pass the door of the + castle chapel: and here once or twice Massieu, the officer of the court, + had permitted her to pause and kneel down as she passed. This was all the + celebration of the Paschal Feast that was permitted to Jeanne. The + compassionate official, however, was discovered in this small service of + charity, and sternly reprimanded and threatened. Henceforward she had to + pass without even a longing look through the door at the altar on which + was the holy sacrament. + </p> + <p> + She came in on the renewed sitting of the 2d May to find the assembled + priests settling themselves, after the address which had been made to + them, to hear another address which John de Chasteillon, Archdeacon, had + prepared for herself, in which he said much that was good both for body + and soul, to which she consented. He had a list of twelve articles in his + hands, and explained and expounded them to her, as they were the occasion + of the sitting. He then "admonished her in charity," explaining that those + who were faithful to Christ hold firmly and closely to the Christian + creed, and adjuring her to consent and to amend her ways. To this Jeanne + answered: "Read your book," meaning the schedule held by Monseigneur the + Archdeacon, "and then I will answer you. I refer myself to God my master + in all things; and I love Him with all my heart." + </p> + <p> + To read this book, however, was precisely what Monseigneur the Archdeacon + had no intention of doing. She was never allowed to hear the twelve + articles upon which the verdict against her was founded; but the speaker + gave her a long discourse by way of explanation, following more or less + the schedule which he held. This "monition general," however, elicited no + detailed reply from Jeanne, who answered briefly with some impatience, "I + refer myself to my judge, who is the King of Heaven and earth." The "Lord + Archdeacon" then proceeded to "monitions particulares." + </p> + <p> + It was then once more explained to her that this reference to God alone + was a refusal to submit to the Church militant, and she was instructed in + the authority of the Church, which it was the duty of every Christian to + believe—<i>unam sanctam Ecclesiam</i> always guided by the Holy + Spirit and which could not err, to the judgment of which every question + should be referred. She answered: "I believe in the Church here below; but + my doings and sayings, as I have already said, I refer and submit to God. + I believe that the Church militant cannot err or fail; but as for my deeds + and words I put them all before God, who has made me do that which I have + done"; she also said that she submitted herself to God, her Creator, who + had made her do everything, and referred everything to Him, and to Him + alone. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked, if she would have no judge on earth and if our Holy + Father the Pope were not her judge; she answered: "I will tell you nothing + more. I have a good master, that is our Lord, on whom I depend for + everything, and not an any other." + </p> + <p> + She was then told that if she would not believe the Church and the article + <i>Ecclesiam sanctam Catholicam</i>, that she might be reckoned as a + heretic and punished by burning: to which she answered: "I can say nothing + else to you; and if I saw the fire before me, I should say only that which + I say, and could do nothing else." (Once more at this point the clerk + writes on his margin, "Proud reply"—<i>Superba responsio</i>—but + whether in admiration or in blame it would be hard to say.) + </p> + <p> + Asked, if the Council General, or the Holy Father, Cardinals, etc., were + there—whether she would submit to them. "You shall have no other + answer from me," she said. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she would submit to our Holy Father the Pope: she answered, + "Take me to him and I will answer him," but would say no more. + </p> + <p> + Questioned in respect to her dress, she answered, that she would willingly + accept a long dress and a woman's hood to go to church to receive her + Saviour, provided that, as she had already said, she were allowed to wear + it on that occasion only, and then to take back that which she at present + wore. Further, when it was set before her that she wore that dress without + any need, being in prison, she answered, "When I have done that for which + I was sent by God, I will then take back a woman's dress." Asked, if she + thought she did well in being dressed like a man, she answered, "I refer + every thing to our Lord." + </p> + <p> + Again, after the exhortation made to her, namely, that in saying that she + did well and did not sin in wearing that dress, and in the circumstances + which concerned her assuming and wearing it, and in saying that God and + the saints made her do so—she blasphemed, and as is contained in + this schedule, erred and did evil: she answered that she never blasphemed + God or the saints. + </p> + <p> + She was then admonished to give up that dress, and no longer to think it + was right, and to return to the garb of a woman; but answered that she + would make no change in this respect. + </p> + <p> + Concerning her revelations: she replied in regard to them, that she + referred everything to her judge, that is God, and that her revelations + were from God, without any other medium. + </p> + <p> + Asked concerning the sign given to the King if she would refer to the + Archbishop of Rheims, the Sire de Boussac, Charles de Bourbon, La + Tremouille, and La Hire, to them or to any one of them, who, according to + what she formerly said, had seen the crown, and were present when the + angel brought it, and gave it to the Archbishop; or if she would refer to + any others of her party who might write under their seals that it was so; + she answered, "Send a messenger, and I will write to them about the whole + trial": but otherwise she was not disposed to refer to them. + </p> + <p> + In respect to her presumption in divining the future, etc., she answered, + "I refer everything to my judge who is God, and to what I have already + answered, which is written in the book." + </p> + <p> + Asked, if two or three or four knights of her party were to be brought + here under a safe conduct, whether she would refer to them her apparitions + and other things contained in this trial; answered, "Let them come and + then I will answer:" but otherwise she was not willing to refer to anyone. + </p> + <p> + Asked whether, at the Church of Poitiers where she was examined, she had + submitted to the Church, she answered, "Do you hope to catch me in this + way, and by that draw advantage to yourselves?" + </p> + <p> + In conclusion, "afresh and abundantly," she was admonished to submit + herself to the Church, on pain of being abandoned by the Church; for if + the Church left her she would be in great danger of body and of soul; and + she might well put herself in peril of eternal fire for the soul, as well + as of temporal fire for the body, by the sentence of other judges. "You + will not do this which you say against me, without doing injury to your + own bodies and souls," she said. + </p> + <p> + Asked, whether she could give a reason why she would not submit to the + Church: but to this she would make no additional reply. + </p> + <p> + Again a week passed in busy talk and consultation without, in silence and + desertion within. On the 9th of May the prisoner was again led, this time + to the great tower, apparently the torture chamber of the castle, where + she found nine of her judges awaiting her, and was once more adjured to + speak the truth, with the threat of torture if she continued to refuse. + Never was her attitude more calm, more dignified and lofty in its + simplicity, than at this grim moment. + </p> + <p> + "Truly," she replied, "if you tear the limbs from my body, and my soul out + of it, I can say nothing other than what I have said; or if I said + anything different, I should afterwards say that you had compelled me to + do it by force." She added that on the day of the Holy Cross, the 3d of + May past, she had been comforted by St. Gabriel. She believed that it was + St. Gabriel: and she knew by her voices that it was St. Gabriel. She had + asked counsel of her voices whether she should submit to the Church, + because the priests pressed her so strongly to submit: but it had been + said to her that if she desired our Lord to help her she must depend upon + Him for everything. She added that she knew well that our Lord had always + been the master of all she did, and that the Enemy had nothing to do with + her deeds. Also she had asked her voices if she should be burned, and the + said voices had replied to her that she was to wait for the Lord and He + would help her. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards in respect to the crown which had been handed by the angel to + the Archbishop of Rheims, she was asked if she would refer to him. She + answered: "Bring him here, that I may hear what he says, and then I shall + answer you; he will not dare to say the contrary of that which I have said + to you." + </p> + <p> + The Archbishop of Rheims had been her constant enemy; all the hindrances + that had occurred in her active life, and the constant attempts made to + balk her even in her brief moment of triumph, came from him and his + associate La Trémouille. He was the last person in the world to whom + Jeanne naturally would have appealed. Perhaps that was the admirable + reason why he was suggested in this dreadful crisis of her fate. + </p> + <p> + A few days later, it was discussed among those dark inquisitors whether + the torture should be applied or not. Finally, among thirteen there were + but two (let not the voice of sacred vengeance be silent on their shame + though after four centuries and more), Thomas de Courcelles, first of + theologians, cleverest of ecclesiastical lawyers, mildest of men, and + Nicolas L'Oyseleur, the spy and traitor, who voted for the torture. One + man most reasonably asked why she should be put to torture when they had + ample material for judgment without it? One cannot but feel that the + proceedings on this occasion were either intended to beguile the + impatience of the English authorities, eager to be done with the whole + business, or to add a quite gratuitous pang to the sufferings of the + heroic girl. As the men were not devils, though probably possessed by this + time, the more cruel among them, by the horrible curiosity, innate alas! + in human nature, of seeing how far a suffering soul could go, it is + probable that the first motive was the true one. The English, Warwick + especially, whose every movement was restrained by this long-pending + affair, were exceedingly impatient, and tempted at times to take the + matter into their own hands, and spoil the perfectness of this well + constructed work of art, conducted according to all the rules, the + beautiful trial which was dear to the Bishop's heart—and destined to + be, though perhaps in a sense somewhat different to that which he hoped, + his chief title to fame. + </p> + <p> + Ten days after, the decision of the University of Paris arrived, and a + great assembly of counsellors, fifty-one in all, besides the permanent + presidents, collected together in the chapel of the Archbishop's house, to + hear that document read, along with many other documents, the individual + opinions of a host of doctors and eminent authorities. After an + explanation of the solemn care given by the University to the + consideration of every one of the twelve articles of the indictment, that + learned tribunal pronounced its verdict upon each. The length of the + proceedings makes it impossible to reproduce these. First as to the early + revelations given to Jeanne, described in the first and second articles, + they are denounced as "murderous, seductive, and pernicious fictions," the + apparitions those of "malignant spirits and devils, Belial, Satan, and + Behemoth." The third article, which concerned her recognition of the + saints, was described more mildly as containing errors in faith; the + fourth, as to her knowledge of future events, was characterised as + "superstitious and presumptuous divination." The fifth, concerning her + dress, declared her to be "blasphemous and contemptuous of God in His + Sacraments." The sixth, by which she was accused of loving bloodshed, + because she made war against those who did not obey the summons in her + letters bearing the name Jhesus Maria, was declared to prove that she was + cruel, "seeking the shedding of blood, seditious, and a blasphemer of + God." The tenor is the same to the end: Blasphemy, superstition, + pernicious doctrine, impiety, cruelty, presumption, lying; a schismatic, a + heretic, an apostate, an idolator, an invoker of demons. These are the + conclusions drawn by the most solemn and weighty tribunal on matters of + faith in France. The precautions taken to procure a full and trustworthy + judgment, the appeal to each section in turn, the Faculty of Theology, the + Faculty of Law, the "Nations," all separately and than all together + passing every item in review—are set forth at full length. Every + formality had been fulfilled, every rule followed, every detail was in the + fullest order, signed and sealed and attested by solemn notaries, + bristling with well-known names. A beautiful judgment, equal to the trial, + which was beautiful too—not a rule omitted except those of justice, + fairness, and truth! The doctors sat and listened with every fine + professional sense satisfied. + </p> + <p> + "If the beforesaid woman, charitably exhorted and admonished by competent + judges, does not return spontaneously to the Catholic faith, publicly + abjure her errors, and give full satisfaction to her judges, she is hereby + given up to the secular judge to receive the reward of her deeds." + </p> + <p> + The attendant judges, each in his place, now added their adhesion. Most of + them simply stated their agreement with the judgment of the University, or + with that of the Bishop of Fecamp, which was a similar tenor; a few wished + that Jeanne should be again "charitably admonished"; many desired that on + this selfsame day the final sentence should be pronounced. One among them, + a certain Raoul Sauvage (Radulphus Silvestris), suggested that she should + be brought before the people in a public place, a suggestion afterwards + carried out. Frère Isambard desired that she should be charitably + admonished again and have another chance, and that her final fate should + still be in the hands of "us her judges." The conclusion was that one more + "charitable admonition" should be given to Jeanne, and that the law should + then take its course. The suggestion that she should make a public + appearance had only one supporter. + </p> + <p> + This dark scene in the chapel is very notable, each man rising to + pronounce what was in reality a sentence of death,—fifty of them + almost unanimous, filled no doubt with a hundred different motives, to + please this man or that, to win favour, to get into the way of promotion,—but + all with a distinct consciousness of the great yet horrible spectacle, the + stake, the burning:—though perhaps here and there was one with a + hope that perpetual imprisonment, bread of sorrow and water of anguish, + might be substituted for that terrible death. Finally, it was decided that—always + on the side of mercy, as every act proved—the tribunal should once + more "charitably admonish" the prisoner for the salvation of her soul and + body, and that after all this "good deliberation and wholesome counsel" + the case should be concluded. + </p> + <p> + Again there follows a pause of four days. No doubt the Bishop and his + assessors had other things to do, their ecclesiastical functions, their + private business, which could not always be put aside because one forsaken + soul was held in suspense day after day. Finally on the 24th of May, + Jeanne again received in her prison a dignified company, some quite new + and strange to her (indeed the idea may cross the reader's mind that it + was perhaps to show off the interesting prisoner to two new and powerful + bishops, the first, Louis of Luxembourg, a relative of her first captor, + that this last examination was held), nine men in all, crowding her + chamber—<i>exponuntur Johannæ defectus sui</i>, says the record—to + expound to Jeanne her faults. It was Magister Peter Morice to whom this + office was confided. Once more the "schedule" was gone over, and an + address delivered laden with all the bad words of the University. "Jeanne, + dearest friend," said the orator at last, "it is now time, at the end of + the trial, to think well what words these are." She would seem to have + spoken during this address, at least once—to say that she held to + everything she had said during the trial. When Morice had finished she was + once more questioned personally. + </p> + <p> + She was asked if she still thought and believed that it was not her duty + to submit her deeds and words to the Church militant, or to any other + except God, upon which she replied, "What I have always said and held to + during the trial, I maintain to this moment"; and added that if she were + in judgment and saw the fire lighted, the faggots burning, and the + executioner ready to rake the fire, and she herself within the fire, she + could say nothing else, but would sustain what she had said in her trial, + to death. + </p> + <p> + Once more the scribe has written on his margin the words <i>Responsio + Johannæ superba</i>—the proud answer of Jeanne. Her raised head, her + expanded breast, something of a splendour of indignation about her, must + have moved the man, thus for the third time to send down to us his + distinctly human impression of the worn out prisoner before her judges. + "And immediately the promoter and she refusing to say more, the cause was + concluded," says the record, so formal, sustained within such purely + abstract limits, yet here and there with a sort of throb and reverberation + of the mortal encounter. From the lips of the Inquisitor too all words + seemed to have been taken. It is as when amid the excited crowd in the + Temple the officers of the Pharisees approaching to lay hands on a greater + than Jeanne, fell back, not knowing why, and could not do their office. + This man was silenced also. Two bishops were present, and one a great man + full of patronage; but not for the richest living in Normandy could Peter + Morice find any more to say. + </p> + <p> + These are in one sense the words of Jeanne; the last we have from her in + her prison, the last of her consistent and unbroken life. After, there was + a deeper horror to go through, a moment when all her forces failed. Here + on the verge of eternity she stands heroic and unyielding, brave, calm, + and steadfast as at the outset of her career, the Maid of France. Were the + fires lighted and the faggots burning, and she herself within the fire, + she had no other word to say. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) It is correct in French to use the second person plural + in addressing God, <i>thou</i> being a more intimate and less + respectful form of speech. Such a difference is difficult to + remember, and troubles the ear. The French, even those who + ought to know better, sometimes speak of it as a supreme + profanity on the part of the profane English, that they + address God as <i>thou</i>. + + (2) The French report goes on, "et requiert ——," but no + more. It is not in the Latin. The scribe was stopped by the + Bishop's profane outcry, and forbidden to register the fact + she was about to make a direct appeal to the Pope. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI — THE ABJURATION. MAY 24, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + On the 23d of May Jeanne was taken back to her prison attended by the + officer of the court, Massieu, her frame still thrilling, her heart still + high, with that great note of constancy yet defiance. She had been no + doubt strongly excited, the commotion within her growing with every + repetition of these scenes, each one of which promised to be the last. And + the fire and the stake and the executioner had come very near to her; no + doubt a whole murmuring world of rumour, of strange information about + herself, never long inaudible, never heard outside of the Castle of Rouen, + rose half-comprehended from the echoing courtyard outside and the babble + of her guards within. She would hear even as she was conveyed along the + echoing stone passages something here and there of the popular + expectation:—a burning! the wonderful unheard of sight, which by + hook or by crook everyone must see; and no doubt among the English talk + she might now be able to make out something concerning this long business + which had retarded all warlike proceedings but which would soon be over + now, and the witch burnt. There must have been some, even among those rude + companions, who would be sorry, who would feel that she was no witch, yet + be helpless to do anything for her, any more than Massieu could, or Frère + Isambard: and if it was all for the sake of certain words to be said, was + the wench mad? would it not be better to say anything, to give up anything + rather than be burned at the stake? Jeanne, notwithstanding the wonderful + courage of her last speech, must have returned to her cell with small + illusion possible to her intelligent spirit. The stake had indeed come + very near, the flames already dazzled her eyes, she must have felt her + slender form shrink together at the thought. All that long night, through + the early daylight of the May morning did she lie and ponder, as for far + less reasons so many of us have pondered as we lay wakeful through those + morning watches. God's promises are great, but where is the fulfilment? We + ask for bread and he gives us, if not a stone, yet something which we + cannot realise to be bread till after many days. Jeanne's voices had never + paused in their pledge to her of succour. "Speak boldly, God will help you—fear + nothing"; there would be aid for her before three months, and great + victory. They went on saying so, though the stake was already being + raised. What did they mean? what did they mean? Could she still trust + them? or was it possible——? + </p> + <p> + Her heart was like to break. At their word she would have faced the fire. + She meant to do so now, notwithstanding the terrible, the heartrending + ache of hope that was still in her. But they did not give her that heroic + command. Still and always, they said God will help you, our Lord will + stand by you. What did that mean? It must mean deliverance, deliverance! + What else could it mean? If she held her head high as she returned to the + horrible monotony of that prison so often left with hope, so often + re-entered in sadness, it must soon have dropped upon her tired bosom. + Slowly the clouds had settled round her. Over and over again had she + affirmed them to be true—these voices that had guided her steps and + led her to victory. And they had promised her the aid of God if she went + forward boldly, and spoke and did not fear. But now every way of salvation + was closing; all around her were fierce soldiers thirsting for her blood, + smooth priests who admonished her in charity, threatening her with eternal + fire for the soul, temporal fire for the body. She felt that fire, already + blowing towards her as if on the breath of the evening wind, and her + girlish flesh shrank. Was that what the voices had called deliverance? was + that the grand victory, the aid of the Lord? + </p> + <p> + It may well be imagined that Jeanne slept but little that night; she had + reached the lowest depths; her soul had begun to lose itself in + bitterness, in the horror of a doubt. The atmosphere of her prison became + intolerable, and the noise of her guards keeping up their rough jests half + through the night, their stamping and clamour, and the clang of their arms + when relieved. Early next morning a party of her usual visitors came in + upon her to give her fresh instruction and advice. Something new was about + to happen to-day. She was to be led forth, to breathe the air of heaven, + to confront the people, the raging sea of men's faces, all the unknown + world about her. The crowd had never been unfriendly to Jeanne. It had + closed about her, almost wherever she was visible, with sweet applause and + outcries of joy. Perhaps a little hope stirred her heart in the thought of + being surrounded once more by the common folk, though probably it did not + occur to her to think of these Norman strangers as her own people. And a + great day was before her, a day in which something might still be done, in + which deliverance might yet come. L'Oyseleur, who was one of her visitors, + adjured her now to change her conduct, to accept whatever means of + salvation might be offered to her. There was no longer any mention of Pope + or Council, but only of the Church to which she ought to yield. How it was + that he preserved his influence over her, having been proved to be a + member of the tribunal that judged her, and not a fellow-prisoner, nor a + fellow-countryman, nor any of the things he had professed to be, no once + can tell us; but evidently he had managed to do so. Jeanne would seem to + have received him without signs of repulsion or displeasure. Indeed she + seems to have been ready to hear anyone, to believe in those who professed + to wish her well, even when she did not follow their counsel. + </p> + <p> + It would require, however, no great persuasion on L'Oyseleur's part to + convince her that this was a more than usually important day, and that + something decisive must be done, now or never. Why should she be so + determined to resist her only chance of safety? If she were but delivered + from the hands of the English, safe in the gentler keeping of the Church, + there would be time to think of everything, even to make her peace with + her voices who would surely understand if, for the saving of her life, and + out of terror for the dreadful fire, she abandoned them for a moment. She + had disobeyed them at Beaurevoir and they had forgiven. One faltering word + now, a mark of her hand upon a paper, and she would be safe—even if + still all they said was true; and if indeed and in fact, after buoying her + up from day to day, such a dreadful thing might be as that they were not + true—— + </p> + <p> + The traitor was at her ear whispering; the cold chill of disappointment, + of disillusion, of sickening doubt was in her heart. + </p> + <p> + Then there came into the prison a better man than L'Oyseleur, Jean + Beaupère, her questioner in the public trial, the representative of all + these notabilities. What he said was spoken with authority and he came in + all seriousness, may not we believe in some kindness too? to warn her. He + came with permission of the Bishop, no stealthy visitor. "Jean Beaupère + entered alone into the prison of the said Jeanne by permission, and + advertised her that she would straightway be taken to the scaffold to be + addressed (<i>pour y être preschée</i>), and that if she was a good + Christian she would on that scaffold place all her acts and words under + the jurisdiction of our Holy Mother, the Church, and specially of the + ecclesiastical judges." "Accept the woman's dress and do all that you are + told," her other adviser had said. When the car that was to convey her + came to the prison doors, L'Oyseleur accompanied her, no doubt with a show + of supporting her to the end. What a change from the confined and gloomy + prison to the dazzling clearness of the May daylight, the air, the + murmuring streets, the throng that gazed and shouted and followed! Life + that had run so low in the prisoner's veins must have bounded up within + her in response to that sunshine and open sky, and movement and sound of + existence—summer weather too, and everything softened in the medium + of that soft breathing air, sound and sensation and hope. She had been + three months in her prison. As the charrette rumbled along the roughly + paved streets drawing all those crowds after it, a strange object appeared + to Jeanne's eyes in the midst of the market-place, a lofty scaffold with a + stake upon it, rising over the heads of the crowd, the logs all arranged + ready for the fire, a car waiting below with four horses, to bring hither + the victim. The place of sacrifice was ready, everything arranged—for + whom? for her? They drove her noisily past that she might see the + preparations. It was all ready; and where then was the great victory, the + deliverance in which she had believed? + </p> + <p> + In front of the beautiful gates of St. Ouen there was a different scene. + That stately church was surrounded then by a churchyard, a great open + space, which afforded room for a very large assembly. In this were erected + two platforms, one facing the other. On the first sat the court of judges + in number about forty, Cardinal Winchester having a place by the side of + Monseigneur de Beauvais, the president, with several other bishops and + dignified ecclesiastics. Opposite, on the other platform, were a pulpit + and a place for the accused, to which Jeanne was conducted by Massieu, who + never left her, and L'Oyseleur, who kept as near as he could, the rest of + the platform being immediately covered by lawyers, doctors, all the camp + followers, so to speak, of the black army, who could find footing there. + Jeanne was in her usual male dress, the doublet and hose, with her + short-clipped hair—no doubt looking like a slim boy among all this + dark crowd of men. The people swayed like a sea all about and around—the + throng which had gathered in her progress through the streets pushing out + the crowd already assembled with a movement like the waves of the sea. + Every step of the trial all through had been attended by preaching, by + discourses and reasoning and admonishments, charitable and otherwise. Now + she was to be "preached" for the last time. + </p> + <p> + It was Doctor Guillaume Érard who ascended the pulpit, a great preacher, + one whom the "copious multitude" ran after and were eager to hear. He + himself had not been disposed to accept this office, but no doubt, set up + there on that height before the eyes of all the people, he thought of his + own reputation, and of the great audience, and Winchester the more than + king, the great English Prince, the wealthiest and most influential of + men. The preacher took his text from a verse in St. John's Gospel: "A + branch cannot bear fruit except it remain in the vine." The centre circle + containing the two platforms was surrounded by a close ring of English + soldiers, understanding none of it, and anxious only that the witch should + be condemned. + </p> + <p> + It was in this strange and crowded scene that the sermon which was long + and eloquent began. When it was half over, in one of his fine periods + admired by all the people, the preacher, after heaping every reproach upon + the head of Jeanne, suddenly turned to apostrophise the House of France, + and the head of that House, "Charles who calls himself King." "He has," + cried the preacher, stimulated no doubt by the eye of Winchester upon him, + "adhered, like a schismatic and heretical person as he is, to the words + and acts of a useless woman, disgraced and full of dishonour; and not he + only, but the clergy who are under his sway, and the nobility. This guilt + is thine, Jeanne, and to thee I say that thy King is a schismatic and a + heretic." + </p> + <p> + In the full flood of his oratory the preacher was arrested here by that + clear voice that had so often made itself heard through the tumult of + battle. Jeanne could bear much, but not this. She was used to abuse in her + own person, but all her spirit came back at this assault on her King. And + interruption to a sermon has always a dramatic and startling effect, but + when that voice arose now, when the startled speaker stopped, and every + dulled attention revived, it is easy to imagine what a stir, what a + wonderful, sudden sensation must have arisen in the midst of the crowd. + "By my faith, sire," cried Jeanne, "saving your respect, I swear upon my + life that my King is the most noble Christian of all Christians, that he + is not what you say." + </p> + <p> + The sermon, however, was resumed after this interruption. And finally the + preacher turned to Jeanne, who had subsided from that start of animation, + and was again the subdued and silent prisoner, her heart overwhelmed with + many heavy thoughts. "Here," said Èrard, "are my lords the judges who have + so often summoned and required of you to submit your acts and words to our + Holy Mother the Church; because in these acts and words there are many + things which it seemed to the clergy were not good either to say or to + sustain." + </p> + <p> + To which she replied (we quote again from the formal records), "I will + answer you." And as to her submission to the Church she said: "I have told + them on that point that all the works which I have done and said may be + sent to Rome, to our Holy Father the Pope, to whom, but to God first, I + refer in all. And as for my acts and words I have done all on the part of + God." She also said that no one was to blame for her acts and words, + neither her King nor any other; and if there were faults in them, the + blame was hers and no other's. + </p> + <p> + Asked, if she would renounce all that she had done wrong; answered, "I + refer everything to God and to our Holy Father the Pope." + </p> + <p> + It was then told her that this was not enough, and that our Holy Father + was too far off; also that the Ordinaries were judges each in his diocese, + and it was necessary that she should submit to our Mother the Holy Church, + and that she should confess that the clergy and officers of the Church had + a right to determine in her case. And of this she was admonished three + times. + </p> + <p> + After this the Bishop began to read the definitive sentence. When a great + part of it was read, Jeanne began to speak and said that she would hold to + all that the judges and the Church said, and obey in everything their + ordinance and will. And there in the presence of the above-named and of + the great multitude assembled she made her abjuration in the manner that + follows: + </p> + <p> + And she said several times that since the Church said her apparitions and + revelations should not be sustained or believed, she would not sustain + them; but in everything submit to the judges and to our Mother the Holy + Church. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + In this strange, brief, subdued manner is the formal record made. Manchon + writes on his margin: <i>At the end of the sentence Jeanne, fearing the + fire, said she would obey the Church</i>. Even into the bare legal + document there comes a hush as of awe, the one voice responding in the + silence of the crowd, with a quiver in it; the very animation of the + previous outcry enhancing the effect of this low and faltering submission, + <i>timens igneum</i>—in fear of the fire. + </p> + <p> + The more familiar record, and the recollections long after of those + eye-witnesses, give us another version of the scene. Èrard, from his + pulpit, read the form of abjuration prepared. But Jeanne answered that she + did not know what abjuration meant, and the preacher called upon Massieu + to explain it to her. "And he" (we quote from his own deposition), "after + excusing himself, said that it meant this: that if she opposed the said + articles she would be burnt; but he advised her to refer it to the Church + universal whether she should abjure or not. Which thing she did, saying to + Èrard, 'I refer to the Church universal whether I should abjure or not.' + To which Èrard answered, 'You shall abjure at once or you will be burnt.' + Massieu gives further particulars in another part of the Rehabilitation + process. Èrard, he says, asked what he was saying to the prisoner, and he + answered that she would sign if the schedule was read to her; but Jeanne + said that she could not write, and then added that she wished it to be + decided by the Church, and ought not to sign unless that was done: and + also required that she should be placed in the custody of the Church, and + freed from the hands of the English. The same Èrard answered that there + had been ample delay, and that if she did not sign at once she should be + burned, and forbade Massieu to say any more." + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile many cries and entreaties came, as far as they dared, from the + crowd. Some one, in the excitement of the moment, would seem to have + promised that she should be transferred to the custody of the Church. + "Jeanne, why will you die? Jeanne, will you not save yourself?" was called + to her by many a bystander. The girl stood fast, but her heart failed her + in this terrible climax of her suffering. Once she called out over their + heads, "All that I did was done for good, and it was well to do it:"—her + last cry. Then she would seem to have recovered in some measure her + composure. Probably her agitated brain was unable to understand the + formula of recantation which was read to her amid all the increasing + noises of the crowd, but she had a vague faith in the condition she had + herself stated, that the paper should be submitted to the Church, and that + she should at once be transferred to an ecclesiastical prison. Other + suggestions are made, namely, that it was a very short document upon which + she hastily in her despair made a cross, and that it was a long one, + consisting of several pages, which was shown afterwards with <i>Jehanne</i> + scribbled underneath. "In fact," says Massieu, "she abjured and made a + cross with the pen which the witness handed to her:" he, if any one must + have known exactly what happened. + </p> + <p> + No doubt all this would be imperfectly heard on the other platform. But + the agitation must have been visible enough, the spectators closing round + the young figure in the midst, the pleadings, the appeals, seconded by + many a cry from the crowd. Such a small matter to risk her young life for! + "Sign, sign; why should you die!" Cauchon had gone on reading the + sentence, half through the struggle. He had two sentences all ready, two + courses of procedure, cut and dry: either to absolve her—which meant + condemning her to perpetual imprisonment on bread and water: or to carry + her off at once to the stake. The English were impatient for the last. It + is a horrible thing to acknowledge, but it is evidently true. They had + never wished to play with her as a cat with a mouse, as her learned + countrymen had done those three months past; they had desired at once to + get her out of their way. But the idea of her perpetual imprisonment did + not please them at all; the risk of such a prisoner was more than they + chose to encounter. Nevertheless there are some things a churchman cannot + do. When it was seen that Jeanne had yielded, that she had put her mark to + something on a paper flourished forth in somebody's hand in the sunshine, + the Bishop turned to the Cardinal on his right hand, and asked what he was + to do? There was but one answer possible to Winchester, had he been + English and Jeanne's natural enemy ten times over. To admit her to + penitence was the only practicable way. + </p> + <p> + Here arises a great question, already referred to, as to what it was that + Jeanne signed. She could not write, she could only put her cross on the + document hurriedly read to her, amid the confusion and the murmurs of the + crowd. The <i>cédule</i> to which she put her sign "contained eight + lines:" what she is reported to have signed is three pages long, and full + of detail. Massieu declares certainly that this (the abjuration published) + was not the one of which mention is made in the trial; "for the one read + by the deponent and signed by the said Jeanne was quite different." This + would seem to prove the fact that a much enlarged version of an act of + abjuration, in its original form strictly confined to the necessary points + and expressed in few words—was afterwards published as that bearing + the sign of the penitent. Her own admissions, as will be seen, are of the + scantiest, scarcely enough to tell as an abjuration at all. + </p> + <p> + When the shouts of the people proved that this great step had been taken, + and Winchester had signified his conviction that the penitence must be + accepted, Cauchon replaced one sentence by another and pronounced the + prisoner's fate. "Seeing that thou hast returned to the bosom of the + Church by the grace of God, and hast revoked and denied all thy errors, + we, the Bishop aforesaid, commit thee to perpetual prison, with the bread + of sorrow and water of anguish, to purge thy soul by solitary penitence." + Whether the words reached her over all those crowding heads, or whether + they were reported to her, or what Jeanne expected to follow standing + there upon her platform, more shamed and downcast than through all her + trial, no one can tell. There seems even to have been a moment of + uncertainty among the officials. Some of them congratulated Jeanne, + L'Oyseleur for one pressing forward to say, "You have done a good day's + work, you have saved your soul." She herself, excited and anxious, desired + eagerly to know where she was not to go. She would seem for the moment to + have accepted the fact of her perpetual imprisonment with complete faith + and content. It meant to her instant relief from her hideous prison-house, + and she could not contain her impatience and eagerness. "People of the + Church—<i>gens de' Église</i>—lead me to your prison; let me + be no longer in the hands of the English," she cried with feverish + anxiety. To gain this point, to escape the irons and the dreadful durance + which she had suffered so long, was all her thought. The men about her + could not answer this appeal. Some of them no doubt knew very well what + the answer must be, and some must have seen the angry looks and stern + exclamation which Warwick addressed to Cauchon, deceived like Jeanne by + this unsatisfactory conclusion, and the stir among the soldiers at sight + of his displeasure. But perhaps flurried by all that had happened, perhaps + hoping to strengthen the victim in her moment of hope, some of them + hurried across to the Bishop to ask where they were to take her. One of + these was Pierre Miger, friar of Longueville. Where was she to be taken? + In Winchester's hearing, perhaps in Warwick's, what a question to put! An + English bishop, says this witness turned to him angrily and said to + Cauchon that this was a "fauteur de ladite Jeanne," "<i>this fellow was + also one of them</i>." Miger excused himself in alarm as St. Peter did + before him, and Cauchon turning upon him commanded grimly that she should + be taken back whence she came. Thus ended the last hope of the Maid. Her + abjuration, which by no just title could be called an abjuration, had been + in vain. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was taken back, dismayed and miserable, to the prison which she had + perilled her soul to escape. It was very little she had done in reality, + and at that moment she could scarcely yet have realised what she had done, + except that it had failed. At the end of so long and bitter a struggle she + had thrown down her arms—but for what? to escape those horrible + gaolers and that accursed room with its ear of Dionysius, its Judas hole + in the wall. The bitterness of the going back was beyond words. We hear of + no word that she said when she realised the hideous fact that nothing was + changed for her; the bitter waters closed over her head. Again the chains + to be locked and double locked that bound her to her dreadful bed, again + the presence of those men who must have been all the more odious to her + from the momentary hope that she had got free from them for ever. + </p> + <p> + The same afternoon the Vicar-Inquisitor, who had never been hard upon her, + accompanied by Nicole Midi, by the young seraphic doctor, Courcelles, and + L'Oyseleur, along with various other ecclesiastical persons, visited her + prison. The Inquisitor congratulated and almost blessed her, sermonising + as usual, but briefly and not ungently, though with a word of warning that + should she change her mind and return to her evil ways there would be no + further place for repentance. As a return for the mercy and clemency of + the Church, he required her immediately to put on the female dress which + his attendants had brought. There is something almost ludicrous, could we + forget the tragedy to follow, in the bundle of humble clothing brought by + such exalted personages, with the solemnity which became a thing upon + which hung the issues of life or death. Jeanne replied with the humility + of a broken spirit. "I take them willingly," she said, "and in everything + I will obey the Church." Then silence closed upon her, the horrible + silence of the prison, full of hidden listeners and of watching eyes. + </p> + <p> + Meantime there was great discontent and strife of tongues outside. It was + said that many even of the doctors who condemned her would fain have seen + Jeanne removed to some less dangerous prison: but Monseigneur de Beauvais + had to hold head against the great English authorities who were out of all + patience, fearing that the witch might still slip through their fingers + and by her spells and incantations make the heart of the troops melt once + more within them. If the mind of the Church had been as charitable as it + professed to be, I doubt if all the power of Rome could have got the Maid + now out of the English grip. They were exasperated, and felt that they + too, as well as the prisoner, had been played with. But the Bishop had + good hope in his mind, still to be able to content his patrons. Jeanne had + abjured, it was true, but the more he inquired into that act, the less + secure he must have felt about it. And she might relapse; and if she + relapsed there would be no longer any place for repentance. And it is + evident that his confidence in the power of the clothes was boundless. In + any case a few days more would make all clear. + </p> + <p> + They did not have many days to wait. There are two, to all appearance, + well-authenticated stories of the cause of Jeanne's "relapse." One account + is given by Frère Isambard, whom she told in the presence of several + others, that she had been assaulted in her cell by a <i>Millourt Anglois</i>, + and barbarously used, and in self-defence had resumed again the man's + dress which had been left in her cell. The story of Massieu is different: + To him Jeanne explained that when she asked to be released from her bed on + the morning of Trinity Sunday, her guards took away her female dress which + she was wearing, and emptied the sack containing the other upon her bed. + She appealed to them, reminding them that these were forbidden to her; but + got no answer except a brutal order to get up. It is very probable that + both stories are true. Frère Isambard found her weeping and agitated, and + nothing is more probable than this was the occasion on which Warwick heard + her cries, and interfered to save her. Massieu's version, of which he is + certain, was communicated to him a day or two after when they happened to + be alone together. It was on the Thursday before Trinity Sunday that she + put on the female dress, but it would seem that rumours on the subject of + a relapse had begun to spread even before the Sunday on which that event + happened: and Beaupère and Midi were sent by the Bishop to investigate. + But they were very ill-received in the Castle, sworn at by the guards, and + forced to go back without seeing Jeanne, there being as yet, it appeared, + nothing to see. On the morning of the Monday, however, the rumours arose + with greater force; and no doubt secret messages must have informed the + Bishop that the hoped-for relapse had taken place. He set out himself + accordingly, accompanied by the Vicar-Inquisitor and attended by eight of + the familiar names so often quoted, triumphant, important, no doubt with + much show of pompous solemnity, to find out for himself. The Castle was + all in excitement, report and gossip already busy with the new event so + trifling, so all-important. There was no idea now of turning back the + visitors. The prison doors were eagerly thrown open, and there indeed once + more, in her tunic and hose, was Jeanne, whom they had left four days + before painfully contemplating the garments they had given her, and humbly + promising obedience. The men burst in upon her with an outcry of + astonishment. What she had changed her dress again? "Yes," she replied, + "she had resumed the costume of a man." There was no triumph in what she + said, but rather a subdued tone of sadness, as of one who in the most + desperate strait has taken her resolution and must abide by it, whether + she likes it or not. She was asked why she had resumed that dress, and who + had made her do so. There was no question of anything else at first. The + tunic and <i>gippon</i> were at once enough to decide her fate. + </p> + <p> + She answered that she had done it by her own will, no one influencing her + to do so; and that she preferred the dress of a man to that of a woman. + </p> + <p> + She was reminded that she had promised and sworn not to resume the dress + of a man. She answered that she was not aware she had ever sworn or had + made any such oath. + </p> + <p> + She was asked why she had done it. She answered that it was more lawful to + wear a man's dress among men, than the dress of a woman; and also that she + had taken it back because the promise made to her had not been kept, that + she should hear the mass, and receive her Saviour, and be delivered from + her irons. + </p> + <p> + She was asked if she had not abjured that dress, and sworn not to resume + it. She answered that she would rather die than be left in irons; but if + they would allow her to go to mass and take her out of her irons and put + her in a gracious prison, and a woman with her, she would be good, and do + whatever the Church pleased. + </p> + <p> + She was then asked suddenly, as if there had been no condemnation of her + voices as lying fables, whether since Thursday she had heard them again. + To this she answered, recovering a little courage, "Yes." + </p> + <p> + She was asked what they said to her; she answered that they said God had + made known to her by St. Catherine and St. Margaret the great pity there + was of the treason to which she had consented by making abjuration and + revocation in order to save her life: and that she had earned damnation + for herself to save her life. Also that before Thursday her voices had + told her that she should do what she did that day, that on the scaffold + they had told her to answer the preachers boldly, and that this preacher + whom she called a false preacher had accused her of many things she never + did. She also added that if she said God had not sent her she would damn + herself, for true it was that God had sent her. Also that her voices had + told her since, that she had done a great sin in confessing that she had + sinned; but that for fear of the fire she had said that which she had + said. + </p> + <p> + She was asked (all over again) if she believed that these voices were + those of St. Catherine and St. Margaret. She answered, Yes, they were so; + and from God. And as for what had been said to her on the scaffold that + she had spoken lies and boasted concerning St. Catherine and St. Margaret, + she had not intended any such thing. Also she said that she never intended + to deny her apparitions, or to say that they were not St. Catherine and + St. Margaret. All that she had done was in fear of the fire, and she had + denied nothing but what was contrary to truth; and she said that she would + like better to make her penitence all at one time—that is to say, in + dying, than to endure a long penitence in prison. Also that she had never + done anything against God or the faith whatever they might have made her + say; and that for what was in the schedule of the abjuration she did not + know what it was. Also she said that she never intended to revoke anything + so long as it pleased our Lord. At the end she said that if her judges + would have her do so, she might put on again her female dress; but for the + rest she would do no more. + </p> + <p> + "What need we any further witness; for we ourselves have heard of his own + mouth." Jeanne's protracted, broken, yet continuous apology and defence, + overawed her judges; they do not seem to have interrupted it with + questions. It was enough and more than enough. She had relapsed; the end + of all things had come, the will of her enemies could now be accomplished. + No one could say she had not had full justice done her; every formality + had been fulfilled, every lingering formula carried out. Now there was but + one thing before her, whose sad young voice with many pauses thus sighed + forth its last utterance; and for her judges, one last spectacle to + prepare, and the work to complete which it had taken them three long + months to do. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII — THE SACRIFICE. MAY 31, 1431. + </h2> + <p> + It is not necessary to be a good man in order to divine what in certain + circumstances a good and pure spirit will do. The Bishop of Beauvais had + entertained no doubt as to what would happen. He knew exactly, with a + perspicuity creditable to his perceptions at least, that, notwithstanding + the effect which his theatrical <i>mise en scène</i> had produced upon the + imagination of Jeanne, no power in heaven or earth would induce that young + soul to content itself with a lie. He knew it, though lies were his daily + bread; the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the + children of light. He had bidden his English patrons to wait a little, and + now his predictions were triumphantly fulfilled. It is hard to believe of + any man that on such a certainty he could have calculated and laid his + devilish plans; but there would seem to have existed in the mediæval + churchman a certain horrible thirst for the blood of a relapsed heretic + which was peculiar to their age and profession, and which no better + principle in their own minds could subdue. It was their appetite, their + delight of sensation, in distinction from the other appetites perhaps + scarcely less cruel which other men indulged with no such horrified + denunciation from the rest of the world. Others, it is evident, shared + with Cauchon that sharp sensation of dreadful pleasure in finding her out; + young Courcelles, so modest and unassuming and so learned, among the rest; + not L'Oyseleur, it appears by the sequel. That Judas, like the greater + traitor, was struck to the heart; but the less bad man who had only + persecuted, not betrayed, stood high in superior virtue, and only rejoiced + that at last the victim was ready to drop into the flames which had been + so carefully prepared. + </p> + <p> + The next morning, Tuesday after Trinity Sunday, the witnesses hurried with + their news to the quickly summoned assembly in the chapel of the + Archbishop's house; thirty-three of the judges, having been hastily called + together, were there to hear. Jeanne had relapsed; the sinner escaped had + been re-caught; and what was now to be done? One by one each man rose + again and gave his verdict. Once more Egidius, Abbot of Fécamp, led the + tide of opinion. There was but one thing to be done: to give her up to the + secular justice, "praying that she might be gently dealt with." Man after + man added his voice "to that of Abbot of Fécamp aforesaid"—that she + might be gently dealt with! Not one of them could be under any doubt what + gentle meaning would be in the execution; but apparently the words were of + some strange use in salving their consciences. + </p> + <p> + The decree was pronounced at once without further formalities. In point of + view of the law, there should have followed another trial, more evidence, + pleadings, and admonitions. We may be thankful to Monseigneur de Beauvais + that he now defied law, and no longer prolonged the useless ceremonials of + that mockery of justice. It is said that in coming out of the prison, + through the courtyard full of Englishmen, where Warwick was in waiting to + hear what news, the Bishop greeted them with all the satisfaction of + success, laughing and bidding them "Make good cheer, the thing is done." + In the same spirit of satisfaction was the rapid action of the further + proceedings. On Tuesday she was condemned, summoned on Wednesday morning + at eight 'clock to the Old Market of Rouen to hear her sentence, and + there, without even that formality, the penalty was at once carried out. + No time, certainly, was lost in this last stage. + </p> + <p> + All the interest of the heart-rending tragedy now turns to the prison + where Jeanne woke in the early morning without, as yet, any knowledge of + her fate. It must be remembered that the details of this wonderful scene, + which we have in abundance, are taken from reports made twenty years after + by eye-witnesses indeed, but men to whom by that time it had become the + only policy to represent Jeanne in the brightest colours, and themselves + as her sympathetic friends. There is no doubt that so remarkable an + occurrence as her martyrdom must have made a deep impression on the minds + of all those who were in any way actors in or spectators of that wonderful + scene. And every word of all these different reports is on oath; but + notwithstanding, a touch of unconscious colour, a more favourable + sentiment, influenced by the feeling of later days, may well have crept + in. With this warning we may yet accept these depositions as trustworthy, + all the more for the atmosphere of truth, perfectly realistic, and in no + way idealised, which is in every description of the great catastrophe; in + which Jeanne figures as no supernatural heroine, but as a terrified, + tormented, and often trembling girl. + </p> + <p> + On the fatal morning very early, Brother Martin l'Advenu appeared in the + cell of the Maid. He had a mingled tale to tell—first "to announce + to her her approaching death, and to lead her to true contrition and + penitence; and also to hear her confession, which the said l'Advenu did + very carefully and charitably." Jeanne on her part received the news with + no conventional resignation or calm. Was it possible that she had been + deceived and really hoped for mercy? She began to weep and to cry at the + sudden stroke of fate. Notwithstanding the solemnity of her last + declaration, that she would rather bear her punishment all at once than to + endure the long punishment of her prison, her heart failed before the + imminent stake, the immediate martyrdom. She cried out to heaven and + earth: "My body, which has never been corrupted, must it be burned to + ashes to-day!" No one but Jeanne knew at what cost she had kept her + perfect purity; was it good for nothing but to be burned, that young body + not nineteen years old? "Ah," she said, "I would rather be beheaded seven + times than burned! I appeal to God against all these great wrongs they do + me." But after a while the passion wore itself out, the child's outburst + was stilled; calming herself, she knelt down and made her confession to + the compassionate friar, then asked for the sacrament, to "receive her + Saviour" as she had so often prayed and entreated before. It would appear + that this had not been within Friar Martin's commission. He sent to ask + the Bishop's leave, and it was granted "anything she asked for"—as + they give whatever he may wish to eat to a condemned convict. But the Host + was brought into the prison without ceremony, without accompanying candles + or vestment for the priest. There are always some things which are + insupportable to a man. Brother Martin could bear the sight of the girl's + anguish, but not to administer to her a diminished rite. He sent again to + demand what was needful, out of respect for the Holy Sacrament and the + present victim. And his request had come, it would seem, to some canon or + person in authority whose heart had been touched by the wonderful Maid in + her long martyrdom. This nameless sympathiser did all that a man could do. + He sent the Host with a train of priests chanting litanies as they went + through the streets, with torches burning in the pure early daylight; some + of these exhorted the people who knelt as they passed, to pray for her. + She must have heard in her prison the sound of the bell, the chant of the + clergy, the pause of awe, and then the rising, irregular murmur of the + voices, that sound of prayer never to be mistaken. Pray for her! At last + the city was touched to its heart. There is no sign that it had been + sympathetic to Jeanne before; it was half English or more. But she was + about to die: she had stood bravely against the world and answered like a + true Maid; and they had now seen her led through their streets, a girl + just nineteen. The popular imagination at least was subjugated for the + time. + </p> + <p> + Thus Jeanne for the first time, after all the feasts were over, received + at last "her Saviour" as she said, the consecration of that rite which He + himself had instituted before He died. But she was not permitted to + receive it in simplicity and silence as becomes the sacred commemoration. + All the time she was still <i>preschée</i> and admonished by the men about + her. A few days after her death the Bishop and his followers assembled, + and set down in evidence their different parts in that scene. How far it + is to be relied upon, it is difficult to say. The speakers did not testify + under oath; there is no formal warrant for their truth, and an anxious + attempt to prove her change of mind is evident throughout; still there + seem elements of truth in it, and a certain glimpse is afforded of Jeanne + in the depths, when hope and strength were gone. The general burden of + their testimony is that she sadly allowed herself to have been deceived, + as to the liberation for which all along she had hoped. Peter Morice, + often already mentioned, importuning her on the subject of the spirits, + endeavouring to get from her an admission that she had not seen them at + all, and was herself a deceiver: or if not that, at least that they were + evil spirits, not good,—drew from her the impatient exclamation: "Be + they good spirits, or be they evil, they appeared to me." Even in the act + of giving her her last communion, Brother Martin paused with the + consecrated Host in his hands. + </p> + <p> + "Do you believe," he said, "that this is the body of Christ?" Jeanne + answered: "Yes, and He alone can free me; I pray you to administer." Then + this brother said to Jeanne: "Do you believe as fully in your voices?" + Jeanne answered: "I believe in God alone and not in the voices, which have + deceived me." L'Advenu himself, however, does not give this deposition, + but another of the persons present, Le Camus, who did not live to revise + his testimony at the Rehabilitation. + </p> + <p> + The rite being over, the Bishop himself bustled in with an air of + satisfaction, rubbing his hands, one may suppose from his tone. "So, + Jeanne," he said, "you have always told us that your 'voices' said you + were to be delivered, and you see now they have deceived you. Tell us the + truth at last." Then Jeanne answered: "Truly I see that they have deceived + me." The report is Cauchon's, and therefore little to be trusted; but the + sad reply is at least not unlike the sentiment that, even in records more + trustworthy, seems to have breathed forth in her. The other spectators all + report another portion of this conversation. "Bishop, it is by you I die," + are the words with which the Maid is said to have met him. "Oh Jeanne, + have patience," he replied. "It is because you did not keep your promise." + "If you had kept yours, and sent me to the prison of the Church, and put + me in gentle hands, it would not have happened," she replied. "I appeal + from you to God." Several of the attendants, also according to the + Bishop's account, heard from her the same sad words: "They have deceived + me"; and there seems no reason why we should not believe it. Her mind was + weighed down under this dreadful unaccountable fact. She was forsaken—as + a greater sufferer was; and a horror of darkness had closed around her. + "Ah, Sieur Pierre," she said to Morice, "where shall I be to-night?" The + man had condemned her as a relapsed heretic, a daughter of perdition. He + had just suggested to her that her angels must have been devils. + Nevertheless perhaps his face was not unkindly, he had not meant all the + harm he did. He ought to have answered, "In Hell, with the spirits you + have trusted"; that would have been the only logical response. What he did + say was very different. "Have you not good faith in the Lord?" said the + judge who had doomed her. Amazing and notable speech! They had sentenced + her to be burned for blasphemy as an envoy of the devil; they believed in + fact that she was the child of God, and going straight in that flame to + the skies. Jeanne, with the sound, clear head and the "sane mind" to which + all of them testified, did she perceive, even at that dreadful moment, the + inconceivable contradiction? "Ah," she said, "yes, God helping me, I shall + be in Paradise." + </p> + <p> + There is one point in the equivocal report which commends itself to the + mind, which several of these men unite in, but which was carefully not + repeated at the Rehabilitation: and this was that Jeanne allowed "as if it + had been a thing of small importance," that her story of the angel bearing + the crown at Chinon was a romance which she neither expected nor intended + to be believed. For this we have to thank L'Oyseleur and the rest of the + reverend ghouls assembled on that dreadful morning in the prison. + </p> + <p> + Jeanne was then dressed, for her last appearance in this world, in the + long white garment of penitence, the robe of sacrifice: and the mitre was + placed on her head which was worn by the victims of the Holy Office. She + was led for the last time down the echoing stair to the crowded courtyard + where her "chariot" awaited her. It was her confessor's part to remain by + her side, and Frère Isambard and Massieu, the officer, both her friends, + were also with her. It is said that L'Oyseleur rushed forward at this + moment, either to accompany her also, or, as many say, to fling himself at + her feet and implore her pardon. He was hustled aside by the crowd and + would have been killed by the English, it is said, but for Warwick. The + bystanders would seem to have been seized with a sudden disgust for all + the priests about, thinking them Jeanne's friends, the historians + insinuate—more likely in scorn and horror of their treachery. And + then the melancholy procession set forth. + </p> + <p> + The streets were overflowing as was natural, crowded in every part: eight + hundred English soldiers surrounded and followed the cortège, as the car + rumbled along over the rough stones. Not yet had the Maid attained to the + calm of consent. She looked wildly about her at all the high houses and + windows crowded with gazers, and at the throngs that gaped and gazed upon + her on every side. In the midst of the consolations of the confessor who + poured pious words in her ears, other words, the plaints of a wondering + despair fell from her lips, "Rouen! Rouen!" she said; "am I to die here?" + It seemed incredible to her, impossible. She looked about still for some + sign of disturbance, some rising among the crowd, some cry of "France! + France!" or glitter of mail. Nothing: but the crowds ever gazing, + murmuring at her, the soldiers roughly clearing the way, the rude chariot + rumbling on. "Rouen, Rouen! I fear that you shall yet suffer because of + this," she murmured in her distraction, amid her moanings and tears. + </p> + <p> + At last the procession came to the Old Market, an open space encumbered + with three erections—one reaching up so high that the shadow of it + seemed to touch the sky, the horrid stake with wood piled up in an + enormous mass, made so high, it is said, in order that the executioner + himself might not reach it to give a merciful blow, to secure + unconsciousness before the flames could touch the trembling form. Two + platforms were raised opposite, one furnished with chairs and benches for + Winchester and his court, another for the judges, with the civil officers + of Rouen who ought to have pronounced sentence in their turn. Without this + form the execution was illegal: what did it matter? No sentence at all was + read to her, not even the ecclesiastical one which was illegal also. She + was probably placed first on the same platform with her judges, where + there was a pulpit from which she was to be <i>preschée</i> for the last + time. Of all Jeanne's sufferings this could scarcely be the least, that + she was always <i>preschée</i>, lectured, addressed, sermonised through + every painful step of her career. + </p> + <p> + The moan was still unsilenced on her lips, and her distracted soul + scarcely yet freed from the sick thought of a possible deliverance, when + the everlasting strain of admonishment, and re-enumeration of her errors, + again penetrated the hum of the crowd. The preacher was Nicolas Midi, one + of the eloquent members of that dark fraternity; and his text was in St. + Paul's words: "If any of the members suffer, all the other members suffer + with it." Jeanne was a rotten branch which had to be cut off from the + Church for the good of her own soul, and that the Church might not suffer + by her sin; a heretic, a blasphemer, an impostor, giving forth false + fables at one time, and making a false penitence the next. It is very + unlikely that she heard anything of that flood of invective. At the end of + the sermon the preacher bade her "Go in peace." Even then, however, the + fountain of abuse did not cease. The Bishop himself rose, and once more by + way of exhorting her to a final repentance, heaped ill names upon her + helpless head. The narrative shows that the prisoner, now arrived at the + last point in her career, paid no attention to the tirade levelled at her + from the president's place. "She knelt down on the platform showing great + signs and appearance of contrition, so that all those who looked upon her + wept. She called on her knees upon the blessed Trinity, the blessed + glorious Virgin Mary, and all the blessed saints of Paradise." She called + specially—was it with still a return towards the hoped for miracle? + was it with the instinctive cry towards an old and faithful friend?—"St. + Michael, St. Michael, St. Michael, help!" There would seem to have been a + moment in which the hush and silence of a great crowd surrounded this + wonderful stage, where was that white figure on her knees, praying, + speaking—sometimes to God, sometimes to the saintly unseen + companions of her life, sometimes in broken phrases to those about her. + She asked the priests, thronging all round, those who had churches, to say + a mass for her soul. She asked all whom she might have offended to forgive + her. Through her tears and prayers broke again and again the sorrowful cry + of "Rouen, Rouen! Is it here truly that I must die?" No reason is given + for the special pang that seems to echo in this cry. Jeanne had once + planned a campaign in Normandy with Alençon. Had there been perhaps some + special hope which made this conclusion all the more bitter, of setting up + in the Norman capital her standard and that of her King? + </p> + <p> + There have been martyrs more exalted above the circumstances of their fate + than Jeanne. She was no abstract heroine. She felt every pang to the depth + of her natural, spontaneous being, and the humiliation and the deep + distress of having been abandoned in the sight of men, perhaps the + profoundest pang of which nature is capable. "He trusted in God that he + would deliver him: let him deliver him if he will have him." That which + her Lord had borne, the little sister had now to bear. She called upon the + saints, but they did not answer. She was shamed in the sight of men. But + as she knelt there weeping, the Bishop's evil voice scarcely silenced, the + soldiers waiting impatient—the entire crowd, touched to its heart + with one impulse, broke into a burst of weeping and lamentation, "<i>à + chaudes larmes</i>" according to the graphic French expression. They wept + hot tears as in the keen personal pang of sorrow and fellow-feeling and + impotence to help. Winchester—withdrawn high on his platform, + ostentatiously separated from any share in it, a spectator merely—wept; + and the judges wept. The Bishop of Boulogne was overwhelmed with emotion, + iron tears flowed down the accursed Cauchon's cheeks. The very world stood + still to see that white form of purity, and valour, and faith, the Maid, + not shouting triumphant on the height of victory, but kneeling, weeping, + on the verge of torture. Human nature could not bear this long. A hoarse + cry burst forth: "Will you keep us here all day; must we dine here?" a + voice perhaps of unendurable pain that simulated cruelty. And then the + executioner stepped in and seized the victim. + </p> + <p> + It has been said that her stake was set so high, that there might be no + chance of a merciful blow, or of strangulation to spare the victim the + atrocities of the fire; perhaps, let us hope, it was rather that the + ascending smoke might suffocate her before the flame could reach her: the + fifteenth century would naturally accept the most cruel explanation. There + was a writing set over the little platform which gave footing to the + attendants below the stake, upon which were written the following words: + </p> + <p> + JEANNE CALLED THE MAID, LIAR, ABUSER OF THE PEOPLE, SOOTHSAYER, BLASPHEMER + OF GOD, PERNICIOUS, SUPERSTITIOUS, IDOLATROUS, CRUEL, DISSOLUTE, INVOKER + OF DEVILS, APOSTATE, SCHISMATIC, HERETIC. + </p> + <p> + This was how her countrymen in the name of law and justice and religion + branded the Maid of France—one half of her countrymen: the other + half, silent, speaking no word, looking on. + </p> + <p> + Before she began to ascend the stake, Jeanne, rising from her knees, asked + for a cross. No place so fit for that emblem ever was: but no cross was to + be found. One of the English soldiers who kept the way seized a stick from + some one by, broke it across his knee in unequal parts, and bound them + hurriedly together; so, in the legend and in all the pictures, when Mary + of Nazareth was led to her espousals, one of her disappointed suitors + broke his wand. The cross was rough with its broken edges which Jeanne + accepted from her enemy, and carried, pressing it against her bosom. One + would rather have that rude cross to preserve as a sacred thing, than the + highest effort of art in gold and silver. This was her ornament and + consolation as she trod the few remaining steps and mounted the pile of + the faggots to her place high over all that sea of heads. When she was + bound securely to her stake, she asked again for a cross, a cross blessed + and sacred from a church, to be held before her as long as her eyes could + see. Frère Isambard and Massieu, following her closely still, sent to the + nearest church, and procured probably some cross which was used for + processional purposes on a long staff which could be held up before her. + The friar stood upon the faggots holding it up, and calling out broken + words of encouragement so long that Jeanne bade him withdraw, lest the + fire should catch his robes. And so at last, as the flames began to rise, + she was left alone, the good brother always at the foot of the pile, + painfully holding up with uplifted arms the cross that she might still see + it, the soldiers crowding, lit up with the red glow of the fire, the + horrified, trembling crowd like an agitated sea around. The wild flames + rose and fell in sinister gleams and flashes, the smoke blew upwards, by + times enveloping that white Maid standing out alone against a sky still + blue and sweet with May—Pandemonium underneath, but Heaven above. + Then suddenly there came a great cry from among the black fumes that began + to reach the clouds: "My voices were of God! They have not deceived me!" + She had seen and recognised it at last. Here it was, the miracle: the + great victory that had been promised—though not with clang of swords + and triumph of rescuing knights, and "St. Denis for France!"—but by + the sole hand of God, a victory and triumph for all time, for her country + a crown of glory and ineffable shame. + </p> + <p> + Thus died the Maid of France—with "Jesus, Jesus," on her lips—till + the merciful smoke breathing upwards choked that voice in her throat; and + one who was like unto the Son of God, who was with her in the fire, wiped + all memory of the bitter cross, wavering uplifted through the air in the + good monk's trembling hands—from eyes which opened bright upon the + light and peace of that Paradise of which she had so long thought and + dreamed. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII — AFTER. + </h2> + <p> + The natural burst of remorse which follows such an event is well known in + history; and is as certainly to be expected as the details of the great + catastrophe itself. We feel almost as if, had there not been fact and + evidence for such a revulsion of feeling, it must have been recorded all + the same, being inevitable. The executioner, perhaps the most innocent of + all, sought out Frère Isambard, and confessed to him in an anguish of + remorse fearing never to be pardoned for what he had done. An Englishman + who had sworn to add a faggot to the flames in which the witch should be + burned, when he rushed forward to keep his word was seized with sudden + compunction—believed that he saw a white dove flutter forth from + amid the smoke over her head, and, almost fainting at the sight, had to be + led by his comrades to the nearest tavern for refreshment, a life-like + touch in which we recognise our countryman; but he too found his way that + afternoon to Frère Isambard like the other. A horrible story is told by + the <i>Bourgeois de Paris</i>, whose contemporary journal is one of the + authorities for this period, that "the fire was drawn aside" in order that + Jeanne's form, with all its clothing burned away, should be visible by one + last act of shameless insult to the crowd. The fifteenth century believed, + as we have said, everything that is cruel and horrible, as indeed the + vulgar mind does at all ages; but such brutal imaginings have seldom any + truth to support them, and there is no such suggestion in the actual + record. Isambard and Massieu heard from one of the officials that when + every other part of her body was destroyed the heart was found intact, but + was, by the order of Winchester, flung into the Seine along with all the + ashes of that sacrifice. It was wise no doubt that no relics should be + kept. + </p> + <p> + Other details were murmured abroad amid the excited talk that followed + this dreadful scene. "When she was enveloped by the smoke, she cried out + for water, holy water, and called to St. Michæl; then hung her head upon + her breast and breathing forth the name of Jesus, gently died." "Being in + the flame her voice never ceased repeating in a loud voice the holy name + of Jesus, and invoking without cease the saints of paradise, she gave up + her spirit, bowing her head and saying the name of Jesus in sign of the + fervour of her faith." One of the Canons of Rouen, standing sobbing in the + crowd, said to another: "Would that my soul were in the same place where + the soul of that woman is at this moment"; which indeed is not very + different from the authorised saying of Pierre Morice in the prison. + Guillaume Manchon, the reporter, he who wrote <i>superba responsio</i> on + his margin, and had written down every word of her long examination—his + occupation for three months,—says that he "never wept so much for + anything that happened to himself, and that for a whole month he could not + recover his calm." This man adds a very characteristic touch, to wit, that + "with part of the pay which he had for the trial, he bought a missal, that + he might have a reason for praying for her." Jean Tressat, "secretary to + the King of England" (whatever that office may have been), went home from + the execution crying out, "We are all lost, for we have burned a saint." A + priest, afterwards bishop, Jean Fabry, "did not believe that there was any + man who could restrain his tears." + </p> + <p> + The modern historians speak of the mockeries of the English, but none are + visible in the record. Indeed, the part of the English in it is + extraordinarily diminished on investigation; they are the supposed + inspirers of the whole proceedings; they are believed to be continually + pushing on the inquisitors; still more, they are supposed to have bought + all that large tribunal, the sixty or seventy judges, among whom were the + most learned and esteemed Doctors in France; but of none of this is there + any proof given. That they were anxious to procure Jeanne's condemnation + and death, is very certain. Not one among them believed in her sacred + mission, almost all considered her a sorceress, the most dangerous of evil + influences, a witch who had brought shame and loss to England by her + incantations and evil spells. On that point there could be no doubt + whatever. She alone had stopped the progress of the invaders, and broken + the charm of their invariable success. But all that she had done had been + in favour of Charles, who made no attempt to serve or help her, and who + had thwarted her plans, and hindered her work so long as it was possible + to do so, even when she was performing miracles for his sake. And Alençon, + Dunois, La Hire, where were they and all the knights? Two of them at least + were at Louvins, within a day's march, but never made a step to rescue + her. We need not ask where were the statesmen and clergy on the French + side, for they were unfeignedly glad to have the burden of condemning her + taken from their hands. No one in her own country said a word or struck a + blow for Jeanne. As for the suborning of the University of Paris <i>en + masse</i>, and all its best members in particular, that is a general + baseness in which it is impossible to believe. There is no appearance even + of any particular pressure put upon the judges. Jean de la Fontaine + disappeared, we are told, and no one ever knew what became of him: but it + was from Cauchon he fled. And nothing seems to have happened to the monks + who attended the Maid to the scaffold, nor to the others who sobbed about + the pile. On the other side, the Doctors who condemned her were in no way + persecuted or troubled by the French authorities when the King came to his + own. There was at the time a universal tacit consent in France to all that + was done at Rouen on the 31st of May, 1431. + </p> + <p> + One reason for this was not far to seek. We have perhaps already + sufficiently dwelt upon it. It was that France was not France at that + dolorous moment. It was no unanimous nation repulsing an invader. It was + two at least, if not more countries, one of them frankly and + sympathetically attaching itself to the invader, almost as nearly allied + to him in blood, and more nearly by other bonds, than any tie existing + between France and Burgundy. This does not account for the hostile + indifference of southern France and of the French monarch to Jeanne, who + had delivered them; but it accounts for the hostility of Paris and the + adjacent provinces, and Normandy. She was as much against them as against + the English, and the national sentiment to which she, a patriot before her + age, appealed,—bidding not only the English go home, or fight and be + vanquished, which was their only alternative—but the Burgundians to + be converted and to live in peace with their brothers,—did not + exist. Neither to Burgundians, Picards, or Normans was the daughter of far + Champagne a fellow countrywoman. There was neither sympathy nor kindness + in their hearts on that score. Some were humane and full of pity for a + simple woman in such terrible straits; but no more in Paris than in Rouen + was the Maid of Orleans a native champion persecuted by the English; she + was to both an enemy, a sorceress, putting their soldiers and themselves + to shame. + </p> + <p> + I have no desire to lessen our(1) guilt, whatever cruelty may have been + practised by English hands against the Heavenly Maid. And much was + practised—the iron cage, the chains, the brutal guards, the final + stake, for which may God and also the world, forgive a crime fully and + often confessed. But it was by French wits and French ingenuity that she + was tortured for three months and betrayed to her death. A prisoner of + war, yet taken and tried as a criminal, the first step in her downfall was + a disgrace to two chivalrous nations; but the shame is greater upon those + who sold than upon those who bought; and greatest of all upon those who + did not move Heaven and earth, nay, did not move a finger, to rescue. And + indeed we have been the most penitent of all concerned; we have shrived + ourselves by open confession and tears. We have quarrelled with our + Shakespeare on account of the Maid, and do not know how we could have + forgiven him, but for the notable and delightful discovery that it was not + he after all, but another and a lesser hand that endeavoured to befoul her + shining garments. France has never quarrelled with her Voltaire for a much + fouler and more intentional blasphemy. + </p> + <p> + The most significant and the most curious after-scene, a pendant to the + remorse and pity of so many of the humbler spectators, was the assembly + held on the Thursday after Jeanne's death, how and when we are not told. + It consisted of "nos judices antedicti," but neither is the place of + meeting named, nor the person who presided. Its sole testimonial is that + the manuscript is in the same hand which has written the previous records: + but whereas each page in that record was signed at the bottom by + responsible notaries, Manchon and his colleagues, no name whatever + certifies this. Seven men, Doctors and persons of high importance, all + judges on the trial, all concerned in that last scene in the prison, stand + up and give their report of what happened there—part of which we + have quoted—their object being to establish that Jeanne at the last + acknowledged herself to be deceived. According to their own showing it was + exactly such an acknowledgment as our Lord might have been supposed to + make in the moment of his agony when the words of the psalm, "My God, my + God, why hast thou forsaken me?" burst from his lips. There seems no + reason that we can see, why this evidence should not be received as + substantially true. The inference that any real recantation on Jeanne's + part was then made, is untrue, and not even asserted. She was deceived in + respect to her deliverance, and felt it to the bottom of her heart. It was + to her the bitterness of death. But the flames of her burning showed her + the truth, and with her last breath she proclaimed her renewed conviction. + The scene at the stake would lose something of its greatness without that + momentary cloud which weighed down her troubled soul. + </p> + <p> + Twenty years after the martyrdom of Jeanne, long after he had, according + to her prophecy, regained Paris and all that had been lost, it became a + danger to the King of France that it should be possible to imagine that + his kingdom had been recovered for him by means of sorcery; and + accordingly a great new trial was appointed to revise the decisions of the + old. In the same palace of the Archbishop at Rouen, which had witnessed so + many scenes of the previous tragedy, the depositions of witnesses + collected with the minutest care, and which it had taken a long time to + gather from all quarters, were submitted for judgment, and a full and + complete reversal of the condemnation was given. The <i>procès</i> was a + civil one, instituted (nominally) by the mother and brothers of Jeanne, + one of the latter being now a knight, Pierre de Lys, a gentleman of coat + armour—against the heirs and representatives of Cauchon, Bishop of + Beauvais, and Lemaître, the Deputy Inquisitor—with other persons + chiefly concerned in the judgment. Some of these men were dead, some, + wisely, not to be found. The result was such a mass of testimony as put + every incident of the life of the Maid in the fullest light from her + childhood to her death, and in consequence secured a triumphant and full + acquittal of herself and her name from every reproach. This remarkable and + indeed unique occurrence does not seem, however, to have roused any + enthusiasm. Perhaps France felt herself too guilty: perhaps the + extraordinary calm of contemporary opinion which was still too near the + catastrophe to see it fully: perhaps that difficulty in the diffusion of + news which hindered the common knowledge of a trial—a thing too + heavy to be blown upon the winds,—while it promulgated the legend, a + thing so much more light to carry: may be the cause of this. But it is an + extraordinary fact that Jeanne's name remained in abeyance for many ages, + and that only in this century has it come to any sort of glory, in the + country of which Jeanne is the first and greatest of patriots and + champions, a country, too, to which national glory is more dear than daily + bread. + </p> + <p> + In the new and wonderful spring of life that succeeded the revolution of + 1830, the martyr of the fifteenth century came to light as by a + revelation. The episode of the Pucelle in Michelet's <i>History of France</i> + touched the heart of the world, and remains one of the finest efforts of + history and the most popular picture of the saint. And perhaps, though so + much less important in point of art, the maiden work of another maiden of + Orleans—the little statue of Jeanne, so pure, so simple, so + spiritual, made by the Princess Marie of that house, the daughter of the + race which the Maid held in visionary love, and which thus only has ever + attempted any return of that devotion—had its part in reawakening + her name and memory. It fell again, however, after the great work of + Quicherat had finally given to the country the means of fully forming its + opinion on the subject which Fabre's translation, though unfortunately not + literal and adorned with modern decorations, was calculated to render + popular. A great crop of statues and some pictures not of any great + artistic merit have since been dedicated to the memory of the Maid: but + yet the public enthusiasm has never risen above the tide mark of literary + applause. + </p> + <p> + There has been, however, a great movement of enthusiasm lately to gain for + Jeanne the honour of canonisation(2); but it seems to have failed, or at + least to have sunk again for the moment into silence. Perhaps these + honours are out of date in our time. One of the most recent writers on the + subject, M. Henri Blaze de Bury, suggests that one reason which retards + this final consecration is "England, certainly not a negligible quantity + to a Pope of our time." Let no such illusion move any mind, French or + ecclesiastical. Canonisation means to us, I presume, and even to a great + number of Catholics, simply the highest honour that can be paid to a holy + and spotless name. In that sense there is no distinction of nation, and + the English as warmly as the French, both being guilty towards her, and + before God on her account—would welcome all honour that could be + paid to one who, more truly than any princess of the blood, is Jeanne of + France, the Maid, alone in her lofty humility and valour, and in + everlasting fragrance of modesty and youth. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + (1) The writer must add that personally, as a Scot, she has + no right to use this pronoun. Scotland is entirely guiltless + of this crime. The Scots were fighting on the side of France + through all these wars, a little perhaps for love of France, + but much more out of natural hostility to the English. Yet + at this time of day, except to state that fact, it is + scarcely necessary to throw off the responsibility. The + English side is now our side, though it was not so in the + fifteenth century: and a writer of the English tongue must + naturally desire that there should at least be fair play. + + (2) I am informed, however, that she is already "Venerable," + not a very appropriate title—the same, I presume, as + Bienheureuse, which is prettier,—and may therefore be + addressed by the faithful in prayer, though her rank is + only, as it were, brevet rank, and her elevation incomplete. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeanne d'Arc, by Mrs.(Margaret) Oliphant + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JEANNE D'ARC *** + +***** This file should be named 2553-h.htm or 2553-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/5/2553/ + +Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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