The Life of Joan of Arc Part 113

"But that is not sufficient. We cannot go so far to seek the Pope.

Each Ordinary is judge in his own diocese. Wherefore it is needful for you to appeal to Our Holy Mother Church, and to hold as true all that clerks and folks well learned in the matter say and determine touching your actions and your sayings."[2469]

[Footnote 2469: _Trial_, vol. i, pp. 445, 446.]

Admonished with yet a third admonition, Jeanne refused to recant.[2470]

With confidence she awaited the deliverance promised by her Voices, certain that of a sudden there would come men-at-arms from France and that in one great tumult of fighting-men and angels she would be liberated. That was why she had insisted on retaining man's attire.

[Footnote 2470: _Ibid._, p. 446.]

Two sentences had been prepared: one for the case in which the accused should abjure her error, the other for the case in which she should persevere. By the first there was removed from Jeanne the ban of excommunication. By the second, the tribunal, declaring that it could do nothing more for her, abandoned her to the secular arm. The Lord Bishop had them both with him.[2471]

[Footnote 2471: _Ibid._, vol. iii, p. 146.]

He took the second and began to read: "In the name of the Lord, Amen.

All the pastors of the Church who have it in their hearts faithfully to tend their flocks...."[2472]

[Footnote 2472: _Ibid._, vol. i, p. 473.]

Meanwhile, as he read, the clerks who were round Jeanne urged her to recant, while there was yet time. Maitre Nicolas Loiseleur exhorted her to do as he had recommended, and to put on woman's dress.[2473]

[Footnote 2473: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 146.]

Maitre Guillaume Erard was saying: "Do as you are advised and you will be delivered from prison."[2474]

[Footnote 2474: _Ibid._, vol. ii, pp. 17, 331; vol. iii, pp. 52, 156.]

Then straightway came the Voices unto her and said: "Jeanne, pa.s.sing sore is our pity for you! You must recant what you have said, or we abandon you to secular justice.... Jeanne, do as you are advised.

Jeanne, will you bring death upon yourself!"[2475]

[Footnote 2475: _Ibid._, p. 123.]

The sentence was long and the Lord Bishop read slowly:

"We judges, having Christ before our eyes and also the honour of the true faith, in order that our judgment may proceed from the Lord himself, do say and decree that thou hast been a liar, an inventor of revelations and apparitions said to be divine; a deceiver, pernicious, presumptuous, light of faith, rash, superst.i.tious, a soothsayer, a blasphemer against G.o.d and his saints. We declare thee to be a contemner of G.o.d even in his sacraments, a prevaricator of divine law, of sacred doctrine and of ecclesiastical sanction, seditious, cruel, apostate, schismatic, having committed a thousand errors against religion, and by all these tokens rashly guilty towards G.o.d and Holy Church.[2476]"

[Footnote 2476: _Ibid._, vol. i, pp. 474, 475.]

Time was pa.s.sing. Already the Lord Bishop had uttered the greater part of the sentence.[2477] The executioner was there, ready to take off the condemned in his cart.[2478]

[Footnote 2477: _Ibid._, p. 473 note.]

[Footnote 2478: _Ibid._, vol. iii, pp. 65, 147, 149, 273. De Beaurepaire, _Recherches sur le proces_, p. 358.]

Then suddenly, with hands clasped, Jeanne cried that she was willing to obey the Church.[2479]

[Footnote 2479: _Trial_, vol. ii, p. 323.]

The judge paused in the reading of the sentence.

An uproar arose in the crowd, consisting largely of English men-at-arms and officers of King Henry. Ignorant of the customs of the Inquisition, which had not been introduced into their country, these _G.o.dons_ could not understand what was going on; all they knew was that the witch was saved. Now they held Jeanne's death to be necessary for the welfare of England; wherefore the unaccountable actions of these doctors and the Lord Bishop threw them into a fury. In their Island witches were not treated thus; no mercy was shown them, and they were burned speedily. Angry murmurs arose; stones were thrown at the registrars of the trial.[2480] Maitre Pierre Maurice, who was doing his best to strengthen Jeanne in the resolution she had taken, was threatened and the _coues_ very nearly made short work with him.[2481]

Neither did Maitre Jean Beaupere and the delegates from the University of Paris escape their share of the insults. They were accused of favouring Jeanne's errors.[2482] Who better than they knew the injustice of these reproaches?

[Footnote 2480: _Ibid._, pp. 137, 376.]

[Footnote 2481: _Ibid._, p. 356; vol. iii, pp. 157, 178.]

[Footnote 2482: _Ibid._, p. 55.]

Certain of the high personages sitting on the platform at the side of the judge complained to the Lord Bishop that he had not gone on to the end of the sentence but had admitted Jeanne to repentance.

He was even reproached with insults, for one was heard to cry: "You shall pay for this."

He threatened to suspend the trial.

"I have been insulted," he said. "I will proceed no further until honourable amends have been done me."[2483]

[Footnote 2483: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 90, 147, 156.]

In the tumult, Maitre Guillaume Erard unfolded a double sheet of paper, and read Jeanne the form of abjuration, written down according to the opinion of the masters. It was no longer than the Lord's Prayer and consisted of six or seven lines of writing. It was in French and began with these words: "I, Jeanne...." The Maid submitted therein to the sentence, the judgment, and the commandment of the Church; she acknowledged having committed the crime of high treason and having deceived the people. She undertook never again to bear arms or to wear man's dress or her hair cut round her ears.[2484]

[Footnote 2484: _Ibid._, pp. 52, 65, 132, 156, 197. U. Chevalier, _L'Abjuration de Jeanne d'Arc_.]

When Maitre Guillaume had read the doc.u.ment, Jeanne declared she did not understand it, and wished to be advised thereupon.[2485] She was heard to ask counsel of Saint Michael.[2486] She still believed firmly in her Voices, albeit they had not aided her in her dire necessity, neither had spared her the shame of denying them. For, simple as she was, at the bottom of her heart she knew well what the clerks were asking of her; she realised that they would not let her go until she had p.r.o.nounced a great recantation. All that she said was merely in order to gain time and because she was afraid of death; yet she could not bring herself to lie.

[Footnote 2485: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 156, 157 (evidence of Jean Ma.s.sieu, Usher of the court).]

[Footnote 2486: _Ibid._, vol. ii, p. 323.]

Without losing a moment Maitre Guillaume said to Messire Jean Ma.s.sieu, the Usher: "Advise her touching this abjuration."

And he pa.s.sed him the doc.u.ment.[2487]

[Footnote 2487: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 157.]

Messire Jean Ma.s.sieu at first made excuse, but afterwards he complied and warned Jeanne of the danger she was running by her refusal to recant.

"You must know," he said, "that if you oppose any of these articles you will be burned. I counsel you to appeal to the Church Universal as to whether you should abjure these articles or not."

Maitre Guillaume Erard asked Jean Ma.s.sieu: "Well, what are you saying to her?"

Jean Ma.s.sieu replied: "I make known unto Jeanne the text of the deed of abjuration and I urge her to sign it. But she declares that she knoweth not whether she will."

At this juncture, Jeanne, who was still being pressed to sign, said aloud: "I wish the Church to deliberate on the articles. I appeal to the Church Universal as to whether I should abjure them. Let the doc.u.ment be read by the Church and the clerks into whose hands I am to be delivered. If it be their counsel that I ought to sign it and do what I am told, then willingly will I do it."[2488]

[Footnote 2488: _Ibid._, vol. ii, p. 331; vol. iii, p. 157. This deed, written in a large hand and containing but a few lines, appears to be an abridgment of that contained in the _Trial_, vol. i, pp. 447, 448 (cf. vol. iii, pp. 156, 197).]

Maitre Guillaume Erard replied: "Do it now, or you will be burned this very day."

And he forbade Jean Ma.s.sieu to confer with her any longer.