The Life of Joan of Arc Part 69

X. BEAUREVOIR. ARRAS. ROUEN. THE TRIAL FOR LAPSE 188

XI. THE TRIAL FOR LAPSE (_continued_) 227

XII. THE TRIAL FOR LAPSE (_continued_) 264

XIII. THE ABJURATION. THE FIRST SENTENCE 299

XIV. THE TRIAL FOR RELAPSE. SECOND SENTENCE.

DEATH OF THE MAID 323

XV. AFTER THE DEATH OF THE MAID. THE END OF THE SHEPHERD. LA DAME DES ARMOISES 343

XVI. AFTER THE DEATH OF THE MAID (_continued_). THE ROUEN JUDGES AT THE COUNCIL OF BaLE AND THE PRAGMATIC SANCTION. THE REHABILITATION TRIAL. THE MAID OF SARMAIZE. THE MAID OF LE MANS 378

APPENDICES

I. LETTER FROM DOCTOR G. DUMAS 401

II. THE FARRIER OF SALON 407

III. MARTIN DE GALLARDON 413

IV. ICONOGRAPHICAL NOTE 420

LIST OF ILl.u.s.tRATIONS

VOL. II

THE DUKE OF BEDFORD _Frontispiece_ From the Bedford Missal.

_To face page_

PHILIP, DUKE OF BURGUNDY 140

HENRY VI 194 From a portrait in the "Election Chamber" at Eton, reproduced by permission of the Provost.

THE b.a.s.t.a.r.d OF ORLeANS 388 From an old engraving.

JOAN OF ARC

CHAPTER I

THE ROYAL ARMY FROM SOISSONS TO COMPIeGNE--POEM AND PROPHECY

On the 22nd of July, King Charles, marching with his army down the valley of the Aisne, in a place called Vailly, received the keys of the town of Soissons.[1599]

[Footnote 1599: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, pp. 323, 324. Perceval de Cagny, pp. 160, 161. _Journal du siege_, p. 115. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 98. Morosini, vol. iii, p. 196.]

This town const.i.tuted a part of the Duchy of Valois, held jointly by the Houses of Orleans and of Bar.[1600] Of its dukes, one was a prisoner in the hands of the English; the other was connected with the French party through his brother-in-law, King Charles, and with the Burgundian party through his father-in-law, the Duke of Lorraine. No wonder the fealty of the townsfolk was somewhat vacillating; downtrodden by men-at-arms, forever taken and retaken, red caps and white caps alternately ran the danger of being cast into the river.

The Burgundians set fire to the houses, pillaged the churches, chastised the most notable burgesses; then came the Armagnacs, who sacked everything, made great slaughter of men, women, and children, ravished nuns, worthy wives, and honest maids. The Saracens could not have done worse.[1601] City dames had been seen making sacks in which Burgundians were to be sewn up and thrown into the Aisne.[1602]

[Footnote 1600: _Ordonnances des rois de France_, vol. ix, p. 71. H.

Martin and Lacroix, _Histoire de la ville de Soissons_, Soissons, 1837, in 8vo, ii, pp. 283 _et seq._]

[Footnote 1601: _Journal d'un bourgeois de Paris_, p. 53, _pa.s.sim_.]

[Footnote 1602: _Ibid._, p. 103.]

King Charles made his entry into the city on Sat.u.r.day the 23rd, in the morning.[1603] The red caps went into hiding. The bells pealed, the folk cried "Noel," and the burgesses proffered the King two barbels, six sheep and six gallons of "_bon suret_,"[1604] begging the King to forgive its being so little, but the war had ruined them.[1605] They, like the people of Troyes, refused to open their gates to the men-at-arms, by virtue of their privileges, and because they had not food enough for their support. The army encamped in the plain of Ambleny.[1606]

[Footnote 1603: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, pp. 323, 324. Perceval de Cagny, p. 160. Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 339.]

[Footnote 1604: _Suret_ is sour wine (W.S.).]

[Footnote 1605: C. Dormay, _Histoire de la ville de Soissons_, Soissons, 1664, vol. ii, pp. 382 _et seq._ H. Martin and Lacroix, _Histoire de Soissons_, vol. ii, p. 319. Pecheur, _Annales du diocese de Soissons_, vol. iv, p. 513. Felix Brun, _Jeanne d'Arc et le capitaine de Soissons en 1430_, Soissons, 1904, p. 34.]

[Footnote 1606: Berry, in _Trial_, vol. iv, pp. 49, 50. Le P. Daniel, _Histoire de la milice francaise_, vol. i, p. 356. Felix Brun, _Jeanne d'Arc et le capitaine de Soissons_, pp. 26, 39.]

It would seem that at that time the leaders of the royal army had the intention of marching on Compiegne. Indeed it was important to capture this town from Duke Philip, for it was the key to l'ile-de-France and ought to be taken before the Duke had time to bring up an army. But throughout this campaign the King of France was resolved to recapture his towns rather by diplomacy and persuasion than by force. Between the 22nd and the 25th of July he three times summoned the inhabitants of Compiegne to surrender. Being desirous to gain time and to have the air of being constrained, they entered into negotiations.[1607]

[Footnote 1607: De l'Epinois, _Notes extraites des archives communales de Compiegne_, in _Bibliotheque de l'ecole des Chartes_, vol. xxix, p.

483. Sorel, _Prise de Jeanne d'Arc_, pp. 101, 102.]

Having quitted Soissons, the royal army reached Chateau-Thierry on the 29th. All day it waited for the town to open its gates. In the evening the King entered.[1608] Coulommiers, Crecy-en-Brie, and Provins submitted.[1609]

[Footnote 1608: Perceval de Cagny, p. 160. Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 340.]

[Footnote 1609: Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 340. _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 323. Felix Bourquelot, _Histoire de Provins_, Provins, vol. iv, pp.

79 _et seq._ Th. Robillard, _Histoire pittoresque topographique et archeologique de Crecy-en-Brie_, 1852, p. 42. L'Abbe C. Poquet, _Histoire de Chateau-Thierry_, 1839, vol. i, pp. 290 _et seq._]

On Monday, the 1st of August, the King crossed the Marne, over the Chateau-Thierry Bridge, and that same day took up his quarters at Montmirail. On the morrow he gained Provins and came within a short distance of the pa.s.sage of the Seine and the high-roads of central France.[1610] The army was sore anhungered, finding nought to eat in these ravaged fields and pillaged cities. Through lack of victuals preparations were being made for retreat into Poitou. But this design was thwarted by the English. While ungarrisoned towns were being reduced, the English Regent had been gathering an army. It was now advancing on Corbeil and Melun. On its approach the French gained La Motte-Nangis, some twelve miles from Provins, where they took up their position on ground flat and level, such as was convenient for the fighting of a battle, as battles were fought in those days. For one whole day they remained in battle array. There was no sign of the English coming to attack them.[1611]

[Footnote 1610: Perceval de Cagny, pp. 160, 161.]

[Footnote 1611: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, pp. 324, 325. _Journal du siege_, p. 115. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, pp. 98, 99.

Perceval de Cagny, p. 161. Rymer, _Foedera_, June to July, 1429.

_Proceedings_, vol. iii, pp. 322 _et seq._ Morosini, vol. iv, appendix xvii.]