The Life of Joan of Arc Part 73

[Footnote 1669: _Du beau jardin des n.o.bles fleurs de lis._]

[Footnote 1670: M. Pierre Champion has kindly communicated to me the text of this unpublished ballad, which he discovered in a French MS.

at Stockholm, LIII, fol. 238. This is the t.i.tle which the copyist affixed to it about 1472: _Ballade faicte quant le Roy Charles VII'eme fut couronne a Rains du temps de Jehanne daiz dicte la Pucelle_.]

Rhymers on the French side celebrated the unexpected victories of Charles and the Maid as best they knew how, in a commonplace fashion, by some stiff poem but scantily clothing a thin and meagre muse.

Nevertheless there is a ballad,[1671] by a Dauphinois poet, beginning with this line; "Back, English _coues_, back!"[1672] which is powerful through the genuine religious spirit which prevails throughout. The author, some poor ecclesiastic, points piously to the English banner cast down, "by the will of King Jesus and of Jeanne the sweet Maid."[1673]

[Footnote 1671: P. Meyer, _Ballade contre les Anglais_ (1429), in _Romania_, xxi (1892), pp. 50, 52.]

[Footnote 1672: _Arriere, Englois coues, arriere!_ For Coues see vol. i, p. 22, note 2.]

[Footnote 1673:

_Par le vouloir dou roy Jesus Et Jeanne la douce Pucelle._]

The Maid had derived her influence over the common folk from the prophecies of Merlin the Magician and the Venerable Bede.[1674] As Jeanne's deeds became known, predictions foretelling them came to be discovered. For example it was found that Engelide, daughter of an old King of Hungary,[1675] had known long before of the coronation at Reims.

Indeed to this royal virgin was attributed a prophecy recorded in Latin, of which the following is a literal translation:

[Footnote 1674: For the legend cf. _Merlin, roman en prose du XIII'e siecle_, ed. G. Paris and J. Ulrich, 1886, 2 vols. in 8vo, introduction. _Premier volume de Merlin_, Paris, Verard, 1498, in fol.

Hersart de la Villemarque, _Myrdhin ou l'enchanteur Merlin, son histoire, ses oeuvres, son influence_, Paris, 1862, in 12mo. La Borderie, _Les veritables propheties de Merlin; examen des poemes bretons attribues a ce barde_, in _Revue de Bretagne_, vol. liii (1883). D'Arbois de Jubainville, _Merlin est il un personnage reel ou les origines de la legende de Merlin_, in _Revue des questions historiques_, vol. v (1868), pp. 559, 568.]

[Footnote 1675: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 340. Lanery d'Arc, _Memoires et consultations_, p. 402.]

"O Lily ill.u.s.trious, watered by princes, by the sower planted in the open, in an orchard delectable, by flowers and sweet-smelling roses surrounded. But, alas! dismay of the Lily, terror of the orchard!

Sundry beasts, some coming from without, others nourished within the orchard, hurtling horns against horns, have well nigh crushed the Lily, which fades for lack of water. Long do they trample upon it, destroying nearly all its roots and a.s.saying to wither it with their poisoned breath.

"But the beasts shall be driven forth in shame from the orchard, by a virgin coming from the land whence flows the cruel venom. Behind her right ear the Virgin bears a little scarlet sign; she speaks softly, and her neck is short. To the Lily shall she give fountains of living water, and shall drive out the serpent, to all men revealing its venom. With a laurel wreath woven by no mortal hand shall she at Reims engarland happily the gardener of the Lily, named Charles, son of Charles. All around the turbulent neighbours shall submit, the waters shall surge, the folk shall cry: 'Long live the Lily! Away with the beast! Let the orchard flower!' He shall approach the fields of the Island, adding fleet to fleet, and there a mult.i.tude of beasts shall perish in the rout. Peace for many shall be established. The keys of a great number shall recognise the hand that had forged them. The citizens of a n.o.ble city shall be punished for perjury by defeat, groaning with many groans, and at the entrance [of Charles?] high walls shall fall low. Then the orchard of the Lily shall be ... (?) and long shall it flower."[1676]

[Footnote 1676: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 344, 345.]

This prophecy attributed to the unknown daughter of a distant king would seem to us to proceed from a French ecclesiastic and an Armagnac. French royalty is portrayed in the figure of the delectable orchard, around which contend beasts nourished in the orchard as well as foreign beasts, that is Burgundians and English. King Charles of Valois is mentioned by his own name and that of his father, and the name of the coronation town occurs in full.

The reduction of certain towns by their liege lord is stated most clearly. Doubtless the prediction was made at the very time of the coronation. It explicitly mentions deeds already accomplished and dimly hints at events looked for, fulfilment of which was delayed, or happened in a manner other than what was expected, or never happened at all, such as the taking of Paris after a terrible a.s.sault, the invasion of England by the French, the conclusion of peace.

It is highly probable that when announcing that the deliverer of the orchard might be recognised by her short neck, her sweet voice and a little scarlet mark, the pseudo Engelide was carefully depicting characteristics noticeable in Jeanne herself. Moreover we know that Isabelle Romee's daughter had a sweet woman's voice.[1677] That her neck was broad and firmly set on her shoulders accords with what is known concerning her robust appearance.[1678] And doubtless the so-called daughter of the King of Hungary did not imagine the birth-mark behind her right ear.[1679]

[Footnote 1677: Philippe de Bergame, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 523; vol.

v, pp. 108, 120.]

[Footnote 1678: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 100. Philippe de Bergame, _De claris mulieribus_, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 323. _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 271. Perceval de Boulainvilliers, _Lettre au duc de Milan_, in _Trial_, vol. v, pp. 119, 120.]

[Footnote 1679: J. Brehal, in _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 345.]

CHAPTER II

THE MAID'S FIRST VISIT TO COMPIeGNE--THE THREE POPES--SAINT DENYS--TRUCES

After the English army had departed for Normandy, King Charles sent from Crepy to Senlis the Count of Vendome, the Marechal de Rais and the Marechal de Boussac with their men-at-arms. The inhabitants gave them to wit that they inclined to favour the Flowers de Luce.[1680]

Henceforth the submission of Compiegne was sure. The King summoned the citizens to receive him; on Wednesday the 18th, the keys of the town were brought to him; on the next day he entered.[1681] The Attorneys[1682]

(for by that name the aldermen of the town were called) presented to him Messire Guillaume de Flavy, whom they had elected governor of their town, as being their most experienced and most faithful citizen.

On his being presented they asked the King, according to their privilege, to confirm and ratify his appointment. But the sire de la Tremouille took for himself the governorship of Compiegne and appointed as his lieutenant Messire Guillaume de Flavy, whom, notwithstanding, the inhabitants regarded as their captain.[1683]

[Footnote 1680: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 328. _Journal du siege_, p. 18. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 106. Perceval de Cagny, pp. 163, 164. Morosini, pp. 212, 213. Flammermont, _Senlis pendant la seconde periode de la guerre cent ans_, in _Memoires de la Societe de l'Histoire de Paris_, vol. v, 1878, p. 241.]

[Footnote 1681: Perceval de Cagny, p. 164. Monstrelet, p. 352. De l'Epinois, _Notes extraites des archives communales de Compiegne_, pp.

483, 484. A. Sorel, _Sejours de Jeanne d'Arc a Compiegne, maisons ou elle a loge en 1429 et 1430_, Paris, 1889, in 8vo, 20 pages.]

[Footnote 1682: French _attournes_, cf. La Curne, _attournes_, G.o.defroi, _atornes_, magistrates at Compiegne, elected on St. John the Baptist's Day for three years (W.S.). _Proces_, vol. v, p. 174.]

[Footnote 1683: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 331. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 106. A. Sorel, _La prise de Jeanne d'Arc devant Compiegne_, Paris, 1889, in 8vo, pp. 117, 118. Duc de la Tremolle, _Les La Tremolle pendant cinq siecles_, Nantes, 1890, in 4to, vol. i, pp. 185, 212. P. Champion, _Guillaume de Flavy, capitaine de Compiegne_, Paris, 1906, in 8vo, proofs and ill.u.s.trations, vol.

xiii, p. 137.]

One by one, the King was recovering his good towns. He charged the folk of Beauvais to acknowledge him as their lord. When they saw the flowers-de-luce borne by the heralds, the citizens cried: "Long live Charles of France!" The clergy chanted a _Te Deum_ and there was great rejoicing. Those who refused fealty to King Charles were put out of the town with permission to take away their possessions.[1684] The Bishop and Vidame of Beauvais, Messire Pierre Cauchon, who was Grand Almoner of France to King Henry, and a negotiator of important ecclesiastical business, grieved to see his city returning to the French;[1685] it was to the city's hurt, but he could not help it. He failed not to realise that part of this disgrace he owed to the Maid of the Armagnacs, who was influential with her party and had the reputation of being all powerful. As he was a good theologian he must have suspected that the devil was leading her and he wished her all possible harm.

[Footnote 1684: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 327. _Journal du siege_, p. 118. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 106. Monstrelet, vol.

iv, pp. 353, 354. Morosini, vol. iii, pp. 214, 215.]

[Footnote 1685: A. Sarrazin, _Pierre Cauchon, juge de Jeanne d'Arc_, Paris, 1901, in 8vo, pp. 49 _et seq._]

At this time Artois, Picardy, all the Burgundian territory in the north, was slipping away from Burgundy. Had King Charles gone there the majority of the dwellers in the strong towers and castles of Picardy would have received him as their sovereign.[1686] But meanwhile his enemies would have recaptured what he had just won in Valois and the ile de France.

[Footnote 1686: Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 354.]

Having entered Compiegne with the King, Jeanne lodged at the Hotel du Boeuf, the house of the King's proctor. She slept with the proctor's wife, Marie Le Boucher, who was a kinswoman of Jacques Boucher, Treasurer of Orleans.[1687]

[Footnote 1687: A. Sorel, _Sejours de Jeanne d'Arc a Compiegne_, p. 6.]

She longed to march on Paris, which she was sure of taking since her Voices had promised it to her. It is related that at the end of two or three days she grew impatient, and, calling the Duke of Alencon, said to him: "My fair Duke, command your men and likewise those of the other captains to equip themselves," then she is said to have cried: "By my staff! I must to Paris."[1688] But this could not have happened: the Maid never gave orders to the men-at-arms. The truth of the matter is that the Duke of Alencon, with a goodly company of fighting men, took his leave of the King and that Jeanne was to accompany him. She was ready to mount her horse when on Monday the 22nd of August, a messenger from the Count of Armagnac brought her a letter which she caused to be read to her.[1689] The following are the contents of the missive:

[Footnote 1688: Perceval de Cagny, pp. 164, 165. _Chronique de Tournai_, vol. iii, in the _Recueil des chroniques de Flandre_, ed. Smedt, p.

414.]

[Footnote 1689: _Trial_, vol. i, pp. 82, 83.]

"My very dear Lady, I commend myself humbly to you, and I entreat you, for G.o.d's sake, that seeing the divisions which are at present in the holy Church Universal, concerning the question of the popes (for there are three contending for the papacy: one dwells at Rome and calls himself Martin V, whom all Christian kings obey: the other dwells at p.e.n.i.scola, in the kingdom of Valentia, and calls himself Clement VIII; the third dwells no man knows where, unless it be the Cardinal de Saint-Estienne and a few folk with him, and calls himself Pope Benedict XIV; the first, who is called Pope Martin, was elected at Constance by consent of all Christian nations; he who is called Clement was elected at p.e.n.i.scola, after the death of Pope Benedict XIII, by three of his cardinals; the third who is called Pope Benedict XIV was elected secretly at p.e.n.i.scola, by that same Cardinal Saint-Estienne himself): I pray you beseech Our Lord Jesus Christ that in his infinite mercy, he declare unto us through you, which of the three aforesaid is the true pope and whom it shall be his pleasure that henceforth we obey, him who is called Martin, or him who is called Clement or him who is called Benedict; and in whom we should believe, either in secret or under reservation or by public p.r.o.nouncement: for we shall all be ready to work the will and the pleasure of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yours in all things,

COUNT D'ARMAGNAC."[1690]

[Footnote 1690: _Ibid._, pp. 245, 246.]

He who wrote thus, calling Jeanne his very dear lady, recommending himself humbly to her, not in self-abas.e.m.e.nt, but merely, as we should say to-day, out of courtesy, was one of the greater va.s.sals of the crown.