A Heroine of France: The Story of Joan of Arc Read online

  CHAPTER VII. HOW THE MAID WAS HINDERED; YET MADE PREPARATION.

  I have no patience to write of the things which followed. I blushfor the King, for his Council, yea, even for the Church itself!Here was a messenger sent from God, sent to France in the hour ofher direst need. This messenger had been tried and tested by ascore of different methods already, and had in every case comeforth from the trial like gold submitted to the fire. Priests hadexamined and found nothing evil in her. Again and again had shespoken of that which must follow--and so it had been. If her voiceswere not from God, then must they be from the devil; yet it hadbeen proved again, and yet again, that this was impossible, sinceshe feared nought that was holy or good, but clave unto such, andwas never so joyful and glad at heart as when she was able toreceive the Holy Sacrament, or kneel before the Altar of God whilstMass was being said.

  She had proved her claim to be called God's messenger. She hadjustified herself as such in the eyes of the King and in thejudgment of the two Queens and of half the Court. And yet,forsooth, he must waver and doubt, and let himself be led by thecounsels of those who had ever set themselves against the Maid andher mission; and to the shame of the Church be it spoken, theArchbishop of Rheims was one of those who most zealously sought topersuade him of the folly of entrusting great matters to the handsof a simple peasant girl, and warned the whole Court of the perilsof witchcraft and sorcery which were like to be the undoing of allwho meddled therein.

  I could have wrung the neck of the wily old fox, whom I did moreblame than I did his friend and advocate, De la Tremouille; for thelatter only professed carnal wisdom and prudence, but theArchbishop spoke as one who has a mandate from God, and he at leastshould have known better.

  And so they must needs send her to Poictiers, to a gathering ofecclesiastics, assembled by her enemy, the Archbishop himself, toexamine into her claims to be that which she professed, and alsointo her past life, and what it had been.

  I scarce have patience to write of all the wearisome weeks whichwere wasted thus, whilst this assembly sat; and the Maid--all alonein her innocence, her purity, her sweetness, and gentlereverence--stood before them, day after day, to answer subtlequestions, face a casuistry which sought to entrap her intocontradiction or confusion, or to wring from her a confession thatshe was no heaven-sent messenger, but was led away by her ownimaginations and ambitions.

  It was an ordeal which made even her devoutest adherents tremble;for we knew the astuteness of the churchmen, and how that theywould seek to win admissions which they would pervert to their ownuses afterwards. Yet we need not have feared; for the Maid'ssimplicity and perfectly fearless faith in her mission carried hertriumphant through all; or perhaps, indeed, her voices whispered toher what answers she should make, for some of them were rememberedlong, and evoked great wonder in the hearts of those who heardthem.

  One Dominican monk sought to perplex her by asking why, since Godhad willed that France should be delivered through her, she hadneed of armed men?

  Full fearlessly and sweetly she looked at him as she made answer:

  "It is my Lord's will that I ask for soldiers, and that the Dauphinshall give me them. The men shall fight; it is God who gives thevictory."

  Another rough questioner amongst her judges sought to confuse herby asking what language her voices spoke. They say that a flashflew from her eyes, though her sweet voice was as gentle as ever asshe made answer:

  "A better language than yours, my father."

  And again, when the same man sought to know more of her faith andher love of God, having shown himself very sceptical of her voicesand visions, she answered him, with grave dignity and an earnest,steadfast gaze:

  "I trow I have a better faith than yours, my father."

  And so, through all, her courage never failed, her faith neverfaltered, her hope shone undimmed.

  "They must give me that which I ask; they cannot withstand God.They cannot hurt me. For this work was I born, and until it beaccomplished I am safe. I have no fear."

  Only once did she show anger, and then it was with a quiet dignityof displeasure, far removed from petulance or impatience. Theyasked of her a sign that she was what she professed to be.

  "I have not come to Poictiers to give a sign," she answered,holding her head high, and looking fearlessly into the faces ofthose who sat to judge her. "Send me to Orleans, with as small aband as you will. But send me there, and you shall see signs and tospare that I come in the power of the King of Heaven."

  And so in the end her faith and courage triumphed. The verdict ransomewhat thus:

  "We have found in her nothing but what is good. To deny or hinderher intentions to serve the King would be to show ourselvesunworthy of the assistance of God."

  Yes, they had to come to it; and I trust that there were manysitting there whose hearts smote them for ever having doubted, orsought to baffle or entrap her. I cannot tell how far the judgeswere moved by the growing feeling in the town and throughout thedistrict. But the people crowded to see the Maid pass by, and allwere ready to fall at her feet and worship her. In the eveningsthey visited her at the house of Jean Ratabeau, the AdvocateGeneral, whose wife formed for her (as did every good and truewoman with whom she came into contact during her life) an ardentadmiration and affection.

  And to their earnest questions she gave ready answer, sitting inthe midst of an eager crowd, and telling them in her sweet andsimple way the story of her life in Domremy, and how she had firstheard these voices from Heaven, or seen wondrous visions ofunspeakable glories; and how she had learnt, by slow degrees, thatwhich her Lord had for her to do, and had lost, by little andlittle, the fear which first possessed her, till now she knew notof the name of the word. She had but to follow where her voicesguided.

  And the people believed in her, heart and soul. Her fame spread farand wide, and had she lifted but a finger, she might have been atthe head of an armed band of citizens and soldiers, yea, and manygentlemen and knights as well, all vowed to live and die in herservice. But this was not what was her destiny.

  "I thank you, my friends," she would say, if such a step wereproposed by any ardent soul, impatient of this long delay; "butthus it may not be. My Lord has decreed that the Dauphin shall sendme forth at the head of his armies, and with a troop of hissoldiers; and he will do this ere long. Be not afraid. We mustneeds have patience, as did our Lord Himself, and be obedient, asHe was. For only as we look to Him for grace and guidance can wehope to do His perfect will."

  Thus spoke the Maid, who, being without letters, and knowing, asshe said, no prayers save the Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Credo,yet could speak in such fashion to those who sought her. Was itwonder that the people believed in her? that they would have beenready to tear in pieces any who durst contemn her mission, ordeclare her possessed of evil spirits?

  Yet I will not say that it was fear which possessed the hearts ofher judges, and decided their ruling in this matter. I trow theycould not look upon her, or hear her, without conviction of heart.Nevertheless it is possible that the respect for popular enthusiasmled them to speak in such high praise of the Maid, and to add thatshe was in the right in assuming the dress which she wore. For shehad been sent to do man's work, and for this a man's garb was theonly fitting one to wear. And this ruling was heard with greatacclamation of satisfaction; for her dress had been almost morecommented upon than any other matter by some, and that the Churchhad set its sanction upon that which common sense deemed most rightand fitting, robbed the most doubtful of all scruple, and gave tothe Maid herself no small pleasure.

  "I do in this, as in all other things, that which I have beenbidden," she said. "But I would not willingly act unseemly in theeyes of good men and virtuous women; wherefore I am glad that myjudges have spoken thus, and I thank them from my heart for theirgentle treatment of me."

  It was ever thus with the Maid. No anger or impatience overset hersweet serenity and humility. She would not let herself takeoffence, or resent these ordeals to which, time after time
, she wassubjected. Nay, it was she who defended the proceedings when weattacked them, saying that it behoved men to act with care andcaution in these great matters, and that her only trouble in thedelay was the sufferings and sorrows of the poor beleagueredgarrison and citizens in Orleans, to whose help and relief shelonged to fly.

  So certain was she that before long she would be upon her way, thatat Poictiers she composed that letter to the English King, hisRegent, and his Generals which has been so much talked of since. Itwas a truly wonderful document to be penned by a village maiden;for in it she adjured them to cease from warring with the rightfulKing of France, whom God would have to rule the realm for Him, togo back to their own country, leaving peace behind them instead ofwar, and imploring them then to join with the King of France in acrusade against the Saracens. She speaks of herself as one who haspower to drive them from the kingdom if they will not go in peaceas adjured. Calling herself throughout "The Maid," she tells themplainly that they will not be able to stand against her; that shewill come against them in the power of the King of Heaven, Who willgive to her more strength than ever can be brought against her; andin particular she begs of them to retire from the city of Orleans;else, if they do not, they shall come to great misfortune there.

  This letter took some time in the composition, and was written forher by Sir Guy de Laval, though we were all in her counsel as shedictated it.

  By this I do not mean that we advised her. On the contrary, wegazed at her amazed, knowing how fruitless such an injunction mustbe to the haughty victorious nation, who had us, so to speak, inthe dust at her feet. But the Maid saw with other eyes than ours.

  "It may be that there will be some holy man of God in their camp towhom my Lord will reveal His will, as He hath done to me, and willshow the things which must come to pass. I would so willingly spareall the bloodshed and misery which war will bring. It is soterrible a thing for Christian men to war one with another!"

  So this letter, with its superscription "JHESUS MARIA," was writtenand dispatched to the English, and the Maid turned her attention toother matters near her heart, such as the design and execution ofthose banners which were to be carried before her armies in battle,and lead them on to victory. And these same words, "Jhesus Maria,"she decreed should appear upon each of the three standards, intoken that she went not forth in her own strength, nor even in thatof the King of France; but in the power which was from above, andin the strength given by those who sent her.

  Now there came to Poictiers to see the Maid at this time manypersons from other places, and amongst these was a Scotchman calledHauves Polnoir, who brought with him his daughter, a fair girl,between whom and the Maid a great love speedily sprang up. ThesePolnoirs were the most skilful workers in embroideries and suchlike of all the country round, and to them was entrusted the makingof the three banners, according to the instructions of the Maid.

  There was first the great white silken standard, with the goldenfleur-de-lys of France, and a representation on the reverse of theAlmighty God between two adoring angels; then a smaller banner,with a device representing the Annunciation, which she always gaveto one of her immediate attendants or squires to carry into battle;and for herself she had a little triangular banneret of white, withan image of the Crucified Christ upon it, and this she carriedherself, and it was destined to be the rallying point ofinnumerable engagements, for the sight of that little flutteringpennon showed the soldiers where the Maid was leading them, andthough this was in the thickest and sorest of the strife, theywould press towards it with shouts of joy and triumph, knowingthat, where the Maid led, there victory was won.

  All these matters were arranged whilst we were kept in waiting atPoictiers; and the Polnoirs returned to Tours to execute the ordersthere in their own workshop. The Maid promised to visit them on herway from Chinon to Orleans, and so bid them a kindly farewell.Perhaps I may here add that when the Dauphin, upon his coronation,insisted upon presenting the Maid with a sum of money, the use shemade of it, after offering at various shrines, was to provide amarriage dowry for Janet Polnoir. Never did she think of herself;never did she desire this world's goods.

  This was shown very plainly upon her triumphant return to Chinon,with the blessing and sanction of the Church upon her mission, withthe enthusiasm of the people growing and increasing every day, andher fame flying throughout the length and breadth of the realm. Bythis time the King and all his Court knew that a deliverer had beenraised up in our midst, and instead of lowly lodgings beingallotted to the Maid and her train, the whole Tower of Coudray wasset apart for the use of herself and her suite. The custodian DeBelier and his wife had charge of her, and to her were nowappointed a staff, of which the brave Jean d'Aulon was the chief,and to which Bertrand and Sir Guy de Laval and myself belonged,together with many more knights and gentlemen, all anxious to doservice under her banner. Also she had in her train some persons oflowlier degree, such as her brothers, for whom she always hadtender care, and who believed devoutly in her mission, althoughthey saw of necessity less and less of one another as the Maid'smission progressed, and took her into a different world.

  But all this grandeur was no delight to her, save inasmuch as itshowed that at last her mission was recognised and honoured. Whenasked what she would have for herself in the matter of dress andarmour, her answer was that she had already all she required,although she only possessed at this time one suit more than she hadstarted forth with from Vaucouleurs. Although she saw the courtiersfluttering about like butterflies, and noted how men, as well aswomen, decked themselves in choice stuffs and flashing jewels, sheasked none of these things for herself; and when the Queen ofSicily, always her best and kindest friend, sent to her someclothing of her own designing--all white, and beautifully worked,some with silver, and some with gold thread and cord, and a mantleof white velvet, lined with cloth of silver--she looked at thebeautiful garments with something between a smile and a sigh; thenturning towards the great lady who stood by to watch her, she firstkissed her hand, and then, with a sudden impulse of affection, puther arms about her neck, and was drawn into a close embrace.

  "Are you not pleased with them, my child?" spoke Queen Yolandegently; "they would have decked you in all the colours of therainbow, and made you to blaze with jewels; but I would not have itThe Virgin Maid, I told them, should be clad all in white, and myword prevailed, and thus you see your snowy raiment. I had thoughtyou would be pleased with it, ma mie."

  "Madame, it is beautiful; I have never dreamed of such. It is toofine, too costly for such as I. I am but a peasant maid--"

  "You are the chosen of the King of Heaven, my child. You must thinkalso of that. You are now the leader of the King's armies. You haveto do honour alike to a Heavenly and an earthly Monarch; and shallwe let our champion go forth without such raiment as is fitting toher mission?"

  Then the Maid bent her head, and answered with sweet gladness:

  "If it is thus that the world regards me, I will wear thesetrappings with a glad and thankful heart; for in sooth I would seekto do honour to His Majesty. As for my Lord in the Heavens, I trowthat He doth look beneath such matters of gay adornment; yet evenso, I would have His mission honoured in the sight of all men, andHis messenger fitly arrayed."

  So the Maid put on her spotless apparel, and looked more than everlike a youthful warrior, going forth with stainless shield, in thequest of chivalrous adventure. The whole Court was entranced by herbeauty, her lofty dignity, her strange air of aloofness from theworld, which made her move amongst them as a thing apart, andseemed to set a seal upon her every word and act.

  When she spoke of the coming strife, and her plans for the reliefof the beleaguered city, her eyes would shine, a ringing note ofauthority would be heard in her voice, she would fearlessly enterinto debate with the King and his Ministers, and tell them thatwhich she was resolved to do, whether they counselled it or no. Atsuch moments she appeared gifted with a power impossible rightly todescribe. Without setting herself up in haughtiness, she yet
overbore all opposition by her serene composure and calm serenityin the result. Men of war said that she spoke like a soldier and astrategist; they listened to her in amaze, and wondered what thegreat La Hire would say when he should arrive, to find that acountry maiden had been set over his head.

  In other matters, too, the Maid knew her mind, and spoke it withcalm decision. The Queen of Sicily had not been content withordering the Maid's dress alone, she had also given orders to thefirst armourer in Tours to fashion her a suit of light armour forthe coming strife. This armour was of white metal, and richlyinlaid with silver, so that when the sun glinted upon it, it shonewith a dazzling white radiance, almost blinding to behold. TheKing, also, resolved to do his share, had ordered for her a lightsword, with a blade of Toledo steel; but though the Maid gratefullyaccepted the gift of the white armour, and appeared before all theCourt attired therein, and with her headpiece, with its floatingwhite plumes crowning it all, yet, as she made her reverence beforethe King, she gently put aside his gift of the sword.

  "Gentle Dauphin," she said, "I thank you from my heart; but for methere is another sword which I must needs carry with me intobattle; and I pray you give me leave to send and fetch it fromwhere it lies unknown and forgotten."

  "Why, Maiden, of what speak you?" he answered; "is not thisjewelled weapon good enough? You will find its temper of the best.I know not where you will find a better!"

  "No better a sword, Sire," she answered; "and yet the one which Imust use; for so it hath been told me of my Lord. In the church ofFierbois, six leagues from hence, beneath the high altar, therelies a sword, and this sword must I use. Suffer me, I pray you, tosend and fetch it thence. Then shall I be ready and equipped tosally forth against the foes of my country."

  "But who has told you of this sword, my maiden?"

  "My Lord did tell me of it, as I knelt before the altar, ere I cameto Chinon. It is in the church of St. Catherine; and suffer only mygood knight, Jean de Metz, to go and make search for it, and hewill surely bring it hither to me."

  Now I did well remember how, as we knelt in the church at Fierboisin the dimness of the early morn, the Maid had received somemessage, unheard by those beside her; and gladly did I set forthupon mine errand to seek and bring to her this sword.

  When I reached Fierbois, which was in the forenoon of the dayfollowing, the good priests of the church knew nothing of any suchsword; but the fame of the Maid having reached their ears, theywere proud and glad that their church of St. Catherine should behonoured thus, and calling together some workmen, they made carefulsearch, and sure enough, before we had dug deep, the spade struckand clinked against metal, and forth from beneath the altar we drewa sword, once a strong and well-tempered weapon, doubtless, but nowcovered with rust, so that the good priests looked askance at it,and begged to have it to cleanse and polish.

  It was then too late for my return the same day, so I left it tothem, and lodged me in the town, where all the people flocked tohear news of the Maid and of the coming campaign.

  Then in the morning, with the first of the light, the sword wasbrought to me; and surely many persons in Fierbois must have sat upall the night, for every speck of rust had been cleansed away, anda velvet scabbard made or found for the weapon, which the priestsbegged of me to take with it to the Maid as their gift, and withtheir benediction upon it and her.

  My return was awaited with some stir of interest, and before I hadwell dismounted I was hurried, all travel stained as I was, intothe presence of the King. There was the Maid waiting also, calm andserene, and when she saw the thing which I carried in my hands, herface lighted; she took several steps forward, and bent her knee asshe reverently took the sword, as though she received it from someHigher Power.

  "It was even as she said?" questioned the King, quickly.

  "Even so, Sire; the sword of which no man knew aught, was lyingburied beneath the high altar of St. Catherine's Church, inFierbois."

  A murmur of surprise and gratification ran through the assembly.But there was no surprise upon the Maid's face.

  "Did you doubt, Sire?" she asked, and he could not meet the glanceof her clear eyes.