The Life of Joan of Arc Part 29

[Footnote 667: _Ibid._, p. 219. _Chronique de la Pucelle_, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 205. Mathieu Thoma.s.sin, _ibid._, p. 304. _Chronique de Lorraine_, _ibid._, p. 330. Philippe de Bergame, _ibid._, p. 523.]

[Footnote 668: _Relation du greffier de La Roch.e.l.le_, in the _Revue historique_, vol. iv, p. 336.]

[Footnote 669: St. Paul, Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Labbe, _Collection des conciles_, vol. vii, p. 978. Saumaise, _Epistola ad Andream Colvium super cap. xi, I ad Corynth. de caesarie virorum et mulierum coma_. Lugd-Batavor ex off. Elz. 1644, in 12mo. _Quelques notes d'archeologie sur la chevelure feminine_, in _Comptes rendus de l'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres_, 1888, vol. xvi, pp.

419, 425.]

[Footnote 670: _Trial_, vol. i, p. 75; vol. iii, pp. 17, 92, 115. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 67. _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p.

273. _Journal du siege_, p. 46.]

Afterwards there were those who marvelled that she should have recognised him in the midst of n.o.bles more magnificently dressed than he. It is possible that on that day he may have been poorly attired.

We know that it was his custom to have new sleeves put to his old doublets.[671] And in any case he did not show off his clothes. Very ugly, knock-kneed, with emaciated thighs, small, odd, blinking eyes, and a large bulbous nose, on his bony, bandy legs tottered and trembled this prince of twenty-six.[672]

[Footnote 671: De Beaucourt, _Histoire de Charles VII_, vol. ii, p.

195.]

[Footnote 672: Th. Basin, vol. i, p. 312. Chastellain, vol. ii, p.

178. _Portrait historique du roi Charles VII_, by Henri Baude, published by Vallet de Viriville in _Nouvelles recherches sur Henri Baude_, p. 6. De Beaucourt, _Histoire de Charles VII_, p. 83.]

That Jeanne should have seen his picture already and recognised him by it is hardly likely. Portraits of princes were rare in those days.

Jeanne had never handled one of those precious books in which King Charles may have been painted in miniature as one of the Magi offering gifts to the Child Jesus.[673] It was not likely that she had ever seen one of those figures painted on wood in the semblance of her King, with hands clasped, beneath the curtains of his oratory.[674]

And if by chance some one had shown her one of these portraits her untrained eyes could have discerned but little therein. Neither need we inquire whether the people of Chinon had described to her the costume the King usually wore and the shape of his hat: for like every one else he kept his hat on indoors even at dinner. What is most probable is that those who were kindly disposed towards her pointed out the King. At any rate he was not difficult to distinguish, since those who saw her go up to him were in no wise astonished.

[Footnote 673: As in the miniature painted by Jean Fouquet, more than ten years later. Gruyer, _Les Quarante Fouquet de Chantilly_, Paris, 1897, in 4to.]

[Footnote 674: _Note sur un ancien portrait de Charles VII, conserve au Louvre_, in the _Bulletin de la Societe des Antiquaires de France_, 1862, pp. 67 _et seq._]

When she had made her rustic curtsey, the King asked her name and what she wanted. She replied: "Fair Dauphin, my name is Jeanne the Maid; and the King of Heaven speaks unto you by me and says that you shall be anointed and crowned at Reims, and be lieutenant of the King of Heaven, who is King of France." She asked to be set about her work, promising to raise the siege of Orleans.[675]

[Footnote 675: _Trial_, vol. ii, p. 103. _Relation du greffier de La Roch.e.l.le_, p. 337. _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 273. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, pp. 67, 68.]

The King took her apart and questioned her for some time. By nature he was gentle, kind to the poor and lowly, but not devoid of mistrust and suspicion.

It is said that during this private conversation, addressing him with the familiarity of an angel, she made him this strange announcement: "My Lord bids me say unto thee that thou art indeed the heir of France and the son of a King; he has sent me to thee to lead thee to Reims to be crowned there and anointed if thou wilt."[676] Afterwards the Maid's chaplain reported these words, saying he had received them from the Maid herself. All that is certain is that the Armagnacs were not slow to turn them into a miracle in favour of the Line of the Lilies. It was a.s.serted that these words spoken by G.o.d himself, by the mouth of an innocent girl, were a reply to the carking, secret anxiety of the King. Madame Ysabeau's son, it was said, distracted and saddened by the thought that perhaps the royal blood did not flow in his veins, was ready to renounce his kingdom and declare himself a usurper, unless by some heavenly light his doubts concerning his birth should be dispelled.[677] Men told how his face shone with joy[678]

when it was revealed to him that he was the true heir of France.

[Footnote 676: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 103 (evidence of Brother Pasquerel).]

[Footnote 677: The Abridger of the _Trial_, in _Trial_, vol. iv, pp.

258, 259. Basin, _Histoire de Charles VII et de Louis XI_, vol. i, p.

67. _Journal du siege_, p. 48.]

[Footnote 678: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 116 (evidence of S. Charles). S.

Luce, _Jeanne d'Arc a Domremy_, p. lxi.]

Doubtless the Armagnac preachers were in the habit of speaking of Queen Ysabeau as "_une grande gorre_" and a Herodias of licentiousness; but one would like to know whence her son derived his curious misgiving. He had not manifested it on entering into his inheritance; and, had occasion required, the jurists of his party would have proved to him by reasons derived from laws and customs that he was by birth the true heir and the lawful successor of the late King; for filiation must be proved not by what is hidden, but by what is manifest, otherwise it would be impossible to a.s.sign the legal heir to a kingdom or to an acre of land. Nevertheless it must be borne in mind that the King was very unfortunate at this time. Now misfortune agitates the conscience and raises scruples; and he might well doubt the justice of his cause since G.o.d was forsaking him. But if he were indeed a.s.sailed by painful doubts, how can he have been relieved from them by the words of a damsel who, as far as he then knew, might be mad or sent to him by his enemies? It is hard to reconcile such credulity with what we know of his suspicious nature. The first thought that occurred to him must have been that ecclesiastics had instructed the damsel.

A few moments after he had dismissed her, he a.s.sembled the Sire de Gaucourt and certain other members of his Council and repeated to them what he had just heard: "She told me that G.o.d had sent her to aid me to recover my kingdom."[679] He did not add that she had revealed to him a secret known to himself alone.[680]

[Footnote 679: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 17, 209. As early as April the promised deliverance of Orleans and coronation at Reims had been heard of at Lyons (_Trial_, vol. iv, p. 426).]

[Footnote 680: Pasquerel alone of the witnesses mentions this (_Trial_, vol. iii, p. 103). Cf. the anecdote of the Sire de Boissy related by P. Sala in his collection, _Les hardiesses des grands rois et empereurs_ (_Trial_, vol. iv, p. 278).]

The King's Counsellors, knowing little of the damsel, decided that they must have her before them to examine her concerning her life and her belief.[681]

[Footnote 681: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 209.]

The Sire de Gaucourt took her from the inn and lodged her in a tower of that Castle of Coudray, which for the last three days she had seen dominating the town.[682] One of the three castles, Le Coudray was only separated from the middle chateau in which the King dwelt by a moat and fortifications.[683] The Sire de Gaucourt confided her to the care of the lieutenant of the Town of Chinon, Guillaume Bellier, the King's Major Domo.[684] He gave her for her servant one of his own pages, a child of fifteen, Immerguet, sometimes called Minguet, and sometimes Mugot. His real name was Louis de Coutes, and he came of an old warrior family which had been in the service of the house of Orleans for a century. His father, Jean, called Minguet, Lord of Fresnay-le-Gelmert, of la Gadeliere and of Mitry, Chamberlain to the Duke of Orleans, had died in great poverty the year before. He had left a widow and five children, three boys and two girls, one of whom, Jeanne by name, had since 1421 been the wife of Messire Florentin d'Illiers, Governor of Chateaudun. Thus the little page, Louis de Coutes, and his mother, Catherine le Mercier, Dame de Noviant, who came of a n.o.ble Scottish family, were both in a state of penury, albeit the Duke of Orleans in acknowledgment of his Chamberlain's faithful services had from his purse granted aid to the Lady of Noviant.[685] Jeanne kept Minguet with her all day, but at night she slept with the women.

[Footnote 682: _Ibid._, p. 66.]

[Footnote 683: G. de Cougny, _Charles VII et Jeanne d'Arc a Chinon_, Tours, 1877, p. 40.]

[Footnote 684: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 17.]

[Footnote 685: _Ibid._, pp. 65, 73. Mademoiselle A. de Villaret, _Louis de Coutes, page de Jeanne d'Arc_, Orleans, 1890, in 8vo.]

The wife of Guillaume Bellier, who was good and pious, at least so it was said, watched over her.[686] At Coudray the page saw her many a time on her knees. She prayed and often wept many tears.[687] For several days persons of high estate came to speak with her. They found her dressed as a boy.[688]

[Footnote 686: _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 17.]

[Footnote 687: _Ibid._, p. 66.]

[Footnote 688: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, pp. 274 _et seq._ Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, p. 68.]

Since she had been with the King, divers persons asked her whether there were not in her country a wood called "Le Bois-Chenu."[689] This question was put to her because a prophecy of Merlin concerning a maid who should come from "Le Bois-Chenu" was then in circulation. And folk were impressed by it; for in those days every one gave heed to prophecies and especially to those of Merlin the Magician.[690]

[Footnote 689: _Trial_, vol. i, p. 68.]

[Footnote 690: _Ibid._, vol. iii, pp. 133, 340. Thoma.s.sin, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 395. Walter Bower, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 489. Christine de Pisan, in _Trial_, vol. v, p. 12. La Borderie, _Les veritables propheties de Merlin, examen des poemes bretons attribues a ce barde_, in the _Revue de Bretagne_, 1883, vol. liii.]

Begotten of a woman by the Devil, it was from him that Merlin derived his profound wisdom. To the science of numbers, which is the key to the future, he added a knowledge of physics, by means of which he worked his enchantments. Thus it was easy for him to transform rocks into giants. And yet he was conquered by a woman; the fairy Vivien enchanted the enchanter and kept him in a hawthorn bush under a spell.

This is only one of many examples of the power of women.

Famous doctors and ill.u.s.trious masters held that Merlin had laid bare many future events and prophesied many things which had not yet happened. To such as were amazed that the son of the Devil should have received the gift of prophecy they replied that the Holy Ghost is able to reveal his secrets to whomsoever he pleases, for had he not caused the Sibyls to speak, and opened the mouth of Balaam's a.s.s?

Merlin had seen in a vision Sire Bertrand du Guesclin in the guise of a warrior bearing an eagle on his s.h.i.+eld. This was remembered after the Constable had wrought his great deeds.[691]

[Footnote 691: Cuvelier, _Le poeme de Du Guesclin_, l. 3285.

Francisque-Michel and Th. Wright, _Vie de Merlin attribuee a Geoffroy de Monmouth, suivie des propheties de ce barde tirees de l'histoire des Bretons_, Paris, 1837, in 8vo, pp. 67 _et seq._ La Villemarque, _Myrdhin ou Merlin l'Enchanteur, son histoire, ses oeuvres, son influence_, n. ed., Paris, 1862, in 12mo. D'Arbois de Jubainville, _Merlin est-il un personnage reel?_ in the _Revue des questions historiques_, 1868, pp. 559-568. Lefevre-Pontalis, _Morosini_, vol.

iv, supplement xvi. "[Geoffrey of Monmouth] represented Merlin as having prophesied all the events of the history of Britain until the year 1135 in which he wrote. The _Historia Regum_ was very popular in the ecclesiastical world. Its legends were held to be facts. The exactness with which its prognostications had been fulfilled down to 1135 was marvelled at, and an attempt was made to interpret the prophecies relating to subsequent times." Gaston Paris, _La litterature francaise au moyen age_, 1890, pp. 86-104.]

In the prophecies of this Wise Man the English believed no less firmly than the French. When Arthur of Brittany, Count of Richemont, was taken prisoner, held to ransom, and brought before King Henry, the latter, when he perceived a boar on the arms of the Duke, broke forth into rejoicing; for he called to mind the words of Merlin who had said, "A Prince of Armorica, called Arthur, with a boar for his crest, shall conquer England, and when he shall have made an end of the English folk he shall re-people the land with a Breton race."[692]

[Footnote 692: Le Baud, _Histoire de Bretagne_, Paris, 1638, in fol., p. 451.]

Now during the Lent of 1429 there was circulated among the Armagnacs this prophecy, taken from a book of the prophecies of Merlin: "From the town of the Bois-Chenu there shall come forth a maid for the healing of the nation. When she hath stormed every citadel, with her breath she shall dry up all the springs. Bitter tears shall she shed and fill the Island with a terrible noise. Then shall she be slain by the stag with ten antlers, of which six branches shall bear crowns of gold, and the other six shall be changed into the horns of oxen; and with a horrible sound they shall shake the Isles of Britain. The forest of Denmark shall rise up and with a human voice say: 'Come, Cambria, and take Cornwall unto thyself.'"[693]

[Footnote 693: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 340-342.]