The Life of Joan of Arc Part 88

But suddenly espying the _G.o.dons_ from Venette advancing over the meadowland, they were seized with panic; to the cry of "_Sauve qui peut!_" they broke into one mad rush and in utter rout reached the bank of the Oise. Some threw themselves into boats, others crowded round the bulwark of the Bridge. Thus they attracted the very misfortune they feared. For the English followed so hard on the fugitives that the defenders on the ramparts dared not fire their cannon for fear of striking the French.[2009]

[Footnote 2009: Perceval de Cagny, p. 176. Falconbridge, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 458. Monstrelet. Note concerning G. de Flavy; Lefevre de Saint-Remy, Chastellain, _loc. cit._]

The latter having forced the barrier of the bulwark, the English were about to enter on their heels, cross the bridge and pa.s.s into the town. The captain of Compiegne saw the danger and gave the command to close the town gate. The bridge was raised and the portcullis lowered.[2010]

[Footnote 2010: Note concerning G. de Flavy, _loc. cit._ Du Fresne de Beaucourt, _Jeanne d'Arc et Guillaume de Flavy_ in _Bulletin de la Societe de l'Histoire de France_, vol. iii, 1861, pp. 173 _et seq._ Z.

Rendu, _Jeanne d'Arc et G. de Flavy_, Compiegne, 1865, in 8vo, 32 pp.

A. Sorel, _La prise de Jeanne d'Arc_, p. 209. P. Champion, _Guillaume de Flavy_, appendix i, pp. 282, 286.]

In the meadow, Jeanne still laboured under the heroic delusion of victory. Surrounded by a little band of kinsmen and personal retainers, she was withstanding the Burgundians, and imagining that she would overthrow everything before her.

Her comrades shouted to her: "Strive to regain the town or we are lost."

But her eyes were dazzled by the splendour of angels and archangels, and she made answer: "Hold your peace; it will be your fault if we are discomfited. Think of nought but of attacking them."

And once again she uttered those words which were forever in her mouth: "Go forward! They are ours!"[2011]

[Footnote 2011: Perceval de Cagny, p. 175.]

Her men took her horse by the bridle and forced her to turn towards the town. It was too late; the bulwarks commanding the bridge could not be entered: the English held the head of the causeway. The Maid with her little band was penned into the corner between the side of the bulwark and the embankment of the road. Her a.s.sailants were men of Picardy, who, striking hard and driving away her protectors, succeeded in reaching her.[2012] A bowman pulled her by her cloak of cloth of gold and threw her to the ground. They all surrounded her and together cried:

"Surrender!"

[Footnote 2012: Perceval de Cagny, p. 175. Chastellain, vol. ii, p. 49.

Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 122; vol. iii, p. 207.

Quicherat, _Apercus nouveaux_, p. 87.]

Urged to give her parole, she replied: "I have plighted my word to another, and I shall keep my oath."[2013]

[Footnote 2013: Perceval de Cagny, p. 176.]

One of those who pressed her said that he was of gentle birth. She surrendered to him.

He was an archer, by name Lyonnel, in the company of the b.a.s.t.a.r.d of Wandomme. Deeming that his fortune was made, he appeared more joyful than if he had taken a king.[2014]

[Footnote 2014: Letter from the Duke of Burgundy in _Trial_, vol. v, p.

166. Perceval de Cagny, p. 175. Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 400. Lefevre de Saint-Remy, p. 175. Chastellain, vol. ii, p. 49. Note concerning G.

de Flavy, in _Trial_, vol. v, p. 174. Martial d'Auvergne, _Vigiles_, vol. i, p. 118. P. Champion, _loc. cit._, pp. 46, 49. Lanery d'Arc, _Livre d'Or_, pp. 513-518.]

With the Maid was taken her brother, Pierre d'Arc, Jean d'Aulon, her steward, and Jean d'Aulon's brother, Poton, surnamed the Burgundian.[2015] According to the Burgundians, the French in this engagement lost four hundred fighting men, killed or drowned;[2016] but according to the French most of the foot soldiers were taken up by the boats which were moored near the bank of the Oise.[2017]

[Footnote 2015: Richer, _Histoire ma.n.u.scrite de la Pucelle_, book iv, fol. 188 _et seq._ P. Champion, _loc. cit._ Proofs and ill.u.s.trations, x.x.xiii. Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 388. Note concerning G. de Flavy, _loc. cit._ Letter from the Duke of Burgundy to the inhabitants of Saint-Quentin, _loc. cit._ _Journal d'un bourgeois de Paris_, p. 255.

Falconbridge, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 459.]

[Footnote 2016: According to _Le Journal d'un bourgeois de Paris_, p.

255, four hundred French were killed or drowned.]

[Footnote 2017: Note concerning G. de Flavy, in _Trial_, vol. v, p.

176. Perceval de Cagny, p. 175.]

Had it not been for the archers, cross-bowmen and cannoneers posted at the bridge end by the Sire de Flavy, the bulwark would have been captured. The Burgundians had but twenty wounded and not one slain.[2018] The Maid had not been very vigorously defended.

[Footnote 2018: Letter from the Duke of Burgundy to the inhabitants of Saint-Quentin, in _Trial_, vol. v, p. 166.]

She was disarmed and taken to Margny.[2019] At the tidings that the witch of the Armagnacs had been taken, cries and rejoicings resounded throughout the Burgundian camp. Duke Philip wished to see her. When he drew near to her, there were certain of his clergy and his knighthood who praised his piety, extolled his courage, and wondered that this mighty Duke was not afraid of the sp.a.w.n of h.e.l.l.[2020]

[Footnote 2019: Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 388. Chastellain, vol. ii, p.

50. A. Sorel, _La prise de Jeanne d'Arc_, pp. 253 _et seq._]

[Footnote 2020: Jean Jouffroy, in d'Achery, _Spicilegium_, iii, pp. 823 _et seq._]

In this respect, his knighthood were as valiant as he, for many knights and squires flocked to satisfy this same curiosity. Among them was Messire Enguerrand de Monstrelet, a native of the County of Boulogne, a retainer of the House of Luxembourg, the author of the Chronicles. He heard the words the Duke addressed to the prisoner, and, albeit his calling required a good memory, he forgot them.

Possibly he did not consider them chivalrous enough to be written in his book.[2021]

[Footnote 2021: Monstrelet, vol. iv, p. 388.]

Jeanne remained in the custody of Messire Jean de Luxembourg, to whom she belonged henceforward. The bowman, her captor, had given her up to his captain, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d of Wandomme, who, in his turn, had yielded her to his Master, Messire Jean.[2022]

[Footnote 2022: _Ibid._, p. 389. P. Champion, _loc. cit._, p. 168.]

Branches of the Luxembourg tree extended from the west to the east of Christendom, as far as Bohemia and Hungary; and it had produced six queens, an empress, four kings, and four emperors. A scion of a younger branch of this ill.u.s.trious house and himself a but poorly landed cadet, Jean de Luxembourg, had with great labour won his spurs in the service of the Duke of Burgundy. When he held the Maid to ransom, he was thirty-nine years of age, covered with wounds and one-eyed.[2023]

[Footnote 2023: _La Chronique des cordeliers_, and Monstrelet, _pa.s.sim_. Vallet de Viriville, _Histoire de Charles VII_, vol. ii, pp.

165, 166.]

That very evening from his quarters at Coudun the Duke of Burgundy caused letters to be written to the towns of his dominions telling of the capture of the Maid. "Of this capture shall the fame spread far and wide," is written in the letter to the people of Saint-Quentin; "and there shall be bruited abroad the error and misbelief of all such as have approved and favoured the deeds of this woman."[2024]

[Footnote 2024: _Trial_, vol. v, p. 167. J. Quicherat, _Apercus nouveaux_, p. 95.]

In like manner did the Duke send the tidings to the Duke of Brittany by his herald Lorraine; to the Duke of Savoy and to his good town of Ghent.[2025]

[Footnote 2025: _Trial_, vol. v, p. 358. Le P. Ayroles, _La vraie Jeanne d'Arc_, vol. iii, p. 534. P. Champion, _Guillaume de Flavy_, pp. 169-171.]

The survivors of the company the Maid had taken to Compiegne abandoned the siege, and on the morrow returned to their garrisons. The Lombard Captain, Bartolomeo Baretta, Jeanne's lieutenant, remained in the town with thirty-two men-at-arms, two trumpeters, two pages, forty-eight cross bowmen, and twenty archers or targeteers.[2026]

[Footnote 2026: Note concerning Guillaume de Flavy in _Trial_, vol. v, p. 177. A. Sorel, _La prise de Jeanne d'Arc_, p. 333.]

CHAPTER VIII

THE MAID AT BEAULIEU--THE SHEPHERD OF GeVAUDAN

The tidings that Jeanne was in the hands of the Burgundians reached Paris on the morning of May the 25th.[2027] On the morrow, the 26th, the University sent a summons to Duke Philip requiring him to give up his prisoner to the Vicar-General of the Grand Inquisitor of France.

At the same time, the Vicar-General himself by letter required the redoubtable Duke to bring prisoner before him the young woman suspected of divers crimes savouring of heresy.[2028]

[Footnote 2027: Falconbridge, in _Trial_, vol. iv, p. 458. _Journal d'un bourgeois de Paris_, p. 255. J. Quicherat, _Apercus nouveaux_, p.