than fifteen towns. They subdued the whole ter-
ritory of the Orleanais north of the Loire, as well
as some small places to the south,* necessary in
order to invest the capital of that province, which
might be considered the only boulevard of the
empire of Charles VII.

One half of the royal army, and nearly all the
most courageous captains, t shut themselves up
within the city (we need scarcely remark, that
such was not the post suited to La Trimouille, and
other courtly parasites); where they were nobly
seconded by the brave inhabitants, more enraged
than the generality of the French against their op-
ponents, on account of the assassination of their

* From a variety of historians, we learn that among other places northward, were, Nogent-le-Roi, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Jenville, Mehun-sur-Loire, Beaugenci, Marchenoir, Chartres, Rambouillet, Rochefort, Pethivier, Puiset, Châteauneuf; and to the south, Gergeau, Sully, and La Ferte-Hubert. All the cities upon the river Loire, as far as Blois, and all those of Beauce, except Châteaudun, belonged to the English, says Chartier:

† From the commencement of the siege there were present at
Orleans, Xaintrailles and his brother Guitry, Villars, and La-
chapelle. Gaucourt was governor of the city; but he was in fact
of little service, having broken his arm on the 21st of October,
when on his way to give directions for the defence of the Tour-
nelles.

These captains were joined on the 25th of October, by Dunois,
Saint Severe, Beuil, Chabanes, Chaumont, and La Hire. (See
Tripaut, 4, 5, & 8.)

ancient duke, which still remained unpunished, while the abettor of the crime found protection among the English.

Having brought our Summary, occupying a space of forty-eight years, (from 1380 to 1428,) to the period when the English laid siege to the city of Orleans, we shall now proceed to give some account of Jeanne d'Arc from her birth to the day when she joined the garrison of that city. This we conceive to be required as a preliminary to the introduction of the Diary of the Siege; the raising of which was certainly due to the perseverance and magnanimity of the heroine of our pages.