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as palliatives for the conduct of the king and his government, the customs and prejudices of the times: the judgment of posterity has been decidedly passed. The cruel treatment of Jeanne d'Arc must ever be considered as an indelible stain on the memory of that prince whose reign was rendered illustrious by her exploits; from which alone he acquired the title of Charles the Victorious.

The English, in reality, acquired no benefit from the death of La Pucelle, having been irrecoverably defeated before Orleans, and quite disheartened by the king's coronation at Rheims. The French con

and a half were suffered to transpire from the capture of Jeanne before her delivery into the hands of the bishop of Beauvais. But in order to cut short every other consideration, where is a solitary proof to be found of Charles having sought to redeem the brave captive, or to rescue her from the stake? There is not a single instance of the kind on record; and yet every historian would have eagerly sought the opportunity of extolling any such act undertaken by the monarch and his council, had he adopted even the most trivial measure to accomplish an end so truly desirable.

This may be adduced as a further proof of the good faith displayed throughout by La Pucelle. Had she been tutored by the court to perform the part she played, would not all means have been resorted to for her preservation? would there not have been good cause to apprehend that, either from a justifiable resentment at finding herself betrayed, or with the hope of escaping the fire, she would have unmasked all that had transpired? and how advantageous must such an avowal have proved to the English! On the contrary, from every statement it appears she was uniform in pronouncing eulogies on the king.

tinued to march forward in the career of victory opened to them by the deeds of the brave maid of Domremy. They chased their enemies from France, after subjecting them to immense losses both of men and money.

After the death of Jeanne d'Arc, the English government being already aware of the great injustice of the act, vainly endeavoured to reap the advantages they had anticipated from it. The enemies of the unhappy girl flattered themselves with a hope of convincing foreigners, as well as the French nation, that her condemnation was justifiable, and thus to anticipate the fatal effects which this most iniquitous judgment could not fail to produce on public opinion. The English were also anxious that Charles VII. should wear the reproach of having employed criminal means to establish himself upon the throne. To this intent the ministers of the youthful English monarch caused two letters to be addressed in his name; one in Latin, bearing date the 8th June, 1431, to the emperor, the kings, princes, and dukes of Christendom; and the other in French, of the 28th June, in the same year, to the duke of Burgundy, the prelates, churches, courts, nobles, and cities of the kingdom of France. The first contains merely an empty declamation concerning the danger of erroneous doctrines and false prophets; the second is of greater importance, and may be regarded as a real manifesto, issued for the purpose of exculpating the

judges and the English government; which will therefore be found at length in the subjoined note.*

* Letter from the King of England to the Duke of Burgundy, &c. &c. &c.

"MOST DEAR AND WELL-BELOVED UNCLE,

"The very fervent love we know you to bear, as a true Catholic, to our holy mother the church, and your zeal for the exaltation of the faith, induces us to signify to you by writing, that in honour of the above, an act has lately taken place at Rouen, which will tend, as we hope, to the strengthening of the Catholic faith and the extirpation of pestilential heresies.

"It is well known, from common report and otherwise, that the woman erroneously called the Maid, has, for upwards of two years, contrary to the divine law, and to the decency becoming her sex, worn the dress of a man, a thing abominable before God; and in this state she joined our adversary and yours, giving him, as well as those of his party, churchmen and nobles, to understand that she was sent as a messenger from Heaven; and presumptuously vaunting that she had personal and visible communications with St. Michael, and with a multitude of angels and saints in Paradise, such as St. Catherine and St. Margaret. By these falsehoods, and by promising future victories, she has estranged the minds of persons of both sexes from the truth, and induced them to the belief of dangerous errors.

"She clothed herself in armour also, assisted by knights and squires, and raised a banner, on which, through excess of pride and presumption, she demanded to bear the noble and excellent arms of France, which in part she obtained. These she displayed at many conflicts and sieges; and they consisted of a shield having two flower-de-luces or on a field azure, with a pointed sword surmounted with a crown proper.

"In this state she took the field with large companies of men

The bishop of Beauvais could not conceal, even from his own reflection, the flagrant injustice and in

at-arms and archers, to exercise her inhuman cruelties by shedding Christian blood, and stirring up seditions and rebellions of the common people. She encouraged perjuries, superstitions, and false doctrines, by permitting herself to be reverenced and honoured as a holy woman, and in various other manners that would be too long to detail, but which have greatly scandalized all Christendom wherever they have been known.

"But divine mercy having taken pity on a loyal people, and being no longer willing to suffer them to remain under such vain errors and credulities, permitted that this woman should be made prisoner by your army when besieging Compiegne, and through your affection she was transferred to our power.

"On this being known, she was claimed by the bishop in whose diocese she was taken; and as she had been guilty of the highest treason to the Divine Majesty, we delivered her up to be tried and punished by the usual ecclesiastical judges, not only from respect to our holy mother the church, whose ordinances we shall ever prefer to our own, but also for the exaltation of our faith.

"We were unwilling that the officers of our secular justice should take cognizance of the crime, although it was perfectly lawful for us so to do, considering the great mischiefs, murders, and detestable cruelties, she has committed against our sovereignty, and on a loyal, obedient people.

"The bishop having called to his aid in this matter the vicar of the inquisitor of errors and heresies in the faith, with many able doctors in theology and in the canon law, commenced, with much solemnity and gravity, the trial of the said Joan. After these judges had for several days interrogated her on her crimes, and had maturely considered her confessions and answers, they sent them for the opinion of our beloved daughter, the University of

famy of the judgment he had pronounced. He was well aware that every rule and form of justice had

Paris; when they all determined that this Joan was superstitious, a sorceress of the devil, a blasphemer of God and of his saints, a schismatic, and guilty of many errors against the faith of Jesus Christ.

"To recall her to the universal faith of our holy church, to purge her from her pernicious errors, and to save her soul from perpetual damnation, and to induce her to return to the way of truth, she was long and frequently charitably preached to; but that dangerous aud obstinate spirit of pride and presumption, which is always endeavouring to prevent the unity and safety of Christians, held the said Joan so fast bound, that no arguments nor exhortations could soften the hardness of her heart; so that she boasted that all which she had done was meritorious, and that it had been done by the command of God, and the aforesaid holy virgins, who had personally appeared to her. But what was worse, she refused to acknowledge any power on earth but God and his saints, denying the authority of our holy father the pope, and of the general councils of the universal church militant.

"The ecclesiastical judges, witnessing her obstinacy and hardness of heart, had her brought forth before the people, who, with the clergy, were assembled in great numbers, when she was again preached to by an able divine. Having been plainly warned of the doctrines of our holy religion, and the consequences of heresies and erroneous opinions concerning it to the welfare of mankind, she was charitably admonished to make her peace with the church, and renounce her errors; but she remained as obstinate as before.

"The judges having considered her conduct, proceeded to pronounce sentence upon her, according to the heinousness of her crimes; but before it was read, her courage seemed to fail her, and she said she was willing to return to the church. This was

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