despatched several of the principal inhabitants to offer their submission to the king. It was also during her stay at St. Denis, that Jeanne d'Arc broke the famous sword which was found in the church of Sainte Catherine de Fierbois over the shoulders of a prostitute: of which circumstance we have given an account in the Notes to the Diary, vol. i. P. 171.

The Parisians, however, did not show any disposition to send a deputation to the king; indeed they seemed to entertain the most loyal sentiments towards the English, and an implacable hatred towards their legitimate monarch. This sentiment

with them, for the purpose of imploring the mercy of God, that he would be pleased to restore the child to life, in order to receive baptism. Happily, after some time spent in prayer, the infant gaped several times and began to move, and its colour returned: it was baptized, and died shortly after. The judges of La Pucelle, men not only unjust, but iniquitous, strove to construe this miracle into a crime, as if she had sought to attribute the deed to her special interference. Jeanne, however, defended herself with great wisdom; stating, in reply, that the act was solely due to the mercy of the Lord, who had favourably listened to the prayers devoutly offered up."— Lenglet, vol. i. pages 119

-121.

The above circumstance was adduced as incontestable evidence against Jeanne d'Arc during her trial; and we merely record it as one of the miraculous tales connected with La Pucelle, leaving the reader to form his own conjectures upon the subject.

was promoted as much as possible by the enemies of Charles, who, among various other tales, made the Parisians believe that it was the king's intention, in the event of his subjugating the capital, to destroy the city, and level the streets with the plough-share. Notwithstanding this inauspicious state of things, the royal forces performed daily skirmishes at the gates of Paris; and the generals at length came to the resolution of attempting an attack of a more serious nature.

Jeanne d'Arc, the duke d'Alençon, and a number of other captains, marched from St. Denis on the 7th September, with a considerable force, to occupy the village of La Chapelle. The following day, which was the festival of the nativity of the Virgin, the artillery being disposed in various directions, a vigorous fire was kept up against the ramparts of the city. The French had brought with them a number of waggons and carts loaded with rubbish, to fill up the moat; and the attack was commenced between the gate St. Honoré and that of St. Denis. The defence of this post had been confided to English troops, who, in the first instance, made the most determined resistance; but they were ultimately forced to give way to the impetuosity of the assailants. The English, therefore, abandoned the gate, and re-entered the place, leaving the besiegers in possession of the barrier and the boulevard. It appears that La Pucelle acted a con

spicuous part in this affair, and signalized herself by proofs of her accustomed valour. She captured the sword of one of the leading combatants of the British army.

Jeanne d'Arc, finding the garrison of Paris so little disposed to defend the city, resolved to assault the place; but she was not aware of the quantity of water which was in the ditches. She caused plenty of rubbish and faggots, however, to be brought, and the whole were precipitated into the fosse, by which means she was enabled to attain the brink of the second moat. She then proceeded to sound the depth of the water with her lance: meanwhile fresh faggots were thrown in as near the walls as possible, and the soldiers displayed a firm resolution to scale the heights. At this juncture the citizens, who were occupied at prayers in the churches, quitted those places of worship in alarm, and hastened to shut themselves up in their houses. La Pucelle, standing erect on the narrow space which separated the two moats, maintained a firm footing amidst a shower of arrows, encouraging the French soldiers, and directing the various operations, while at her side waved her banner, borne by an intrepid warrior. The cries, the menaces, and the opprobrious epithets, lavished upon her by the besieged, did not produce the least impression on her mind. She remained cool and unshaken, crying out incessantly, "Surrender the

city to the king of France!" In this most hazardous situation an arrow at length struck the intrepid heroine, who was grievously wounded: her standardbearer also received an arrow in the leg, and in the act of stooping to extricate the dart, was pierced by a second shaft between the eyes, and dropped dead at her feet. Notwithstanding this event, Jeanne d'Arc would not quit the spot, so eager was she to enter the city, although the night was fast approaching; wherefore the duke d'Alençon was under the necessity of personally requesting her to desist. From every thing we have been able to collect relative to this spirited attack, we should unhesitatingly conclude that the jealousy of many of the leading commanders was displayed towards La Pucelle on this occasion; and that she was by no means efficiently seconded in her daring resolution, which otherwise, in all probability, might have been crowned by success. *

This attempt upon Paris therefore failed, and the French retraced their steps to La Chapelle.

* M. Luchet, at p. 24, adopting his ordinary doubtful mode of speaking in regard to the exploits and miraculous mission of Jeanne d'Arc, thus expresses himself: "La Pucelle continued to follow the army which laid siege to Paris. Our heroine was wounded there by an arrow, which pierced her thigh. The danger to which she was exposed, says the last history of France, led Jeanne to imagine that her merit and warlike actions had

On the following day the army entered Saint Denis, at which place Charles had remained with his arrière-guard.

The event of the preceding evening having completely opened the eyes of Jeanne d'Arc in respect to her secret enemies, she strenuously renewed her entreaties with the king for permission to return to her native plains, and to spend the residue of her days in peaceful obscurity. Fresh representations were, however, made to La Pucelle, which induced her to continue with the army; for the king could not make up his mind to allow the absence of one who produced such enthusiasm in the minds of his followers. When we reflect on the cruel catastrophe that awaited this extraordinary girl, it is impossible to avoid the most painful sensations, since she fell a sacrifice to the petty animosities of those for whose service she had hazarded her life, who nevertheless recompensed her magnanimous conduct with the basest ingratitude and the most cowardly treachery.

Jeanne d'Arc proceeded with the king to those provinces bordering on the Loire, whither it was

raised up envious persons against her. This was being jealous of Heaven itself, for the mere thought of its special protection should have cancelled all idea of rivalship: she was, in consequence, desirous of retiring, but, unfortunately, that wise resolution was prevented."