(b) Jeanne’s prescience of her wound at Orleans. This is quite another matter. Here we have evidence, written in a letter a fortnight before the event, that she would be wounded in battle before Orleans though she would not lose her lifefn18 (ed quod ipsa ante Aureliam in conflictu telo vulnerabitur, sed inde non morietur). We have also the subsequent evidence of Paquerel, her confessor, to the effect that she told him over-night she would be wounded on the morrow, and that blood would flow from her body above the breast.fn19 This is certainly not as convincing as, though far more precise than, the evidence of the letter, but in the circumstances it may be accepted as a corroboration, of her foreknowledge. On the other hand, it may be argued that Jeanne thought it extremely likely that she would receive a wound at Orleans; it was the first time she ever went into battle, and she perhaps naturally felt some apprehension (in other words, was frightened), which her belief in her heavenly mission immediately qualified: ‘I shall be hurt, but I shall not die.’ How, indeed, could the appointed saviour of France lose her life at the very outset of her career? Such an idea was a contradiction in terms. It was natural that she should anticipate a wound; it was equally natural, Jeanne being what she was, that she would refuse to anticipate that wound as mortal. Without undue scepticism, we may suggest that this prophecy had its origin in likelihood rather than in supernatural instruction. Stilt, the fact remains that it was recorded a fortnight before the event. We cannot evade that fact, and it must remain as our most authentic example of her gift of prophecy. (See Chapter 10, here).
The other prophecies – that the siege of Orleans would be raised, the English driven from France, the Dauphin crowned at Reims, Paris restored to obedience, and the Duke of Orleans delivered from captivity – may be regarded as the confident expression of a wish rather than as in the nature of knowledge of the future. In point of fact, only two of these prophecies were fulfilled during Jeanne’s lifetime – the raising of the siege, and the coronation at Reims – though, according to the Dulce of Alençon, Jeanne always spoke as though they were all to be accomplished before her death.fn20 Again according to d’Alençon, she was in the habit of saying that she would last a year only, or not much longer – a prophecy which came only too tragically true, although she went wrong in believing that all her tasks would be carried out during the one year of her activity.
The words addressed to the man who insulted her at the entrance to Chinon (see Chapter 7. here) can scarcely be taken as anything but a coincidence. They cannot rank as prophecy. What, exactly, did Jeanne say? She said, ‘You deny God, and you so near to your death!’ To Jeanne, bringing not peace, but a sword, any man-at-arms was a man near to his death. It was a remark she might have addressed to any irreverent soldier, and possibly did address to many whom she heard using oaths distasteful to her; only, in this case, the man happened to get drowned before he could get killed in battle, and the pious Paquerd recorded her words with gusto as an example of her divme inspiration.
With the warning of her impending captivity, given to her at Melun (see Chapter 13, here), we cannot deal here, since it comes under the general heading of revelations made by the voices. We must not, however, forget the incident of the King’s prayer (see Chapter 7, here), which, if we accept the report of the Abbréviateur du Procès, and others, as true, is explicable only by assuming telepathy or thought-reading. The ‘miracles,’ properly speaking, thus do not appear to amount to very much. The real miracle was the whole career, not a tew isolated incidents.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
The Hundred Years’ War begins 1337
Kings of England:
Edward III 1327–1377
Richard II 1377–1399
Henry IV 1399–1413
Henry V 1413–1422 Aug. 31st
Henry VI., b. 1421, succeeded aged nine months 1422–1461 (died 1471)
Kings of France:
Charles V 1364–1380
Charles VI 1380–1422 Oct. 21st
Charles VII 1422–1461 July 22nd
BIRTH OF JEANNE D’ ARC 1412 Jan. 6th probably
The Treaty of Troyes 1420
Jeanne first hears the voices 1424 Midsummer probably
First visit to Vaucouleurs 1428 May
Flight to Neufchâteau 1428 July
Second visit to Vaucouleurs 1429 Jan.–Feb.
Expedition to Nancy 1429 Feb.
(Battle of Rouvray, or Battle of the Herrings) 1429 Feb. 12th
Jeanne leaves Vaucouleurs for Chinon 1429 Feb. 23rd
At St Urbain 1429 Feb. 24th
At Auxerre 1429 Feb. 27th (approx.)
At Gien 1429 March 1st (approx.)
At St Catherine de Fierbois 1429 March 4th–5th
Arrival at Chinon 1429 March 6th
Received by the Dauphin 1429 March 9th (approx.)
At Chinon, Poitiers, Tours, and Blois 1429 March–April
Leaves Blois for Orleans 1429 April 25th
Arrival before Orleans 1429 April 28th
The night spent at Chécy 1429 April 28th–29th
Enters Orleans 1429 April 29th
At Orleans 1429 April 29th–May 10th
Journée des Tourelles 1429 May 7th
The siege raised 1429 May 8th
Departure from Orleans 1429 May 10th
At Tours 1429 May 10th–11th
At Loches 1429 ? May 12th–23rd
At or near Selles en Berri 1429 ? May 24th–June 6th
At Romorantin 1429 June 6th
At Orleans 1429 ? June 9th–10th
Capture of Jargeau 1429 June 11th–12th
At Orleans 1429 June 13th–14th
At Meung–sur–Loire 1429 June 15th
Capture of Beaugency 1429 June 16th–17th
Between Beaugency and Meung 1429 June 17th
Battle of Patay 1429 June 18th
At Orleans, Sully, St Benoit, and Châteuneuf 1429 June 19th–24th
At Gien 1429 June 24th–27th
In camp in the fields 1429 ? June 27th–29th
On the way to Reims 1429 June 30th
Before Auxerre 1429 July 1st, 2nd or 3rd
At St Florentin 1429 July 4th
At St Phal 1429 July 5th
Before Troyes 1429 July 5th–11th
Entry into Troyes 1429 ? July 5th–12th
At Bussy–Lettré 1429 July 13th–14th
At Châlons–sur–Mame 1429 July 14th–15th
At Sept–Saulx 1429 July 16th
At Reims 1429 July 16th–21st
Charles VII crowned 1429 July 17th
Charles VII and Jeanne leave Reims 1429 July 21st
At Cerbeuy (St Marcoul) 1429 July 21st
At Vailly 1429 July 22nd
At Soissons 1429 July 23rd–28th
At Château–Thierry 1429 July 29th
At Montmirail–en–Brie 1429 Aug. 1st
At Provins (Nangis, Bray) 1429 Aug. 2nd–5th
At Coulommiers and Château–Thierry 1429 Aug. 7th
At La Fetté Milon 1429 Aug. 10th
At Crépy–en–Valois 1429 Aug. 11th
At Lagny–le–Sec 1429 Aug. 12th
At Dammartin and Thieux 1429 Aug. 13th
At Baron and Montepilloy 1429 Aug. 14th
Battle of Montepilloy 1429 Aug. 14th–15th
At Crépy–en–Valois 1429 Aug. 16th–17th
At Compiègne 1429 Aug. 18th–23rd
At St Denis and La Chapelle 1429 Aug. 26th–Sept. 8th
Attack on Paris (Jeanne wounded) 1429 Sept. 8th
La Chapelle and St Denis 1429 Sept. 9th
At St Denis 1429 Sept. 10th and 13th
Departure from St Denis for the Loire 1429 Sept. 13th
Lagny, Provins, Bray, Sens, Courtenay, Châteaurenard, Montargis, Gien 1429 Sept. 14th–21st
Meung–sur–Yèvre, Bourges 1429 October
St Pierre–le–Moutier 1429 Oct. and Nov.
Moulins 1429 Nov. 9th
Attack on La Charité–sur–Loire 1429 Nov. 24th
Meung
–sur–Yèvre 1429 Dec.
Orleans 1429 Dec. 19th
Jargeau? 1429 ?Dec. 25th
Jeanne’s family ennobled, with surname du Lys 1429 Dec. 29th
Sully 1430 March 3rd–28th
Leaves Sully 1430 March or April
Lagny – Battle of Lagny 1430 April
Melun 1430 April 17th–23rd
Senlis, Compiègne, Berenglise near Elincourt, Ste Marguerite, Soissons, Crépy–en–Valois 1430 April
Compiègne and Pont l’Evêque 1430 May 14th–15th
Soissons 1430 ? May 18th
Crépy–en–V alois 1430 ? May 19th
Leaves Crépy–en–Valois 1430 May 22nd–midnight
Compiègne and assault on Margny; Jeanne taken prisoner 1430 May 23rd
Clairoix 1430 May 23rd–25th
At Beaulieu, a prisoner 1430 ? May, June, July
Beaurevoir 1430 ? Mid–July–mid–Nov.
Arras, St Riquier, Drugy, Le Crotoy 1430 Nov.
St Valéry, Eu, Dieppe, Rouen 1430 Dec.
Prisoner in a tower of castle of Phillipe Auguste, Rouen 1430 Dec. 25th ? to May 30th, 1431
Delivered to the Inquisition and the Church by the English 1431 Jan. 3rd
Trial begun 1431 Jan. 9th
The recantation 1431 May 24th
Burnt at the stake 1431 May 30th
Examination of witnesses for the rehabilitation begins, under the direction of Guillaume Bouillé 1450
Resumed under Cardinal d’Estouteville, Bishop of Digne, and Jean Bréhal, Inquisitor of France 1452
Continued by order of Pope Calixtus III 1455–1456
The sentence revoked by Pope Calixtus III 1456 July
Formal proposal entered for canonisation 1903 February
Pope Pius X gives her the title of Venerable 1904 January
Decree of beatification 1909 April 11th
Canonised by Pope Benedict XV 1920 May 16th
A SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. THE TRIAL:
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Procès de condamnation et de réhabilitation de Jeanne d’Arc. JULES QUICHERAT. 5 volumes. (Jules Renouard et Cie, 1861.)
This is the standard work, and is referred to as Procès in my footnotes throughout. It is out of print and not easily obtainable.
Procès de condamnation de Jeanne d’Arc. PIERRE CHAMPION. 2 volumes. (Honoré et Edouard Champion, 1921.)
The first volume gives the Latin text; the second, an introduction, a French translation of the Latin text, and many notes.
Procès de condamnation de Jeanne d’Arc. M VALLET DE VIRIVILLE. 1 volume. (Firmin Didot frères, 1867.)
A French translation, with notes.
Jeanne d’Arc, Maid of Orléans. DOUGLAS MURRAY. I volume. (Heinemann, 1902.) Out of print.
An English translation, with a short but interesting introduction.
Procès de rehabilitation de Jeanne d’Arc. JOSEPH FABRE. 2 volumes. (Dela-grave, 1888.) Out of print.
A French translation of the evidence of the witnesses. Not as reliable or accurate as it might be, but is the only complete one I know of.
Les deux Procès de condamnation, les enquêtes et la sentence de réhabilitation de Jeanne d’Arc. E. O’REILLY. 2 volumes. (Pilon. 1868).
A French translation with an introduction and notes. Confusing.
Chronique de la Pucelle, Geste des Nobles, and Chronique normande. M VALLET DE VIRIVILLE. 1 volume. (Garnier frères.)
La vraie Jeanne d’Arc.J.-B.J. AYROLES, S.J. 5 volumes. (1890–1902.)
(1) ‘La Pucelle devant l’église de son temps.’
(2) ‘La paysanne et l’inspirée.’
(3) ‘La libératrice.’
(4) ‘La vierge-guerrière.’
(5) ‘La martyre.’
An immense, unreliable, and almost hysterically prejudiced work.
II. LIVES OF JEANNE D’ARC
The Maid of France. ANDREW LANG. 1 volume. (Longmans, Green & Co., 1908.)
Accurate and reliable as to facts and references; readable. Agreement with Lang’s opinions must remain a matter of personal taste. Inclines to be sentimental and picturesque. On the whole, the best English biography of Jeanne.
Vie de Jeanne d’Arc. ANATOLE FRANCE. 2 volumes. (Calmann-Levy, 1908.)
A controversial, brilliant work, which may infuriate, but can never bore, the reader. References as to sources of information unbelievably inaccurate: mistrust them all.
Joan of Arc. MILTON WALDMAN. 1 volume. (Longmans, Green & Co., 1935.)
The most recent biography in English. I am unable to comment on this book, which appeared while I was writing my own, so that I refrained from reading it.
Joan of Arc and England. JOHN LAMOND. 1 volume. (Rider & Co.)
Joan of Arc. GRACE JAMES. 1 volume. (Methuen.)
St Joan of Arc. CHANOINE JUSTIN ROUSSEIL, translated by the REV JOSEPH MURPHY, S.J. 1 volume. (Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1925.)
Joan of Arc. A. BIGELOW PAINE. 2 volumes. (Macmillan, New York, 1925.)
Jeanne d’Arc. MRS OLIPHANT. 1 volume. (Putnam, New York, 1896.)
Joan of Arc. HILAIRE BELLOC. 1 volume.
Jeanne d’Arc. GABRIEL HANOTAUX, 1 volume. (1911.)
Joan of Arc. FRANCIS C. LOWELL. I volume. (Boston, I896.)
Jeanne d’Arc. H. WALLON. 2 volumes. (I860.)
The Maid of Orléans. REV F. WYNDHAM. 1 volume. (1894.)
Joan of Arc and the Recovery of France. ALICE BUCHAN. (Hodder and Stoughton, 1947.)
III. SPECIAL STUDIES
Jeanne d’Arc à Domremy. SIMÉON LUCE. I volume. (Champion, 1886.)
Indispensable; scholarly; interesting.
Aperçus nouveaux sur Jeanne d’Arc. JULES QUICHERAT. 1 volume. (Renouard, 1856.)
Various essays, all interesting, by Jeanne’s most scholarly and incisive historian.
La première étape de Jeanne d’Arc. MARQUIS DE PIMODAN. 1 volume. (Champion, 1890, or thereabouts.)
A detailed study of the route followed by Jeanne and her companions on the first night of their journey to Chinon, from Vaucouleurs to St Urbain.
Jeanne d’Arc écuyère. L. CHAMPION. 1 volume. (Berger-Levrault, 1901.)
A disappointing book on an interesting subject; contains some useful facts.
The France of Joan of Arc. LT-COL ANDREW HAGGARD. 1 volume. (Stanley Paul.)
For Joan of Arc. Essays by MARSHAL FOCH and others. I volume. (Sheed & Ward, 1930.)
‘The Voices of Joan of Arc.’ ANDREW LANG. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol. XI, pp. 198–212.
‘The Dæmon of Socrates.’ FREDERIC MYERS. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol. V, Part XIV, p. 522. (1899.)
Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death. FREDERIC MYERS. (Longmans, Green & Co., 1920.)
Post-mortem. C. MACLAURIN. Includes an essay on Jeanne. (Cape.)
L’heroisme de la bienheureuse Jeanne d’Arc. REV F. M. WYNDHAM. 1 volume. (1914.)
‘Blessed Joan of Arc in English Opinion.’ REV HERBERT THURSTON, S.J. Essay in The Month, May 1909.
‘A Rationalised Joan of Arc.’ REV. HERBERT THURSTON, S. J. Review of Anatole France in The Month, July 1908.
Some Inexactitudes of Mr G. G. Coulton. REV HENBERT THURSTON, S.J. 1 volume. (Sheed & Ward, 1927.)
Le secret de Jeanned’Arc. JACOBY. 1 volume. (Champion, 1932.)
An attempt to prove that Jeanne was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Orléans and Isabeau de Bavière.
Jeanne d’Arc medium. LEON DENIS. 1 volume. Jean Meyer, 1926.)
HISTORICAL
Histoire de Charles VII. G. DU FRESNE DE BEAUCOURT. 6 volumes. (Société bibliographique, 1881.)
A detailed work; in essence an attempt to whitewash Charles VII.
Histoirede Charles VII. M VALLETDE VIRIVILLE. Vol. IV. (1861–5.)
Les Lorrains et la France au Moyen Age. COMTE MAURICE DE PANGE. I volume (Champion.)
The Close of the Middle Ages. R. LODGE. I volume. (1901.)
Histoire du siége d’Orléans. J. B. M. JOLLOIS. I volume. (1833.) Out of print; rare.
Louis d’Orléans. F. D. S. DARWIN. I volume. (John Murray, 1936.)
House of Orléans. M. CORYN. 1 volume. (Barker, 1936.)
Jeanne d’Arc. J. MICHELET. 1 volume.
La France pendant la guerre de cent ans. SIMÉON LUCE. (1890.)
Guillaume de Flavy. PIERRE CHAMPION. (1906.)
TOPOGRAPHICAL
Sainte Catherine de Fierbois. CHANOINE HENRI BAS and L‘ABBÉ CHARLES PICHON. I volume. (Tours, I920.)
Chinon. EUGENE PEPIN. I volume. (Laurens.)
Histoire et description de Notre Dame de Reims. CH. CERF. 2 volumes. (Reims, 1861.)
INDEX
References in the Appendices are not included in the Index Authorities and witnesses quoted in the footnotes for reference are not included in the Index
The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.
‘Abbreviateur du procès, 1’,’ 117; quoted, 119–20
Agnes, surname unknown, godmother to Jeanne, 31
Alain, Jacques, accompanies Jeanne to Nancy, 100
Albret, Charles, sieur d’, attends the coronation, 210; in command of the army with Jeanne, 229
Alençon, Duke of, describes Jeanne, 4; meets her at Chinon, 121; gives her a horse, 122; takes her to stay with his wife, 123; at Orleans with her, 191; in command of the army, 191; his life saved by Jeanne at Jargeau, 193; at Orleans with her, 195; at Meung, 195; at Beaugency, 196; at Patay, interviews Talbot, 201; at Reims, 210; at Château Thierry, 217; at St Denis, 218–20; his bridge destroyed, 222–3; he parts from Jeanne, 223; a prisoner at le Crotoy, 262; had seen Jeanne’s angel, 296
Alençon, Duchess of, receives Jeanne, 123
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