Jeanne D'Arc: Her Life And DeathOliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
History
Jeanne D'Arc: Her Life And Death
Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
France -- History; Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431
"Tuesday the 2d of August he passed the night in the town of Provins,
and had the best possible reception there, and remained till the Friday
following, the 5th August. Sunday the 7th the King lay at the town
of Coulommièrs in Brie. Wednesday the 10th he lay at La Ferté- Milon,
Thursday at Crespy in Valois--Friday at Laigny-le-Sec. The following
Saturday the 13th the King held the field near Dammartin-en-Gouelle, for
the whole day looking out for the English: but they came not.
"On Sunday the 14th August the Maid, the Duc d'Alençon, the Count de
Vendosme, the Marshals and other captains accompanied by six or seven
thousand combatants were at the hour of vespers lodged in the fields
near Montépilloy, nearly two leagues from the town of Senlis--The
Duke of Bedford and other English captains with between eight and ten
thousand English lying half a league from Senlis between our people and
the said city on a little stream, in a village called Notre Dame de la
Victoire. That evening our people skirmished with the English near to
their camp and in this skirmish were people taken on each side, and of
the English Captain d'Orbec and ten or twelve others, and people wounded
on both sides: when night fell each retired to their own quarters."
The same writer records an appeal in the true tone of chivalry addressed
to the English by Jeanne and Alençon desiring them to come out from
their entrenchments and fight: and promising to withdraw to a sufficient
distance to permit the enemy to place himself in the open field. The
French troops had first "put themselves in the best state of conscience
that could possibly be, hearing mass at an early hour and then to
horse." But the English would not come out. Jeanne, with her standard in
her hand rode up to the English entrenchments, and some one says (not de
Cagny) struck the posts with her banner, challenging the force within
to come out and fight; while they on their side waved at the French in
defiance, a standard copied from that of Jeanne, on which was depicted
a distaff and spindle. But neither host approached any nearer. Finally,
Charles made his way to Compiègne.
At Château-Thierry there was concluded an arrangement with Philip of
Burgundy for a truce of fifteen days, before the end of which time the
Duke undertook to deliver Paris peaceably to the French. That this was
simply to gain time and that no idea of giving up Paris had ever been
entertained is evident; perhaps Charles was not even deceived. He, no
more than Philip, had any desire to encounter the dangers of such a
siege. But he was able at least to silence the clamours of the army and
the representations of the persistent Maid by this truce. To wait for
fifteen days and receive the prize without a blow struck, would not that
be best? The counsellors of the King held thus a strong position, though
the delay made the hearts of the warriors sick.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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