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
We then come once more to a long and profitless interrogatory upon
her saints, in which the crowd of judges forgot their dignity and
overwhelmed her with a flood of often very foolish, and sometimes worse
than foolish questions.
Asked, how she knew the future, she answered that she knew it by St.
Catherine and St. Margaret; asked, if St. Gabriel was with St. Michael
when he came to her, she answered, that she could not remember. Asked,
if she saw them always in the same dress, answered yes, and they were
crowned very richly. Of their other garments she could not speak; she
knew nothing of their tunics. Asked, how she knew whether they were men
or women, answered, that she knew well by their voices which revealed
them to her; and that she knew nothing save by revelation and the
precepts of God. Asked, what appearances she saw, she answered, that she
saw faces. Asked, if these saints had hair, she answered, "It is good to
know." Asked, if there was anything between their crowns and their hair,
answered, no. Asked, if their hair was long and hanging down, answered,
"I know nothing about it." She also said that their voices were
beautiful sweet, and humble, and that she understood them well. Asked,
how they could speak when they had no bodies, she answered, "I refer it
to God." She repeated that the voices were beautiful, humble, and sweet,
and that they could speak French. Asked, if St. Margaret did not speak
English, answered: "How could she speak English when she was not on the
English side?"
This would seem to infer that the St. Margaret referred to was not the
legendary St. Margaret of the dragon, but St. Margaret of Scotland, well
known in France from the long connection between those two countries,
and a popular mediæval saint. She would naturally have spoken English,
being a Saxon, but also quite naturally would have been against the
English, as a Scottish queen; but of these refinements it is very
unlikely that Jeanne knew anything, and her prompt and somewhat sharp
reply evidently cut the inquiry short. The next question was, did they
wear gold rings in their ears or elsewhere, these crowned saints; to
which she answered a little contemptuously, "I know nothing about it."
She was then asked if she herself had rings: on which "turning to us the
aforesaid Bishop, she said, 'You have one of mine; give it back to me.'
She then said that the Burgundians had her other ring, and asked of us
if we had the ring to shew it to her. Asked, who gave her this ring,
answered, her father or her mother, and that the name _Jhesus Maria_
was written upon it, but that she knew not who put it there, nor even
whether there was a stone in the ring; it was given to her in the
village of Domremy. She added that her brother gave her another ring
which we had, and said that she desired that it might be given to the
Church."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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