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
The epic so brief, so exciting, so full of wonder had now reached its
climax. Whatever we may think on the question as to whether Jeanne had
now reached the limit of her commission, it is at least evident that she
had reached the highest point of her triumph, and that her short day of
glory and success came to an end in the great act which she had always
spoken of as her chief object. She had crowned her King; she had
recovered for him one of the richest of his provinces, and established a
strong base for further action on his part. She had taught Frenchmen how
not to fly before the English, and she had filled those stout-hearted
English, who for a time had the Frenchmen in their powerful steel-clad
grip, with terror and panic, and taught them how to fly in their turn.
This was, from the first, what she had said she was appointed to do,
and not one of her promises had been broken. Her career had been a short
one, begun in April, ending in July, one brief continuous course of
glory. But this triumphant career had come to its conclusion. The
messenger of God had done her work; the servant must not desire to be
greater than his Lord. There have been heroes in this world whose career
has continued a glorious and a happy one to the end. Our hearts follow
them in their noble career, but when the strain and pain are over they
come into their kingdom and reap their reward the interest fails. We
are glad, very glad, that they should live happy ever after, but their
happiness does not attract us like their struggle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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