Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans, Deliverer of France: Being the Story of Her Life, Her Achievements, and Her Death, as Attested on Oath and Set Forth in the Original Documents
History
Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans, Deliverer of France: Being the Story of Her Life, Her Achievements, and Her Death, as Attested on Oath and Set Forth in the Original Documents
Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431 -- Trials, litigation, etc.
Then, desiring in this particular the blessed succour of Jesus Christ,
Who is concerned in this, and wishing only to fulfil the duties of Our
office for the exaltation and preservation of the Catholic Faith, We did
first charitably warn and require the said Jeanne, seated in Our
presence, for the more prompt resolution of the Action and the relief of
her own conscience, to speak the whole truth upon all questions which
should be addressed to her touching the Faith; and We did exhort her to
avoid all subterfuges and shufflings of such a nature as should turn her
aside from a sincere and true avowal.
And in the first instance we did require her, in the appointed form, her
hand on the Holy Gospels, to swear to speak truth on the questions to be
addressed to her.
To which she did reply:
“I know not upon what you wish to question me: perhaps you may ask me of
things which I ought not to tell you.”
“Swear,” We did then say to her, “to speak truth on the things which
shall be asked you concerning the Faith, and of which you know.”
“Of my father and my mother and of what I did after taking the road to
France, willingly will I swear; but of the revelations which have come
to me from God, to no one will I speak or reveal them, save only to
Charles my King; and to you I will not reveal them, even if it cost me
my head; because I have received them in visions and by secret counsel,
and am forbidden to reveal them. Before eight days are gone, I shall
know if I may reveal them to you.”
Again did We several times warn and require her to be willing, on
whatsoever should touch on the Faith, to swear to speak truly. And the
said Jeanne, on her knees, her two hands resting on the Missal, did
swear to speak truth on that which should be asked her and which she
knew _in the matter of the Faith_, keeping silence under the condition
above stated, that is to say, neither to tell nor to reveal to any one
the revelations made to her.
After this oath, Jeanne was interrogated by Us as to her name, and
surname, her place of birth, the names of her father and mother, the
place of her baptism, her godfathers and godmothers, the Priest who
baptized her, etc., etc.
“In my own country they call me Jeannette; since I came into France I
have been called Jeanne. Of my surname I know nothing. I was born[6] in
the village of Domremy, which is really one with the village of Greux.
The principal Church is at Greux. My father is called Jacques d’Arc; my
mother, Ysabelle. I was baptized in the village of Domremy.[7] One of my
godmothers[8] is called Agnes, another Jeanne, a third Sibylle. One of
my godfathers is called Jean Lingué, another Jean Barrey. I had many
other godmothers, or so I have heard from my mother. I was, I believe,
baptized by Messire Jean Minet; he still lives, so far as I know. I am,
I should say, about nineteen years of age. From my mother I learned my
Pater, my Ave Maria, and my Credo. I believe I learned all this from my
mother.”
[Illustration:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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