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.
“I would rather die than revoke what I have done by the order of Our
Lord.”
“Will you, to hear Mass, abandon the dress of a man?”
“I will not abandon it yet; the time is not come. If you refuse to let
me hear Mass, it is in the power of Our Lord to let me hear it, when it
shall please Him, without you. I recollect being admonished to take
again a woman’s dress. As to the irreverence and such like things, I
deny them.”[245]
ARTICLE XVI. Previous to, and since her capture, at the Castle of
Beaurevoir and at Arras, Jeanne hath been many times advised with
gentleness, by noble persons of both sexes, to give up her man’s dress
and resume suitable attire. She hath absolutely refused, and to this day
also she refuses with persistence; she disdains also to give herself up
to feminine work, conducting herself in all things rather as a man than
as a woman.
“What have you to say on this Article?”
“At Arras and Beaurevoir I was invited to take a woman’s dress; then I
refused, and I refuse still. As to the women’s work of which you speak,
there are plenty of other women to do it.”[246]
ARTICLE XVII. When Jeanne found herself in the presence of Charles, thus
attired and armed, she promised him these three things among others:
that she would raise the siege of Orleans; that she would have him
consecrated at Rheims; that she would avenge him on his enemies, who,
all of them, English or Burgundians, should be, thanks to her, killed or
driven out of the kingdom. Many times and in many places did she repeat
publicly the same boasts; and, to give them greater weight, then and
often afterwards, she did use divinations, and by these means unveiled
the morals, the entire life, the most secret acts, of persons who came
before her, whom she had never before seen or known; she boasted of
knowing all by revelation.
“What have you to say on this Article?”
“In the name of God I brought the news to my King that Our Lord would
restore the kingdom to him, cause him to be crowned at Rheims, and drive
out all his enemies; I was a messenger from God, when I told the King
boldly to set me to work and I would raise the siege of Orleans. I mean,
in so saying, the whole kingdom; and if my Lord of Burgundy and the
other subjects of the King do not return to their obedience, the King
will know how to make them by force. As to the end of the Article, of
knowing Robert de Baudricourt and my King, I hold to what I said
before.”[247]
ARTICLE XVIII. So long as Jeanne remained with Charles, she did dissuade
him with all her power, him and those with him, from consenting to any
treaty of peace, any arrangement with his adversaries; inciting them
always to murder and effusion of blood; affirming that they could only
have peace by sword and lance; and that God willed it so, because
otherwise the enemies of the King would not give up that which they held
in his kingdom; to fight against them thus, is, she told them, one of
the greatest benefits that can happen to all Christendom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account