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.
“There was plenty of light everywhere, as was seemly.” [Addressing
herself to Maître Beaupère:] “It does not all come to you!”
“Was there an angel over the head of your King when you saw him for the
first time?”
“By Our Lady! if there were, I know nothing of it; I did not see it.”
“Was there a light?”
“There were more than three hundred Knights and more than fifty torches,
without counting the spiritual light.”
“Why was your King able to put faith in your words?”
“He had good signs, and the clergy bore me witness.”
“What revelations has your King had?”
“You will not have them from me this year. During three weeks I was
questioned by the clergy at Chinon and at Poitiers. Before he was
willing to believe me, the King had a sign of my mission; and the clergy
of my party were of opinion that there was nothing but good in my
mission.”
“Have you been to Saint Catherine de Fierbois?”[32]
“Yes, and I heard there three Masses in one day. Afterwards, I went to
the Castle of Chinon, whence I sent letters to the King, to know if I
should be allowed to see him; saying, that I had travelled a hundred and
fifty leagues to come to his help, and that I knew many things good for
him. I think I remember there was in my letter the remark that I should
recognize him among all others. I had a sword I had taken at
Vaucouleurs. Whilst I was at Tours, or at Chinon, I sent to seek for a
sword which was in the Church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois, behind the
altar; it was found there at once; the sword was in the ground, and
rusty; upon it were five crosses; I knew by my Voice where it was. I had
never seen the man who went to seek for it. I wrote to the Priests of
the place, that it might please them to let me have this sword, and they
sent it to me. It was under the earth, not very deeply buried, behind
the altar, so it seemed to me: I do not know exactly if it were before
or behind the altar, but I believe I wrote saying that it was at the
back. As soon as it was found, the Priests of the Church rubbed it, and
the rust fell off at once without effort. It was an armourer of Tours
who went to look for it. The Priests of Fierbois made me a present of a
scabbard; those of Tours, of another; one was of crimson velvet, the
other of cloth-of-gold. I had a third made of leather, very strong. When
I was taken prisoner I had not got this sword. I always bore the sword
of Fierbois from the time I had it up to my departure from
Saint-Denis,[33] after the attack on Paris.”
“What blessing did you invoke, or have invoked, on this sword?”
“I neither blessed it, nor had it blessed: I should not have known how
to set about it. I cared very much for this sword, because it had been
found in the Church of Saint Catherine, whom I love so much.”
“Have you been at Coulange-les-Vineuses?”[34]
“I do not know.”
“Have you sometimes placed your sword upon an altar; and, in so placing
it, was it that your sword might be more fortunate?”
“Not that I know of.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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