_Seventh_--She gives a false account of her journey to Vaucouleurs and
to Chinon.
_Eighth_--She also gives an untrue account of her attempt to kill
herself at Beaurevoir, sooner than fall into the power of the English.
_Ninth_--And also gives false statements of her assurance of
salvation, provided she remains a maid, and of never having committed
any sin.
_Tenth_--And also of her pretending that Saints Catherine and Margaret
speak to her in French, and not in English, as they do not belong to
the latter side.
_Eleventh_--She admits the adoration of her Saints; her disobedience
to her parents; and of saying that if the evil one were to appear in
the likeness of Saint Michel she would know it was not the Saint.
_Twelfth_--Admits that she refuses to submit to the Church Militant,
and this in spite of being told that all faithful members of the
Church must, by the article '_Unam Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam_,'
comply with and submit to the commands of the Church Militant, and
principally in all things which pertain to sacred doctrines and the
ecclesiastical sanctions.
This was the substance of the twelve articles which Cauchon laid
before the doctors of theology and law in Paris. No one knew better
than the Bishop how false these were; Manchon himself had been so
impressed with their utter fraudulence that he had inserted in their
margin, under the date of the 4th of April, the statement that in
many instances the facts alleged were entirely at variance with the
declarations of the prisoner. Cauchon despatched the articles to Paris
on the following day, April the 5th. M. Wallon, in his admirable and
exhaustive history of Joan of Arc, has remarked that all her deeds
were in these twelve articles travestied from acts of piety or
patriotism into acts of superstition and rebellion against God and His
Church. 'What,' asks M. Wallon, 'had her accusers to reproach her
with? Her visions? None of her judges could declare these were
impossible, for then they would declare themselves unbelievers in the
history of all the saints, which is full of such visions. They might
deny them if they pleased, but it required all the wilful blindness of
passion to affirm, once such things were articles of belief, that they
came from Satanic influence.' As regards Joan of Arc's costume, she
had on several occasions answered with sufficient clearness, and every
person might have made a like answer, that there is no hard and fast
law laid down by the Church relating to the costume that may be worn
by members of the Church. Nay more, it was notorious that one of the
female saints of the Church (Sainte Marine) had always worn a man's
dress. The question as to her dress had been gone into thoroughly
during Joan of Arc's examination by the Churchmen and laymen at
Poitiers; that which the Church had not blamed at Poitiers could not
therefore be a sin in Rouen. By the same token, how was it possible
for Joan to believe that what had not been disapproved of by the
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