There was passing through Rouen one Jean de Lohier, who boldly declared
that the trial was not valid. (1) It was held in a castle, where men were
not at liberty to give their free and full opinions. (2) The honour of
the King of France was impeached; he was a party in the suit, yet he did
not appear, and had no representative. (3) The "libel," or accusation,
had not been given to the Maid, and she had no counsel; she was a simple
girl, tried in deep matters of faith. To Manchon, the clerk, he said:
"You see how they are going on! They will catch her in her words, as when
she says, 'I know for certain that I touched the apparitions.' If she
said, 'so it seemed to me,' I think no man could condemn her."
Cauchon was very angry when these words came to him, and Lohier had to
fly the country. It was quite time proceedings were changed. The Bishop,
therefore, chose certain doctors, saying that he would not "fatigue all
and each of the masters who at this moment assist us in such great
numbers." He told the others that they should be kept informed of the
evidence, which they might study at their leisure, and expressly forbade
them to leave Rouen before the end of the trial. Then with his chosen
henchmen he proceeded to make the inquiry a private one.
So Jeanne was deprived of even the brief respite which the change from
cell to court afforded. The examinations were chiefly repetitions of the
interrogations of the public ones, though both questions and answers were
fuller and freer, but were in consequence fatiguing and more trying.
Asked one day what she meant when she said that Monseigneur Beauvais put
himself in danger by bringing her to trial, she answered that what she
had said to Monseigneur Beauvais was:
"You say that you are my judge. I know not whether you are so; but take
care that you judge well, or you will put yourself in great danger. I
warn you, so that if our Lord should chastise you for it, I may have done
my duty in warning you."
"What is the danger that may befall him?"
"I know not. My Voices have told me that I shall be delivered by a great
victory." Her thin face was filled with sudden radiance. "It may be that
judgment may come upon him then. And they add: 'Be resigned; have no care
for your martyrdom; you will come in the end to the Kingdom of Paradise.'
They have told me this simply, absolutely, and without fail. I do not
know if I shall have greater suffering to bear; for that I refer me to
God."
It was very plain that the maiden expected to be rescued. "Delivered by a
great victory" could mean but one thing to one so young as she; so day
after day she answered their questions in the manner of one who is
waiting expectantly for some great good to happen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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