The Executioner's Knife; Or, Joan of ArcSue, Eugène
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The Executioner's Knife; Or, Joan of Arc
Sue, Eugène
Biographical fiction; Christian fiction; Christian women saints -- Fiction; Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431 -- Fiction
BISHOP CAUCHON (writing)--"Again 'her voices.' Let us note that
important fact. It is capital in the framing of the process."
CANON LOYSELEUR (reading)--"'Seeing that the King continued to refuse to
draw nearer to Paris and to present himself before the gates, as the
Maid desired, she declared to the Duke of Alençon, who placed great
confidence in her, that St. Marguerite and St. Catherine, having again
appeared before her, ordered her to demand of the King that he put forth
all his efforts to regain the good town of Paris by coming in person
and by promises of his clemency and a general amnesty--'"
BISHOP CAUCHON (writing)--"Again St. Marguerite and St. Catherine. Let
us jot down the fact. It is no less capital than the one about the
'voices.' Ah, you double-dyed witch! You see visions! Apparitions!
(laughing) You will have to roast for it, my daughter!"
CANON LOYSELEUR (reading)--"'Yielding to the wishes of the Maid, the
Duke of Alençon returned to the King, who promised him that on August 27
he would proceed to Chapelle-St. Denis and march from there to Paris.
But he did not keep his promise. The Duke of Alençon returned to him on
Monday, September 5. Thanks to the pressure that he exercised, after
long hesitating and against the advice of his council, the King came to
Chapelle-St. Denis on September 7 to the great joy of the Maid.
Everybody in the army said: "The Maid will restore Paris to the King, if
he but consents to show himself before the gates." On Thursday, the 8th
of September, the Duke of Alençon together with a few captains whom the
Maid carried away with her persuasion, started from Chapelle-St. Denis
towards eight in the morning with flying colors but leaving behind the
King, who did not wish to accompany them. The Maid advanced toward the
St. Honoré Gate, which was defended by a body of English soldiers,
because, said she, she had a horror of seeing Frenchmen fighting
Frenchmen. She took her standard in her hand and boldly leaped at the
head of all into the moat, near the swine market. The assault was long
and bloody; the English defended themselves bravely; the Maid was
wounded by an arrow that ran through her thigh; she fell, but in falling
cried out that the attack had to be kept up with all the greater vigor.
But despite her feeble efforts, the Sire of Gaucourt and others carried
her to a place of safety seeing that she was losing much blood. She was
placed on a cart and taken back to Chapelle-St Denis--'"
BISHOP CAUCHON (writing)--"Let us underscore once more the bloodthirsty
nature of the she-devil, who against the advice of all insists upon
fighting. We must emphasize her thirst for carnage. She recommends the
extermination of the English."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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