SECOND PRIVATE EXAMINATION
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
Monday, March 12th, in the morning; in Jeanne's prison. Present: The Bishop, assisted by Jean Delafontaine, Commissary; Nicholas Midi and Gerard Feuillet; and as their witnesses: Thomas Fiefvet, Pasquier de Vaux, and Nicolas de Houbent.
In presence of all the above-named, We required the said Jeanne to swear to speak truth on what should be asked her.
She replied: "On what touches your Case, as I have said already, I will willingly speak truth." And thus did she make oath.
Then, by Our order, she was questioned by Maître Jean Delafontaine:
"Did not the Angel who bore the sign to your King speak to him?"
"Yes, he spoke to him; and he told my King it was necessary that I should be set to work, so that the country might be soon relieved."
"Was the Angel who bore the sign to your King the same Angel who had before appeared to you ?"
"It is all one; and he has never failed me."
"Has not the Angel, then, failed you with regard to the good things of this life, in that you have been taken prisoner ?"
"I think, as it has pleased Our Lord, that it is for my well-being that I was taken prisoner."
"Has your Angel never failed you in the good things of grace?"
"How can he fail me, when he comforts me every day? My comfort comes from Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret."
"Do you call them, or do they come without being called?"
"They often come without being called; and other times, if they do not come soon, I pray Our Lord to send them."
"Have you sometimes called them without their coming?"
"I have never had need of them without having them."
"Has Saint Denis appeared to you sometimes ?"
"Not that I know."
"When you promised Our Savior to preserve your virginity, was it to Him that you spoke?"
"It would quite suffice that I give my promise to those who were sent by Him - that is to say, to Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret."
"Who induced you to have cited a man of the town of Toul on the question of marriage?"
"I did not have him cited; it was he, on the contrary, who had me cited; and then I swore before the Judge to speak the truth. And besides, I had promised nothing to this man. From the first time I heard my Voices, I dedicated my virginity for so long as it should please God; and I was then about thirteen years of age. My Voices told me I should win my case in this town of Toul."
"As to your visions, did you speak of them to your Cure or to any other Churchman?"
"No; only to Robert de Baudricourt and to my King. It was not my Voices who compelled me to keep them secret; but I feared to reveal them, in dread that the Burgundians might put some hindrance in the way of my journey; and, in particular, I was afraid that my father would hinder it."
"Do you think that you did right to go without leave from your father or mother, when you should 'honor your father and mother'?"
"In all things I obeyed them well, except in that of the journey: but afterwards I wrote to them, and they forgave me."
"When you left your father and mother, do you think you sinned?"
"If God commanded, it was right to obey. If God commanded it, had I a hundred fathers and mothers, and had I been a king's daughter, I should have gone."
"Did you ask your Voices if you should announce your departure to your father and mother?"
"As to my father and mother, my Voices would have been quite willing I should tell them, had it not been for the trouble I should have caused them in speaking of this. As for myself, I would not have told them at any price. My Voices agreed that I might either speak to my father and mother or be silent."
''Did you do reverence to Saint Michael and the Angels when you saw them?"
"Yes; and, after they were gone I kissed the earth where they had been."
"Were they long with you?"
"Very often they came among the faithful [i.e., in church] without being seen; and often I saw them among the faithful."
"Had you had any letters from Saint Michael or from your Voices?"
"I have not permission to tell you. Eight days from this, I will tell you willingly what I know."
"Did not your Voices call you 'Daughter of God, daughter of the Church, great-hearted daughter?'"
"Before the raising of the Siege of Orleans and every day since, when they speak to me, they call me often, 'Jeanne the Maid, Daughter of God.'"
"Since you call yourself a daughter of God, why do you not willingly say 'Our Father'?"
"I do say it willingly. Last time, when I refused, it was because I meant that my Lord of Beauvais should hear me in confession."
THIRD PRIVATE EXAMINATION
The same day, Monday, in the afternoon, in the same place. Present: Jean Delafontaine, Commissary: Nicolas Midi; Gerard Feuillet; Thomas Fiefvet; Pasquier de Vaux; and Nicolas de Houbent.
The said Jeanne was interrogated as follows by Our order by the said Jean Delafontaine:
"Did not your father have dreams about you before your departure?"
"When I was still with my father and mother, my mother told me many times that my father had spoken of having dreamed that I, Jeannette, his daughter, went away with the men-at-arms. My father and mother took great care to keep me safe, and held me much in subjection. I obeyed them in everything, except in the case at Toul - the action for marriage. I have heard my mother say that my father told my brothers 'Truly, if I thought this thing would happen that I have dreamed about my daughter, I would wish you to drown her; and, if you would not do it, I would drown her myself!' He nearly lost his senses when I went to Vaucouleurs."
"Did these thoughts and dreams come to your father after you had your visions?"
"Yes, more than two years after I had heard my first Voice."
"Was it at the request of Robert de Baudricourt or of yourself that you took man's dress ?"
"It was of myself, and at the request of no living man."
"Did your Voices command you to take man's dress?"
"All that I have done of good, I have done by the command of my Voices. As to the dress, I will answer about it another time: at present I am not advised, but tomorrow I will answer."
"In taking man's dress, did you think you were doing wrong ?"
"No; even now if I were with those of my own side and in this man's dress, it seems to me it would be a great good for France to do as I did before I was taken."
"How would you have delivered the Duke d'Orleans?"
"I should have taken enough English prisoners in France to have exchanged for him; if I had not taken enough in France, I should have crossed the sea to seek him in England, by force."
"Did Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret tell you absolutely and without condition that you would take enough English to get back the Duke d'Orleans, who is in England, or that otherwise you would cross the sea to seek him?"(1)....(In the Minute : "et l'admener en trois ans" not in the Latin Text.)
"Yes, and I said so to my King: and he allowed me to treat with the English lords who were then prisoners.(2)....(The Minute reads : "la laissant faire de prisonniers.") If I had continued three years without hindrance, I should have delivered him. To do this, it needed less time than three years and more than one. But I do not remember about it."
"What was the sign you gave to the King?"
"I shall take counsel regarding that from Saint Catherine."
Deliberations of March 12th.
Monday, March 12th, assembled in Our dwelling, summoned by Us, the religious and discreet person, Brother Jean Lemaître, of the Order of Saint Dominic, Deputy of the Inquisitor of the Evil of Heresy in the Kingdom of France, in presence of the Venerable and discreet persons the Lords and Masters, Thomas Fiefvet, Pasquier de Vaux, Nicolas de Houbent, Brother Ysambard de la Pierre.
We, the Bishop, did show to the said Deputy, that, at the outset of the Action for Heresy brought by us against the woman, commonly called Jeanne the Maid, We had summoned and required him, the said Deputy, to join with us; and that we had offered to communicate to him the acts, documents and, in one word, all we possess bearing on the matter of the Process. He had then made a difficulty, not being, he told Us, commissioned except for the City and Diocese of Rouen and the Action in question being deduced by Us by right of our jurisdiction of Beauvais, on territory conceded to Us for this purpose. For this cause, in order to give all security to this matter and by an excess of precaution, We have, by the advice of the Masters, decided to write about it to the Chief Inquisitor, requesting him to come himself without delay to Rouen, or specially to appoint a Deputy to whom, for the deduction and completion of the Process, he might wish to give full powers. The said Inquisitor had received Our letter, and acceding with kindness to Our request, for the honor and exaltation of the Orthodox Faith, he had specially commissioned and appointed for this Action the said Brother Jean Lemaître, as do appear in the letters patent furnished and attested with the seal of the Inquisition.
In consequence of this letter, We, the Bishop, summon and require the said Brother Jean Lemaître, here present, the terms of the said letter, to join with us in this said Action.
To which the said Brother answered: that he would examine the Commission addressed to him, the Process signed by the registrars, and all that it should please Us to communicate to him; and that, all being seen and examined by him, he will give Us an answer and will do for the Holy Inquisition that which is right.
We, the Bishop, added: that the said Deputy had been present at a great part of the Process ; that he had, in consequence, been able to hear a great part of Jeanne's answers; that nevertheless We held ourselves satisfied by what he had just said, and would certainly communicate to him the Process and all that had already been done, that he may take fuller cognizance of everything.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
I have not permission to say; tomorrow I will answer about it
FOURTH PRIVATE EXAMINATION
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
The Deputy Inquisitor joins the Court.
Tuesday, March 13th, in the prison. Present: The Bishop and Brother Jean Lemaître, assisted by Jean Delafontaine, Nicolas Midi, and Gerard Feuillet; witnesses: Nicolas de Houbent and Ysambard de la Pierre.
The said Brother Jean Lemaître declared to Us that seeing the letter addressed to him which we had yesterday communicated, together with the other circumstances of the Process, and all being well considered, he joins himself to Us and is ready to proceed with Us according to law and right.
We, the Bishop, then made known with gentleness to Jeanne this intervention, exhorting and warning her, for the salvation of her soul, to speak the truth on all which should be asked of her.
The Deputy Inquisitor appoints his Officers.
Deliberations of March 13th.
And then, the Deputy of the Chief Inquisitor, wishing to proceed regularly in the Process, had declared his choice of the Officers whose names follow:
1. As Promoter from the Holy Inquisition, Messier Jean d'Estivet, Canon of the Churches of Bayeux and Beauvais.
2. As Registrar of his office, Messier Nicolas Taquel, Priest of the Diocese of Rouen, Notary Public and Registrar of the Archiepiscopal Court of Rouen.
3. As Executor of his Orders and Citations, Messier Jean Massieu, Priest.
4. As keepers of the prison, the noble man, John Grey, Squire of the Body Guard of Our Lord the King, and John Berwoit. These, We, the Bishop, had, with the exception of Messier Nicolas Taquel, but only in that which concerns Our office, already appointed to the same functions, as confirmed for Our part in the letters above quoted, and as confirmed by the said Inquisitor by his letters, of which mention follows. The said officers did then take oath, between the hands of the said Deputy, to faithfully fulfill their functions.
[Here follow the three letters of Nomination of the Promoter, d'Estivet; the Registrar, Taquel; and the Usher, Massieu: dated Tuesday, March 13th: signed Boisguillaume, Manchon: the nomination of Taquel, Registrar, is dated March 14th.]
All which precedes having already taken place, as has been said up to the present time, We, the Bishop, and Brother Jean Lemaître, Deputy of the Inquisitor, have from this moment proceeded together to all the remainder of the Process, and have questioned or caused questions to be made as it had begun.
Tuesday, March 13th. - Present: The Bishop, and Brother Jean Lemaître, Jean Delafontaine, Nicolas Midi, Gerard Feuillet; in the presence of Nicolas de Houbent and of Brother Ysambard de la Pierre.
By Our order, Jeanne was asked as follows:
"What was the sign you gave your King ?"
"Will you be satisfied that I should perjure myself?"
"Have you promised and sworn to Saint Catherine that you will not tell this sign?"
"I promised and swore not to tell this sign, and for my own sake, because I was pressed too much to tell it, and then I said to myself: 'I promise not to speak of it to any one in the world.' The sign was that an Angel assured my King, in bringing him the crown, that he should have the whole realm of France, by the means of God's help and my labors; that he was to start me on the work - that is to say, to give me men-at-arms; and that otherwise he would not be so soon crowned and consecrated."
"Have you spoken to Saint Catherine since yesterday?"
"I have heard her since yesterday, and she has several times told me to reply boldly to the Judges on what they shall ask me touching my Case."
"How did the Angel carry the crown? and did he place it himself on your King's head ?"
"The crown was given to an Archbishop - that is, to the Archbishop of Reims - so it seems to me, in the presence of my King. The Archbishop received it, and gave it to the King. I was myself present. The crown was afterwards put among my King's treasures."
"To what place was the crown brought?"
"To the King's Chamber, in the Castle of Chinon."
"What day and what time?"
"The day, I do not know; of the time, it was full day. I have no further recollection of it. Of the month it was March or April, it seems to me. In this present month of March or next April it will be two years since. It was after Easter."(1)....(March 8th, 1428; it was before Easter, which in that year fell on March 27th.)
"Was it on the first day that you saw the sign when the King saw it?"
"Yes, he had it the same day."
"Of what material was the said crown ?"
"It is well to know it was of fine gold; it was so rich that I do not know how to count its riches or to appreciate its beauty. The crown signified that my King should possess the Kingdom of France."
"Were there stones in it?"
"I have told you what I know about it."
"Did you touch or kiss it?"
"No."
"Did the Angel who brought this crown come from Heaven or earth ?"
"He came from above, and I presume that he came by Our Lord's command; he came in by the door of the room. When he came before my King, he did him reverence by bowing before him, and pronouncing the words I have already said; and at the same time the Angel put him in mind of the great patience he had had in presence of so many tribulations. From the door, the Angel walked, and touched the earth, in coming to the King."
"What space was there between the door and the King?"
"My opinion is that there was quite the space of a lance-length [About 10 feet]; and he returned the way he came. When the Angel came, I accompanied him and went with him by the staircase to the King's Chamber. The Angel went in first, then myself, and I said to the King: 'Sire, there is your sign; take it.'"
"Where did the Angel appear to you ?"
"I was nearly always at prayer that God might send the sign to the King; and I was at my lodging, at the house of a worthy woman, near the Castle of Chinon, when he came; afterwards, we went together to the King. He was accompanied by other Angels whom no one saw. Had it not been for love of me, and to free me of trouble from those that accused me, I think that many who saw the Angel would not have seen him."(2)....(The house in which Jeanne lodged at Chinon is said to have belonged to a certain Regnier de la Barrier, whose widow or daughter is the "worthy woman" referred to. Jeanne was afterwards lodged in the Tower of Coudray, where her room may still be seen. It is approached by a staircase outside the tower. The vaulted roof has fallen in, and the fireplace is damaged, but the walls are intact, and the room could easily be restored. Jeanne stayed in this tower from March 8th to April 20th, 1429.)
"Did all those who were with the King see the Angel?"
"I believe that the Archbishop of Reims saw him, and so did the Lords d'Alencon, la Tremouille, and Charles de Bourbon. As to the crown, many Clergy and others saw it who did not see the Angel."
"Of what appearance, what height, was this Angel?"
"I have not permission to say; tomorrow I will answer about it."
"All the Angels who accompanied him, had they the same appearance ?"
"Some resembled him well enough, others not: at least, so far as I saw. Some had wings, others were crowned. In company with them were Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, who were with the Angel aforesaid, and the other Angels also, right up to the King's Chamber."
"How did the Angel leave you?"
"He left me in that little Chapel. I was much vexed at his going; I wept; willingly would I have gone with him - that is to say, my soul."
"After the departure of the Angel, did you remain happy [or were you in great fear?"](3)....(In the Minute only.)
"He did not leave me either in fear or terror ; but I was grieved at his going."
"Is it for any merit of yours that God sent you this Angel?"
"He came for a great purpose: I was in hopes that the King would believe the sign, and that they would cease to argue with me, and would aid the good people of Orleans. The Angel came for the merits of the King and of the good Duke d'Orleans." (4)....(Charles, Duke d'Orleans, then a prisoner in England: one of the five princes of the blood taken at Agincourt.)
"Why to you rather than to another?"
"It has pleased God so to do by a simple maiden, in order to drive back the enemies of the King."
"Was it told you whence the Angel had taken this crown?"
"It was brought from God; no goldsmith in the world would know how to fashion it so rich and fair."
"Whence did he take it?"
"I refer me to God; and know nothing more of whence it was taken."
"This crown, did it smell well and had it a good odor? did it glitter?"
"I do not remember about it; I will think it over. [Remembering:] "Yes, it smelt good, and will smell
good always, if it be well guarded, as it should be. It was in the form of a crown."
"Did the Angel write you a letter?"
"No."
"What sign had your King and the people who were with him and yourself, to believe that it was an Angel?"
"The King believed it by the teaching of the Clergy who were there, and by the sign of the crown."
"But how did the Clergy know it was an Angel?"
"By their knowledge and because they were clerks."
"What have you to say about a married priest and a lost cup that you were to have pointed out?"(5)....(There is no allusion to either of these in any evidence of the time.)
"Of all this I know nothing, nor have I ever heard of it."
"When you came before Paris, had you revelations from your Voices to go there?"
"No, I went at the request of the gentlemen who wished to make an attack or assault-at-arms; I intended
to go there and break through the trenches."
"Had you any revelation to attack La Charite?"
"No, I went there at the request of the men-at-arms, as I said elsewhere."
"Did you have any revelation to go to Pont l'Eveque?"(5)....( 2 May, 1430.)
"After I had, in the trenches of Melun, revelation that I should be taken, I consulted more often with the Captains of the army; but I did not tell them that this revelation [had come to me."](6)....(Easter week, April 16th-23rd, 1430.)
"Was it well to attack the town of Paris on the day of the Festival of the Nativity of Our Lady?"
"It is well to observe the Festival of the Blessed Mary, and on my conscience it seems to me that it was, and ever will be, well to observe these festivals, from one end to the other."
"Did you not say before Paris, 'Surrender this town by order of Jesus'?"
"No, but I said, 'Surrender it to the King of France.''
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
The Deputy Inquisitor joins the Court.
Tuesday, March 13th, in the prison. Present: The Bishop and Brother Jean Lemaître, assisted by Jean Delafontaine, Nicolas Midi, and Gerard Feuillet; witnesses: Nicolas de Houbent and Ysambard de la Pierre.
The said Brother Jean Lemaître declared to Us that seeing the letter addressed to him which we had yesterday communicated, together with the other circumstances of the Process, and all being well considered, he joins himself to Us and is ready to proceed with Us according to law and right.
We, the Bishop, then made known with gentleness to Jeanne this intervention, exhorting and warning her, for the salvation of her soul, to speak the truth on all which should be asked of her.
The Deputy Inquisitor appoints his Officers.
Deliberations of March 13th.
And then, the Deputy of the Chief Inquisitor, wishing to proceed regularly in the Process, had declared his choice of the Officers whose names follow:
1. As Promoter from the Holy Inquisition, Messier Jean d'Estivet, Canon of the Churches of Bayeux and Beauvais.
2. As Registrar of his office, Messier Nicolas Taquel, Priest of the Diocese of Rouen, Notary Public and Registrar of the Archiepiscopal Court of Rouen.
3. As Executor of his Orders and Citations, Messier Jean Massieu, Priest.
4. As keepers of the prison, the noble man, John Grey, Squire of the Body Guard of Our Lord the King, and John Berwoit. These, We, the Bishop, had, with the exception of Messier Nicolas Taquel, but only in that which concerns Our office, already appointed to the same functions, as confirmed for Our part in the letters above quoted, and as confirmed by the said Inquisitor by his letters, of which mention follows. The said officers did then take oath, between the hands of the said Deputy, to faithfully fulfill their functions.
[Here follow the three letters of Nomination of the Promoter, d'Estivet; the Registrar, Taquel; and the Usher, Massieu: dated Tuesday, March 13th: signed Boisguillaume, Manchon: the nomination of Taquel, Registrar, is dated March 14th.]
All which precedes having already taken place, as has been said up to the present time, We, the Bishop, and Brother Jean Lemaître, Deputy of the Inquisitor, have from this moment proceeded together to all the remainder of the Process, and have questioned or caused questions to be made as it had begun.
Tuesday, March 13th. - Present: The Bishop, and Brother Jean Lemaître, Jean Delafontaine, Nicolas Midi, Gerard Feuillet; in the presence of Nicolas de Houbent and of Brother Ysambard de la Pierre.
By Our order, Jeanne was asked as follows:
"What was the sign you gave your King ?"
"Will you be satisfied that I should perjure myself?"
"Have you promised and sworn to Saint Catherine that you will not tell this sign?"
"I promised and swore not to tell this sign, and for my own sake, because I was pressed too much to tell it, and then I said to myself: 'I promise not to speak of it to any one in the world.' The sign was that an Angel assured my King, in bringing him the crown, that he should have the whole realm of France, by the means of God's help and my labors; that he was to start me on the work - that is to say, to give me men-at-arms; and that otherwise he would not be so soon crowned and consecrated."
"Have you spoken to Saint Catherine since yesterday?"
"I have heard her since yesterday, and she has several times told me to reply boldly to the Judges on what they shall ask me touching my Case."
"How did the Angel carry the crown? and did he place it himself on your King's head ?"
"The crown was given to an Archbishop - that is, to the Archbishop of Reims - so it seems to me, in the presence of my King. The Archbishop received it, and gave it to the King. I was myself present. The crown was afterwards put among my King's treasures."
"To what place was the crown brought?"
"To the King's Chamber, in the Castle of Chinon."
"What day and what time?"
"The day, I do not know; of the time, it was full day. I have no further recollection of it. Of the month it was March or April, it seems to me. In this present month of March or next April it will be two years since. It was after Easter."(1)....(March 8th, 1428; it was before Easter, which in that year fell on March 27th.)
"Was it on the first day that you saw the sign when the King saw it?"
"Yes, he had it the same day."
"Of what material was the said crown ?"
"It is well to know it was of fine gold; it was so rich that I do not know how to count its riches or to appreciate its beauty. The crown signified that my King should possess the Kingdom of France."
"Were there stones in it?"
"I have told you what I know about it."
"Did you touch or kiss it?"
"No."
"Did the Angel who brought this crown come from Heaven or earth ?"
"He came from above, and I presume that he came by Our Lord's command; he came in by the door of the room. When he came before my King, he did him reverence by bowing before him, and pronouncing the words I have already said; and at the same time the Angel put him in mind of the great patience he had had in presence of so many tribulations. From the door, the Angel walked, and touched the earth, in coming to the King."
"What space was there between the door and the King?"
"My opinion is that there was quite the space of a lance-length [About 10 feet]; and he returned the way he came. When the Angel came, I accompanied him and went with him by the staircase to the King's Chamber. The Angel went in first, then myself, and I said to the King: 'Sire, there is your sign; take it.'"
"Where did the Angel appear to you ?"
"I was nearly always at prayer that God might send the sign to the King; and I was at my lodging, at the house of a worthy woman, near the Castle of Chinon, when he came; afterwards, we went together to the King. He was accompanied by other Angels whom no one saw. Had it not been for love of me, and to free me of trouble from those that accused me, I think that many who saw the Angel would not have seen him."(2)....(The house in which Jeanne lodged at Chinon is said to have belonged to a certain Regnier de la Barrier, whose widow or daughter is the "worthy woman" referred to. Jeanne was afterwards lodged in the Tower of Coudray, where her room may still be seen. It is approached by a staircase outside the tower. The vaulted roof has fallen in, and the fireplace is damaged, but the walls are intact, and the room could easily be restored. Jeanne stayed in this tower from March 8th to April 20th, 1429.)
"Did all those who were with the King see the Angel?"
"I believe that the Archbishop of Reims saw him, and so did the Lords d'Alencon, la Tremouille, and Charles de Bourbon. As to the crown, many Clergy and others saw it who did not see the Angel."
"Of what appearance, what height, was this Angel?"
"I have not permission to say; tomorrow I will answer about it."
"All the Angels who accompanied him, had they the same appearance ?"
"Some resembled him well enough, others not: at least, so far as I saw. Some had wings, others were crowned. In company with them were Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, who were with the Angel aforesaid, and the other Angels also, right up to the King's Chamber."
"How did the Angel leave you?"
"He left me in that little Chapel. I was much vexed at his going; I wept; willingly would I have gone with him - that is to say, my soul."
"After the departure of the Angel, did you remain happy [or were you in great fear?"](3)....(In the Minute only.)
"He did not leave me either in fear or terror ; but I was grieved at his going."
"Is it for any merit of yours that God sent you this Angel?"
"He came for a great purpose: I was in hopes that the King would believe the sign, and that they would cease to argue with me, and would aid the good people of Orleans. The Angel came for the merits of the King and of the good Duke d'Orleans." (4)....(Charles, Duke d'Orleans, then a prisoner in England: one of the five princes of the blood taken at Agincourt.)
"Why to you rather than to another?"
"It has pleased God so to do by a simple maiden, in order to drive back the enemies of the King."
"Was it told you whence the Angel had taken this crown?"
"It was brought from God; no goldsmith in the world would know how to fashion it so rich and fair."
"Whence did he take it?"
"I refer me to God; and know nothing more of whence it was taken."
"This crown, did it smell well and had it a good odor? did it glitter?"
"I do not remember about it; I will think it over. [Remembering:] "Yes, it smelt good, and will smell
good always, if it be well guarded, as it should be. It was in the form of a crown."
"Did the Angel write you a letter?"
"No."
"What sign had your King and the people who were with him and yourself, to believe that it was an Angel?"
"The King believed it by the teaching of the Clergy who were there, and by the sign of the crown."
"But how did the Clergy know it was an Angel?"
"By their knowledge and because they were clerks."
"What have you to say about a married priest and a lost cup that you were to have pointed out?"(5)....(There is no allusion to either of these in any evidence of the time.)
"Of all this I know nothing, nor have I ever heard of it."
"When you came before Paris, had you revelations from your Voices to go there?"
"No, I went at the request of the gentlemen who wished to make an attack or assault-at-arms; I intended
to go there and break through the trenches."
"Had you any revelation to attack La Charite?"
"No, I went there at the request of the men-at-arms, as I said elsewhere."
"Did you have any revelation to go to Pont l'Eveque?"(5)....( 2 May, 1430.)
"After I had, in the trenches of Melun, revelation that I should be taken, I consulted more often with the Captains of the army; but I did not tell them that this revelation [had come to me."](6)....(Easter week, April 16th-23rd, 1430.)
"Was it well to attack the town of Paris on the day of the Festival of the Nativity of Our Lady?"
"It is well to observe the Festival of the Blessed Mary, and on my conscience it seems to me that it was, and ever will be, well to observe these festivals, from one end to the other."
"Did you not say before Paris, 'Surrender this town by order of Jesus'?"
"No, but I said, 'Surrender it to the King of France.''
Hypochondria and Hell-Money
This is quite embarassing. For the second or third time (in about 2 weeks) a HELL Money (Korean phonetics for grandmother, but emphasis simply must be placed on the first sibilants!)blustered through the school, arms waving and lips flapping and spitting. I am the culprit, the bad guy. According to her I have beaten up her grandson, more specifically kicked him in his groin, which is now pussy and infected. She even waved around a doctor's certificate, which has a sum of money prominently displayed on it (W43 000). Can you imagine my alarm?
I found this a bit farfetched, so I made a photocopy of the document, intending to get it translated, maybe even show it to my doctor. I'm guessing she is bluffing, maybe he has a urinary tract infection or something. If I have touched him on his finger, and that's caused him to sprout boils or malignant tumors, I'll be happy to reimburse him. I dunno, somehow I don't buy this thing. I think she perhaps has a bone to pick with stupid white men, or she thinks I am focussing my rascism on her grandson. It feels pretty damned rascist to me, and hysterical. I've taught for 3 years in Korea, and this is probably the most bizarre accusation from a parent ever!
Anyway, she came into the staff room, started drinking something from a carton (actually that stuff is for us teachers, so it was quite a cheeky move), and waving her arms around. Every time I offered something she spat something at me. I left to teach and when I returned the copy I'd made of her precious document had mysteriously vanished.
Is this laughable or is this a terminal situation at a hagwon that is increasingly appearing to be sparing the rod,spoiling the children and killing thousands of extra follicles on an already very bald teacher.
I'm not someone who advocates corporal punishment. Especially not for girls. For boys you can often get them to behave by subjecting them to embarassment. My English teacher simply called us forward, and bumped a big book on our heads. A harmless activity, but one calculated to exact a measure of humiliation.
I have been using a mixture of very fast pushups, or an exaggerated amount of slow pushups (combined with standing up) to bring about discipline. One of the teachers handed me a ruler, and this has had some success. Be Kwaai Yit - 3 hard strokes.
Obviously Peter, the descendent of one particularly cantankerous Hellmoney, is now even cheekier than ever (he's got her in his pocket, and she's a sixshooter, after all). He's quite a smart kid. Not that smart though, because a smart kid would know not to do ego-armwrestling with his teacher. That's what this seems to amount to. I'm not really interested. But it bothers me that time is wasted focussing on a few brats, when most of the kids are eager to study and get on with it. His writing is really untidy, and when other students are doing pushups, he jumps up and co0mes to the front and tells them how to do them. If I ask him to do my bidding he says, "Why?" Or "No." So when I try to separate him from the other musketeers, I ask them to sit somewhere else because he won't move. You might suggest that I be even more strict with him, with an attitude like this, but I would rather not touch the boy at all. I might get some sexually transmitted disease judging from the puss report that I almost managed to get a copy of...
I wonder if the Hellmoney will be back tomorrow? I imagine she thinks I am 'bad' and that her grandchild is the incarnation of the angel Gabriel. I'm going to take my digital vifeo camera and catch the lad being his exuberantly devilish self. If he pulls off a Mr Hyde, then it proves a point in class (in situ), and if not, well then I have evidence. Either way, it is an interesting angle.
I would also like to apologise for my real or imagined mistake, to the Hellmoney. That way I am sure Peter will have an even bigger ego in class, and I can send my own version of Teacher Survivor (Korea) to CBS.
On the overall subject of hypochondria, I'd like to offer a few observations. A few swallows don't make a summer, but I would have thought in the presence of strangers, especially foreigners, if I was a sissy or a hypochondriac I'd try to hide that fact away. I wouldn't try to score points or sympathy from it.
As I say, I may be off on a tangent on this one, but I have seen some ordinarily tough men and boys (always in this order, and never the fairer sex) in tears and agony when it seems...well...an act.
I saw a guy fall off his bike in a triathlon and just lie there. I'm sure it was painful, but he didn't lose consciousness. I'm sure his pride was the worst hit, but he was lying in the road and lots of bikes were whizzing past. I was already on my last lap of the run, and I stopped to drag him and his bike off the road to prevent a pile up. The whole time the guy seemed to be pretending to be mute and paralysed with pain.
There was also a sports contest where it boiled down to a strong Korean guy and a western guy, very tough and kind've all about being tough. They did a Korean wrestling thing and the western guy managed, not without some effort, to get his counterpart on the ground. It was a hard knock, and you could hear he was winded, but immediately after, the grounded Korean lay there, writhing in agony, drawing a crowd and a lot of extra attention. I would guess if he was walking alone on a mountain, and had fallen the same distance, he would have immediately gotten up, brushed himself off and been fine. So I thought this was very unsportsmanlike.
I see it with my students too. I'm sure most teachers have. I just wonder whether it's not more prevalent here, in this country. Is it? Maybe not?
Well, there are a few more well publicised examples.
One involves the skater Kim Dong Sung and Anton Ohno. There was a lot of protesting and fussing after the medal was awarded controversially to the American. Technically the American deserved to win, but practically, it looked like the Korean deserved to win. It looked like he deserved to win. I saw the slow motion footage on TV and it's undeniable that the Korean deviated (very little) from his line. But he did deviate. It's tragic that he did, because had he just kept to his line I am sure he would have one. Ohno bluffed, and the Korean called it, and that cost him a medal. The Koreans would have none of it, and launched protests ad naseum. Did the judges change their minds? No. I still have a picture of an infuriated skater, hands on hips, flag on the ground. It's not a good example for a fanbase.
A more recent example is a gymnast who actually deserved a gold medal, and it was mistakenly awarded to an American (again). After checking the numbers, they saw the the Korean had actually earned half a point or something more. I was disappointed to hear that the American did not give his medal to the Korean. He felt he had earned it, I suppose, and obviously a medal confers (whichever country you're in) a certain dollar reward).
So the Koreans had a special gold medal made, and awarded it to the 'real' gold medalist. Doubtless most other countries would have done the same thing.
Life though doesn't swing back, and award second gold medals. You get married, get cancer, have a child. You try to make the best of your situation. No guardian angel flys overhead, presses pause, and makes everything good.
I'm not quite sure how to deal with the hypochondria in my 7:00pm classroom. Any suggestions? Ignorance is bliss?
I found this a bit farfetched, so I made a photocopy of the document, intending to get it translated, maybe even show it to my doctor. I'm guessing she is bluffing, maybe he has a urinary tract infection or something. If I have touched him on his finger, and that's caused him to sprout boils or malignant tumors, I'll be happy to reimburse him. I dunno, somehow I don't buy this thing. I think she perhaps has a bone to pick with stupid white men, or she thinks I am focussing my rascism on her grandson. It feels pretty damned rascist to me, and hysterical. I've taught for 3 years in Korea, and this is probably the most bizarre accusation from a parent ever!
Anyway, she came into the staff room, started drinking something from a carton (actually that stuff is for us teachers, so it was quite a cheeky move), and waving her arms around. Every time I offered something she spat something at me. I left to teach and when I returned the copy I'd made of her precious document had mysteriously vanished.
Is this laughable or is this a terminal situation at a hagwon that is increasingly appearing to be sparing the rod,spoiling the children and killing thousands of extra follicles on an already very bald teacher.
I'm not someone who advocates corporal punishment. Especially not for girls. For boys you can often get them to behave by subjecting them to embarassment. My English teacher simply called us forward, and bumped a big book on our heads. A harmless activity, but one calculated to exact a measure of humiliation.
I have been using a mixture of very fast pushups, or an exaggerated amount of slow pushups (combined with standing up) to bring about discipline. One of the teachers handed me a ruler, and this has had some success. Be Kwaai Yit - 3 hard strokes.
Obviously Peter, the descendent of one particularly cantankerous Hellmoney, is now even cheekier than ever (he's got her in his pocket, and she's a sixshooter, after all). He's quite a smart kid. Not that smart though, because a smart kid would know not to do ego-armwrestling with his teacher. That's what this seems to amount to. I'm not really interested. But it bothers me that time is wasted focussing on a few brats, when most of the kids are eager to study and get on with it. His writing is really untidy, and when other students are doing pushups, he jumps up and co0mes to the front and tells them how to do them. If I ask him to do my bidding he says, "Why?" Or "No." So when I try to separate him from the other musketeers, I ask them to sit somewhere else because he won't move. You might suggest that I be even more strict with him, with an attitude like this, but I would rather not touch the boy at all. I might get some sexually transmitted disease judging from the puss report that I almost managed to get a copy of...
I wonder if the Hellmoney will be back tomorrow? I imagine she thinks I am 'bad' and that her grandchild is the incarnation of the angel Gabriel. I'm going to take my digital vifeo camera and catch the lad being his exuberantly devilish self. If he pulls off a Mr Hyde, then it proves a point in class (in situ), and if not, well then I have evidence. Either way, it is an interesting angle.
I would also like to apologise for my real or imagined mistake, to the Hellmoney. That way I am sure Peter will have an even bigger ego in class, and I can send my own version of Teacher Survivor (Korea) to CBS.
On the overall subject of hypochondria, I'd like to offer a few observations. A few swallows don't make a summer, but I would have thought in the presence of strangers, especially foreigners, if I was a sissy or a hypochondriac I'd try to hide that fact away. I wouldn't try to score points or sympathy from it.
As I say, I may be off on a tangent on this one, but I have seen some ordinarily tough men and boys (always in this order, and never the fairer sex) in tears and agony when it seems...well...an act.
I saw a guy fall off his bike in a triathlon and just lie there. I'm sure it was painful, but he didn't lose consciousness. I'm sure his pride was the worst hit, but he was lying in the road and lots of bikes were whizzing past. I was already on my last lap of the run, and I stopped to drag him and his bike off the road to prevent a pile up. The whole time the guy seemed to be pretending to be mute and paralysed with pain.
There was also a sports contest where it boiled down to a strong Korean guy and a western guy, very tough and kind've all about being tough. They did a Korean wrestling thing and the western guy managed, not without some effort, to get his counterpart on the ground. It was a hard knock, and you could hear he was winded, but immediately after, the grounded Korean lay there, writhing in agony, drawing a crowd and a lot of extra attention. I would guess if he was walking alone on a mountain, and had fallen the same distance, he would have immediately gotten up, brushed himself off and been fine. So I thought this was very unsportsmanlike.
I see it with my students too. I'm sure most teachers have. I just wonder whether it's not more prevalent here, in this country. Is it? Maybe not?
Well, there are a few more well publicised examples.
One involves the skater Kim Dong Sung and Anton Ohno. There was a lot of protesting and fussing after the medal was awarded controversially to the American. Technically the American deserved to win, but practically, it looked like the Korean deserved to win. It looked like he deserved to win. I saw the slow motion footage on TV and it's undeniable that the Korean deviated (very little) from his line. But he did deviate. It's tragic that he did, because had he just kept to his line I am sure he would have one. Ohno bluffed, and the Korean called it, and that cost him a medal. The Koreans would have none of it, and launched protests ad naseum. Did the judges change their minds? No. I still have a picture of an infuriated skater, hands on hips, flag on the ground. It's not a good example for a fanbase.
A more recent example is a gymnast who actually deserved a gold medal, and it was mistakenly awarded to an American (again). After checking the numbers, they saw the the Korean had actually earned half a point or something more. I was disappointed to hear that the American did not give his medal to the Korean. He felt he had earned it, I suppose, and obviously a medal confers (whichever country you're in) a certain dollar reward).
So the Koreans had a special gold medal made, and awarded it to the 'real' gold medalist. Doubtless most other countries would have done the same thing.
Life though doesn't swing back, and award second gold medals. You get married, get cancer, have a child. You try to make the best of your situation. No guardian angel flys overhead, presses pause, and makes everything good.
I'm not quite sure how to deal with the hypochondria in my 7:00pm classroom. Any suggestions? Ignorance is bliss?
Storms Are Brewing
By Michael Christie
Mon May 30, 4:57 PM ET
MIAMI (Reuters) - If hurricanes again pound the United States this summer, their roar is likely to be accompanied by the din of another storm -- an angry debate among U.S. scientists over the impact of global warming.
Last season's $45 billion devastation, when 15 tropical storms spawned nine hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean, prompted climatologists to warn of a link to warming temperatures.
But hurricane experts say the unusual series of hurricanes, four of which slammed into Florida in a six-week period, was the result of a natural 15- to 40-year cycle in Atlantic cyclone activity.
After a lull between 1970 and the mid-1990s, the number of storms picked up dramatically from 1995 and higher-than-normal activity is expected for the next five to 30 years as a phenomenon known as the "Atlantic multidecadal mode" holds sway.
"Really, for the folks that are doing work on hurricanes, there isn't a debate (about global warming)," said Chris Landsea of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's hurricane research division in Miami.
Many climatologists disagree. They say the large, decades-long swings in hurricane activity may mask, but do not rule out, longer term climate change trends.
The warmer waters and increased air moisture that global warming is expected to produce are, after all, the primary fuels that hurricanes feed off during the June to November season.
"Global climate change is happening. The environment in which these hurricanes form is clearly changing," said Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. He is also a lead author of the next major U.N. report on climate change, due in 2007.
Landsea withdrew from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year after accusing Trenberth of linking current heightened hurricane activity too closely to global warming.
HOT TOPIC
The public clash highlighted the sensitivity of the climate debate in the United States, which under President Bush dismayed environmentalists by rejecting the Kyoto pact on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Some government scientists, such as James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, have complained they are forced to downplay evidence of climate change, which most scientists link to industrial pollution.
But hurricane experts say their dismissal of global warming in relation to hurricanes is based on science not politics.
According to meteorologist Thomas Knutson of NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, higher carbon dioxide levels have probably resulted in a 1/7th of a category increase in Atlantic cyclone intensity in the past century, and likely will raise a storm's potential by half a category in 80 years.
Hurricanes are graded under the Saffir-Simpson scale based on wind speeds, with a Category 5, marked by winds higher than 155 mph (249 kph), the strongest and most destructive.
Similarly, studies by Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, indicate the 2 degree Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in sea surface temperatures predicted by the IPCC would raise the upper limit on a storm's intensity by 10 percent.
Landsea said those changes were largely imperceptible given the overall ferocity of hurricanes.
He added that other factors, like the El Nino weather event in the Pacific, and the differences between lower level and upper level winds, called wind shear, play as critical a role as water temperatures in determining whether hurricanes form.
"The folks in the field are unanimous in saying that global warming doesn't have an appreciable impact on hurricanes today and that changes in the future look to be really tiny," Landsea said.
Climatologists take another view, arguing that a 10 percent increase in wind speeds leads to a 20 percent increase in destructive force. They also point out that many researchers are revising upward their original estimates of how much greenhouse gas emissions are affecting world climate.
"We are so far along, this is happening so much faster than we thought it would happen," said Paul Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School.
"I think this summer will portend some really strange weather."
Mon May 30, 4:57 PM ET
MIAMI (Reuters) - If hurricanes again pound the United States this summer, their roar is likely to be accompanied by the din of another storm -- an angry debate among U.S. scientists over the impact of global warming.
Last season's $45 billion devastation, when 15 tropical storms spawned nine hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean, prompted climatologists to warn of a link to warming temperatures.
But hurricane experts say the unusual series of hurricanes, four of which slammed into Florida in a six-week period, was the result of a natural 15- to 40-year cycle in Atlantic cyclone activity.
After a lull between 1970 and the mid-1990s, the number of storms picked up dramatically from 1995 and higher-than-normal activity is expected for the next five to 30 years as a phenomenon known as the "Atlantic multidecadal mode" holds sway.
"Really, for the folks that are doing work on hurricanes, there isn't a debate (about global warming)," said Chris Landsea of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's hurricane research division in Miami.
Many climatologists disagree. They say the large, decades-long swings in hurricane activity may mask, but do not rule out, longer term climate change trends.
The warmer waters and increased air moisture that global warming is expected to produce are, after all, the primary fuels that hurricanes feed off during the June to November season.
"Global climate change is happening. The environment in which these hurricanes form is clearly changing," said Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. He is also a lead author of the next major U.N. report on climate change, due in 2007.
Landsea withdrew from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year after accusing Trenberth of linking current heightened hurricane activity too closely to global warming.
HOT TOPIC
The public clash highlighted the sensitivity of the climate debate in the United States, which under President Bush dismayed environmentalists by rejecting the Kyoto pact on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Some government scientists, such as James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, have complained they are forced to downplay evidence of climate change, which most scientists link to industrial pollution.
But hurricane experts say their dismissal of global warming in relation to hurricanes is based on science not politics.
According to meteorologist Thomas Knutson of NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, higher carbon dioxide levels have probably resulted in a 1/7th of a category increase in Atlantic cyclone intensity in the past century, and likely will raise a storm's potential by half a category in 80 years.
Hurricanes are graded under the Saffir-Simpson scale based on wind speeds, with a Category 5, marked by winds higher than 155 mph (249 kph), the strongest and most destructive.
Similarly, studies by Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, indicate the 2 degree Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in sea surface temperatures predicted by the IPCC would raise the upper limit on a storm's intensity by 10 percent.
Landsea said those changes were largely imperceptible given the overall ferocity of hurricanes.
He added that other factors, like the El Nino weather event in the Pacific, and the differences between lower level and upper level winds, called wind shear, play as critical a role as water temperatures in determining whether hurricanes form.
"The folks in the field are unanimous in saying that global warming doesn't have an appreciable impact on hurricanes today and that changes in the future look to be really tiny," Landsea said.
Climatologists take another view, arguing that a 10 percent increase in wind speeds leads to a 20 percent increase in destructive force. They also point out that many researchers are revising upward their original estimates of how much greenhouse gas emissions are affecting world climate.
"We are so far along, this is happening so much faster than we thought it would happen," said Paul Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School.
"I think this summer will portend some really strange weather."
This has been dinner for two nights in a row. Chicken, mushrooms, garlic, cabbage, tomato, green peppers and...I think it's eggplant...kind've a green cucumber thing...lightly fried and steamed in extra virgin olive oil. Last night I used some Steer spices, salt and honey, and the sauce was so delicious I had to soak it into some bread and get every last drop.
Crude oil prices approach $52 per barrel
By EDITH BALAZS
Associated Press Writer
MAY. 31 3:21 P.M. ET Crude oil futures rose for the sixth straight trading session Tuesday, settling near $52 a barrel and leading some brokers to conclude that high prices may stick around.
In mid-May, prices fell below $47 a barrel in response to steadily rising crude inventories, but last week's surprise drop in U.S. oil supplies brought nervousness back into the market.
"I think the bears are becoming less confident in their positions and they're buying on the dips," said Tom Bentz, a broker at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures in New York.
While Bentz conceded that no fuel shortages are likely, he said the market's underlying fear of an unexpected output disruption will make it difficult for prices to fall sharply anytime soon. "Longer term, I still believe that we're in a big uptrend," he said.
Light, sweet crude for July delivery rose 12 cents to $51.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, which was closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.
Oil prices are about 23 percent higher than a year ago.
Heating oil futures rose less than a penny to $1.45 a gallon, while unleaded gasoline futures dropped 1.53 cents to $1.46 a gallon.
In London, Brent crude for July delivery fell 52 cents to $50.18 a barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange.
The summer driving season in the United States, which kicked in Monday with the holiday, has some traders worried that high gasoline demand could cause supplies to tighten.
However, Bentz and other brokers said U.S. crude inventories are at healthy levels, currently 32.4 million barrels higher than year-ago levels.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet in mid-June to decide whether to slash output, already at 30 million barrels daily. The oil cartel, which pumps out 40 percent of the global crude, is producing at full-tilt in a bid to cool prices and calm market fears.
"Should prices dip below $45 a barrel, I'm convinced OPEC will take immediate action in cutting those output levels," said Orrin Middleton, energy analyst at Barclays Capital in London.
Analysts expect OPEC to maintain current output levels to meet demand in the fourth quarter.
Shum said, however, the market remains cautious after Saudi Arabia's King Fahd was hospitalized following a bout of pneumonia on Friday. The kingdom's strategic importance as the nation with the world's largest oil reserves means even a stable succession could affect world markets and have widespread political fallout.
On Tuesday, the kingdom's defense minister said King Fahd's health is continuing to improve and he soon be discharged from the hospital soon.
----------
Associated Press Writer Sui-Lee Wee in Singapore contributed to this report.
Associated Press Writer
MAY. 31 3:21 P.M. ET Crude oil futures rose for the sixth straight trading session Tuesday, settling near $52 a barrel and leading some brokers to conclude that high prices may stick around.
In mid-May, prices fell below $47 a barrel in response to steadily rising crude inventories, but last week's surprise drop in U.S. oil supplies brought nervousness back into the market.
"I think the bears are becoming less confident in their positions and they're buying on the dips," said Tom Bentz, a broker at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures in New York.
While Bentz conceded that no fuel shortages are likely, he said the market's underlying fear of an unexpected output disruption will make it difficult for prices to fall sharply anytime soon. "Longer term, I still believe that we're in a big uptrend," he said.
Light, sweet crude for July delivery rose 12 cents to $51.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, which was closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.
Oil prices are about 23 percent higher than a year ago.
Heating oil futures rose less than a penny to $1.45 a gallon, while unleaded gasoline futures dropped 1.53 cents to $1.46 a gallon.
In London, Brent crude for July delivery fell 52 cents to $50.18 a barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange.
The summer driving season in the United States, which kicked in Monday with the holiday, has some traders worried that high gasoline demand could cause supplies to tighten.
However, Bentz and other brokers said U.S. crude inventories are at healthy levels, currently 32.4 million barrels higher than year-ago levels.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet in mid-June to decide whether to slash output, already at 30 million barrels daily. The oil cartel, which pumps out 40 percent of the global crude, is producing at full-tilt in a bid to cool prices and calm market fears.
"Should prices dip below $45 a barrel, I'm convinced OPEC will take immediate action in cutting those output levels," said Orrin Middleton, energy analyst at Barclays Capital in London.
Analysts expect OPEC to maintain current output levels to meet demand in the fourth quarter.
Shum said, however, the market remains cautious after Saudi Arabia's King Fahd was hospitalized following a bout of pneumonia on Friday. The kingdom's strategic importance as the nation with the world's largest oil reserves means even a stable succession could affect world markets and have widespread political fallout.
On Tuesday, the kingdom's defense minister said King Fahd's health is continuing to improve and he soon be discharged from the hospital soon.
----------
Associated Press Writer Sui-Lee Wee in Singapore contributed to this report.
My Impressions of Jeanne
When you consider the court documents and contents below, and you imagine this 17-18 year old prisoner facing 40-50 judges, on a daily basis, you realise how often they lay traps and tricks for her to perjure herself. That she did not, for months on end, speaks of her mental toughness and acuity. Jeanne may not have much of an education, she could not even write her own name (letters were dictated) but there can be no doubt that she was very very smart. And courageous.
Jeanne's Voices - I hope You're Reading This Stuff!
FOURTH PUBLIC EXAMINATION
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
Tuesday, February 27th, in the same place. The Bishop and 54 Assessors present.
In their presence, We required the said Jeanne to swear to tell the truth on everything touching her Trial.
"Willingly will I swear," she answered, "to tell the truth on everything touching the trial, but not all that I know."
We required her again to speak the truth on all which should be asked of her.
"You ought to be satisfied," she answered. "I have sworn enough."
Then, by Our order, Ma�tre Beaup�re began to question her. And first he inquired of her, how she had been since the Saturday before?
"You can see for yourself how I am. I am as well as can be."
"Do you fast every day this Lent?"
"Is that in the Case? Well, yes! I have fasted every day during this Lent."
"Have you heard your Voices since Saturday?"
"Yes, truly, many times."
"Did you hear them on Saturday in this hall, where you were being examined?"
"That is not in your Case. Very well, then - yes! I did hear them."
"What did your Voice say to you last Saturday?"
"I did not quite understand it; and up to the moment when I returned to my room, I heard nothing that I may repeat to you."
"What did it say to you in your room, on your return?"
"It said to me, 'Answer them boldly.' I take counsel with my Voice about what you ask me. I will tell willingly whatever I shall have permission from God to reveal: as to the revelations concerning the King of France, I will not tell them without the permission of my Voice."
"Has your Voice forbidden you to tell everything?"
"I did not quite understand it."
"What did your Voice last say to you?"
"I asked counsel about certain things that you had asked me."
"Did it give you counsel?"
"On some points, yes; on others you may ask me for an answer that I shall not give, not having had leave. For, if I answered without leave, I should no longer have my Voices as warrant. When I have permission from Our Savior, I shall not fear to speak, because I shall have warrant."
"This Voice that speaks to you, is it that of an Angel, or of a Saint, or from God direct?"
"It is the Voice of Saint Catherine and of Saint Margaret.(1)....(This is the first identification of the "revelations" with any name; Jeanne had always spoken of her "Voices" or her "Counsel.")
Their faces are adorned with beautiful crowns, very rich and precious. To tell you this I have leave from Our Lord. If you doubt this, send to Poitiers, where I was examined before."
"How do you know if these were the two Saints?"
"How do you distinguish one from the other?"
"I know quite well it is they; and I can easily distinguish one from the other."
" How do you distinguish them?"
" By the greeting they give me. It is seven years now since they have undertaken to guide me. I know them well because they were named to me."
"Are these two Saints dressed in the same stuff?"
"I will tell you no more just now; I have not permission to reveal it. If you do not believe me, go to Poitiers. There are some revelations which come to the King of France, and not to you, who are questioning me."
"Are they of the same age?"
"I have not leave to say."
"Do they speak at the same time, or one after the other?"
"I have not leave to say; nevertheless, I have always had counsel from them both."
" Which of them appeared to you first?"
"I did not distinguish them at first. I knew well enough once, but I have forgotten. If I had leave, I would tell you willingly : it is written in the Register at Poitiers. (2)....(This Examination at Poitiers had taken place in the Chapel attached to the Palace of the Counts of Poitou, which still exists and adjoins the 'Salle des Pas Perdus,' now the Great Hall of the Palais de Justice. It was conducted under the direction of the Archbishop of Reims during the months of March and April, 1429, and extended over three weeks. At the conclusion, the assembly sent, as the result of their inquiries, a resolution to the King to the effect that he should follow the Maid's guidance, and seek for the sign she promised him in the relief of Orleans, as a proof of the Divine origin of her mission, "for," they added, "to doubt or forsake her without any appearance of evil would be to vex the Holy Spirit, and to make himself unworthy of the help of God: so said Gamaliel in the Council of the Jews with regard to the Apostles." Unfortunately, no trace of this Examination has been found: the 'Book of Poitiers' is referred to several times in the Trial ; but it was not forth coming at the time of the Rehabilitation. It was probably lost or destroyed by Jeanne's enemies among her own party. The Archbishop of Reims 'would have had it in his charge: and he was consistently opposed to Jeanne throughout. During her stay at Poitiers the Maid lodged in the house of Jean Rabatier.)
"I have also received comfort from Saint Michael."
"Which of these two appearances came to you first?"
"Saint Michael."
"Is it a long time since you first heard the voice of Saint Michael?"
"I did not say anything to you about the voice of Saint Michael; I say I have had great comfort from him."
"What was the first Voice that came to you when you were about thirteen?"
"It was Saint Michael: I saw him before my eyes; he was not alone, but quite surrounded by the Angels of Heaven. I came into France only by the order of God."
"Did you see Saint Michael and these Angels bodily and in reality?"
"I saw them with my bodily eyes as well as I see you; when they went from me, I wept. I should have liked to be taken away with them."
"And what was Saint Michael like?"
"You will have no more answer from me; and I am not yet free to tell you."
"What did Saint Michael say to you this first time?"
"You will have no more answer about it from me today. My Voices said to me, 'Reply boldly.' Once I told the King all that had been revealed to me, because it concerned him ; but I am no longer free to reveal to you all that Saint Michael said to me."
[To Ma�tre Beaup�re:] "I wish you could get a copy of this book at Poitiers, if it please God."
"Have your Voices forbidden you to make known your revelations without leave from them?"
"I will answer you no more about it. On all that I have leave, I will answer willingly. I have not quite understood if my Voices have forbidden me to answer."
"What sign do you give that you have this revelation from God, and that it is Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret that talk with you?"
"I have told you that it is they ; believe me if you will."
"Are you forbidden to say?"
"I have not quite understood if this is forbidden or not."
"How can you make sure of distinguishing such things as you are free to tell, from those which are forbidden?"
"On some points I have asked leave, and on others I have obtained it. I would rather have been torn asunder by four horses than have come into France without God's leave."
"Was it God who prescribed to you the dress of a man?"
"What concerns this dress is a small thing - less than nothing. I did not take it by the advice of any man in the world. I did not take this dress or do anything but by the command of Our Lord and of the Angels."
"Did it appear to you that this command to take man's dress was lawful?"
"All I have done is by Our Lord's command. If I had been told to take some other, I should have done it; because it would have been His command."
"Did you not take this garment by order of Robert de Baudricourt?"
"No."
"Do you think it was well to take a man's dress?"
"All that I have done by the order of Our Lord I think has been well done; I look for good surety and good help in it."
"In this particular case, this taking of man's dress, do you think you did well?"
"I have done nothing in the world but by the order of God."
"When you saw this Voice coming to you, was there a light?"
"There was plenty of light everywhere, as was seemly."
[Addressing herself to Ma�tre Beaup�re:] "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?"(3)....(According to local tradition, this Church was originally founded by Charles Martel in 732, after his victory over the Saracens, whom he here ceased to pursue, and deposited his sword as an offering. This is by some supposed to have been the sword which later Jeanne sent for; but the legend is not of an early date, and there is no suggestion of the kind in contemporary writings. According to one authority, the Greffler de la Rochelle, the sword was found in a reliquary, which had not been opened for twenty years or more. The Chronique de la Pucelle and the Journal of the Siege of Orleans state that it was one of many votive offerings, and was recognized by Jeanne's description of the five crosses on the blade, possibly a Jerusalem Cross. Some of the old Chronicles say that Jeanne told the King she had never been at Fierbois: but this statement is disproved by her own words in this answer. The suggestion that, having been to three Masses in the Church, she might easily have seen the sword, is to some extent answered by the alleged difficulty of the Priests to find, among the many swords there, the one she had specially described. Of the ultimate fate of this sword there are many versions, and no two agree exactly as to date. It was certainly broken in striking a camp-follower, one of a class the Maid had forbidden to enter the Camp; but whether this was just after the retreat from Paris or earlier, it does not seem possible to decide. Jeanne herself says she "had it up to Saint-Denis" and "Lagny," both of which dates would imply the autumn of 1429 : but most witnesses tell the story of its being broken in the July preceding, though several different places are mentioned as the scene of the incident.)
"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 traveled 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 armorer 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, after the attack on Paris." (4)....(On September 13th, 1429.)
"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?" (5)....(A small town near Auxerre. In this neighborhood some of the chronicles place the incident referred to of the breaking of the sword. The question may, therefore, have been intended to elicit the story.)
"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."
"Have you sometimes prayed that it might be more fortunate?"
"It is good to know that I wished my armor might have good fortune!"
"Had you your sword when you were taken prisoner?"
"No, I had one which had been taken on a Burgundian."
"Where was the sword of Fierbois left?"
"I offered at Saint-Denis a sword and armor; it was not this sword. I had that at Lagny; from Lagny to Compiegne, I bore the sword of this Burgundian; it was a good sword for fighting - very good for giving stout buffets and hard clouts. To tell what became of the other sword does not concern this Case, and I will not answer about it now. My brothers have all my goods - my horses,(6)....(Jeanne appears to have been a good horse-woman; she rode "horses so ill-tempered that no one would dare to ride them." The Duke de Lorraine, on her first visit to him, and the Duke d'Alencon, after seeing her skill in riding a course, each gave her a horse; and we read also of a gift of a war-horse from the town of Orleans, and "many horses of value" sent from the Duke of Brittany. She had entered Orleans on a white horse, according to the Journal du Siege d'Orleans; but seems to have been in the habit of riding black chargers in war; and mention is also made by Chatelain of a "lyart" or gray. A story, repeated in a letter from Guy de Laval, relates that, on one occasion (June 6th, 1428), when her horse," a fine black war-horse" was brought to the door, he was so restive that he would not stand still. "Take him to the Cross," she said; and there he stood, "as though he were tied," while she mounted. This was at Selles; and local tradition says that, from her lodging (a Dominican Monastery now the Lion d'Or hotel) the old iron town-cross was visible. It stood until about a century ago some fifteen paces in front of the north door of the Church, and was removed when the cemetery was converted into a market place. The Monastery was the property of the monks of Glatigny.) my sword, so far as I know, and the rest, which are worth more than twelve thousand crowns."
"When you were at Orleans, had you a standard, or banner and of what color was it?" (7).... ( The banner was painted at Tours, while Jeanne was staying there, before her march to the relief of Orleans. The account for payment, in the "Comptes of the Treasurer of War, gives: "A Hauvres Poulnoir, paintre, demourant � Tours, pour avoir paint et baille estoffes pour une grand estandart et une petit pour la Pucelle . . . 25 livres tournois." The description of this banner varies in different authors. The following account is compiled from them. "A white banner, sprinkled with fleur-de-lys; on the one side, the figure of Our Lord in Glory, holding the world, and giving His benediction to a lily, held by one of two Angels who are kneeling on each side: the words 'Jhesus Maria' at the side; on the other side the figure of Our Lady and a shield with the arms of France supported by two Angels" (de Cagny). This banner was blessed at the Church of Saint-Sauveur at Tours (Chronique de la Pucelle and de Cagny). The small banner or pennon had a representation of the Annunciation. There was also a third banner round which the priests assembled daily for service, and on this was depicted the Crucifixion (Pasquerel). Another banner is mentioned by the Greffier de la Rochelie, which Jeanne is said to have adopted as her own private pennon. It was made at Poitiers; and represented on a blue ground a white dove, holding in its beak a scroll, with the words, "De par le Roy du Ciel." It is given upon the cover of this book.)
"I had a banner of which the field was sprinkled with lilies; the world was painted there, with an angel at each side; it was white, of the white cloth called 'boccassin' ; there was written above, I believe, 'Jhesus Maria' ; it was fringed with silk."
"The words 'Jhesus Maria' were they written above, below, or on the side?"
"At the side, I believe."
"Which did you care for most, your banner or your sword?"
"Better, forty times better, my banner than my sword!"
"Who made you get this painting done upon your banner?"
"I have told you often enough, that I had nothing done but by the command of God. It was I, myself who bore this banner, when I attacked the enemy, to save killing any one, for I have never killed any one."
"What force did your King give you when he set you to work?"
"He gave me ten or twelve thousand men. First, I went to Orleans, to the fortress of Saint Loup, and afterwards to that of the Bridge."
"Which fortress was being attacked when you made your men retire?"
"I do not remember. I was quite certain of raising the siege of Orleans; I had revelation of it. I told this to the King before going there."
"Before the assault, did you not tell your followers that you alone would receive the arrows, cross-bolts, and stones, thrown by the machines and cannons ?"
"No; a hundred and even more of my people were wounded. I had said to them: 'Be fearless, and you will raise the siege.' Then, in the attack on the Bridge fortress, I was wounded in the neck by an arrow or cross-bolt; (8)....(May 7th, 1429.) but I had great comfort from Saint Catherine, and was cured in less than a fortnight. I did not interrupt for this either my riding or work. I knew quite well that I should be wounded; I had told the King so, but that, notwithstanding, I should go on with my work. This had been revealed to me by the Voices of my two Saints,(9)....(This prophecy is recorded in a letter written April 22nd, 1429, a fortnight before the event, by a Flemish diplomatist, De Rotslaer, then at Lyons. Her chaplain, Pasquerel, also states, in his evidence given in 1455, that she had told him of the coming injury on the previous day.) the blessed Catherine and the blessed Margaret. It was I who first planted a ladder against the fortress of the Bridge, and it was in raising this ladder that I was wounded in the neck by this cross-bolt."
"Why did you not accept the treaty with the Captain of Jargeau?"(10)....(June 11th, 1429.)
"It was the Lords of my party who answered the English that they should not have the fortnight's delay which they asked, telling them that they were to retire at once, they and their horses. As for me, I told them of Jargeau to retire if they wished, with their doublets,(11)....(Gallice : "en leur petite cotte," i.e., with only the light clothing worn under their armor.) and their lives safe; if not, they would be taken by assault."
"Had you any revelation from your counsel, that is to say from your Voices, to know whether it was right or not to give this fortnight's respite?"
"I do not remember."
At this point, the rest of the inquiry had been postponed to another day. We have fixed for Thursday the next Meeting, at the same place.
Jeanne vs 58 Assessors
FIFTH PUBLIC EXAMINATION
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
Thursday, March 1st, in the same place, the Bishop and 58 Assessors present.
In their presence, We summoned and required Jeanne simply and absolutely to take her oath to speak the truth on that which should be asked her.
"I am ready," she replied, "as I have already declared to you, to speak the truth on all I know touching this Case; but I know many things which do not touch on this Case, and of which there is no need to speak to you. I will speak willingly and in all truth on all that touches this Case."
We again summoned and required her; and she replied:
"What I know in truth touching the Case, I will tell willingly."
And in this wise did she swear, her hands on the Holy Gospels. Then she said: "On what I know touching this Case, I will speak the truth willingly; I will tell you as much as I would to the Pope of Rome, if I were before him."
Then she was examined as follows:
"What do you say of our Lord the Pope? and whom do you believe to be the true Pope?"
"Are there two of them?"
"Did you not receive a letter from the Count d'Armagnac, asking you which of the three Pontiffs he ought to obey?" (1)....(The "three Pontiffs" referred to are Martin V (Colonna), the real and acknowledged Pope; the schismatic, Clement VIII; and a mere pretender, Benedict XIV, who was supported only by one Cardinal. The Schism was practically at an end at the time of this letter, as Clement had abdicated a month earlier (July 26th). Clement VIII is the true title, though called Clement VII in Count d'Armagnac's letter.)
"The Count did in fact write to me on this subject. I replied, among other things, that when I should be at rest, in Paris or elsewhere, I would give him an answer. I was just at that moment mounting my horse when I sent this reply."
At this juncture, We ordered to be read the copy of the Count's letter and of Jeanne's reply, which are thus expressed :
"My very dear Lady - I humbly commend myself to you, and pray, for God's sake, that, considering the divisions which are at this present time in the Holy Church Universal on the question of the Popes, for there are now three contending for the Papacy one residing at Rome, calling himself Martin V, whom all Christian Kings obey; another, living at Paniscole, in the Kingdom of Valence, who calls himself Clement VII; the third, no one knows where he lives, unless it be the Cardinal Saint Etienne and some few people with him, but he calls himself Pope Benedict XIV. The first, who styles himself Pope Martin, was elected at Constance with the consent of all Christian nations; he who is called Clement was elected at Paniscole, after the death of Pope Benedict XIII, by three of his Cardinals; the third, who dubs himself Benedict XIV, was elected secretly at Paniscole, even by the Cardinal Saint Etienne. You will have the goodness to pray Our Savior Jesus Christ that by His infinite Mercy He may by you declare to us which of the three named is Pope in truth, and whom it pleases Him that we should obey, now and henceforward, whether he who is called Martin, he who is called Clement, or he who is called Benedict; and in whom we are to believe, if secretly, or by any dissembling, or publicly; for we are all ready to do the will and pleasure of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Yours in all things, COUNT D'ARMAGNAC."
Jeanne's Reply.
"Jhesus Maria."
"Count d'Armagnac, my very good and dear friend, I, Jeanne, the Maid, acquaint you that your message has come before me, which tells me that you have sent at once to know from me which of the three Popes, mentioned in your memorial, you should believe. This thing I cannot tell you truly at present, until I am at rest in Paris or elsewhere; for I am now too much hindered by affairs of war; but when you hear that I am in Paris, send a message to me and I will inform you in truth whom you should believe, and what I shall know by the counsel of my Righteous and Sovereign Lord, the King of all the World, and of what you should do to the extent of my power. I commend you to God. May God have you in His keeping! Written at Compiegne, August 22nd."
Then the Inquiry proceeded thus:
"Is this really the reply that you made?"
"I think that I might have made this answer in part, but not all."
"Did you say that you might know, by the counsel of the King of Kings, what the Count should hold on this subject ?"
"I know nothing about it."
"Had you any doubt about whom the Count should obey?"
"I did not know how to inform him on this question, as to whom he should obey, because the Count himself asked to know whom God wished him to obey. But for myself, I hold and believe that we should obey our Lord the Pope who is in Rome. I told the messenger of the Count some things which are not in this copy; and, if the messenger had not gone off immediately, he would have been thrown into the water - not by me, however. As to the Count's inquiry, desiring to know whom God wished him to obey, I answered that I did not know; but I sent him messages on several things which have not been put in writing. As for me, I believe in our Lord the Pope who is at Rome."
"Why did you write that you would give an answer elsewhere if you believed in the Pope who is at Rome?"
"That answer had reference to other things than the matter of the sovereign Pontiffs."
"Did you say that on the matter of the three sovereign Pontiffs you would have counsel?"
"I never wrote nor gave command to write on the matter of the three sovereign Pontiffs." And this answer she supported by oath.
"Are you in the habit of putting the Names 'Jhesus Maria,' with a cross, at the top of your letters?"
"On some I put it, on others not; sometimes I put a cross as a sign for those of my party to whom I wrote so that they should not do as the letters said."
Here a letter was read from Jeanne to our Lord the King, to the Duke of Bedford, and others, of the following tenor :
"Jhesus Maria."
"King of England; and you, Duke of Bedford, who call yourself Regent of the Kingdom of France; you, William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk; John, Lord Talbot; and you, Thomas, Lord Scales, who call yourselves Lieutenants to the said Duke of Bedford: give satisfaction to the King of Heaven: give up to the Maid, who is sent hither by God, the King of Heaven, the keys of all the good towns in France which you have taken, and broken into. She is come here by the order of God to reclaim the Blood Royal. She is quite ready to make peace, if you are willing to give her satisfaction, by giving and paying back to France what you have taken. And as for you, archers, companions-in-arms, gentlemen and others who are before the town of Orleans, return to your own countries, by God's order; and if this be not done, then hear the message of the Maid, who will shortly come upon you, to your very great hurt. King of England, I am a Chieftain of war and, if this be not done, where so ever I find your followers in France, I will make them leave, willingly or unwillingly; if they will not obey, I will have them put to death. I am sent here by God, the King of Heaven, body for body, to drive them all out of the whole of France. And if they will obey, I will have mercy on them. And do not think to yourselves that you will get possession of the realm of France from God the King of Heaven, Son of the Blessed Mary; for King Charles will gain it, the true heir: and God, the King of Heaven, so wills it, and it is revealed to him [the King] by the Maid, and he will enter Paris with a good company. If you will not believe the message of God and of the Maid and act aright, in whatsoever place we find you we will enter therein and make so great a disturbance that for a thousand years none in France will be so great. And believe surely that the King of Heaven will send greater power to the Maid, to her and her good men-at-arms, than you can bring to the attack; and, when it comes to blows, we shall see who has the better right from the God of Heaven. You, Duke of Bedford, the Maid prays and enjoins you, that you do not come to grievous hurt. If you will give her satisfactory pledges, you may yet join with her, so that the French may do the fairest deed that has ever yet been done for Christendom. And answer, if you wish to make peace in the City of Orleans; if this be not done, you may be shortly reminded of it, to your very great hurt. Written this Tuesday in Holy Week, March 22nd, 1428."
"Do you know this letter ?"
"Yes, excepting three words. In place of 'give up to the Maid,' it should be 'give up to the King.' The words 'Chieftain of war' and 'body for body' were not in the letter I sent. None of the Lords ever dictated these letters to me; it was I myself alone who dictated them before sending them. Nevertheless, I always showed them to some of my party. Before seven years are passed, the English will lose a greater wager than they have already done at Orleans; they will lose everything in France. (2)....(The English lost Paris in 1436.) The English will have in France a greater loss than they have ever had, and that by a great victory which God will send to the French."
"How do you know this?"
"I know it well by revelation, which has been made to me, and that this will happen within seven years; and I am sore vexed that it is deferred so long. I know it by revelation, as clearly as I know that you are before me at this moment."
"When will this happen?"
"I know neither the day nor the hour."
"In what year will it happen?"
"You will not have any more. Nevertheless, I heartily wish it might be before Saint John's Day."
"Did you not say that this would happen before Martinmas, in winter?"
"I said that before Martinmas many things would be seen, and that the English might perhaps be overthrown." (3)....(Compiegne was relieved early in November; Saint Martin's Day is November 11th.)
"What did you say to John Grey, your keeper, on the subject of the Feast of Saint Martin?"
"I have told you."
"Through whom did you know that this would happen?"
"Through Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret."
"Was Saint Gabriel with Saint Michael when he came to you?"
"I do not remember."
"Since last Tuesday, have you had any converse with Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret?"
"Yes, but I do not know at what time."
"What day?"
"Yesterday and today ; there is never a day that I do not hear them."
"Do you always see them in the same dress?"
"I see them always under the same form, and their heads are richly crowned. I do not speak of the rest of their clothing: I know nothing of their dresses."
"How do you know whether the object that appears to you is male or female?"
"I know well enough. I recognize them by their voices, as they revealed themselves to me; I know nothing but by the revelation and order of God."
"What part of their heads do you see?"
"The face."
"These saints who show themselves to you, have they any hair?"
"It is well to know they have."
"Is there anything between their crowns and their hair?"
"No."
"Is their hair long and hanging down?"
"I know nothing about it. I do not know if they have arms or other members. They speak very well and in very good language; I hear them very well."
"How do they speak if they have no members?"
"I refer me to God. The voice is beautiful, sweet, and low; it speaks in the French tongue."
"Does not Saint Margaret speak English?''
"Why should she speak English, when she is not on the English side?''
"On these crowned heads, were there rings? - in the ears or elsewhere?"
"I know nothing about it."
"Have you any rings yourself?"
[Addressing herself to Us, the Bishop:] "You have one of mine; give it back to me. The Burgundians have another of them. I pray you, if you have my ring, show it to me."
"Who gave you the ring which the Burgundians [now] have?"
"My father or my mother. I think the Names 'Jhesus Maria' are engraved on it. I do not know who had them written there; there is not, I should say, any stone in the ring; it was given to me at Domremy. It was my brother who gave me the other - the one you have."
[Continuing to address herself to Us, the Bishop:] "I charge you to give it to the Church. I never cured any one with any of my rings."
"Did Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret speak to you under the tree of which mention has been made ?"
"I know nothing of it."
"Did they speak to you at the spring, which is near the tree?"
"Yes, I have heard them there ; but what they said then, I do not know."
"What did they promise you, there or elsewhere?"
"They have never promised me anything, except by God's leave."
" But still, what promises have they made to you?"
"That is not in your Case: not at all. Upon other subjects, they told me that my King would be re-established in his Kingdom, whether his enemies willed it or no; they told me also that they would lead me to Paradise: I begged it of them, indeed."
"Did you have any other promise from them?"
"There was another, but I will not tell it; that does not touch on the Case. In three months I will tell you the other promise."
"Have your Voices said that before three months you will be delivered from prison?"
"That is not in your Case. Nevertheless I do not know when I shall be delivered. But those who wish to send me out of the world may well go before me."
"Has not your counsel told you that you will be delivered from your actual prison?"
"Speak to me in three months, and I will answer. Moreover, ask of those present, upon oath, if this touches on the Trial."
We, the said Bishop, did then take the opinion of those present: and all considered that this did touch on the Trial.
"I have already told you, you shall not know all. One day I must be delivered. But I wish to have leave to tell you the day: it is for this I ask delay."
"Have your Voices forbidden you to speak the truth?"
"Do you want me to tell you what concerns the King of France? There are a number of things that do not touch on the Case. I know well that my King will regain the Kingdom of France. I know it as well as I know that you are before me, seated in judgment. I should die if this revelation did not comfort me every day."
"What have you done with your mandrake?"(4)....(The mandrake was a part of the accepted paraphernalia of a sorcerer. It was kept wrapped in a silk or linen cloth, and was supposed to preserve its owner from poverty. Brother Richard had recently preached a sermon against them (April, 1429); and many had been burned in consequence.)
"I never have had one. But I have heard that there is one near our home, though I have never seen it. I have heard it is a dangerous and evil thing to keep. I do not know for what it is [used]."
"Where is this mandrake of which you have heard?"
"I have heard that it is in the earth, near the tree of which I spoke before; but I do not know the place. Above this mandrake, there was, it is said, a hazel tree."
"What have you heard said was the use of this mandrake?"
"To make money come: but I do not believe it. My Voice never spoke to me of that."
"In what likeness did Saint Michael appear to you?"
"I did not see a crown: I know nothing of his dress."
"Was he naked?"
"Do you think God has not wherewithal to clothe him?"
"Had he hair?"
"Why should it have been cut off? I have not seen Saint Michael since I left the Castle of Crotoy. I do not see him often. I do not know if he has hair."
"Has he a balance ?" (5)....(The balance was a frequent accessory to Saint Michael in the French stained glass windows of the 13th and 14th centuries. A noted example in the Cathedral at Arles represents him weighing the souls of the departed in a balance as big as himself. One of the earliest examples in England is that in a fresco-painting at Preston Manor, Sussex, said to be of the reign of Edward I, in which Saint Michael appears weighing the souls of the faithful, accompanied by Jeanne's saints, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret.)
"I know nothing about it. It was a great joy to see him ; it seemed to me, when I saw him, that I was not in mortal sin. Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret were pleased from time to time to receive my confession, each in turn. If I am in mortal sin, it is without my knowing it."
"When you confessed, did you think you were in mortal sin?"
"I do not know if I am in mortal sin, and, if it please God, I will never so be; I do not believe I have done its works; nor, please God, have I ever done or ever will do deeds which charge my soul!"
"What sign did you give your King that you came from God?"
"I have always answered that you will not drag this from my lips. Go and ask it of him."
"Have you sworn not to reveal what shall be asked of you touching the Trial?"
"I have already told you that I will tell you nothing of what concerns my King. Thereon I will not speak."
"Do you not know the sign that you gave to the King?"
"You will not know it from me."
"But this touches on the Trial."
"Of what I have promised to keep secret, I will tell you nothing. I have already said, even here, that I could not tell you without perjury."
"To whom have you promised this?"
"To Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret ; and this had been shown to the King. I promised them, without their asking it of me, of my own free-will, of myself, because too many people might have questioned me had I not promised it to my Saints."
"When you showed your sign to the King, were you alone with him?"
"I do not take account of any one else, although there were many people near."
"When you showed this sign to the King, did you see a crown on his head?"
"I cannot tell you without perjury."
"Had your King a crown at Reims?"
"I think my King took with joy the crown that he had at Reims; but another, much richer, would have been given him later. He acted thus to hurry on his work, at the request of the people of the town of Reims, to avoid too long a charge upon them of the soldiers. If he had waited, he would have had a crown a thousand times more rich."
"Have you seen this richer crown ?"
"I cannot tell you without incurring perjury; and, though I have not seen it, I have heard that it is rich and valuable to a degree."
This done, We put an end to the interrogation and postponed the remainder to Saturday next, 8 o'clock in the morning, in the same place, summoning all the Assessors to be present.
Jeanne's Resistance to Trickery and Treachery
SIXTH PUBLIC EXAMINATION
(In the text footnotes are in bold)
Saturday, March 3rd, in the same place, the Bishop and 41 Assessors present.
In their presence, We required the said Jeanne simply and absolutely to swear to speak the truth on what should be asked of her. She replied:
"I am ready to swear as I have already done." And thus did she swear, her hands on the Holy Gospels.
Afterwards, because she had said, in previous inquiries, that Saint Michael had wings, but had said nothing of the body and members of Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, We asked her what she wished to say thereon.
"I have told you what I know; I will answer you nothing more. I saw Saint Michael and these two Saints so well that I know they are Saints of Paradise."
"Did you see anything else of them but the face?"
"I have told you what I know; but to tell you all I know, I would rather that you made me cut my throat. All that I know touching the Trial I will tell you willingly."
"Do you think that Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel have human heads?"
"I saw them with my eyes; and I believe it was they as firmly as I believe there is a God."
"Do you think that God made them in the form and fashion that you saw?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that God did from the first create them in this form and fashion ?"
"You will have no more at present than what I have answered."
"Do you know by revelation if you will escape?"
"That does not touch on your Case. Do you wish me to speak against myself?"
"Have your Voices told you anything?"
"That is not in your Case. I refer me to the Case. If all concerned you, I would tell you all. By my faith, I know neither the day nor the hour that I shall escape!"
"Have your Voices told you anything in a general way?"
"Yes, truly, they have told me that I shall be delivered, but I know neither the day nor the hour. They said to me: 'Be of good courage and keep a cheerful countenance.'"
"When you first came to the King, did he ask you if you had any revelation about your change of dress?"
"I have answered you about that. I do not remember if I was asked. It is written at Poitiers."
"Do you not remember if the Masters who questioned you in the other Consistory, some during a month, others during three weeks, questioned you about your change of dress?"
"I do not remember. But they asked me where I had assumed this man's dress; and I told them it was at Vaucouleurs."
"Did the aforesaid Masters ask you if it were by order of your Voice that you took this dress?"
"I do not remember."
"Did not your Queen(1)....(Mary of Anjou, wife of Charles VII, daughter of Louis, Duke of Anjou and Yolande, Queen of Sicily.) ask you, the first time you went to visit her?"
"I do not remember."
"Did not your King, your Queen, or some of your party, tell you to take off this man's dress? "
"That is not in your Case."
"Were you not so told at the Castle of Beaurevoir?" (2)....(Jeanne was taken from Beaurevoir early in August, and removed from there, when the negotiations for selling her were complete, about the middle of November.)
[Here commences the French Version, or Minute, which is collated with the Latin Text.]
"Yes, truly; and I answered that I would not take it off without leave from God. The Demoiselle de Luxembourg(3)....(Jeanne, Countess de Saint-Pol et Ligny, sister to Count Waleran de Luxembourg and aunt to Jean de Luxembourg.) and the Lady de Beaurevoir (4)....(Jeanne de Bethune, Viscountess de Meaux, wife of Jean de Luxembourg. Both these ladies were at Beaurevoir during Jeanne's captivity, and showed her great kindness, even interceding for her that she should not be sold to the English.) offered me a woman's dress, or cloth to make one, telling me to wear it. I answered them that I had not leave from Our Lord, and that it was not yet time."
"Did Messier Jean de Pressy (5)....(The Sieur de Pressy, in Artois. Present in the Burgundian camp when Jeanne was taken prisoner, and afterwards at Arras, where she was imprisoned on her way from Beaurevoir to Rouen. The questions seem to suggest that Beaup�re had before him some information which has not come down to us.) and others at Arras never offer you a woman's dress?"
"He and many others have oftentimes offered it to me."
"Do you think that you would have done wrong or committed mortal sin by taking a woman's dress ?"
"I did better to obey and serve my Sovereign Lord, who is God. Had I dared to do it, I would sooner have done it at the request of these ladies than of any other ladies in France, excepting my Queen."
"When God revealed it to you that you should change your dress, was it by the voice of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, or Saint Margaret?"
"You shall not have anything more at present."
"When your King first set you to work, and when you had your banner made, did not the men-at-arms and others have their pennons made in the style of yours?"
"It is well to know that the Lords retained their own arms. Some of my companions-in-arms had them made at their pleasure ; others not."
"Of what material did they have them made? Of linen or of cloth?"
"It was of white satin; and on some there were fleur-de-lys. In my company I had only two or three lances. But my companions-in-arms now and then had them made like mine. They only did this to know their men from others."
"Did they often renew these pennons?"
"I do not know. When the lances were broken, they had new ones made."
"Have you sometimes said that the pennons which resembled yours would be fortunate?"
"I sometimes said to my followers: 'Go in boldly among the English !' and I myself did likewise."
"Did you tell them to carry themselves boldly, and they would be fortunate?"
"I have certainly told them what has happened and what will yet happen."
"Did you put, or did you ever cause to be put, Holy Water on the pennons when they were carried for the first time?"
"I know nothing of it; and if that were done, it was not by my order."
"Did you never see any sprinkled?"
"That is not in your Case. If I ever did see any sprinkled, I am advised not to answer about it."
"Did your companions-in-arms never put on their pennons 'Jhesus Maria'?"
"By my faith! I do not know."
"Have you not yourself carried cloth, or caused it to be carried, in procession round an altar or a church, and afterwards employed this cloth for pennons?"
"No; and I never saw it done."
"When you were before Jargeau, what did you bear at the back of your helmet? Was it not something round ?" (6).... (This may perhaps refer to a popular belief in a halo, as of a Saint, surrounding the Maid's head.)
"By my faith! there was nothing."
"Did you ever know Brother Richard?" (7)....(Brother Richard, a Mendicant Friar; some say, Augustan; some, Cordelier. He was preaching in Paris and the neighborhood in 1428-9; and said, amongst other things, in a sermon at Sainte Ginevieve, April 16th, 1419, that "strange things would happen in 1430." He professed to have been in Jerusalem; and his sermons were so popular that congregations were found to listen to him for 10 or 11 hours, from 5 o'clock in the morning! He was driven Out of Paris by the English and went to Troyes, where he joined the Maid.)
"I had not seen him when I came before Troyes."
"What countenance did Brother Richard give you?"
"I suppose after the fashion of the town of Troyes who sent him to me, saying that they feared Jeanne was not a thing that came to them from God. When he approached me, Brother Richard made the sign of the Cross and sprinkled Holy Water; and I said to him : 'Approach boldly, I shall not fly away!'"
"Have you never seen, nor had made, any images or picture of yourself and in your likeness ?"
"I saw at Arras a painting in the hands of a Scot: it was like me. I was represented fully armed, presenting a letter to my King, one knee on the ground. I have never seen, nor had made, any other image or painting in my likeness." (8)....( No absolutely authentic portraits of Jeanne are known. A head of fine work, the portrait of a young girl wearing a casque and of Jeanne's time, is at the Musee Historique at Orleans. Tradition asserts that when Jeanne entered Orleans in triumph with the relieving force a sculptor modeled the head of his statue of St. Maurice from Jeanne herself. This head is a portion of the statue which formerly stood in the church at Orleans dedicated to St. Maurice. The church was demolished in 1850.)
"In the house of your host at Orleans, was there not a picture in which was painted three women, with these words : 'Justice, Peace, Union'?"
"I know nothing about it."
"Do you not know that the people of your party had services, masses, and prayers offered for you?"
"I know nothing of it; if they had any service, it was not by my order; but if they prayed for me, my opinion is they did not do ill."
"Did those of your party firmly believe that you were sent from God?"
"I do not know if they believed it, and in this I refer to their own feeling in this matter. But even though they do not believe, yet am I sent from God."
"Do you not think they have a good belief, if they believe this?"
"If they think that I am sent from God, they will not be deceived."
"In what spirit did the people of your party kiss your hands and your garments?"
"Many came to see me willingly, but they kissed my hands as little as I could help. The poor folk came to me readily, because I never did them any unkindness: on the contrary, I loved to help them."
"What honor did the people of Troyes do you on your entry?"
"None at all. Brother Richard, so far as I remember, entered at the same time as I and our people; I do not remember seeing him at the entry."
"Did he not preach a sermon on your arrival in the town?"
"I did not stop there at all, and did not even sleep there: I know nothing of his sermon."
"Were you many days at Reims?"
"We were there, I believe, five or six days."
"Did you not act there as Godmother?" ["lever d'enfant."]
"At Troyes I did, to one child. At Reims, I do not remember it, nor at Chateau-Thierry. I was Godmother twice at Saint-Denis, in France. Usually, I gave to the boys the name of Charles, in honor of my King; and to the girls, Jeanne. At other times, I gave such names as pleased the mothers."
"Did not the good women of the town touch with their rings one that you wore on your finger?"
"Many women touched my hands and my rings; but I know nothing of their feelings nor their intention."
"Who of your people, before Chateau-Thierry, caught butterflies in your standard?"
"My people never did such a thing: it is your side who have invented it."
"What did you do at Reims with the gloves with which your King was consecrated?"
"There were favors of gloves for the knights and nobles at Reims. There was one who lost his gloves; I did not say he would find them again. My standard has been in the Church of Reims; and it seems to me it was near the altar.(9)....(Latin text adds: "dum rex suus consecraretur." Tradition asserts that at the Coronation Jeanne stood on the left and slightly in front of the altar, coming direct from the sacristy of the cathedral. The coronation throne stood in front of the high altar. The cathedral and its painted glass exist as at the Coronation, with the exception of some comparatively recent stone work surrounding the choir. The Coronation of the Kings of France has taken place at Reims' Cathedral since the twelfth century. The King was not to all intents King of France until he had been anointed by the Holy oil, brought in great state to the cathedral from the more ancient church of St. Remy. An inscription on the front of the Hotel Maison Rouge, situated near the west entrance of the cathedral, states that the town entertained Jeanne's father and mother in that house during the Coronation.) I myself bore it for a space there. I do not know if Brother Richard held it."
"When you were going through the country, did you often receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist in the good towns?"
"Yes, from time to time."
"Did you receive the said Sacraments in man's dress?"
"Yes; but I do not remember ever to have received them armed."
"Why did you take the horse of the Bishop of Senlis?"
"It was bought for 200 saluts. (10)....(About �200.) If he received these 200 saluts, I do not know. There was a place fixed at which they were to be paid. I wrote to him that he might have his horse back if he wished; as for me, I did not wish it, because it was worth nothing for weight-carrying."
"How old was the child you visited at Lagny ?"
"The child was three days old. It was brought before the image of Our Lady. They told me that the young girls of the village were before this image, and that I might wish to go also and pray God and Our Lady to give life to this infant. I went and prayed with them. At last, life returned to the child, who yawned three times, and was then baptized; soon after, it died, and was buried in consecrated ground. It was three days, they said, since life had departed from the child; it was as black as my coat; when it yawned, the color began to return to it. I was with the other young girls, praying and kneeling before Our Lady."
"Did they not say in the village that it was done through you, and at your prayer?"
"I did not inquire about it."
"Have you ever seen or known Catherine de La Rochelle?"
"Yes, at Jargeau and at Montfaucon in Berry."
"Did not Catherine show you a lady, robed in white, who, she said, sometimes appeared to her?"
"No."
"What did this Catherine say to you?"
"That a white lady came to her, dressed in cloth-of- gold, who told her to go through the good cities with heralds and trumpets which the King would give to her, and proclaim that any one who had gold, silver, or any concealed treasure should bring it immediately: that those who did not do so, and who had anything hidden, she would know, and would be able to discover the treasure. With these treasures, she told me, she would pay my men-at-arms. I told Catherine that she should return to her husband, look after her home, and bring up her children. And in order to have some certainty as to her mission, I spoke of it, either to Saint Catherine or to Saint Margaret, who told me that the mission of this Catherine was mere folly and nothing else. I wrote to the King as to what he should do about it; and, when I afterwards went to him, I told him that this mission of Catherine was only folly and nothing more. Nevertheless, Brother Richard wished to set her to work; therefore were they both displeased with me, - Brother Richard and she."
"Did you never speak with the said Catherine on the project of going to La Charite-sur-Loire?"
"She did not advise me to go there: it was too cold, and she would not go. She told me she wished to visit the Duke of Burgundy in order to make peace. I told her it seemed to me that peace would be found only at the end of the lance. I asked her if this white lady who appeared to her came to her every night? and I said that, to see her, I would sleep one night with her in the same bed. I went to bed; I watched till mid-night; I saw nothing, and then went to sleep. When morning came, I asked her if the White Lady had come. 'Yes, Jeanne,' she answered me, 'while you were asleep she came; and I could not awaken you.' Then I asked her if she would come again the following night. 'Yes,' she told me. For this reason I slept by day that I might be able to watch the night following. I went to bed with Catherine; watched all the night following: but saw nothing, although I asked her often, 'Will she never come ?' and she always answered me, 'Yes, in a moment."'
"What did you do in the trenches of La Charite ?"(11)....(November 9th, 1429.)
"I made an assault there; but I neither threw, nor caused to be thrown, Holy Water by way of aspersion."
"Why did you not enter La Charite, if you had command from God to do so?"
"Who told you I had God's command for it?"
"Did you not have counsel of your Voice?"
"I wished to go into France. The men-at-arms told me it was better to go first to La Charite."
"Were you a long time in the Tower at Beaurevoir?"
"About four months. When I knew that the English were come to take me, I was very angry; nevertheless, my Voices forbade me many times to leap. In the end, for fear of the English, I leaped, and commended myself to God and Our Lady. I was wounded. When I had leaped, the Voice of Saint Catherine said to me I was to be of good cheer,(12)....(The Minute adds: "and I should be cured.") for those at Compiegne would have succor. I prayed always for those at Compiegne, with my Counsel."
"What did you say when you had leaped?"
"Some said I was dead. As soon as the Burgundians saw I was alive, they reproached me with having leapt."
"Did you not say then, that you would rather die than be in the hands of the English?"
"I said I would rather give up my soul to God than be in the hands of the English."
"Were you not then very angry, to the extent of blaspheming the Name of God?"
"Never have I cursed any of the Saints; and it is not my habit to swear."
"On the subject of Soissons(13)....(Surrendered July 22nd.) and the Captain who surrendered the town, did you not blaspheme God, and say, if you got hold of this Captain you would have him cut in quarters?"
"I have never blasphemed any of the Saints; those who say so have misunderstood."
This done, Jeanne was conducted back to the place which had been assigned as her prison.
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