New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-30
THE MAID OF ORLEANS.
A NEW HISTORY OF HER LIFE.

A NEW HISTORY OF HER LIFE.
JOAN OF ARC: by Lord Ronald G Cover pr D. A.
with Ten Illustrations R" N,mm" octave New York:
Charles >cribncr's sons, 1893.
Early in the fifteenth century Joan of Arc was
burned At Ronen rs reapsci hereto. In 400 III"
Church which condemned her Instituted process
81 rehabilitation which in the following year FL
feotualIy removed the cruel SANDER resting Oh her
memory Last month the prcsent rope ce'epr"'e"
the anniversary of his coronation, ana one vi '"e
Incidents Of his jubilee has been the announcements
Of n determination to canonizc the Alaih oil or'"''
Lord Ronald Covers life Of joan appears there'e
in q year which promises to b. propltous for his
heroine.
The most important suit OF research INFO tue
history OF Joan Of Are Is the separation OF "i' Is
true from what Is legendary therein WITHOUT o'''
lshing the beauty and grandeur OF Inc recoro' i"r
cenure, Joan Of Arc noaed In the sphere OF ide'NV
Modern historians have brought her closer % our
comrrcLeIsio they have brought her to eartli ana
there unlike most scmi-mythical figures she loses
nothing She retains her greatness, because, as the
mists Uf legend are dispeiled. the nobility ~ her
actual mundane character ana deeds becomes 'hore
apparent. Her voices may amuse US ana lea'e Us
,ceptlcal. OF her prophetic inspiration We may nave
our doubts and her anticipation Of the wound she
received at Orleans NAY BE- dismissed the natural
rcboding Of n soldier aware Of the chances OF war
. before the documents from which Lord Ronald
Cover has extracted the material for his history we
cannot question the magnitude Of what she did Tor
France
IN the distribution Of the mfamy Incurred by those
responsible FOR The tragic elimination oi her al
venture, i :: OF hstoan's ability to give
true and valuable version of Joan OF Arcs story
Merely racial or sentimental sympathy or obtusehrss
can only prove fatal 50 "a writer's insight into the reii
Hons Of her ca,ec: Thu, Mlchelc, otherwise al
ml.ahc sketch OF the Maid is disienrcd and It's per
rpcciivc Is destroyed by his hair"A OF IRE ENGLISH
Win Gaul,h v.nds tiy.ness he wolff Wilt the sins Of
the forristhcsS upon the Children Of countless genera
tion>. But De- Quincy, Ton a his Willingness To
admit the crlmnlly oil the Regent and hi, country
men, goes to dangerous cxtrcme In i-olanS the
Bishop OF Heauvas the particular candidate Tor the
liory Of the ages. No would ahate one l0t OF the
ami ious prelates disgrace. but De Quincy himself
In his cutting para phrase Of the celebrated declaration
IN Macbeth Bishop that art, Archbishop that shit
be, Cardinal that niaycst be-. Will Its fa'E oil iSht
into Of the wTctchs hopes OF prcferment
touches upon the kernel OF Vaccinations which
ended I'm the uiaiiyIdom Of IN. Maid. Lord Ronald
tower seems inclined 10 follow De Quincy. lie
condemns BEDFORD 81 course bat he has lc,, TO say
about tho English than about the bishop Cauchon
bounded Joan Of Arc to death because her influence
upon the mas>c, had disturbed his enjoyment OF The
comforts his IshOprtc: because In short. he hated
her. Eut he had other motives. lie craved the
archcpi,copal throne Of Isicrx. II not the red hat
which IT was in the power Of the English Bishop Of
Winchester to bring nearer lis reach ana II Is cheby
to Ecdiod clever manipulation Of this bait before
Cauch0ns hungry lips that the energy Of the latter
In his persecution Of joan il 70 be- attributed 1t was
ssary the Regents plans to disrcdit the preen-
sionS 81 Chalcs H. not only by continual saplng OF
the state, left him. but by proving his coronation the
fruit OF witch's ingenuities. and therefore
null and void In those days such
"a course extremely plausible. and the
arguments which it furnished the adhercnt' OF
the English King w,tr rot without weight
The judicn murder Of Joan was polt-
| teal necessity to England. And In the accomplish
ment Of II the Bishop Of Beauvas in spite OF his
virulcncc. WAS. after ALL but tool in the hands
Of Bedford who certainty raised the money for the
purchase Of Jean de LuXcmbourgS prisoner Cauchon
set the machinery OF the lnqu'ition In motion. but
| II was English oil that given him to make the
| wheels run with terrible smootlness. Lord Ronald
Cover is not philoSophic historian. lie Is a
simple narrator OF facts. and accordingly he misses
one OF the most Interesting phases Of the history
whose development he has attempted to trace The
relation Of the lnqusltlon TO Joan Is one OF the
appalling features OF her trial 1t reveals the rotten
ness of the Church at that time and the awful degra
| dalton OF her power to the base uses Of scheming
politicians Joan could not have been executed As
| a prl ,orcr Of war without exciting the horror and
disgust Of Europe. H. mlsiutcrprctng her acts and
ut,eranccs by wearing out her proud spirit through
the ioriuIlng hrutaltcs OF "A long trial, Cnuchon and
hi, creatures were enabled To force from her an ab
| jurat!on Of hcrcsieS of which she had never been
| guilty. Then II easy To- entrap her into what
they could interpret relapse and on that ground
| to hand her to the secular arm for burning
| a other words to the English who thirsns
Tor her blood. and resolved To have II at any
| mirc on The lnQul>iii0n her marty iOm left one
more stain, the worst Of all; and on Cauchon, on
| Bedford. and the court he represented II LETT
anothcr no les mdclible. II poured also eternal
dishonor upon the monarch for whom size had fought
and died ~ macnnccnily- died. u DE ouircey's
words. goddesses would die were they mortal.
| Nj through the march of her short and splendid
career. after She had met Lin at Cinon. Charles VII
| move, a contcmp,iblc inverebratc mannikin. \
upInc character all his life long, he showed no signs
when Joan struggled IN the clutches OF the English
| md thcir allies. lie left her to her fate. The
| .ountryman who sold her bad enough. The
| King WIS infinitely worse. His interest In the re-
nabililat!on OF her fame was due 10 nothing more
| than a wish To countcract English OF the old
charge Of wl,chcraft In connection with his corona
ton.
| Lord Ronald Covers book Is compact recital OF
| Joan of Arcs Gtfu passage across the horizon OF
the fifteenth century. He has CLEANED indu,rioiSly
| from the evidence available In books and archives
| aud h, history Is welcome lie has 10 literary
STYLE no philosophy. : have said and there are
careless prln,ines Of names ana dates his pages
Ter which the Responsibility |, perhaps to DO divided
| between him and the pro0frcadcr. With all H.
| faults Il remains seryiccable book II Is not
| seriously Affected by the lghtness. rather III,
comparative infrequency OF the censurc passed upon
The true authors OF the crime II preserves. In pair
| term, the truth about Joan OF Are. and that en-
| titles II TO consideration The volume Is well ii
| Illustrated and made.