The Irish standard., 1893-04-08

pressed by his enemies. The shepherdese
OF Domremy startled her father one day
by informing him that ST. Michael had
appeared to her and commanded her to
go to the aid of the King, While again
she said that SS. Catherine and Mar
garet had encouraged her to do likewise.
Her father, who was plain farmer, ma
turally made little of such communica-
tions as his daughter conveyed to him,
and rather petulantly told her to dismiss
all such nonsense from her thoughts. 1t
go happened that at that time party of
English soldiers invaded Domremy, pill
laged and burned the church and COM
mitted number OF other atrocities; and
Joan, who was an eyewitness OF their
actions. declared that the apparitiors
he'd again appeared to her and hidden
her, with greater emphasis, hasten to
the aid of the Dauphin. Her fathers
Encouragement did not avail to keep her
at home any longer, and, accompanied
by her uncle, made her way to Vancou-
leurs, where lived Lord Baudricourt, on
the ruins of whose castle the bishop of
Verdun proposes to erect the statue OF
Joan; and she begged that individual to
bring her into the presence of the Dau-
phln. Baudricourt first scoffed at her
request, but afterwards thought better
of it, and fitted out the maid and sent
her with two attendants to Cninon, at
which place the King was then sojourn-
ing.
Ga her arrival at court, Joan, who had
never beheld the Dauphin, at once recog-
nized him and announced that heaven
had sent her to his aid, that she might
lead him and his soldiers to victory, af
ter which he would be crowned at
Rheims. The Dauphin, like Joan's
father and Baudricourt, was at first dis
posed to deride the notion that girl
could accomplish any such thing as Joan
said she was commissioned to perform;
but, after consulting with his advisors,
he decided to accept her offer of assist
ance; and SO the maid + fDomremy, at the
head of the French forces, rode to the
relief OF the beleaguered town of Or
leans, which she first succored by break
ing through the lines Of the English be-
siegers, and from which she afterwards
sailed and defeated the English, driving
them to Jargeau, where she captured
the English commander, and subse-
quently taking from the enemies of
France number Of other towns of which
they held possession. w.
AS result of her successive victories,
Joan had the happiness Of riding with
the Dauphin and his army into Rheims,
where the former was crowned before an
immense assemblage, July II, l429, the
maid standing beside him, with the ban
ner she ha carried from triumph to tri-
umph in her hand. The coronation over,
she wished to return to her native place,
declaring that her mission was COM
pleted; but Charles VII refused to allow
her to do go, Notwithstanding that she
repeatedly asked his leave, and ennobled
herself and her family. Toward the end
of 1929 she again took the field against
the English, who still kept up their war
fare against the French King; and this
time, probably because she was not COM
missioned for the work, she was taken
prisoner, at the disastrous battle Of Com
piegne, by the English. Her former
fame and feats now availed her nothing.
A charge of heresy and sorcery was
brought against her, and in order that
she might be tried therefor, she was
handed over to the authorities for judg-
ment, and after six days Of public exam
ination, was pronounced guilty and sem
fenced, first to be executed and after
wards to be burned at the stake, which
sentence was carried out in the public
square of Rouen, May 80, 143l, when the
maid was but in her Goth year, and only
tive years after che stood in the cathe-
dral of Rheims by the side Of the Dau-
phin, and heard the people proclaimiDg
her the deliverer of France. The King
upon whose head she had placed the
crown basely deserted her at the hour of
her trial, and did not lift finger to save
her from the horrible fate that befell her;
and his courtiers all followed his ignoble
example. The Church, however, re-
manned true to her, and twenty five years
after she met her death Pope Calixtus
III gave an emphatic contradiction to
the calumnies that were employed to
bring about her death, and declared that
she had perished q martyr to her faith,
her King and her country, 55#
# And yet it should be recorded that the
individual who, perhaps, contributed the
most to the shameful death Of this maid
sof France was Peter Cauchon, rector at
one time Ii OF the University OF Paris, and
later bishop of Bealyais, which position
IL