New-York tribune., 1902-01-19
ENGLISH PUBLISHERS PLANS.
HEINEMANN WILL PUBLISH a JEANNE
D'ARC BOOK IN THE SPRING.
Copyright; 1902: BY The Tribune AssocationD
IBY CABLE TO THE TRIBuNEI

tBY CABLE TO THE TRIBuNEI
London Jan. lS-The Jeanne dare book which
Heinemann will publish in the spring with
forty illustrations, win be a work Of extraor-
binary interest as a contribution TO history.
military, political and religious The verbatim
reports OF the three trials of the wonderful
Maid were discovered forty years ago and
have now been translated from the Latin and
archaic French into English. Henemann's large
volume will contain general introduction admir-
ably written. and transcripts OF the proceedings OF
the three courts with the testimony OF Jeanne
dare in fun and the evidence Of other witnesses
fairly complete the tedious repetitions and tech
uicalties alone being omitted. The first court at
PoIctiers over which the Archbishop OF Rheims
presided failed - convict her. The second court
at Rouen charged her with wlthcraft treason and
other offences and convicted her by hook and
crook The third trial, twentyfour years after she
burned. reconsidersd the evidence Of the pre-
Vlous trials and annuled the verdict The proof
sheets which I have read contain story OF fasci-
mating interest especially the religious side She
was a most remark bic witness, describing with
quiet realism the VIsltaticns u the ArChansrl
Michael, St Catherine and st. Margaret and the
commission received go the RELIEF Of orleans
and command the army. She related these things
with precision OF detail. meeting ~ih simple direct
ness all questions regarding the size voice, dress.
language and surroundings OF the angels and
saints, and amazing ana oeWlldering tine higot.d
prosecutors with the prudence and ClearCut com
mon sense Of her answers. Her testimony disclosed
divine mission. Her uuw lrthlness iu the sight OF
the world she regarded adequate eGplana-
tion of her choice a the simple instrument IN the
hands Of the Almighty Her quick wit dis
closed at every turn. The fact that there
three Popes rendered unusually crafty this ques-
tion Which OF the Popes DO YOU believe in?''
She simply asked in reply: lis there more than
one Pope?" The evidence of John Of Metz and
other soldiers disclosed how unavoidably they were
won by the earneStuess and genuine cOnvic-
tion with which she described the heavenly vista
tions She thirteen years old when the first
but God and the angels were more real 20 her than
TO the men and women of her native village or the
prosecutors bounding her to death. The magni-
tude of her military achievements is fully brought
out In the evidence and also the real nature of her
mission, which a double one, rescuing be-
leaguered Orleans and crowning the Dauphln at
Rheims. The proofs submitted to the scholars OF
oxford and Cambridge have made deep impress
sion but the story OF the inspired girl leading
armies with Napoleonic skill is a unique character
study Of general leaders.
Another interesting book which will be printed
this year is unpublished prose work of Robert
Southey from a recently discovered manuscript.
The echoes of the Klplng discussion becom-
ing fainter. Crcketers and football players are
gradually ceasing to trouble the newspapers.
The formation of the Academy of Letters
excites much controversy. /. y. +.