the unseen world and other essays-第40章

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　November　she　was　taken　on　horseback；　strongly　guarded；　from　Cotoy　to　Rouen；　where　the　trial　began　January　9；　1431。　On　the　21st　of　February　she　appeared　before　the　court；　on　the　13th　of　March　she　was　examined　in　the　prison　by　an　inquisitor；　and　on　May　24；　the　Thursday　after　Pentecost；　upon　a　scaffold　conspicuously　placed　in　the　Cemetery　of　St。　Ouen；　she　publicly　recanted；　abjuring　her　〃heresies〃　and　asking　the　Church's　pardon　for　her　〃witchcraft。〃　We　may　be　sure　that　the　Church　dignitaries　would　not　knowingly　have　made　such　public　display　of　a　counterfeit　Jeanne；　nor　could　they　well　have　been　deceived　themselves　under　such　circumstances。　It　may　indeed　be　said；　to　exhaust　all　possible　suppositions；　that　a　young　girl　wonderfully　similar　in　feature　and　voice　to　Jeanne　d'Arc　was　palmed　off　upon　the　English　by　Duke　Philip；　and　afterwards；　on　her　trial；　comported　herself　like　the　Maid；　trusting　in　this　recantation　to　effect　her　release。　But　we　consider　such　an　hypothesis　extremely　far…fetched；　nor　does　it　accord　with　the　events　which　immediately　followed。　It　seems　hardly　questionable　that　it　was　the　real　Jeanne　who　publicly　recanted　on　the　24th　of　May。　This　was　only　six　days　before　the　execution。　Four　days　after；　on　Monday　the　28th；　it　was　reported　that　Jeanne　had　relapsed；　that　she　had；　in　defiance　of　the　Church's　prohibition；　clothed　herself　in　male　attire；　which　had　been　left　in　a　convenient　place　by　the　authorities；　expressly　to　test　her　sincerity。　On　the　next　day　but　one；　the　woman　purporting　to　be　the　Maid　of　Orleans　was　led　out；　with　her　face　carefully　covered；　and　burnt　at　the　stake。

Here　is　the　first　combination　of　circumstances　which　bears　a　suspicious　look。　It　disposes　of　our　Burgundy　hypothesis；　for　a　false　Jeanne；　after　recanting　to　secure　her　safety；　would　never　have　stultified　herself　by　such　a　barefaced　relapse。　But　the　true　Jeanne；　after　recanting；　might　certainly　have　escaped。　Some　compassionate　guard；　who　before　would　have　scrupled　to　assist　her　while　under　the　ban　of　the　Church；　might　have　deemed　himself　excusable　for　lending　her　his　aid　after　she　had　been　absolved。　Postulating；　then；　that　Jeanne　escaped　from　Rouen　between　the　24th　and　the　28th；　how　shall　we　explain　what　happened　immediately　afterward？

The　English　feared　Jeanne　d'Arc　as　much　as　they　hated　her。　She　had；　by　her　mere　presence　at　the　head　of　the　French　army；　turned　their　apparent　triumph　into　ignominious　defeat。　In　those　days　the　true　psychological　explanation　of　such　an　event　was　by　no　means　obvious。　While　the　French　attributed　the　result　to　celestial　interposition　in　their　behalf；　the　English；　equally　ready　to　admit　its　supernatural　character；　considered　the　powers　of　hell　rather　than　those　of　heaven　to　have　been　the　prime　instigators。　In　their　eyes　Jeanne　was　a　witch；　and　it　was　at　least　their　cue　to　exhibit　her　as　such。　They　might　have　put　her　to　death　when　she　first　reached　Rouen。　Some　persons；　indeed；　went　so　far　as　to　advise　that　she　should　be　sewed　up　in　a　sack　and　thrown　at　once　into　the　Seine；　but　this　was　not　what　the　authorities　wanted。　The　whole　elaborate　trial；　and　the　extorted　recantation；　were　devised　for　the　purpose　of　demonstrating　her　to　be　a　witch；　and　thus　destroying　her　credit　with　the　common　people。　That　they　intended　afterwards　to　burn　her　cannot　for　an　instant　be　doubted；　that　was　the　only　fit　consummation　for　their　evil　work。

Now　when；　at　the　end　of　the　week　after　Pentecost；　the　bishops　and　inquisitors　at　Rouen　learned；　to　their　dismay；　that　their　victim　had　escaped；　what　were　they　to　do？　Confess　that　they　had　been　foiled；　and　create　a　panic　in　the　army　by　the　news　that　their　dreaded　enemy　was　at　liberty？　Or　boldly　carry　out　their　purposes　by　a　fictitious　execution；　trusting　in　the　authority　which　official　statements　always　carry；　and　shrewdly　foreseeing　that；　after　her　recantation；　the　disgraced　Maid　would　no　more　venture　to　claim　for　herself　the　leadership　of　the　French　forces？　Clearly；　the　latter　would　have　been　the　wiser　course。　We　may　assume；　then；　that；　by　the　afternoon　of　the　28th；　the　story　of　the　relapse　was　promulgated；　as　a　suitable　preparation　for　what　was　to　come；　and　that　on　the　30th　the　poor　creature　who　had　been　hastily　chosen　to　figure　as　the　condemned　Maid　was　led　out；　with　face　closely　veiled；　to　perish　by　a　slow　fire　in　the　old　market…place。　Meanwhile　the　true　Jeanne　would　have　made　her　way；　doubtless；　in　what　to　her　was　the　effectual　disguise　of　a　woman's　apparel；　to　some　obscure　place　of　safety；　outside　of　doubtful　France　and　treacherous　Burgundy；　perhaps　in　Alsace　or　the　Vosges。　Here　she　would　remain；　until　the　final　expulsion　of　the　English　and　the　conclusion　of　a　treaty　of　peace　in　1436　made　it　safe　for　her　to　show　herself；　when　she　would　naturally　return　to　Lorraine　to　seek　her　family。

The　comparative　obscurity　in　which　she　must　have　remained　for　the　rest　of　her　life；　otherwise　quite　inexplicable　on　any　hypothesis　of　her　survival；　is　in　harmony　with　the　above…given　explanation。　The　ingratitude　of　King　Charles　towards　the　heroine　who　had　won　him　his　crown　is　the　subject　of　common　historical　remark。　M。　Wallon　insists　upon　the　circumstance　that；　after　her　capture　at　Compiegne；　no　attempts　were　made　by　the　French　Court　to　ransom　her　or　to　liberate　her　by　a　bold　coup　de　main。　And　when；　at　Rouen；　she　appealed　in　the　name　of　the　Church　to　the　Pope　to　grant　her　a　fair　trial；　not　a　single　letter　was　written　by　the　Archbishop　of　Rheims；　High　Chancellor　of　France；　to　his　suffragan；　the　Bishop　of　Beauvais；　demanding　cognizance　of　the　proceedings。　Nor　did　the　King　make　any　appeal　to　the　Pope；　to　prevent　the　consummation　of　the　judicial　murder。　The　Maid　was　deliberately　left　to　her　fate。　It　is　upon　her　enemies　at　court；　La　Tremouille　and　Regnault　de　Chartres；　that　we　must　lay　part　of　the　blame　for　this　wicked　negligence。　But　it　is　also　probable　that　the　King；　and　especially　his　clerical　advisers；　were　at　times　almost　disposed　to　acquiesce　in　the　theory　of　Jeanne's　witchcraft。　Admire　her　as　they　might；　they　could　not　help　feeling　that　in　her　whole　behaviour　there　was　something　uncanny；　and；　after　having　reaped　the　benefits　of　her　assistance；　they　were　content　to　let　her　shift　for　herself。　This　affords　the　clew　to　the　King's　inconsistencies。　It　may　be　thought　sufficient　to　explain　the　fact　that　Jeanne　is　said　to　have　received　public　testimonials　at　Orleans；　while　we　have　no　reason　to　suppose　that　she　visited　Paris。　It　may　help　to　dispose　of　the　objection　that　she　virtually　disappears　from　history　after　the　date　of　the　tragedy　at　Rouen。

Nevertheless；　this　last　objection　is　a　weighty　one；　and　cannot　easily　be　got　rid　of。　It　appears　to　me　utterly　incredible　that；　if　Jeanne　d'Arc　had　really　survived；　we　should　find　no　further　mention　of　her　than　such　as　haply　occurs　in　one　or　two　town…records　and　dilapidated　account…books。　If　she　was　alive　in　1436；　and　corresponding　with　the　King；　some　of　her　friends　at　court　must　have　got　an　inkling　of　the　true　state　of　things。　Why　did　they　not　parade　their　knowledge；　to　the　manifest　discomfiture　of　La　Tremouille　and　his　company？　Or　why　did　not　Pierre　du　Lis　cause　it　to　be　proclaimed　that　the　English　were　liars；　his　sister　being　safely　housed　in　Metz？

In　the　mere　interests　of　historical　criticism；　we　have　said　all　that　we　could　in　behalf　of　Mr。　Delepierre's　hypothesis。　But　as　to　the　facts　upon　which　it　rests；　we　may　remark；　in　the　first　place；　that　the　surname　Arc　or　〃Bow〃　was　not　uncommon　in　those　days；　while　the　Christian　name　Jeanne　was　and　now　is　the　very　commonest　of　French　names。　There　might　have　been　a　hundred　Jeanne　d'Arcs；　all　definable　as　pucelle　or　maid；　just　as　we　say　〃spinster〃：　we　even　read　of　one　in　the　time　of　the　Revolution。　We　have；　therefore；　no　doubt　that　Robert　des　Hermoises　married　a　Jeanne　d'Arc；　who　may　also　have　been　a　maid　of　Orleans；　but　this　does　not　prove　her　to　have　been　the　historic　Jeanne。　Secondly；　as　to　the　covering　of　the　face；　we　may　mention　the　fact；　hitherto　withheld；　that　it　was　by　no　means　an　uncommon　circumstance：　the　victims　of　the　Spanish　Inquisition　were　usually　led　to　the　stake　with　veiled　faces。　Thirdly；　the　phrase　〃jusques　a　son　absentement〃　is　hopelessly　ambiguous；　and　may　as　well　refer　to　Pierre　du　Lis　himself　as　to　his　sister