Continuation of the March 27th

Reading of the Seventy Articles of Accusation

ARTICLE 15

Jeanne, having many times asked that she might be permitted to hear Mass, had been invited to quit the dress she now wears and to take again her woman s dress; she had been allowed to hope that she will be admitted to hear Mass and to receive Communion, if she will renounce entirely the dress of a man and take that of a woman, as her sex; she had refused. In other words, she had chosen rather not to approach the Sacraments nor to assist in Divine Service, than to put aside her habit, pretending that this would displease God. In this appears her obstinacy, her hardness of heart, her lack of charity, her disobedience to the Church, and her contempt of Divine Sacraments.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I would rather die than revoke what I have done by the order of Our Lord.”

“Will you, to hear Mass, abandon the dress of a man?”

“I will not abandon it yet; the time is not come. If you refuse to let me hear Mass, it is in the power of Our Lord to let me hear it, when it shall please Him, without you. I recollect being admonished to take again a woman’s dress. As to the irreverence and such like things, I deny them.”1

ARTICLE 16

Previous to, and since her capture, at the Castle of Beaurevoir and at Arras, Jeanne had been many times advised with gentleness, by noble persons of both sexes, to give up her man’s dress and resume suitable attire. She had absolutely refused, and to this day also she refuses with persistence; she disdains also to give herself up to feminine work, conducting herself in all things rather as a man than as a woman.

“What have you to say on this Article?”

“At Arras and Beaurevoir I was invited to take a woman’s dress; then I refused, and I refuse still. As to the women’s work of which you speak, there are plenty of other women to do it.”2

ARTICLE 17

When Jeanne found herself in the presence of Charles, thus attired and armed, she promised him these three things among others: that she would raise the siege of Orleans; that she would have him consecrated at Reims; that she would avenge him on his enemies,who, all of them, English or Burgundians, should be, thanks to her, killed or driven out of the kingdom. Many times and in many places did she repeat publicly the same boasts; and, to give them greater weight, then and often afterwards, she did use divination’s, and by these means unveiled the morals, the entire life, the most secret acts, of persons who came before her, whom she had never before seen or known; she boasted of knowing all by revelation.

“What have you to say on this Article?”

“In the name of God I brought the news to my King that Our Lord would restore the kingdom to him, cause him to be crowned at Reims, and drive out all his enemies; I was a messenger from God, when I told the King boldly to set me to work and I would raise the siege of Orleans. I mean, in so saying, the whole kingdom; and if my Lord of Burgundy and the other subjects of the King do not return to their obedience, the King will know how to make them by force. As to the end of the Article, of knowing Robert de Baudricourt and my King, I hold to what I said before.”3

ARTICLE 18

So long as Jeanne remained with Charles, she did dissuade him with all her power, him and those with him, from consenting to any treaty of peace, any arrangement with his adversaries; inciting them always to murder and effusion of blood; affirming that they could only have peace by sword and lance; and that God willed it so, because otherwise the enemies of the King would not give up that which they held in his kingdom; to fight against them thus, is, she told them, one of the greatest benefits that can happen to all Christendom.

“What have you to say on this Article?”

“As to my Lord of Burgundy, I requested him by my ambassadors and my letters that he would make peace between my King and himself; but as to the English, the peace they need is that they may go away to their own country, to England. I have answered on the remainder of the Article; and I refer to this answer.”4

ARTICLE 19

It was by consulting demons and using divination’s, that Jeanne sent to look for a sword hidden in the Church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois. Perchance she had already maliciously, fraudulently, and deceitfully hidden or caused to be hidden this sword in the same church, so to seduce the princes, nobles, clergy, and people, and to lead them to believe more easily that she knew by revelation in what place this sword was. By this stratagem and others of a like nature she succeeded in inspiring an absolute faith in all her words.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I refer to what I said before; I deny all the rest.”5

ARTICLE 20

She had put faith in her ring, in her banner, in certain pieces of linen, and pennons which she carried or caused to be carried by her people, and also in the sword found by revelation, according to her, at Saint Catherine de Fierbois, saying that these things were very fortunate.’ She made thereon many execrations and conjuration’s, in many and divers places, publicly asserting that by them she would do great things and would obtain victory over her enemies; that to those of her people who carried pennons of this kind no ill could happen. She said all this at Compiegne on the eve of the day when, having sallied to attack my lord the Duke of Burgundy, she was taken prisoner and many of her followers were wounded, killed, or taken. She said as much at Saint Denis, when she incited her army to attack Paris.

“What have you to say on this Article?”

“I refer to what I have already said. In all I have done there was never any sorcery or evil arts.’ As for the good luck of my banner, I refer it to the fortune sent through it by Our Lord (de bona ftrtund sui estandart Se refert ad fortuniurn quod Dorninus Noster in es transmissit).”6

ARTICLE 21

Jeanne, by temerity or presumption, had caused to be written certain letters at the head of which she placed the names ‘Jhesus Maria,’ with a cross in the middle. These letters she caused to be addressed in her name to our Lord the King, to my Lord of Bedford, Regent of France, to the lords and captains who were then at the siege of Orleans, containing a number of things wicked, pernicious, contrary to the Catholic Faith, the tenor of which is found in the Article which follows:

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I did not send the letters of which you speak in pride or in presumption, but by command of Our Lord. I remember and acknowledge the contents of these letters, with the exception of three words. If the English had believed my letters, they would only have been wise; and before seven years are gone they will perceive it well enough ! “7

ARTICLE 22

Tenor of the letter :8 “What have you to say to this letter? ” “I remember having it written except three words, which I did not dictate. If the English had believed my words they would have acted wisely. Before seven years arc gone, they will feel the truth of what I wrote to them, and for that, I refer to the answer which I made elsewhere.”

ARTICLE 23

The tenor of the letter contained in the preceding Article proves well that Jeanne had been the sport of evil spirits, and that she often consulted them to know what she ought to do; or, at least, that, to seduce the people, she imagined these inventions by lying or wickedness.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I deny ever having done anything under the inspiration of evil spirits.”9

ARTICLE 24

Jeanne had gravely misused the names “Jhesus Maria” and the sign of the cross placed beside them ; it was understood between her and her people that, when they saw on her letters these words and this sign, they were to do the contrary of what she wrote: and, in fact, they did do the contrary.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I refer to what I said before.”10

ARTICLE 25

Usurping the office of Angels, Jeanne had said and affirmed that she had been sent by God; and she had said this even for cases which tend openly to violence and effusion of human blood: a proposition the most foreign to all holiness, horrible and abominable to all pious souls.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“First, I begged them to make peace; and it was only in case they would not make peace that I was ready to fight.”11

ARTICLE 26

Jeanne, being at Compiegne in August of 1429, did receive from the Count d’Armagnac a letter of which the tenor forms the article which follows.

“What have you to say to this Article?”

“I refer to what I said before.”12

ARTICLE 27

Tenor of the said letter.13

ARTICLE 28

To this letter Jeanne did send in answer the letter signed with her name, found in the Articles which follow.

ARTICLES 29 and 30

Letter of Jeanne to the Count d’Armagnac.14“What have you to say on these Articles, 27, 28, 29, 30,
which have been read to you with great care, from the first word to the
last?”

“I refer to what I answered on Article 26.”15

Contents

Footnotes

  1. (Cf. 7th Private Examination, March 15th; 8th Private Examination, March 17th. After Article XV., the following sentence is inserted in the Extracts, but is not in the Procés. "She added that the Demoiselle de Luxembourg prayed the Seigneur de Luxembourg not to give her up to the English.")
  2. (Cf. 6th Public Examination, March 3rd.)
  3. (Cf. 2nd Public Examination, February 22nd; 4th Private Examination, March 13th.)
  4. (Cf. 4th Public Examination, February 27th.)
  5. (Cf. 4th Public Examination, February 27th; 8th Private Examination, March 17th.)
  6. (Cf. 5th Public Examination, March 1st; 6th Public Examination, March 3rd; 9th Private Examination, March 17th.)
  7. (Cf. 2nd Public Examination, February 22nd; 6th Public Examination March 3rd.)
  8. (Vide 5th Public Examination, March 1st: pages 36-38.)
  9. (Cf. 4th Public Examination, February 27th.)
  10. (Cf. 9th Private Examination, March 17th.)
  11. (Cf. 3rd Public Examination, February 24th; 9th Private Examination, March 17th.)
  12. (Cf. 5th Public Examination, March 1st.)
  13. (Vide 5th Public Examination, March 1st: pages 34-35)
  14. (Vide ante, page 35.)
  15. (Cf. 5th Public Examination, March 1st.)