fect amity with the queen, seconded all her remonstrances, and threatened, if he thus pusillanimously threw away the sceptre of France, that she would seek in the court of England a fortune more correspondent to her wishes. Love was able to rouse, in the breast of Charles, that courage which ambition had failed to excite. He resolved to dispute every inch of ground with an imperious enemy; to perish with honour, in the midst of his friends, rather than yield ingloriously to his bad fortune3. And this resolution was no sooner formed than relief was unexpectedly brought him, by another female of a very different character. In the village of Domremi near Vaucouleurs, on the borders of Lorrain, lived a country girl, whose name was Joan d'Arc; and who, in the humble station of servant at an inn, had been accustomed to tend the horses of the guests, to ride them without a saddle to the watering-place, and to perform other offices which commonly fall to the share of men servants. This girl, inflamed by the frequent accounts of the rencounters at the siege of Orleans, and affected with the distresses of her country, but more especially with those of the youthful monarch, whose gallantry made him the idol of the whole sex, was seized with a wild desire of bringing relief to her sovereign in his present unhappy circumstances. Her inexperienced mind, working day and night on this favourite object, mistook the impulses of passion for heavenly inspirations; and she fancied that she saw visions, and heard voices exhorting her to re-establish the throne of France, and expel the foreign invaders. An uncommon intrepidity of spirit made her overlook all the dangers which might attend her in such a path, and the apprehension of her divine mission dispelled all that bashfulness so natural to her sex, her years, and her low condition. She went to Vaucouleurs, procured admission to Baudricourt the governor, and informed him of her inspirations and intentions. 3. Ibid. Baudricourt Baudricourt observed something extraordinary in the maid, or saw the use that might be made of such an engine, and sent her to the French court, which then resided at Chinon4. Joan was no sooner introduced to the king than she offered, in the name of the Supreme Creator, to raise the siege of Orleans, and conduct him to Rheims, to be there crowned and anointed: and she demanded, as the instrument of her future victories, a particular sword which was kept in the church of St. Catharine de Fierbois. The more the king and his ministers were determined to give into the illusion, the more scruples they pretended. An assembly of grave and learned divines was appointed to examine Joan's mission, and pronounced it undoubted and supernatural; the parliament also attested her inspiration; and a jury of matrons declared her an unspotted virgin. Her requests were now granted. She was armed cap-a-pee, mounted on horseback, and shewn in that martial habiliment to the whole people. Her dexterity in managing her steed, though acquired in her former station, was regarded as a fresh proof of her mission; her former occupation was even denied; she was converted into a shepherdess, an employment more agreeable to the imagination than that of an ostler-wench. Some years were subtracted from her age, in order to excite still more admiration; and she was received with the loudest acclamations, by persons of all ranks. A ray of hope began to break through that cloud of despair in which the minds of men were involved. Heaven had now declared itself in favour of France, and laid bare its out-stretched arm to take vengeance on her invaders. The English at first affected to speak with derision of the Maid and her heavenly commission; but their imagination was secretly struck with the strong persuasion, which prevailed in all around them. They found their courage daunted by degrees, and thence began to infer a divine ven 4. Hall. Monstrelet. 5. Ibid. geance geance hanging over them. A silent astonishment reigned among those troops, formerly so elated with victory, and so fierce for the combat. The maid entered the city of Orleans at the head of a convoy, arrayed in her military garb, and displaying her consecrated standard. She was received as a celestial deliverer by the garrison and inhabitants; and by the instructions of count Dunois, commonly called the bastard of Orleans, who commanded in the place, she actu ally obliged the English to raise the siege of that city, after driving them from their entrenchments, and defeating them in several desperate attacks. The raising of the siege of Orleans was one part of the maid's promise to Charles; the crowning him at Rheims was the other; and she now vehemently insisted, that he should set out immediately on that journey. A few weeks before, such a proposal would have appeared altogether extravagant. Rheims lay in a distant quarter of the kingdom; was then in the hands of a victorious enemy; the whole road that led to it was occupied by their garrisons; and no imagination could have been so sanguine as to hope that such an attempt could possibly be carried into execution. But as things had now taken a turn, and it was extremely the interest of the king of France to maintain the belief of something extraordinary and divine in these events, he resolved to follow the exhortations of his warlike prophetess, and avail himself of the present consternation of the English. He accordingly set out for Rheims, at the head of twelve thousand men, and scarcely perceived, as he passed along, that he was marching through an enemy's country. Every place opened its gates to him: Rheims sent him its keys; and the ceremony of his inauguration was performed with the holy oil, which a pigeon is said to have brought from heaven to Clovis, on the first establishment of the French monarchy". Charles, thus crowned and anointed, became more respectable in the eyes of all his subjects: and he seemed to derive, from a heavenly commission, a new title to their allegiance. Many places submitted to him imme A. D. 1430. diately after his coronation, and the whole nation was disposed to give him the most zealous testimonies of duty and affection. The duke of Bedford, in this dangerous crisis, employed every resource which fortune had yet left him. He acted with so much prudence and address, as to renew his alliance with the duke of Burgundy, who had been long wavering in his fidelity. He seemed present every where, by his vigilance and foresight; and although his supplies from England were very inconsiderable, he attempted to restore the courage of his troops by boldly advancing to face the enemy. But he chose his posts with so much caution, as always to decline a combat, and to render it impossible for the French monarch to attack him. He still attended that prince in all his movements, covered his own towns and garrisons, and kept himself in a posture to reap advantage from every imprudence or false step of the enemy. He also endeavoured to revive the declining state of his affairs, by bringing over the young king of England, and having him crowned and anointed at Paris. All the vassals of the crown, who lived within the provinces possessed by the English, swore anew allegiance, and did homage to Henry VI. But this ceremony was cold and insipid, in comparison of the coronation of Charles at Rheims; and the duke of Bedford expected more effect from an incident, which put into his hands the author of all his misfortunes. The Maid of Orleans, as she is called, declared, after the coronation of Charles, that her mission was now accomplished, and expressed her inclination to retire to the occupations and course of life which became her sex. But Dunois, sensible of the great advantages which might still be reaped 8. Rymer, vol. x. from from her presence in the army, exhorted her to persevere till the final expulsion of the English. In pursuance of this advice, she threw herself into the town of Compeigne, at that time besieged by the duke of Burgundy, assisted by the earls of Arundel and Suffolk. The garrison on her appearance believed themselves invincible. But their joy was of short duration. The maid was taken prisoner in a sally; and the duke of Bedford, resolved upon her ruin, ordered her to be tried by an ecclesiastical court for sorcery, impiety, idolatry, and magic. She was found guilty by her ignorant or ini quitous judges, of all these crimes, aggravated by heresy; her revelations were declared to be inventions of the devil to delude the people; and this admirable heroine was cruelly delivered over alive to the flames, and expiated A. D. 1431. by the punishment of fire, the signal services which she had rendered to her prince and her native country". The English affairs, however, instead of being advanced by this act of cruelty, went every day more and more to decay. The great abilities of the regent were unable to restrain the strong inclination which had seized the French of returning under the obedience of their rightful sovereign. The duke of Burgundy deserted the English interest, and formed an alliance with the French king: the duke of Bedford died soon after, and the violent factions which prevailed in the court of England, between the duke of Gloucester and the cardinal of Winchester, prevented the nation from taking proper measures for repairing these signal losses. A. D. 1435. In proportion as Henry advanced in years, his feeble character became more fully known in the court, and was no longer ambiguous to either faction. Of the most harmless, inoffensive, simple manners, but of the most slender capacity, he was fitted, both by the softness of his temper, and the 9. Polyd. Virg. Monstrelet. weakness |