THE MAID AND THE KING
THE ROOM IN WHICH JOAN WAS BORN
She was born at Domrémy, France, on January 6, 1412
Her mind was so full of the command laid upon her that once accepted nothing could divert or frighten her. One might expect a girl of her origin to be awestruck at the thought of presenting herself before a court and a king; but not Joan. She passed unabashed through the throng that had gathered to witness her first meeting with Charles, and kneeling told him composedly, "Most noble Lord Dauphin, I am come, and am sent to you from God to give succor to the kingdom and to you."
She won Charles from the start, for he was much of a person in spite of his vacillating and his weakness, and he answered to the nobility of her call. She won the better part of his court, and as for the people they flocked to her. She was sent to be examined by experts in law and religion; for without assurance that her Voices were indeed from God Charles did not dare risk it. Joan might of course be what the English and the cynical of the court declared,—a witch and her Voices of the devil.
For six weeks the girl was questioned by the ablest lawyers and churchmen of the kingdom. A selected body of women gave her a physical examination. The end of it was complete justification: "It is found and hereby declared that Joan of Arc, called the Maid, is a Christian and a Catholic, and that there is nothing in her presence or her words contrary to the faith, and that the king may and ought to accept the succor she offers; for to repel it would be to offend the Holy Spirit, and render him unworthy of the aid of God."
THE GRAND HALL OF THE PALACE AT CHINON (Shee-nong)
Where Joan first met Charles VII.
From the painting by P. Carrier-Belleuse
Before this ratification all opposition to Joan fell. She was proclaimed by the king as one sent by God to assist him. She was given armor, a guard, soldiers, and under her orders a theatrical campaign was conducted. Orléans fell before her; though it was so invested that Charles had ceased to hope for its recovery. The winning of Orléans converted some who had doubted her in spite of learned jurists and theologians. It was with them as with d'Aulon, her steward: "It was not possible for so young a maid to do such things without the will and guidance of our Lord." Those who, because of personal ambition, did not believe in her, those who hated her purity and the habits of restraint and temperance she imposed on the army, those who called her witch, still did not dare oppose her openly. She might be from God, and whether she was or not she was in the saddle, adored of the people, supported by the king, a terror to the English.