第58章 COMPIèGNE.(5)

Happily we have no light upon the tumult around the prisoner，the ugly triumph，the shouts and exultation of the captors who had seized the sorceress at last；nor upon the thoughts of Jeanne，with her threatened doom fulfilled and unknown horrors before her，upon which imagination must have thrown the most dreadful light，however strongly her courage was sustained by the promise of succour from on high.She had not been sent upon this mission as of old.No heavenly voice had said to her "Go and deliver Compiègne."She had undertaken that warfare on her own charges with no promise to encourage her，only the certainty of being overthrown "before the St.Jean."But the St.Jean was still far off，a long month of summer days between her and that moment of fate！So far as we can see Jeanne showed no unseemly weakness in this dark hour.One account tells us that she held her sword high over her head declaring that it was given by a higher than any who could claim its surrender there.But she neither struggled nor wept.Not a word against her constancy and courage could any one，then or after，find to say.The Burgundian chronicler tells us one thing，the French another."The Maid，easily recognised by her costume of crimson and by the standard which she carried in her hand，alone continued to defend herself，"says one；but that we are sure could not have been the case as long as d'Aulon，who accompanied her，was still able to keep on his horse."She yielded and gave her parole to Lyonnel，batard de Wandomme，"says another；but Jeanne herself declares that she gave her faith to no one，reserving to herself the right to escape if she could.In that dark evening scene nothing is clear except the fact that the Maid was taken，to the exultation and delight of her captors and to the terror and grief of the unhappy town，vainly screaming with all its bells to arms，--and with its sons and champions by hundreds dying under the English lances and in the dark waves of the Oise.

The archer or whoever it was who secured this prize，took Jeanne back，along the bloody road with its relics of the fight，to Margny，the Burgundian camp，where the leaders crowded together to see so important a prisoner."Thither came soon after，"says Monstrelet，"the Duke of Burgundy from his camp of Coudon，and there assembled the English，the said Duke and those of the other camps in great numbers，making，one with the other，great cries and rejoicings on the taking of the Maid：whom the said Duke went to see in the lodging where she was and spoke some words to her which I cannot call to mind，though Iwas there present；after which the said Duke and the others withdrew for the night，leaving the Maid in the keeping of Messer John of Luxembourg"--to whom she had been immediately sold by her first captor.The same night，Philip，this noble Duke and Prince of France，wrote a letter to convey the blessed information：

"The great news of this capture should be spread everywhere and brought to the knowledge of all，that they may see the error of those who could believe and lend themselves to the pretensions of such a woman.We write this in the hope of giving you joy，comfort，and consolation，and that you may thank God our Creator.