第65章 THE JUDGES.(1)

The name of Pierre Cauchon，Bishop of Beauvais，appears to us at this long distance as arising out of the infernal mists，into which，when his ministry of shame was accomplished，he disappeared again，bearing with him nothing but hatred and ill fame.Yet in his own day and to his contemporaries，he was not an inconsiderable man.He was of Rheims，a great student，and excellent scholar，the friend of many good men，highly esteemed among the ranks of the learned，a good man of business，which is not always the attribute of a scholar，and at the same time a Burgundian of pronounced sentiments，holding for his Duke，against the King.When Beauvais was summoned by Charles，after his coronation，at that moment of universal triumph when all seemed open for him to march upon Paris if he would，the city had joyfully thrown open its doors to the royal army，and in doing so had driven out its Bishop，who was hot on the other side.He would not seem to have been wanted in Paris at that moment.The "triste Bedford，"as Michelet calls him，had no means of employing an ambitious priest，no dirty work for the moment to give him.It is natural to suppose that a man so admirably adapted for that employment went in search of it to the ecclesiastical court，not beloved of England，which the Cardinal Bishop of Winchester held there.Winchester was the only one of the House of Lancaster who had money to carry on the government either at home or abroad.The two priests，as the historians are always pleased to insinuate in respect to ecclesiastics，soon understood each other，and Winchester became aware that he had in Cauchon a tool ready for any shameful enterprise.It is not，however，necessary to assume so much as this，for we have not the least reason to believe that either one or the other of them had the slightest doubt on the subject of Jeanne，or as to her character.She was a pernicious witch，filling a hitherto invincible army with that savage fright which is but too well understood among men，and which produces cruel outrages as well as cowardly panic.The air of this very day，while I write，is ringing with the story of a woman burnt to death by her own family under the influence of that same horrible panic and terror.Cauchon was the countryman，almost the /pays/--an untranslatable expression，--of Jeanne；but he did not believe in her any more than the loftier ecclesiastics of France believed in Bernadette of Lourdes，who was of the spiritual lineage of Jeanne，nor than we should believe to-day in a similar pretender.It seems unnecessary then to think of dark plots hatched between these two dark priests against the white，angelic apparition of the Maid.

What services Cauchon had done to recommend him to the favour of Winchester we are not told，but he was so much in favour that the Cardinal had recommended him to the Pope for the vacant archbishopric of Rouen a few months before there was any immediate question of Jeanne.The appointment was opposed by the clergy of Rouen，and the Pope had not come to any decision as yet on the subject.But no doubt the ambition of Cauchon made him very eager，with such a tempting prize before him，to recommend himself to his English patron by every means in his power.And he it was who undertook the office of negotiating the ransom of Jeanne from the hands of Jean de Luxembourg.

We doubt whether after all it would be just even to call this a nefarious bargain.To the careless seigneur it would probably be very much a matter of course.The ransom offered--six thousand francs--was as good as if she had been a prince.The ladies at home might be indignant，but what was their foolish fancy for a high-flown girl in comparison with these substantial crowns in his pocket；and to be free from the responsibility of guarding her would be an advantage too.And if her own party did not stir on her behalf，why should he？A most pertinent question.Cauchon，on the other hand，could assure all objectors that no summary vengeance was to be taken on the Maid.She was to be judged by the Church，and by the best men the University could provide，and if she were found innocent，no doubt would go free.

They must have been sanguine indeed who hoped for a triumphant acquittal of Jeanne；but still it may have been hoped that a trial by her countrymen would in every case be better for her than to languish in prison or to be seized perhaps by the English on some after occasion，and to perish by their hands.Let us therefore be fair to Cauchon，if possible，up to the beginning of the /Procès/.He was no Frenchman，but a Burgundian；his allegiance was to his Duke，not to the King of England；but his natural sovereign did so，and many，very many men of note and importance were equally base，and did not esteem it base at all.Had the inhabitants of Rheims，his native town，or of Rouen，in which /his/trial and downfall took place as well as Jeanne's，pronounced for the King of Prussia in the last war，and proclaimed themselves his subjects，the traitors would have been hung with infamy from their own high towers，or driven into their river headlong.But things were very different in the fifteenth century.

There has never been a moment in our history when either England or Scotland has pronounced for a foreign sway.Scotland fought with desperation for centuries against the mere name of suzerainty，though of a kindred race.There have been terrible moments of forced subjugation at the point of the sword；but never any such phenomena as appeared in France，so far on in the world's history as was that brilliant and highly cultured age.Such a state of affairs is to our minds impossible to understand or almost to believe：but in the interests of justice it must be fully acknowledged and understood.