第81章 THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION.FEBRUARY,(9)

It will be remarked，as the slow examination goes on day after day，that Jeanne，becoming at moments impatient，sometimes gives a rough answer，and at other times plays a little with her questioner as if in contempt."By the Blessed Mary，I know not！"is evidently an outburst of impatience at the exhausting，exasperating folly of some of these questions，and this will be further visible in future sittings.It seems very likely that the reference to Poitiers，which was an excellent suggestion，commending itself to her invariable good sense，came from the kind priest who tried to serve her as he best could；but there are other answers a little incoherent，which look as if Frère Isambard，if it were he，had confused her in her own response without conveying anything better to her mind，especially on the occasions when she refuses to reply，and then does so，abandoning her ground at once.Her patience and steadiness are quite extraordinary however even in the less self-collected moments.Thus end the proceedings of the fourth day.

The fifth day began with the usual dispute about the oath，Jeanne still retaining her reservation with the greatest firmness.She seems，however，at the end，to have repeated her oath to answer everything that had to do with the trial--"And as much as I say I will say as if I were before the Pope of Rome."These words must have given the Magister Beaupère an admirable occasion for introducing one of the things charged against her for which there was actual proof--her letter to the Comte d'Armagnac in respect to the Pope.He seized upon it evidently with eagerness，and asked her which she held to be the true Pope.To this she answered quietly，"Are there two？"--the most confusing reply.[5]

She was asked if she had received letters from the Comte d'Armagnac，asking to know which of the three existing Popes he ought to obey；she answered that she had his letter，and had replied to it，saying among other things that when she was in Paris and at rest she would answer him；and added that she was on the point of mounting her horse when she gave that reply.The copy of the letter and the reply being read to her she was asked if that was what she had said；to which she replied that she had answered his letter in part，not in full.Asked，if she knew the counsels of the King of Kings so as to be able to say which the count should obey，she answered，that she knew nothing.

Asked，if she was in doubt as to which the count ought to obey，she replied that she knew not which to bid him obey；but that she，the said Jeanne，held and believed that we ought to obey our Pope who was in Rome；that as for what he asked，that she should tell him which God desired him to obey，she had said she knew nothing；but she sent much to him which was not put in writing.And as for herself she believed in the Lord Pope of Rome.Asked，whether in respect to the three pontiffs she had received counsel，she answered，that she had neither written nor made to be written anything about the three pontiffs.And this she swore on her oath.Asked，if she were in the habit of putting on her letters the name /Jhesus Maria/with a cross，answered，that she did so sometimes but not always，and that sometimes she put a cross to shew that these letters were not to be taken seriously (as likely to fall into the enemy's hands).

Some questions were then put to her about her letters to the Duke of Bedford and to the English King，and copies were read to her to which she objected on some small points，but mistakenly it would seem，as that she had summoned them to surrender to the King，while the scribe had put "surrender to the Maid."She said，however，that they were her letters，and that she held by them.She added that before seven years the English would lose more than they had lost at Orleans，[6]and that their cause would be lost in France；she said also that the said English should have greater disasters than they had yet had in France，and that God would give greater victories to France.Asked，how she knew this，she replied："I know it by the revelations made to me，and that it will happen in seven years，and I might well be angry that it is deferred so long."Asked，when this would happen，she said that she knew neither the day nor the hour.

She was tormented a little further as to the dates，whether this would happen before the St.Jean，or before the St.Martin in winter，but made no answer except that before the St.Martin in winter they should see many things，and it might be that the English should fail；as a matter of fact Paris opened its gates to Charles VII.within the seven years specified，so that Jeanne's prophecy may be held to have been fulfilled.

We then come once more to a long and profitless interrogatory upon her saints，in which the crowd of judges forgot their dignity and overwhelmed her with a flood of often very foolish，and sometimes worse than foolish questions.

Asked，how she knew the future，she answered that she knew it by St.