HER SUCCESS ALARMS Bedford.

173

his rights who had before been indifferent, or felt too much in awe of the English to declare for him. Soissons, Château Thierry, and many other cities and places in Champagne, hastened to lay their keys at his feet. Bedford became alarmed at these losses to the English, and augured from them the decline of his own power; and though he treated with contempt the inspiration of the Maid, yet he saw with dread the effects that the confidence placed in her by the troops had already produced.

He determined, therefore, to act upon a policy which probably no other man in that age, and under such circumstances of difficulty, could have devised; but his foresight, firmness, and ready resource never forsook him. Bedford commenced by an attempt to secure to his interests Philip Duke of Burgundy; for it had been supposed that the Duke's anger against Charles had much cooled as time, that healer of wounds, flowed on, and that, whenever he saw a favourable opportunity, he would retire from the English to join the French alliance. Bedford therefore, by a most gracious embassy, implored Burgundy to come to Paris, for the purpose of discussing with him those affairs in which each had an interest; and he moved forward with the Cardinal and the troops.

On the side of Charles, the Maid, with the rest of the gallant leaders, proposed at once to meet the formidable Regent in a pitched battle. But Bedford learnt their wishes, and, brave though he was, he determined not to fight, except at advantage. Even with the late reinforce

ment, his force was inferior in numbers to the enemy; and he had no Maid, nor even an Alençon, or a Dunois, to make up for such inferiority. The Regent, therefore, thinking discretion the better part of valour, drew off towards Paris. The Maid and her supporters were still anxious to rush forward and attack; but Charles caused the troops to move in an opposite

direction.

The Regent, who had spies everywhere, finding Charles' reluctance to risk a battle, once more moved forward as if desirous to invite one, but took especial care to choose his position so as to render an attack impossible. In these manoeuvres he had one decided object, of which he never lost sight,-namely, to avail himself of any error that might be committed by Charles, but as long as the English were inferior in numbers, to avoid becoming the assailant for after what had passed at Orleans and elsewhere, another defeat would be fatal.1 At length the indecision of Charles and the prudent manoeuvring of Bedford resulted in the advantage of the latter; and with the Cardinal and his troops, he entered Paris undisturbed, to the great disappointment of the French.

To pass in silence many particulars that would be tedious, let us simply state that, principally by the advice and management of La Trémoille and Regnauld de Chartres, a truce of fifteen days was brought about between the French and the Duke of Burgundy; and negotiations

1 1 England and France under the House of Lancaster, p. 288.

NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE.

175

for a peace were announced to the army to have been carried on so far, that, at the termination of the truce, it was expected Paris would open its gates to Charles.

1

Jeanne seems to have seen through the hollowness of this Burgundian truce, in which it is probable that she perceived Charles was really a dupe, as she addressed a letter To the good and loyal French in the city of Rheims,' wherein she bids them not to wonder if she does not enter Paris so soon as she would have done, for the King had made a fifteen days' truce, which did not satisfy her. 'I do not know,' she writes, "if I shall abide by it. If I do, it will be solely from consideration for the honour of the King; but I shall hold together the army, to be ready at the end of the fifteen days if the Burgundians do not make peace.' This haughty style shows, we think (and no wonder that it was so), that the homage paid to Jeanne by all classes for her extraordinary success had a little obscured her natural modesty and judgment. It gave some offence to the already moody and jealous Charles, and added, like fuel to fire, to the envy and rage of his contemptible favourites.

2

Paris could not be reached without crossing the Marne: the army, therefore, had now to march north. As they passed on, the people proved loyal: with shouts of 'Noel! Noel!' they greeted Charles as their King, now restored to them by the solemn anointing at Rheims; and when the

1 For the entire letter, see Henri Martin, p. 202.

2 Mémoires de la Pucelle.

Maid appeared, the multitude ran by her horse's side, singing Te Deum Laudamus, and hailed her as an angel from heaven.

'God be praised,' she said, 'here is a loyal people;' and so strong was her emotion, that the tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned to the Bastard of Orleans, who rode by her side, and added, 'Would that, when I die, I might be buried in this land!'

'Jeanne,' said the Archbishop of Rheims, who rode near her, 'do you know when you are to die, and where?'

'When it shall please God,' she replied, "but I know neither the time nor the place; and would to God my Creator that I might depart now, leave off bearing arms, and return to my father and mother to watch their sheep with my brothers: it would give me such joy to see them !'1

This was the only time she had expressed any longing, loving feeling after her own home. It is probable she felt dissatisfied with the want of confidence lately shown towards her in the neglect of her advice respecting the attack on Bedford. What, then, must have been her feelings when told that Charles had received a letter from him, filled with reproaches for allowing the simple people to be seduced and abused by a superstitious and worthless woman, suspected of diabolical arts, condemned by the word of God's Scriptures? That he (Bedford) 'wished to make a firm peace with the French, and, if not, to appoint 1 Mémoires de la Pucelle, p. 168.

RENEWED HOSTILITIES.

177

a fair field for a battle; and though for this purpose he had followed Charles, he could never find him.'

'Tell your master,' said Charles, addressing the herald who had brought him the epistle from Bedford, 'that he would have had little trouble to find me had he desired it. It is I who have sought him.'1

It was now evident to Charles that the fifteen days' truce was nothing more than a pretence, for some political purpose, to gain time. He was roused from his indolence, advanced with his retinue and army towards Paris, and found the English well stationed so as to block the way without coming to a battle. But the Maid, impatient for contest, placed herself at the head of the van, rode forward, and planted her standard in the very front of the enemy's trenches. She then caused her trumpet to sound, and sent her herald with a challenge to the English to come forth, and she would give them battle. Bedford made no reply, probably disdaining to answer the summons of a woman; but he suffered his captains to skirmish as much as they would, till at length these small encounters became fierce and bloody.

On the 16th August 1429, Bedford broke up his camp and departed. The cause of his doing so was unknown; but it was reported and believed, on good grounds, that he had received some disagreeable intelligence respecting the temper of the Parisians towards himself, and also concerning the imminent danger of Normandy. 'Forward to 1 1 Hollingshed.

M