Jeanne questioned about the Church-desirous to appeal to the Pope- the Assessors resolve to reduce the Matter to Articles of Accusation-John of Luxembourg-Stafford and Warwick arrive at Rouen-visit Jeanne in Prison-the Interview-Stafford draws his Dagger on her - Articles in Accusation of Treason, Heresy, and Sorcery - her Spirited Replies - her Difficulty respecting the Church Militant the Chapter treat her as a Heretic-Noble Conduct of the Bishop of Avranches-the Maid threatened with Torture her Judges awed by her Firmness— Torture suspended — Doctors of the University condemn her— the Maid seriously ill-she must be saved to be burnt-she is condemned preached to at St. Ouen- her Recantation procured by Artifice sent back to her Prison-her SufferingsCruelty and Insult her Female Attire taken from her obliged to put on Male Attire-condemned for assuming it-the Last Scenes of her Sufferings-her Heroic Conduct and Death— Triumph of her Enemies.

NE question remained, which Cauchon almost feared to put to Jeanne: for though, if she gave

a denial, she was lost; yet, if she assented, it would take the case entirely out of his hands, as he proposed to conduct it. The question was this: Would she submit that the Church should decide whether her revelations were of divine authority or not? This was a terrible stumbling-block. Convinced in her

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own mind that her mission was from God, Jeanne hitherto would never suffer it to be questioned. But with the same courage as she evinced when she stood before the enemy at Orleans, did she now meet the assault upon her revelations.

For the Church,' she said, 'I love it, and with all my power I would support the Christian faith. As to the works which my mission enabled me to do, I refer them to the God of heaven, who sent me.' Still she was tormented about submitting the question of her mission to the Church, and asked if she thought that the Pope had a right to be satisfied concerning her faith and her conscience.

'I desire to be brought before him,' she replied, ' and I will answer to him whatever I ought to answer.'

Cauchon could make nothing of this; and so, being perplexed, on the 18th of March he read what had passed to a selected number of assessors, when it was resolved to reduce the whole matter to certain articles of accusation.

She was still subjected to the same cruel treatment. Her heart ached to be deprived of the holy rites of Easter, then at hand. She had already obtained permission to hear the Mass and receive the Communion, provided she would consent to quit her man's attire; but unfortunately she had refused, from the mistaken notion that she had adopted such attire as a part of her mission, and could not throw it off without the order of her voices.

It was about this time that John of Luxembourg, who had sold her to the English for the ten thousand livres, came into Rouen, and with the Earls of Stafford and Warwick, from motives of curiosity, went to see her in her chains.

'Jeanne,' said Stafford, 'we are come to ransom you, on condition that you never more take up arms against us.' 'In the name of God,' she replied, do not mock me, for you have neither the will nor the power to ransom me.'

Stafford persisted that he was in earnest.

'I know well,' she replied, 'that the English intend to put me to death, believing that after my death they will regain the kingdom of France; but were there a hundred. thousand Goddams more than there now are in it, they will not keep what they have already won in this kingdom.'

Stafford, furious at her answer, was in the act of drawing his dagger to stab her, when the Earl of Warwick caught him by the arm and prevented his purpose.

On the 27th of March, thirty-eight assessors assisted the procurator D'Estivet in drawing up the act of accusation. The most violent proposed at once to excommunicate her, unless she would swear to answer truly all those things she had not yet answered on her trial. The majority agreed that she should be compelled to reply to the Articles. To this Cauchon assented, and artfully offered Jeanne a counsel from among his chosen set.

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She thanked him, and said: 'I have no intention to separate myself from the counsel of God; and I am ready to speak the truth on every point of your proceedings.'

Two sittings were employed in the reading of the Articles. The procurator required that Jeanne should be declared to be as follows: A sorceress, a diviner, a false prophetess, an invocator of evil spirits, a magician, a schismatic, a sacrilegious person, an idolatress, a disturber of the peace thirsting for the spilling of human blood, quitting without shame the modesty of her sex, and scandalously putting on the dress of a man-at-arms; for these and other abominations done before God and man, as a seducer of princes and of the people, usurping the honours of divine worship, as a heretic, and vehemently suspected of heresy, she was accused in the Articles,' etc. etc. Poor Jeanne! no less than seventy articles, occupying one hundred and twenty odd pages, were spun out against her, founded on the preamble above cited. And to each of these articles she was required to reply, and did reply.

To the seventeenth, referring to her mission, she answered boldly: 'I was charged on the part of God to declare to my King that God would give him all his kingdom, and I did so.'

When it came to the question about reference to the Church militant, she said: 'I will refer me to the Church militant, provided it will not require of me an impossibility.

What to my mind would be an impossibility is this: that I should retract what I have stated concerning my visions and revelations, or what I have stated I did by their command. These are matters that I will not retract at the pleasure of any man. That which God empowered me to do, I did; and henceforth, whatever He commands me to do, I will not fail to do it.'

After this scene, the majority of the Chapter of Rouen were disposed to treat Jeanne as a heretic. One, however, the Bishop of Avranches, had been so much impressed by her answers, that he strongly argued it would be right to refer the whole matter to the Pope in Council. No attention was paid to his opinion; it was too much in Jeanne's favour to please Cauchon. But though much had been attempted, nothing was yet done altogether satisfactory. To give a favourable colour to the proceedings to the world at large, she must be made to deny her mission, or to avow that her inspirations were false that the whole enterprise was Satanic. To obtain this result, it was now deemed necessary to have recourse to TORTURE.

On the 9th May, two of the judges, with eight of the assessors, went to the tower of the old Castle, where Jeanne was ordered to be brought into their presence. She started on entering, and well might she do so. Behind them stood two executioners, with the instruments of torture by their side. Jeanne was exhorted to