Jeanne and La Hire, having seen him off, returned into Orleans unmolested by the English. Jeanne, if she hoped for a quiet day in the retirement of the treasurer’s house, did not get it. The people of Orleans were still in so great a state of excitement about her that they almost broke down the door of her lodging in their desire to see her. So she spent the rest of that Sunday riding through the streets of the city, but could scarcely make any progress owing to the crowd of people insatiable for her presence. All the same, she managed her horse so well, and carried herself in so grand a manner, that they all marvelled at her, as though she had made a profession of arms and war from her youth upwards.fn10
Not content with this, she went once more to argue with the English. It was her third challenge; her fourth was to take a very different form. History does not relate whether the Bastard, plodding on his way to Blois, knew anything of her intention. He had left her behind and she was her own mistress. Neither Paquerel nor d’Aulon was there to restrain her. Paquerel had been sent off to look after the morals of the army; d’Aulon had been sent to look after the Bastard. La Hire, left more or less in charge, must have been puzzled and amused. Jeanne harangued the English in much the same terms as before, and, receiving much the same answer, retired as before, back into Orleans.fn11 Thus, in this curious lull, passed Sunday.
On Monday, May 2nd, the English were still quiet within their fortifications. Jeanne rode out in a leisurely way to survey their positions. A crowd of people followed her, happy if they might see and surround their idol. When she had inspected the English defences to her heart’s content, she went to hear vespers at the cathedral. That is all that we know of the events of May 2nd.
On May 3rd the garrisons of Gien, Montargis, Château Reynard, and Châteaudun began coming into Orleans, with many men on foot, and towards evening the news was received that the army from Blois was on the way, under the command of the maréchal de Sainte-Sévère, the maréchal de Rais, the Norman baron de Coulonces, and monseigneur de Bueil. They were coming by the northern road, through la Beauce, though it is usually supposed that the convoy of supplies, under a separate escort, was making its way by the southern route, as previously on April 28th.fn12 In order to guard against any surprise attack, a sentry mounted guard night and day in the belfry of Saint Pierre Empont; when the danger was especially pressing, as now, a second sentry kept watch on the tower of Saint Paul. It was thus possible for a message to be sent down into the town that the banners and lances of an army could be seen advancing from far away.fn13 At that moment the excitement in Orleans must have been great. No one knew what the English would do. Would they attack, or would they remain tamely within their forts, allowing the Dauphin’s men to stream through the city gates without opposition? Jeanne was taking no risks. At dawn on the following morning, May 4th, the eve of Ascension, the army then being only a league away, she rode out à estendart desployé, with five hundred men, to meet them.
It is a little difficult to discover who was where on this occasion. In fact, the accounts of the different witnesses and chroniclers of Jeanne’s history are sometimes so much at variance in their details that it turns into a sort of picture puzzle whose pieces refuse to fit. Where, for instance, was La Hire? The Chronique de la Pucelle says that he was with the army, which in any case is difficult to reconcile with the statement that he had been left in Orleans with Jeanne – unless, indeed, as is possible, he had ridden ahead to meet them. Jean d’Aulon also says that La Hire entered Orleans with them, but does not make it clear whether he had joined them earlier on their march or had come out with Jeanne. The Journal du siège and Jean Chartier both definitely say that he came out with Jeanne. More importantly, where was the Bastard? We know that he had gone to Blois on May 1st, meaning to return with the army, yet we find no mention of his name among the leaders of the army registered by the Chronique, which states, on the contrary, that he rode out with Jeanne to meet them, thus implying that he had hurried back to Orleans ahead of their slowly moving train. The Chronique, quoting the Geste des Nobles, must be in error. The Journal and Jean Chartier both agree that the Bastard was with the army.
We may take it, then, that Jeanne, at the head of her five hundred men, accompanied by the seigneur de Villars, Florent d’Illiers, Alain Giron, Jamet de Tilloy, and possibly also by La Hire,fn14 left Orleans very early in the morning to meet the Bastard and the train that followed him. The English still took no notice whatsoever. They contented themselves with watching from afar, instead of falling in full force upon this relatively small company trailing across the open, undefended by wall, trenches, or fortifications. If they had had any sense of military opportunity they would first have fallen upon Jeanne and her five hundred; then upon the Bastard and his men. Instead of this, they allowed them to wend their way unmolested., with the priests chanting and Jean Paquerel bearing in their midst the banner which Jeanne had caused especially to be made for them.fn15
I fail entirely to understand what the English were about. The French, of course, explained it by saying that Jeanne had terrorised them; almost that she had cast a spell upon them.
II
The day of May 4th was only just begun. They had entered Orleans environ prime, which means between six and seven in the morning. The day was young, and Orleans full of new troops, new food, and new hope. The morning seems to have been passed quietly. One may suppose that the new troops were finding tlleir billets, and that the new supplies were being distributed – everybody, in short, too busy to think of fighting. Jeanne herself dined quietly with d’Aulon in the treasurer’s house.
After dinner the Bastard came in. He had had information that Sir John Fastolf was on his way with support for the English and was already at Janville, a day’s march from Orleans. Jeanne appeared delighted at this piece of news, though it is difficult to see why: perhaps by that time, tired of being insulted and treated with contempt, her blood was up and the more enemies she could rout, the better. She was at any rate determined that Fastolfshould not slip through her fingers. ‘Bastard, Bastard,’ she said, ‘in God’s name I order you to let me know as soon as you hear of Fastolf’s coming, for if he passes without my knowledge, I promise you that I will have your head off.’ The Bastard, who from the first had known how to treat her, and had never taken offence at her blunt words, answered reassuringly: she need have no anxiety on that point, for he would surely let her know.fn16 He then went away. I imagine that he knew what was going on just outside the town, although Jeanne and d’Aulon did not.
Jeanne, who had got up early, was tired, and so, according to his own confession, was d’Aulon. They both went upstairs to rest,fn17 d’Aulon lying down on a couch in Jeanne’s room, Jeanne lying down on another bed with her hostess in order to rest and sleep. Poor d’Aulon, however, had only just settled down to rest, and was already half asleep, when Jeanne sprang up from her bed and woke him. He asked her what she wanted; and perhaps it is not too fanciful to imagine that he was rubbing his eyes. From every account it is clear that she was in a state of great agitation. ‘En nom Dieu,’ she replied, ‘my counsel has told me to go against the English, but I do not know whether I am to go against their forts or against Fastolf, who is on his way with supplies.’fn18
At this point, the reading of the various accounts produces a kind of uproar in the head, much as the actual occasion must have produced an uproar in the treasurer’s house. Jeanne was no peaceful guest. The witnesses become confused, and we are left with an impression of scared people running hither and thither, with Jeanne raging and storming in the midst of them. D’Aul on says that he got up at once, and armed her as quickly as he could. Louis de Contes, her little page, says that her hostess and the child Charlotte armed her. Jean Paquerel says that, as he arrived with some other priests, she was shouting, ‘Where are they, whose business it is to arm me? The blood of our people is reddening the ground.’ Meanwhile, there were shouts in the street below, saying that the enemy was doing great harm to the French. Jean d’
Aulon, who was already hurrying into his armour as Jeanne ran downstairs, never noticed that she had left him.fn19 Then she found Louis de Contes, who still believed her to be asleep in her room. ‘Ha, sanglant gaçon,’ she said to him, ‘you never told me the blood of France was being spilt,’ and sent him off post-haste to fetch her horse.fn20
When he returned she was waiting downstairs. She sent him up to fetch her banner, which for some unexplained reason he handed down to her through the window. One can only suppose that she was shouting impatiently for it in the street. Impatient she certainly was, and nobody moved quickly enough to please her; she was gone before d’Aulon could follow her,fn21 and those who saw her go testified that she went at such a pace that her horse’s hooves struck sparks from the pavement.fn22
Louis de Contes, who was evidently rather bewildered by all this flurry, was sent after her by her hostess. D’Aulon caught her up at the Porte de Bourgogne. Here they met a badly wounded man who was being carried in. Jeanne was much upset. After all, it was her first taste of real fighting. She stopped to ask who he was, and, on hearing that he was a Frenchman, exclaimed that she could never see French blood spilt without her hair rising on her head.fn23 But she could not afford to wait, for a battle was taking place at the English stronghold of Saint Loup and she must be there. (Refer to the map facing here).
Again, it is difficult to determine whether the attack on Saint Loup had been delivered with or without her knowledge. The probability is that it had been delivered earlier than she expected.fn24 Otherwise, she would scarcely have gone to rest, nor have sprung from her bed in such indignation and surprise. She may have agreed with the Bastard on the advisability of making such an attack, especially in view of the rapid advance of Fastolf, but she certainly did not expect it to take place so soon. When she got there, she found the affair in full swing. D’Aulon says that he had never yet seen so many French troops gathered together as on that occasion. Louis de Contes says that the English were preparing to defend themselves, but that the French, on seeing Jeanne, shouted in triumph and carried the fort.
This was the first time that the French had succeeded in capturing an English work. It was an important one, too, for it was the only one on that side of Orleans, protecting the road between Orleans and Jargeau, at that time occupied by an English garrison. There was now nothing to hinder the French from pouring supplies and reinforcements into Orleans by the eastern gate. They burnt and demolished the fort, killed a hundred and fourteen English soldiers, and carried off another forty as prisoners into the city. How small these numbers seem! – yet, if we compare them with other statistics of the siège, we see that the taking of the Bastille de Saint Loup ranked as an unusually serious engagement. Talbot himself seems to have recognised, either that his troops were demoralised, or that they were outnumbered, for having attempted a sortie from the Bastille de Saint Pouair, in order to come to the assistance of the garrison at Saint Loup, he very quickly withdrew on observing a force of six hundred Frenchmen advancing against him. Perhaps, by the time Talbot sat down that evening to think it over, he had begun to wonder whether the cowgirl was not to be taken seriously after all.
Jeanne, characteristically, was more distressed by the death and discomforture of her enemies than elated by the success of her friends. The religious aspect, again, was dominant in her mind. It distressed her to think that so many of the English should have died without going first to confession, especially on the eve of Ascension. She deplored their fate (eos multum plangebat), and, as though she held herself responsible, summoned Jean Paquerel to confess her there and then. Moreover, she ordered him to see to it that all the men-at-arms should also confess their sins and should render thanks to God for their victory. Otherwise, she said, she would leave them and would not remain in their company.fn25 She further issued a proclamation, with trumpets, to the effect that no plundering was to take place in the church of Saint Loup.fn26 It looks as though the English were already acquainted with her weakness, for it is related in the not very reliable Chronique that some of them climbed into the belfry and dressed themselves up in the priests’ vestments, hoping, rightly as it proved, to escape with their lives. Jeanne intervened when her compatriots, less gullible than she, wanted to put them all to the sword: one should ask nothing of church people, she said, and caused them all to be brought safely into Orleans.fn27
All the church-bells of Orleans rang out to celebrate the victory, and Jeanne and the captains went to give thanks.fn28
III
The next day being Ascension Day (Thursday, May 5th), Jeanne decreed that there should be no fighting. She confessed again, and received the Sacraments, and also issued a proclamation that no one should dare to emerge from the city next day to take part in an assault or to engage in battle, without having previously presented himselffor confession; also that women of ill repute should be rigorously dismissed from the army; otherwise, she said, God would bring defeat on them by reason of their sins. Again she was obeyed.fn29
Apart from these religious and moral observances of the holy day, she also felt justified in turning their attention to more practical and war-like matters. These matters, on that day, did not go very happily for Jeanne. It is a curious and illuminating story; illuminating in so far as it illustrates the degree to which the French captains disregarded her as a member of their military council. That she should inspire their men by her presence was well enough, but it obviously never entered their heads that she should be admitted to their secret plans. Their behaviour on this and on other occasions disposes finally of the notion that she had in any way been put in command of the army. We cannot blame them. Her knowledge of military tactics was necessarily nil, and they were all hardened men. It is not very surprising to find that while the Bastard held a council of war in the very house where Jeanne had her lodging, she was excluded from their deliberations.
The Bastard, the maréchal de Rais, the maréchal de Sainte-Sévère, the chancellor, Cousinot, the sire de Graville, the sire de Gaucourt, Ambroise de Loré, the baron de Coulonces, the seigneur de Villars, Poton de Saintrailles, Denis de Chailly, Thibaut de Termes, Jamet de Tilloy, La Hire, and a Scottish captain whom the French called Canede, but whose name was really Sir Hugh Kennedy, were all present. There were also some leading burgesses of Orleans. At this secret session they arranged to deliver a violent attack next day on the English fort of Saint Laurent, hoping thereby to entice the English, who were on the southern bank across the river, to the help of their friends on the city side (refer to the map facing here). This attack, however, was to be more in the nature of a feint than of a genuine battle. The true battle was to take place on the southern bank, against the reduced English forces which had remained behind. Having come to this decision, they sent Ambroise de Loré to fetch Jeanne, being agreed amongst themselves that they should tell her only of the proposed attack on Saint Laurent and should say nothing of the true battle which they wished to engage across the water. When she appeared in answer to their summons, this information was accordingly imparted to her by the chancellor, Cousinot. They had reckoned without Jeanne’s intuition. She waited until the chancellor had finished, then, becoming exceedingly irate, refused the seat they offered her and walked up and down the room, saying, ‘Tell me what you have really decided and appointed. I should know how to keep a far greater secret than that.’
At this, they seem to have been very much taken aback, and the Bastard, with his gentle tactful ways, again came to the rescue. He saw that it was idle to try and conceal the truth. Jeanne,’ he said, ‘do not get angry. We cannot tell you everything at once. What the chancellor has told you has indeed been decided and appointed, but we have also decided that if those who are on the Sologne side of the river come to the assistance of those who are in the fort, we shall cross the river to do whatever we can against them there. We consider this plan good and profitable.’ This satisfied her, and she said that all was to be carried out as they had decided.fn30
Every d
ay they were discovering more and more that Jeanne was not easy to deal with. The comment made by Jean Chartier after describing this scene has a rueful note which provokes a smile: ‘And very often the said Bastard and other captains met together to discuss what had best be done; but whatsoever conclusion they came to, when they sent for Jean la Pucelle she decided something else quite to the contrary.’fn31 If Jean Chartier is to be believed, it was even against their wishes that she went personally into battle, de quoy les gens de guerre estoient courouciez et moult esbahiz.
IV
Jeanne’s activities on Ascension Day were not limited to ordering the troops to confession, issuing edicts against the women, and disconcerting the assembly of the captains. The English still remained to be dealt with. Since she could not fight them on a holy day, she would at least write them another letter. It was couched in even less conciliatory terms than the previous messages: ‘You, men of England, who have no right to be in this kingdom of France, the King of Heaven commands you through me, Jeanne la Pucelle, to abandon your forts and to go back where you belong; which ifyou fail to do, I will make such a ha-hai as will be eternally remembered. I am writing to you for the third and last time. I shall not write any more. – JHESUS MARUA. JEHANNE LA PUCELLE.’
She added a postcript: ‘I would have sent you my letter in a more honourable manner, but you detain my heralds, you have detained my herald called Guienne. Please send him back to me, and I will send back some of your people captured at Saint Loup, for they are not all dead.’
As she did not want to risk another herald, she 1then took an arrow, fastened the letter to it with a piece of thread, and ordered a cross-bow man to shoot it into the English camp, shouting meanwhile, ‘Read, here is news.’ That particular news, by then, must have been growing a little stale. The English evidently thought so, for, when they had picked up the arrow and read the attached letter, they replied by derisive shouts of ‘Ah! news from the harlot of the Armagnacs l’ On hearing this, Jeanne appealed to God and burst into floods of tears (flere cum abundantia lacrymarum). A little later she declared that God had consoled her, and commanded Paquerel to get up even earlier on the following day, in order to receive her confession again.fn32
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