CHAPTER XV. HOW THE MAID RODE WITH THE KING.
Thus the English were routed with great loss, their leadinggenerals prisoners in the hands of the Maid, and the road for theKing open, not to Rheims alone, but to the very walls of Paris, hadhe so chosen.
Indeed, there were those amongst us who would gladly and joyfullyhave marched under our great white banner right to the capital ofthe kingdom, and driven forth from it the English Regent and allthe soldiers with him, whether Burgundians or those of his ownnation. For Fastolffe was flying along the road which led himthither, and it would have been a joy to many of us to pursue andovertake, to rout him and his army, or put them to the sword, andto march up beneath the walls of Paris itself, and demand itssurrender in the name of the Maid!
Those there were amongst us who even came and petitioned of her tolead us thither, and strike a death blow, once and for all, againstthe power of the alien foe who had ruled our fair realm too long;but though her eyes brightened as we spoke, and though all that wasmartial in her nature responded to the appeal thus made to her--forby this time she was a soldier through every fibre of her being,and albeit ever extraordinarily tender towards the wounded, thesuffering, the dying--be they friends or foes--the soldier spiritwithin her burned ever higher and higher, and she knew in her clearhead that humanly speaking, we could embark upon such a victoriousmarch as perchance the world has never seen before--certainly notbeneath such a leader.
And yet she shook her head, even whilst her cheek flushed and hereyes sparkled. Little as the King had done to merit the deepdevotion of such a nature as hers, the Maid's loving loyaltytowards, and faith in him never wavered. Although we all saw in himthe idle, pleasure loving, indolent weakling, which in those dayshe was, she could, or would, find no fault with him. Often as hedisappointed her, she never ceased to love and honour him.Perchance it was given to her to see something of that manliernature which must have underlaid even then that which we saw andgrieved over. For she would hear no word against him. He was thecentre and sun of her purpose, and her answer to us was spokenwithout hesitation.
"Nay, my friends, we have other work to do ere we may stand beforethe walls of Paris. The Dauphin must be brought to Rheims, and thecrown set upon his head; for thus hath my Lord decreed, and I maynot act other than as my voices direct."
And when the Maid spoke thus, there was no contradicting orgainsaying her. We had such confidence in her by this, thatwhatever she did was right in our eyes The soldiers would havefollowed her eagerly to the very walls of Paris; but at her commandthey turned back and marched, with pennons flying and musicsounding, to the Court of the King, where news of the Chasse ofPatay had already preceded us, and where a joyous welcome awaitedour return, though even now there were sour and jealous facesamongst the nearest advisers of the King.
If you would believe it, they still opposed the journey of the Kingto Rheims, working on his fears, his irresolution, his indolence,and seeking to undermine the influence of the Maid, when she wentpersonally to see him, that she might speak with him face to face.He himself had many excuses to offer.
"Sweet Chevaliere," he would say, calling her by one of the nameswhich circulated through the Court, "why such haste? Is it not timethat you should rest and take your ease after your many and arduoustoils? Think what you have accomplished in these few days! Fleshand blood cannot continue at such a strain. Let us now enjoy thefruits of these wonderful victories; let us feast and rejoice andenjoy a period of repose. Surely that is prudent counsel; for wemust have care for our precious Maid, whom none can replace in ourarmy, if she, by too arduous toil, should do herself an injury!"
But the Maid looked at him with her grave eyes full of earnestpleading and searching questioning.
"Gentle Dauphin, I beseech you speak not thus, nor reason aftersuch carnal fashion. Think of what your Lord and my Lord has donefor you! Think of what hath been accomplished by Him since first itwas given to me to look upon your face. Think what He hath decreedand what He hath already wrought for the furtherance of His purposetowards your Majesty and this realm! And shall His will be setaside? Shall we, His children, hang back and thwart Him, just inthe hour when He has put the victory in our hands? Ah, sweetDauphin, that would be shame, indeed! That would be pain and griefto Him. Cast away all such unworthy thought! Press on to the goal,now in sight! When you stand, crowned and anointed, King of France,you shall know the power wherewith you have been upheld, and liftedfrom the very mire of humiliation and disgrace!"
And at these words the Duc d'Alencon, who was by this an ardentbeliever in the Maid, and devotedly attached to her service,prostrated himself before the King, and cried:
"Sire, this Maid speaks words of wisdom. I pray your Majesty togive full heed to what she says. Had you watched her as I havedone, had you marched with her and seen her in battle as well as inscenes of peace, you would know well that the power of God is withher. Fear not to do her bidding! Go forth as she bids. Let us hailyou King of your fair realm, and then let the Maid lead us on toother and greater victories!"
We all joined our entreaties to that of the Duke. We marvelled howthe King could be so blind. But whilst others spoke and urged him,whilst we saw the light kindle in the monarch's eyes, and knew thather words had prevailed with him, she stood apart as one whodreams; and over her face there stole a strange, pale shadow,unlike anything I had seen there before. She saw nothing of thescene about her; heard no word of what passed. I think she did noteven know what was meant by the great shout which suddenly went upwhen the King arose and declared, once and for all, that his mindwas made up, that he would march with the Maid to Rheims; that hewould not be daunted by the fact that in Troyes and in ChalonsEnglish garrisons yet remained, which might give him trouble inpassing. What the Maid had done before she could do again. All thathitherto she had promised had been fulfilled; the fear of her hadfallen upon the English, and the terror of the English no longerweighed upon the spirits of the French. He would go, come whatmight. He would trust in the power of the Maid to finish that whichshe had begun.
The shouts and plaudits of the courtiers within the castle, and ofthe soldiers without, when this thing was known, was evidenceenough of the confidence and enthusiasm which the exploits of theMaid had awakened. Not a soldier who had followed her heretoforebut would follow her now, wherever she should lead them. Surely herheart must have swelled with joy and pride as she heard the clamourof frantic applause ringing through the place.
But when she was back in her own apartments, and I was able toapproach her alone, I ventured to ask her something concerning hersilence of a short time back.
I always think with a great pride and tender joy of the trust andfriendship which the Maid reposed in me, thereby doing me a vasthonour. I had often ridden beside her on our marches, especially inthe earlier days, when she had not so many to claim her words andcounsels. Methinks she had spoken to Bertrand, to me, and to SirGuy de Laval with more freedom respecting her voices and hervisions than to any others, save, perhaps, the King himself, ofwhom she had ever said she had revelations for his ear alone. Shewould talk to us of things which for the most part she kept lockedaway in her own breast; and now when I did ask her what it was thathad robbed her cheek of its colour, and wrapped her in a strangetrance of grave musing, she passed her hand across her eyes, andthen looked at me full, with a strange intensity of gaze.
"If I only knew! If I only knew myself!" she murmured.
"Did your voices speak to you, mistress mine? I have seen you fallinto such musing fits before this, when something has beenrevealed; but then your eyes have been bright with joy--this timethey were clouded as with trouble."
"It was when the Duke spoke of other victories," she said,dreamily; "I seemed to see before me a great confusion as of menfighting and struggling. I saw my white banner fluttering, as itwere, victoriously; and yet there was a darkness upon my spirit. Isaw blackness--darkness--confusion; there was battle andstrife--garments rolled in blood. My own white pennon was thecentre
of some furious struggle. I could not see what it was, wavesof black vapour rose and obscured my view. Then, in the midst ofthe smoke and vapour, I saw a great pillar of fire, rising up as tothe very sky itself, and out of the fire flew a white dove. Then avoice spoke--one of my own voices; but in tones different from anyI have heard before--'Have courage, even to death, Jeanne,' itsaid, 'for we will still be with you.' Then everything faded oncemore, and I heard only the shouting of the people, and knew thatthe King had made his decision, and that he had promised to receivehis crown, which has waited for him so long."
As she spoke these last words, the cloud seemed to lift. Her ownwonderful smile shone forth again.
"If this be so; if, indeed, the Dauphin shall be made King, whatmatters that I be taken away? My work will end when the crown shallbe set upon his head. Then, indeed, my soul shall say: 'Lord, nowlettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.'"
Her face was suddenly transfigured--radiant--with some great andglorious thought. I was glad at heart to see that the shadow hadpassed entirely away. Only for a moment could any presage ofpersonal fear cloud the sweet serenity of the Maid's nature. Andyet I went from her something troubled myself; for had I not reasonto know what strange power she possessed of reading the future, andwhat did it mean, that confusion of battle, that intermingling ofvictory and defeat, that darkness of smoke and blaze of fire, andthe white dove flying forth unscathed? I had heard too often theshouts of the infuriated English--"We will take you and burn you,you White Witch! You shall perish in the flames from whence thedevil, your father, has sent you forth!"--not to hear with ashudder any vision of smoke and of fire. But again, had not theMaid ever prevailed in battle over her foes? Might she not laugh toscorn all such threats?
Ah me! It is well that we may not read the future, else how couldwe bear the burden of life?
Joyous and triumphant was the day upon which, after some inevitabledelays, we started forth--a goodly company in sooth--an army at ourback, swelling with pride and triumph--to take our young King tothe appointed place, and see the crown of France there set upon hishead. From all quarters news was pouring in of the hopelessdisruption of the power of the English after the Chasse de Patay.Towns and villages which had submitted in sullen acquiescencebefore, now sent messages of loyalty and love to the King. Menflocked daily to join our standard as we marched. It was a sight tosee the villagers come forth, clad in their holiday dress, eager tosee and pay homage to the King, but yet more eager to look upon thewhite mailed figure at his side and shout aloud the name of THEMAID OF ORLEANS!
For the place of honour at the King's right hand was reserved forthe Maid, and she rode beside him without fear, without protest,without shame. Gentle, humble, and simple as she always was, sheknew herself the Messenger of a greater King than that of France,and the honour done to her she accepted as done to her Lord, andnever faltered beneath it, as she was never puffed up or madehaughty or arrogant thereby. Nor did she ever lose her tendernessof heart, nor her quick observation of trivial detail in theabsorbing interests of her greatness.
She was the first to note signs of distress upon the part of thesoldiers, during this march in the midsummer heat. It was she whowould suggest a halt in the noontide, in some wooded spot, that"her children" might rest and refresh themselves, and it was shewho, never tired herself, would go amongst them, asking them oftheir well being, and bringing with her own hands some lusciousfruit or some cooling draught to any soldier who might be sufferingfrom the effects of the sun.
She who rode beside a King, who was the greatest and most renownedof that great company, would minister with her own hands to thehumblest of her followers; and if ever King or Duke or courtierjested or remonstrated with her on the matter, her answer wasalways something like this:
"They are my own people. I am one of them. At home when any wassick in the village, I was always sent for. And wherefore not now?I am the same as I was then. Soon I shall be going back to them, mytask accomplished. Wherefore should I not be their friend andsister still?"
Then all would laugh to think of the Maid of Orleans going back totake up the life of a peasant again at Domremy; but the Maid's facegrew grave and earnest as she would make reply:
"Indeed, if my work for my King is accomplished, I would fain doso. I was so happy, so happy in my sweet home."
But now our triumphal march was suddenly brought to a halt; for wewere approaching the town of Troyes--a place of ill omen to France,and to the young King in particular, for there the shameful treatywas signed which robbed him of his crown; and great was thedissension amongst the King's counsellors as to what should bedone.
The place was strong, the English garrison there large. A summonsto surrender sent on in advance had been ignored, and now came thequestion--should the army pass on its way to Rheims leaving thisplace in the rear unattacked and untaken, or should it run the riskof a long delay, and perhaps some peril and loss in attempting toreduce it?
La Hire and Dunois spoke out insistently. At all costs the townmust be taken. It would be folly and madness to leave such astronghold of the enemy in the rear. Other places had fallen beforethe victorious Maid, and why not this? The army would go anywherewith her. The soldiers only desired to be told what she counselled,and to a man they would support her. They had lost all fear of thefoe, if only the Maid led them into battle, whether in the open oragainst massive walls.
But as usual the King's nearest counsellors were all for delay, foravoiding battle, for retreat rather than risk. The Archbishop ofRheims, instead of being eager to push on to the place which so farwas only his in name, for he had never been aught but titularArchbishop as yet, was always one with La Tremouille in advisingcaution and a timid policy. Both were the enemies of the Maid,jealous of her gifts and of her influence with the King, andfearful lest her power over him should grow and increase. They evenplotted that she should be excluded from the council now sittinganent this very matter, and it was only when the King and the Ducd'Alencon, growing restless and impatient at her absence, desiredher presence instantly, that she was sent for.
There was a grave dignity about her as she entered, which satimpressively upon her young face, so fair and sweet and gentle. Sheknew that timid counsels were being held, and that she, theCommander-in-Chief of the army, was being set aside--the Messengerfrom the Lord was being ignored. Not for herself, but for Him washer spirit moved.
The Archbishop with much circumlocution told her of the difficultyin which the King's Council was placed, and would have discoursedfor long upon the situation, only that in his first pause the Maidspoke, addressing herself to the King:
"Shall I be believed if I speak my counsel?" she asked.
"You will be believed according as you speak," answered the King,thoroughly uneasy, as he ever was, when torn in twain by themultitude of counsellors with whom he must needs surround himself,though his heart ever inclined towards the Maid.
"I speak that which my Lord gives me to speak," she answered, herwonderful eyes full upon the King. "Shall I be believed?"
"If you speak that which is reasonable and profitable, I willcertainly believe you," he answered, still uneasy beneath her look.
"Shall I be believed?" she questioned a third time, and there was afire in her eyes which seemed to leap out and scathe thepusillanimous monarch as he sat quaking in his Council.
"Speak, Maiden," he cried out then, "I at least will believe!"
"Then, noble Dauphin," she cried, "order your army to assault thiscity of Troyes, where such despite has been done you, and hold nomore councils; for my Lord has told me that within three days Ishall lead you into the town, and false Burgundy and proud Englandshall there be overthrown!"
"Pouf!" cried the Chancellor, one of the Maid's worst foes, "ifthere was a chance of doing such a thing in six days we wouldwillingly wait; but--"
He stopped suddenly--none knew why, save that the Maid's eyes werefixed full upon him, and in those eyes was that strange shininglight which some of us knew so well. She
did not speak to him, butwhen his voice suddenly wavered and broke, she addressed herself tothe King, speaking as one who repeats a message.
"You shall be master of the city of Troyes, noble Dauphin, not insix days--but tomorrow."
And even as she spoke, without waiting for any response, she turnedand went forth, walking with her head well up, and her eyes fixedstraight before her, yet as one who walks in sleep, and pays noheed to what lies before him. She called for her horse; and leapinginto the saddle, rode out bareheaded in the summer sun to the campwhere the soldiers lay, in doubt and wonderment at this delay; andas they sprang up to a man at sight of her, and broke into theacclamations which always greeted her appearance amongst them, shelifted up her clear ringing voice and cried:
"Be ready, my children, against the morrow, confess your sins, makeyour peace with God and man. For tomorrow He will lead youvictorious into yonder frowning city, and not a hair of your headsshall suffer!"
They crowded about her, filling the air with shouts of triumph;they clamoured to be led at once against the grim frowning walls. Iverily believe, had she put herself at their head then and there,that nothing could have withstood the elan of their attack; but theMaid received her orders from a source we knew not of, and fleshlypride never tempted her to swerve from the appointed path. Shesmiled at the enthusiasm of the men, but she shook her head gentlyand firmly.
"Do my bidding, my children, confess yourselves and pray till setof sun. Then I will come to you and set you your appointed tasks,and tomorrow I will lead you into the city!"
That night there was no sleep for the Maid or for her soldiers. Atno time was it dark, for midsummer was over the land, and the moonhung in the sky like a silver lamp when the sun had set. The Maidcame forth as she had said with the last of the daylight, and ather command a great mound was speedily raised, of earth, brushwood,faggots, stones--anything that the soldiers could lay hands upon;and when this hillock was of height sufficient to satisfy the youngGeneral, the great guns were brought and set upon it in suchmasterly fashion, and in such a commanding way, that La Hire,Dunois and Xantrailles, who came to see, marvelled at it, and wecould note from the top of this earthwork that within the citygreat commotion reigned, and that it was as busy as a hive that hasbeen disturbed.
As the first mystic glow of the summer's dawn kindled in theeastern sky, the Maid stood, a white luminous figure in fullarmour, poised lightly on the top of one of our pieces of ordnance,her drawn sword in her hand, pointing full in the direction of thecity.
I have heard since from those within that the anxious garrison andcitizens saw this motionless figure, and cried aloud in terror andawe. To them it seemed as though St. Michael himself had come downto fight against them, and terror stricken they ran to thegovernors of the city and implored that surrender might be made,ere the heavens opened and rained lightnings down upon them.
And thus it came about that ere the dawn had fairly come, anembassy was sent to the King and terms of surrender offered. TheKing, from motives of policy or fear, the Maid, from pity andgenerosity, accepted the messengers graciously, and granted thegarrison leave to depart with their horses and their arms, if thetown were peacefully given up; and thus it came about that afterthe King had finished his night's slumber, and the Maid had doneher gracious part in redeeming and releasing the French prisoners,which, but for her, would have been carried away by the retiringEnglish and Burgundians, she rode beside the King, and at the headof the cheering and tumultuous army into the city of Troyes, whichhad surrendered to the magic of her name without striking a blow.
"O my Chevaliere," cried the happy and triumphant monarch, as heturned to look into her grave serene face. "What a wonderful Maidyou are! Stay always with me, Jeanne, and be my friend and Generalto my life's end."
She looked at him long and earnestly as she made answer:
"Alas, Sire, it may not be! For a year--perhaps for a year. But Ishall last no longer than that!"