Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/366

 350 POLITICAL HERESY.-THE STATE. him from the English cause. Joan had written to him some weeks earlier asking him to be present at the coronation, and on the day of the ceremony she addressed him another letter, summoning and entreating him to return to his allegiance. In a few days Beau- vais, Senlis, Laon, Soissons, Chateau-Thierry, Provins, Compiegne, and other places acknowledged Charles as king and received his garrisons. There was universal exultation and a contagious de- lirium of returning loyalty. As he marched the peasantry would gather with tears in their eyes to bless him, and thank God that peace was at hand. All men admitted that this was Joan's work. Christine de Pisan, in a poem written about this time, compares her to Esther, Judith, Deborah, Gideon, and Joshua, and even Moses is not her superior. A litany of the period contains a pray- er recognizing that God had delivered France by her hand. A Burgundian chronicler tells us that the belief was general among the French soldierv that she was an envov of God who could ex- pel the English ; even after the enthusiasm of the time had passed away Thomassin, who wrote officially in a work addressed to Louis XL, does not hesitate to say that of all the signs of love manifested by God to France, there has not been one so great or so marvellous as this Pucelle — to her was due the restoration of the kingdom, which was so low that it would have reached its end but for her coming. That she was regarded as an oracle of God on other sub- jects is seen in the application to her by the Comte d'Armagnac to tell him which of the three popes to believe in ; and her accept- ance of the position is shown by her answer, that when she is re- lieved from the pressure of the war she will resolve his doubts by the counsel of the King of all the world. If on the one hand her dizzy elevation turned her head to the extent of addressing threat- ening letters to the Hussites, on the other she never lost her kindly sympathy with the poor and humble ; she protected them as far as she could from the horrors of war, comforted and supported them, and their grateful veneration shown in kissing her hands and feet and garments was made a crime to her by her pitiless judges.* p. 18. — Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris, an 1429. — Chronique, pp. 446-7. — M6moires de Saint-Rerny, ch. 152. — Thomassin, p. 540. — Nider Formicar. v. viii. — Proces, p. 479. Christine de Pisan says of her :
 * Buchou, pp. 539, 545. — Bernier. Monuments in6dits de France, Senlis. 1833,