第100章 RE-EXAMINATION.MARCH-MAY,(2)

"Gentle God，in honour of Your[1]passion，I pray You，if You love me，that You would reveal to me how I ought to answer these people of the Church.I know well by what command it was that I took this dress，but I know not in what manner I ought to give it up.For this may it please You to teach me."In respect to the reproach that she had been a general in the war (/chef de guerre/)，she explained that if she were，it was to drive out the English，repelling the accusation that she had assumed this title in pride；and to that which accused her of preferring to live among men，she explained that when she was in a lodging she generally had a woman with her；but that when engaged in war she lived in her clothes whenever there was not a woman present.In respect to her hope of escaping from prison，she was asked if her council had thrown any light on that question，and replied，"I have yet to tell you."Manchon，the clerk，makes a note upon his margin at these words，"Proudly answered"--/superbe responsum/.

This re-examination lasted for two long days，the 27th and 28th of March.On several points Jeanne requested that she might be allowed to give an answer on Saturday，and accordingly，on Saturday，the last day of March，Easter Eve，she was visited in prison by the Bishop and seven or eight assessors.She was then asked if she would submit to the judgment of the Church on earth all that she had done and said，specially in things that concerned her trial.She answered that she would submit to the judgment of the Church militant，provided that it did not enforce anything that was impossible.She explained that what she called impossible was to acknowledge that the visions and revelations came otherwise than from God，or that what she had done was not on the part of God：these she would never deny or revoke for any power on earth：and that which our Lord had commanded or should command，she would not give up for any living man，and this would be impossible to her.And in case the Church should command her to do anything contrary to the command given her by God she would not do it for any reason whatsoever.Asked whether she would submit to the Church if the Church militant pronounced that her revelations were delusions or from the devil，or superstitious，or evil things，she answered that she would refer everything to our Lord，whose command she always obeyed；and that she knew well that everything had come to her by the commandment of God；and that what she had affirmed during this trial to have been done by the commandment of God it would be impossible for her to deny.And in case the Church militant commanded her to go against God，she would submit herself to no man in this world but to our Lord，whose good commandment she had always obeyed.

She was asked if she did not believe that she was subject to the Church on earth，that is，to our Holy Father the Pope，the Cardinals，Bishops，and other prelates of the Church.She answered，"/Yes，our Lord being served first/."Asked if she had directions from her voices not to submit to the Church militant which is on earth，nor to its judgment，she replied that she does not answer according to what comes into her head，but that when she replies it is by commandment；and that she has never been told not to obey the Church，our Lord being served first (/noster Sire premier servi/).

Other less formal particulars come to us long after，from various witnesses at the /procès de rehabilitation/，in which a lively picture is given of this scene.Frère Isambard had apparently managed，as was his wont，to get close to the prisoner，and to whisper to her to appeal to the Council of Bale."What is this Council of Bale？"she asked in the same tone.Isambard replied that it was the "congregation of the whole Church，Catholic and Universal，and that there would be as many there on her side as on that of the English.""Ah！"she cried，"since there will be some of our party in that place，I will willingly yield and submit to the Council of Bale，to our Holy Father the Pope，and to the sacred Council."[2]And immediately--continues the deposition--the Bishop of Beauvais cried out，"Silence，in the devil's name！"and told the notary to take no notice of what she said，that she would submit herself to the Council of Bale；whereupon a second cry burst from the bosom of Jeanne，"You write what is against me，but you will not write what is for me.""Because of these things，the English and their officers threatened terribly the said Frère Isambard，warning him that if he did not hold his peace he would be thrown in the Seine."No notice whatever is taken of any such interruption in the formal record.It must have been before this time that Jean de la Fontaine disappeared.He left Rouen secretly and never returned，nor does he ever appear again.Frère Isambard is said to have taken temporary refuge in his convent；they scattered，/de par l'diable/，according to the Christian adjuration of Mgr.De Beauvais；though l'Advenu would seem to have held his ground，and served as Confessor to Jeanne in her agony，at which Frère Isambard was also present.We are told that the Deputy Inquisitor Lemaitre，he who had been got to lend the aid of his presence with such difficulty，fiercely warned the authorities that he would have no harm done to those two friars，from which we may infer that he too had leanings towards the Maid；and these honest and loyal men，well deserving of their country and of mankind，should not lose their record when the tragic story of so much human treachery and baseness has to be told.