第82章 THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION.FEBRUARY,(10)

Catherine and St.Margaret；asked，if St.Gabriel was with St.Michael when he came to her，she answered，that she could not remember.Asked，if she saw them always in the same dress，answered yes，and they were crowned very richly.Of their other garments she could not speak；she knew nothing of their tunics.Asked，how she knew whether they were men or women，answered，that she knew well by their voices which revealed them to her；and that she knew nothing save by revelation and the precepts of God.Asked，what appearances she saw，she answered，that she saw faces.Asked，if these saints had hair，she answered，"It is good to know."Asked，if there was anything between their crowns and their hair，answered，no.Asked，if their hair was long and hanging down，answered，"I know nothing about it."She also said that their voices were beautiful sweet，and humble，and that she understood them well.Asked，how they could speak when they had no bodies，she answered，"I refer it to God."She repeated that the voices were beautiful，humble，and sweet，and that they could speak French.Asked，if St.Margaret did not speak English，answered："How could she speak English when she was not on the English side？"This would seem to infer that the St.Margaret referred to was not the legendary St.Margaret of the dragon，but St.Margaret of Scotland，well known in France from the long connection between those two countries，and a popular medi？val saint.She would naturally have spoken English，being a Saxon，but also quite naturally would have been against the English，as a Scottish queen；but of these refinements it is very unlikely that Jeanne knew anything，and her prompt and somewhat sharp reply evidently cut the inquiry short.The next question was，did they wear gold rings in their ears or elsewhere，these crowned saints；to which she answered a little contemptuously，"I know nothing about it."She was then asked if she herself had rings：on which "turning to us the aforesaid Bishop，she said，'You have one of mine；give it back to me.'She then said that the Burgundians had her other ring，and asked of us if we had the ring to shew it to her.Asked，who gave her this ring，answered，her father or her mother，and that the name /Jhesus Maria/was written upon it，but that she knew not who put it there，nor even whether there was a stone in the ring；it was given to her in the village of Domremy.She added that her brother gave her another ring which we had，and said that she desired that it might be given to the Church."A sudden change was now made in the cross-examination according to the methods of that operation，throwing her back without warning upon the village superstitions of Domremy，the magic tree and fountain.Many of the questions which follow are so trivial and are so evidently instinct with evil meaning，that it seems a wrong to Beaupère to impute the whole of the interrogatory to him；other questions were evidently interposed by the excited assembly.

Asked，if St.Catherine and St.Margaret talked with her under the tree of which mention had been made above，she answered，"I know nothing about it."Asked，if the saints were seen at the fountain near the tree，answered yes，that she had heard them there；but what her saints promised to her，there or elsewhere，she answered，that nothing was promised except by permission from God.Asked，what promises were made to her，she answered，"This has nothing at all to do with your trial，"but added，that among other things they said to her that her King should be restored to his kingdom，and that his adversaries should be destroyed.She said also that they promised to take her，the said Jeanne，to Paradise，as she had asked them to do.Asked，if she had any other promises，she said there was one promise that had nothing to do with the trial，but that in three months she would tell them what that other promise was.Asked，if the voices told her she would be set free from her prison in three months，she answered："This does not concern your trial；nor do I know when I shall be set free."And she added that those who wished to send her out of this world might well go before her.Asked，if her council did not tell her when she should be set free from her present prison，answered："Ask me this in three months'time；I can promise you as much as that"--but added：

"You may ask those present，on their oaths，if this has anything to do with the trial."Startled by this suggestion，the judges seem to have held a hurried consultation among themselves to see whether these matters did really touch the trial；the result apparently decided them to return again to the question of the local superstitions of Domremy，the only point on which there seemed a chance of breaking down the extraordinarily just and steadfast intelligence of the girl who stood before them.After this pause she resumed，apparently not in answer to any question.

"I have well told you that there were things you should not know，and some time I must needs be set free.But I must have permission if Ispeak；therefore I will ask to have delay in this."Asked，if her voices forbade her to speak the truth，she said："Do you expect me to tell you things that concern the King of France？There is a great deal here that has nothing to do with the trial."She said also that she knew that her King should enjoy the kingdom of France，as well as she knew that they were there before her in judgment.She added that she would have been dead but for the revelations which comforted her daily.She was then asked what she had done with her mandragora (mandrake)？she answered that she had no mandragora，nor had ever had.