Joan of Arc | Page 4

the first indication of
what she always called 'My voices' was that of St. Michel. It is not a
little remarkable that this vision of St. Michel, the patron saint of the
French army, should have taken place in the summer of 1425, at the
time of a double defeat by land and sea of the enemy of France, and
when the Holy Mount in Normandy, crowned by the chapel guarded by
St. Michel, was once again in the hands of the French. At the same time,
Joan of Arc experienced some of the hardships of war when the country
around Domremy was overrun by the enemy; and the little household
of the Arcs had to fly for shelter to the neighbouring village of
Châteauneuf, in Lorraine.
I will pass somewhat rapidly over the visions, or rather revelations--for,
whatever doubts one may hold as to such heavenly messengers
appearing literally on this earth, no man can honestly doubt that Joan
believed as firmly in these unearthly visitants coming from Heaven
direct as she did in the existence of herself or of her parents. On the
subject of these voices and visions no one has written with more sense
than a distinguished prelate who was a contemporary of the
heroine's--namely, Thomas Basin, Bishop of Lisieux, who, in a work
relating to Joan of Arc, writes thus:--
'As regards her mission, and as regards the apparitions and revelations
that she affirmed having had, we leave to every one the liberty to
believe as he pleases, to reject or to hold, according to his point of view
or way of thinking. What is important regarding these visions is the fact
that Joan had herself no shadow of a doubt regarding their reality, and
it was their effect upon her, and not her natural inclination, which
impelled her to leave her parents and her home to undertake great perils
and to endure great hardships, and, as it proved, a terrible death. It was
these visions and voices, and they alone, which made her believe that

she would succeed, if she obeyed them, in saving her country and in
replacing her king on his throne. It was these visions and voices which
finally enabled her to do those marvellous deeds, and accomplish what
appeared to all the world the impossible; these voices and visions will
ever be connected with Joan of Arc, and with her deathless fame and
glory.'
From the year 1425 till 1428, the apparitions and voices were heard and
seen more or less frequently.
It is the year 1427: all that remains to Charles of his kingdom north of
the Loire, with the exception of Tournay, are a pitiful half-dozen places.
Among these is Vaucouleurs, near Domremy. They are defended by a
body of men under the command of a knight, Robert de Baudricourt,
who is about to play an important part in the history of Joan.
In one of her visions the maid was told to seek this knight, that through
his help she might be brought to the French Court; for the voices had
told her she might find the King and tell him her message, by which
she should deliver the land from the English, and restore him to his
throne. There had not been wanting legends and prophecies upon the
country-side which may have impressed Joan, and helped her to believe
that it was her mission to deliver France. One of the prophecies was to
the effect that a maiden from the borders of Lorraine should save
France, that this maiden would appear from a place near an oak forest.
This seemed to point directly to our heroine. The old oak-tree haunted
by the fairies, the neighbouring country of Lorraine, were all in help of
the tradition. Since the betrayal of her husband's country by the wife of
Charles VI., another saying had been spread abroad throughout all that
remained of that small portion of France still held by the French
King--namely, that although France would be lost by a woman, a
maiden should save it. Any hope to the people in those distressful days
was eagerly seized on; and although the first prophecy dated from the
mythical times of Merlin, it stirred the people, especially when, later on,
Joan of Arc appeared among them, and her story became known.
These prophecies appear to have struck deeply into Joan's soul; they,
and her voices aiding, made her believe she was the maiden by whom

her country would be delivered from the presence of the enemy. But
how was she to make her parents understand that it was their child who
was appointed by Heaven to fulfil this great deliverance? Her father
seems to have been a somewhat harsh, at any rate a practical, parent.
When told of her intention to