rs. No amount of money could buy the picture to-day.

Ferdinand loved the picture so much that he always took it with him on
all his travels and the grand duchess, his wife, felt that her baby
boys were purer if she had the picture near her. It got its name
"Madonna of the Grand Duke" from the title of the family.

[Illustration: FIG. 10. MADONNA DEL GRAN DUCA. RAPHAEL. PITTI PALACE,
FLORENCE]

JOAN OF ARC

JULES BASTIEN-LEPAGE (1848-1884)

No young girl in history has had such a wonderful story as Joan of
Arc. She began to hear voices and see visions when she was a little
child. She was born in the tiny village of Domremy, France. Just like
the other little peasant girls around her she helped her mother about
the house and at the spinning. Also she went into the fields with her
brothers.

One day when she was in the garden the Archangel St. Michael came to
her in a glory of light. He said she was a good little girl and that
she must go to church and that some day she was to do a great act; she
was to crown the dauphin as king of France at Rheims. Joan was afraid
and cried at what the angel told her, but St. Michael said, "God will
help you."

These messages kept coming to her until, when she was sixteen, the
voices insisted, "You must help the king, and save France."

France was in a terrible state at this time, 1428. The English held
most of France. The French king, Charles VI, became insane and died.
The son, Dauphin Charles, was weak and lazy and discouraged; he had no
money, no army, no energy, and like most cowards, ran from his duty
and wasted his time in wickedness.

Joan was still urged by voices to save France. At last a peasant uncle
went with her to a man in power to ask for troops. The man was angry,
and said sharply:

"The girl is crazy! Box her ears and take her back to her father." But
Joan did not give up. She insisted that some one must take her to
Dauphin Charles, that God willed it. She said:

"I will go if I have to wear my legs down to my knees." She went, and
she saved France by crowning the dauphin as Charles VII at Rheims. But
the French and the English people condemned Joan of Arc as a witch and
burned her at the stake. Too late they cried:

"We are lost! We have burned a saint!"

[Illustration: FIG. 11. JOAN OF ARC. BASTIEN-LEPAGE. Courtesy of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City]

THE FATES

MICHAEL ANGELO BUONARROTI (1474-1564)

When a new baby