e, Marie Le Boucher, who was a kinswoman of Jacques Boucher,
Treasurer of Orleans.[1687]

[Footnote 1687: A. Sorel, _Sejours de Jeanne d'Arc a Compiegne_, p. 6.]

She longed to march on Paris, which she was sure of taking since her
Voices had promised it to her. It is related that at the end of two or
three days she grew impatient, and, calling the Duke of Alencon, said
to him: "My fair Duke, command your men and likewise those of the
other captains to equip themselves," then she is said to have cried:
"By my staff! I must to Paris."[1688] But this could not have happened:
the Maid never gave orders to the men-at-arms. The truth of the matter
is that the Duke of Alencon, with a goodly company of fighting men,
took his leave of the King and that Jeanne was to accompany him. She
was ready to mount her horse when on Monday the 22nd of August, a
messenger from the Count of Armagnac brought her a letter which she
caused to be read to her.[1689] The following are the contents of the
missive:

[Footnote 1688: Perceval de Cagny, pp. 164, 165. _Chronique de Tournai_,
vol. iii, in the _Recueil des chroniques de Flandre_, ed. Smedt, p.
414.]

[Footnote 1689: _Trial_, vol. i, pp. 82, 83.]

"My very dear Lady, I commend myself humbly to you, and I
entreat you, for God's sake, that seeing the divisions which
are at present in the holy Church Universal, concerning the
question of the popes (for there are three contending for
the papacy: one dwells at Rome and calls himself Martin V,
whom all Christian kings obey: the other dwells at
Peniscola, in the kingdom of Valentia, and calls himself
Clement VIII; the third dwells no man knows where, unless it
be the Cardinal de Saint-Estienne and a few folk with him,
and calls himself Pope Benedict XIV; the first, who is
called Pope Martin, was elected at Constance by consent of
all Christian nations; he who is called Clement was elected
at Peniscola, after the death of Pope Benedict XIII, by
three of his cardinals; the third who is called Pope
Benedict XIV was elected secretly at Peniscola, by that same
Cardinal Saint-Estienne himself): I pray you beseech Our
Lord Jesus Christ that in his infinite mercy, he declare
unto us through you, which of the three aforesaid is the
true pope and whom it shall be his pleasure that henceforth
we obey, him who is called Martin, or him who is called