for having
caused her arms to be painted.[2183]

[Footnote 2183: _Trial_, vol. i, pp. 117, 300.]

Sundry clerks introduced into her prison gave her to believe that they
were men-at-arms of the party of Charles of Valois.[2184] In order to
deceive her, the Promoter himself, Maitre Jean d'Estivet, disguised
himself as a poor prisoner.[2185] One of the canons of Rouen, who was
summoned to the trial, by name Maitre Nicolas Loiseleur, would seem to
have been especially inventive of devices for the discovery of
Jeanne's heresies. A native of Chartres, he was not only a master of
arts, but was greatly renowned for astuteness. In 1427 and 1428 he
carried through difficult negotiations, which detained him long months
in Paris. In 1430 he was one of those deputed by the chapter to go to
the Cardinal of Winchester in order to obtain an audience of King
Henry and commend to him the church of Rouen. Maitre Nicolas Loiseleur
was therefore a _persona grata_ with the Great Council.[2186]

[Footnote 2184: _Trial_, vol. ii, p. 362.]

[Footnote 2185: _Ibid._, vol. iii, p. 63.]

[Footnote 2186: De Beaurepaire, _Notes sur les juges_, pp. 72-82. A.
Sorel, _loc. cit._, pp. 243, 247.]

Having concerted with the Bishop of Beauvais and the Earl of Warwick,
he entered Jeanne's prison, wearing a short jacket like a layman. The
guards had been instructed to withdraw; and Maitre Nicolas, left alone
with his prisoner, confided to her that he, like herself, was a native
of the Lorraine Marches, a shoemaker by trade, one who held to the
French party and had been taken prisoner by the English. From King
Charles he brought her tidings which were the fruit of his own
imagination. No one was dearer to Jeanne than her King. Thus having
won her confidence, the pseudo-shoemaker asked her sundry questions
concerning the angels and saints who visited her. She answered him
confidingly, speaking as friend to friend, as countryman to
countryman. He gave her counsel, advising her not to believe all these
churchmen and not to do all that they asked her; "For," he said, "if
thou believest in them thou shalt be destroyed."

Many a time, we are told, did Maitre Nicolas Loiseleur act the part of
the Lorraine shoemaker. Afterwards he dictated to the registrars all
that Jeanne had said, providing thus a valuable source of information
of which a memorandum was made to be used during the examination. It
would even appear that during certain of these visits the regi