hey had refused her offers of peace. On that
day as before her one wish was to go in true saintly wise straight to
Talbot. She asked for tidings of her letter and learnt that the
English captains had paid no heed to it, and had detained her herald,
Guyenne.[971] This is what had happened:

[Footnote 971: _Trial_, vol. iii, pp. 27, 108. _Journal du siege_, p.
79.]

That letter, which the Bastard deemed couched in vulgar phrase,
produced a marvellous impression on the English. It filled them with
fear and rage. They kept the herald who had brought it; and, although
use and custom insisted on the person of such officers being
respected, alleging that a sorceress's messenger must be a heretic,
they put him in chains, and after some sort of a trial condemned him
to be burnt as the accomplice of the seductress.[972]

[Footnote 972: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 284. _Trial_, vol. iii,
pp. 26, 27.]

They even put up the stake to which he was to be bound. And yet,
before executing the sentence, they judged it well to consult the
University of Paris, as in like manner the Bishop of Beauvais was to
consult it eighteen months later.[973] Their evil disposition arose
from fear. These unfortunates, who were treated as devils, were afraid
of devils. They suspected the subtle French of being necromancers and
sorcerers. They said that by repeating magic lines the Armagnacs had
compassed the death of the great King, Henry V. Fearing lest their
enemies should make use of sorcery and enchantment against them, in
order to protect themselves from all evil influences, they wore bands
of parchment inscribed with the formulae of conjuration and called
_periapts_.[974] The most efficacious of these amulets was the first
chapter of the Gospel of St. John. At this time the stars were
unfavourable to them, and astrologers were reading their approaching
ruin in the sky. Their late King, Henry V, when he was studying at
Oxford, had learnt there the rules of divination by the stars. For his
own special use he kept in his coffers two astrolabes, one of silver
and one of gold. When his queen, Catherine of France, was about to be
confined, he himself cast the horoscope of the expected child. And
further, as there was a prophecy in England[975] which said that
Windsor would lose what Monmouth had gained, he determined that the
Queen should not be confined at Windsor. But destiny cannot be
thwarted. The royal child was born at Windsor. His father was