hand could not mow down a whole army, she
surrendered to Lionel Vasture of Vendome, who gave her up to John of
Luxembourg. The latter nobleman basely sold Jeanne to her enemies--the
English--for ten thousand livres; and, what appeared most cruel, the
king did not attempt to redeem the heroine, to whom he and his kingdom
owed much.

The ingratitude of Charles VII. has remained a blot on his memory.
Even those who refuse to admit that Jeanne D'Arc possessed
supernatural powers, regard his conduct with abhorrence. On Jeanne
being made prisoner, the English rejoiced exceedingly. The Duke of
Bedford thought it proper to disgrace her, in order to reanimate the
courage of his countrymen. In Paris, the authorities, to evince their
joy at her downfall, ordered salvoes of artillery to be fired. A _te
deum_ was sung in the church of Notre Dame; and preachers returned
thanks to the Most High, for his mercy in bringing to an end the
influence of such a wicked sorceress.

Jeanne, in an effort to escape from a high tower (her place of
confinement), cast herself from its summit to the ground, yet, strange
to say, sustained little injury. To guard against another attempt to
gain liberty, iron chains were put round her legs and body. A court of
French bishops met to try the Maid. The charge embraced seventy
articles of impeachment. Questions were asked concerning politics; her
belief in and intercourse with fairies; her favourite spiritual
visitants, St. Catherine and St. Margaret; the devices of her banner;
and the sacred sword.

A formula of sentence, after fifteen separate examinations, was read,
declaring her guilty of apostacy, sorcery, etc., and setting forth
that, lest the culprit should corrupt others, she should be cast out
of the church, and delivered to the temporal authorities, praying them
to deal mildly and humanely with her, and to rest satisfied with the
death of her body. Burning the body only, the ecclesiastics considered
mild treatment. Had they delivered their victim to Satan, loaded with
the fearful curses contained in the greater excommunication, who can
tell when her guilt would be expiated? As the secular powers were
merely instruments of the ecclesiastical authorities, sentence of
death by burning against the Maid of Orleans soon became an
accomplished fact. Fastened to a stake, without much delay, the flames
consumed her fair form, at the age of nineteen years. To the very last
she believed in the reality of