himself again.[22] The Maid stayed on the
field all night, and next day made a retreat, hoping to draw the English
out of their fort. But they were too wary, and went back to Paris.

More towns came in to Charles. Beauvais yielded, and the Bishop of
Beauvais, Pierre Cauchon, had to fly to the English. He revenged himself
by managing Joan's trial and having her burned. Compiegne, an important
place north of Paris, yielded, and was handed to Guillaume de Flavy as
governor. In rescuing this fatal place later, Joan was taken prisoner.
Now the fortnight was over, after which the Duke of Burgundy was to
surrender Paris. But he did nothing of the kind, and there were more
'long weary councils,' and a truce was arranged with Burgundy till
Christmas. But the Maid was weary of words. She called the Duc d'Alencon
and said: 'My fair duke, array your men, for, by my staff, I would fain
see Paris more closely than I have seen it yet.'

On August 23 the Maid and d'Alencon left the king at Compiegne and rode
to St. Denis, where were the tombs of the kings of France. 'And when the
king heard that they were at St. Denis, he came, very sore against his
will, as far as Senlis, and it seems that his advisers were contrary to
the will of the Maid, of the Duc d'Alencon, and of their company.'

The great captains, Dunois, Xaintrailles, d'Alencon, were soldiers, and
the king's advisers and favourites were clergymen, like the Archbishop
of Reims, or indolent men of peace, like La Tremouille. They declared,
after the Maid was captured, that she 'took too much on herself,' and
they were glad of her fall. But she had shown that nobody but herself
and her soldiers and captains were of any use to France.

The king was afraid to go near Paris, but Bedford was afraid to stay in
the town. He went to Rouen, the strongest English hold in Normandy,
leaving the Burgundian army and 2,000 English in Paris.

Every day the Maid and d'Alencon rode from St. Denis and insulted the
gates of Paris, and observed the best places for an attack in force. And
still Charles dallied and delayed, still the main army did not come up.
Meanwhile Paris was strengthened by the English and Burgundians. The
people of the city were told that Charles intended to plunder the place
and utterly destroy it, 'which is difficult to believe,' says the Clerk
of Parliament, who was in the city at that time.[23] It was 'difficult to
believe,' but the Paris people believed it, and, far from