登陆注册
5697200000117

第117章 AFTER.(1)

The natural burst of remorse which follows such an event is well known in history;and is as certainly to be expected as the details of the great catastrophe itself.We feel almost as if,had there not been fact and evidence for such a revulsion of feeling,it must have been recorded all the same,being inevitable.The executioner,perhaps the most innocent of all,sought out Frère Isambard,and confessed to him in an anguish of remorse fearing never to be pardoned for what he had done.An Englishman who had sworn to add a faggot to the flames in which the witch should be burned,when he rushed forward to keep his word was seized with sudden compunction--believed that he saw a white dove flutter forth from amid the smoke over her head,and,almost fainting at the sight,had to be led by his comrades to the nearest tavern for refreshment,a life-like touch in which we recognise our countryman;but he too found his way that afternoon to Frère Isambard like the other.A horrible story is told by the /Bourgeois de Paris/,whose contemporary journal is one of the authorities for this period,that "the fire was drawn aside"in order that Jeanne's form,with all its clothing burned away,should be visible by one last act of shameless insult to the crowd.The fifteenth century believed,as we have said,everything that is cruel and horrible,as indeed the vulgar mind does at all ages;but such brutal imaginings have seldom any truth to support them,and there is no such suggestion in the actual record.Isambard and Massieu heard from one of the officials that when every other part of her body was destroyed the heart was found intact,but was,by the order of Winchester,flung into the Seine along with all the ashes of that sacrifice.It was wise no doubt that no relics should be kept.

Other details were murmured abroad amid the excited talk that followed this dreadful scene."When she was enveloped by the smoke,she cried out for water,holy water,and called to St.Mich?l;then hung her head upon her breast and breathing forth the name of Jesus,gently died.""Being in the flame her voice never ceased repeating in a loud voice the holy name of Jesus,and invoking without cease the saints of paradise,she gave up her spirit,bowing her head and saying the name of Jesus in sign of the fervour of her faith."One of the Canons of Rouen,standing sobbing in the crowd,said to another:"Would that my soul were in the same place where the soul of that woman is at this moment";which indeed is not very different from the authorised saying of Pierre Morice in the prison.Guillaume Manchon,the reporter,he who wrote /superba responsio/on his margin,and had written down every word of her long examination--his occupation for three months,--says that he "never wept so much for anything that happened to himself,and that for a whole month he could not recover his calm."This man adds a very characteristic touch,to wit,that "with part of the pay which he had for the trial,he bought a missal,that he might have a reason for praying for her."Jean Tressat,"secretary to the King of England"(whatever that office may have been),went home from the execution crying out,"We are all lost,for we have burned a saint."A priest,afterwards bishop,Jean Fabry,"did not believe that there was any man who could restrain his tears."The modern historians speak of the mockeries of the English,but none are visible in the record.Indeed,the part of the English in it is extraordinarily diminished on investigation;they are the supposed inspirers of the whole proceedings;they are believed to be continually pushing on the inquisitors;still more,they are supposed to have bought all that large tribunal,the sixty or seventy judges,among whom were the most learned and esteemed Doctors in France;but of none of this is there any proof given.That they were anxious to procure Jeanne's condemnation and death,is very certain.Not one among them believed in her sacred mission,almost all considered her a sorceress,the most dangerous of evil influences,a witch who had brought shame and loss to England by her incantations and evil spells.

On that point there could be no doubt whatever.She alone had stopped the progress of the invaders,and broken the charm of their invariable success.But all that she had done had been in favour of Charles,who made no attempt to serve or help her,and who had thwarted her plans,and hindered her work so long as it was possible to do so,even when she was performing miracles for his sake.And Alen?on,Dunois,La Hire,where were they and all the knights?Two of them at least were at Louvins,within a day's march,but never made a step to rescue her.

We need not ask where were the statesmen and clergy on the French side,for they were unfeignedly glad to have the burden of condemning her taken from their hands.No one in her own country said a word or struck a blow for Jeanne.As for the suborning of the University of Paris /en masse/,and all its best members in particular,that is a general baseness in which it is impossible to believe.There is no appearance even of any particular pressure put upon the judges.Jean de la Fontaine disappeared,we are told,and no one ever knew what became of him:but it was from Cauchon he fled.And nothing seems to have happened to the monks who attended the Maid to the scaffold,nor to the others who sobbed about the pile.On the other side,the Doctors who condemned her were in no way persecuted or troubled by the French authorities when the King came to his own.There was at the time a universal tacit consent in France to all that was done at Rouen on the 31st of May,1431.

同类推荐
  • 乡射礼

    乡射礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 莲峰志

    莲峰志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

    Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

    There once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin,a careless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long inthe streets with little idle boys like wkkk.net so grieved thefather that he died; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers,Aladdin did not mend his ways.汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阿难同学经

    阿难同学经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 通书述解

    通书述解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 傲剑修仙传

    傲剑修仙传

    他是一个潦倒失意的穷酸秀才,偶然间被中土第一修真门派古仙派掌门指点,遂决心修道。奈何修真之路并不平坦,尔虞我诈、居心叵测之人在所多有。他得到世间奇宝鬼幽剑,拥有莫大机遇,也因此被无数人觊觎。之后他离门派、进蛮荒,叩开仙界大门,最终成为世间顶尖存在——剑神!
  • 乌托邦旋律

    乌托邦旋律

    漆黑的轨道上,落着浅浅的日光。飞驰而过的列车,尖啸着逃离城市,把风声和树影都划得生痛。来自未来的少女站在废弃的城市边,漫不经心地吐着泡泡。埋藏在地下的某个角落,庞大而繁复的时间机器,发出运作的轰鸣声。
  • 业务连续性计划和管理

    业务连续性计划和管理

    内容有业务连续性管理——360度全面灾难防御;制定符合业务需求的连续性管理方针;以业务价值为导向,实现企业持续经营;日本地震若发生在台湾,您的企业承受的了吗?防患于未然,然亦有备——提升银行业务连续性管理;风险分析在业务连续性管理中的作用;建立企业风险意识,积极管理危机事件;基于KMV模型的商业银行信用风险管理研究;对公允价值的思考和审计风险防范;等等。可为包括上市公司、民营企业等各类企业的业务连续性管理提供理论基础和最佳实践。
  • 习惯解析

    习惯解析

    作为人生的追求者,茫茫人海,关键在于找到属于自己的名家导师,关键在于找到鼓舞自己的名言警句,当然,最关键的是在这些金玉良言的指导下付诸切实的行动。为此,我们荟萃了古今中外的名家巨人,其中有科技精英、文坛泰斗、艺术巨匠、政治领袖、军事将帅、思想圣哲、财富巨商、体坛英豪、影视名人、探索英雄等,汇编了这套《世界名人名言金典》。这些名言金句句句经典,字字珠玑,精辟睿智,闪耀着智慧的光芒和精神的力量,具有很强的鼓舞性、哲理性和启迪性。具有成功心理暗示和潜在力量开发的功能,不仅可以成为我们的座右铭,还能增进自律的能力。
  • 一品毒妃太嚣张

    一品毒妃太嚣张

    身为王爷的他爱上同一血脉的公主,为了延续这场乱伦爱恋,让不能生育的公主诞下子嗣,被一旨赐婚的她,沦为了这不论之恋的牺牲品。出嫁当晚,他便砍去她的双腿,之后却对她宠爱有加,夜夜与她缠绵,说尽情话,当她生下孩子的那一刻,他的嘴角却满是残佞:“本王只不过是想要你孩子的脐带血去治芙儿的不孕之症!”话未落,一把长剑已没入她的胸膛,而下一秒他抱于怀中的婴孩,已被他亲手掐死。当时光倒退三年,回到她出嫁的那天,她可是当初那个任之摆弄、天真好骗的无知少女了?“替本王生个孩子!本王定会好好爱你……”--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 红楼梦

    红楼梦

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 重生之倾杯天下

    重生之倾杯天下

    大陆中央,生有四国,分别为隐雾国、忘炎国、琉风国、启习国。四大强国以绝对的优势主宰天下,虽然看似和平年代,但战争的苗头却是隐隐若现。江湖中形成一股新的势力影响政治,其中最为突出的是以白诗缨为首的雨缨宫。白诗缨,天煞之星,生得绝美冷艳,因女扮男装而被成为被世人所知的“魔君”,她一生无情,逍遥天地,唯一能留住她的心的只有自己的好姐妹夏晓雨。夏晓雨,琉风国的帝姬,与白诗缨青梅竹马,彼此依靠与珍惜。两个姐妹性格迥异,却对彼此爱护欣赏,在这一片乱世之中,情关重重,挫折不断,她们两人又将会遇上什么样的事情?
  • 余生倾心为你

    余生倾心为你

    被渣男抛弃,此生有幸终遇到一个真正疼爱自己的人……
  • 孩子最爱问的经典科学迷题

    孩子最爱问的经典科学迷题

    孩子的好奇心是与生俱来的,孩子眼中的世界是神奇而又陌生的。在孩子渐渐长大的过程中,应该让他们发挥自己爱问问题的本性,使他们在探知尚未熟悉的世界的过程中成长心智,使他们充分享受到破解迷惑的无穷乐趣,让他们的眼睛永远闪烁智慧与灵性的光芒,让世界在孩子们的眼中揭开一层层神秘的面纱。科普书,尤其是给孩子看的科普书更应该特别用心去写,要了解孩子的心理,从他们感兴趣的角度叙述。鉴于此,我们编写了这本汇集人体、动物、科技、宇宙、自然等各方面经典科学谜题的科普书,以期让孩子了解科学、爱上科学!
  • 逆天成凤:独占邪王殿下

    逆天成凤:独占邪王殿下

    惊才绝艳的超级特工,穿成东临国第一废柴。欺她懦弱无能?她淡定报仇;笑她灵修为零?她成强者至尊;咒她灭世妖女?她冲破血脉桎梏,逆天成凤。他是不世天才,绝世战神,凶残霸道,冷血无情,却对她纠缠不休、柔情百转。龙与凤的争斗,强与更强的对决。凤七欲哭无泪:我只想自己默默修灵而已某邪王冷笑:你可以选择做本王的人,或者本王的宠银离的群367480707,喜欢的亲们加群吧~