ish. If Jeanne d'Arc ever survived
the 30th May, 1431, it was because she escaped from prison and succeeded
in hiding herself until safer times. When could she have done this? In a
sortie from Compiegne, May 24, 1430, she was thrown from her horse by a
Picard archer and taken prisoner by the Bastard of Vendome, who sold her
to John of Luxembourg. John kept her in close custody at Beaulieu until
August. While there, she made two attempts to escape; first, apparently,
by running out through a door, when she was at once caught by the
guards; secondly, by jumping from a high window, when the shock of
the fall was so great that she lay insensible on the ground until
discovered. She was then removed to Beaurevoir, where she remained until
the beginning of November. By this time, Philip "the Good," Duke of
Burgundy, had made up his mind to sell her to the English for 10,000
francs; and Jeanne was accordingly taken to Arras, and thence to Cotoy,
where she was delivered to the English by Philip's officers. So far,
all is clear; but here it may be asked, WAS she really delivered to the
English, or did Philip, pocketing his 10,000 francs, cheat and defraud
his allies with a counterfeit Jeanne? Such crooked dealing would have
been in perfect keeping with his character. Though a far more agreeable
and gentlemanly person, he was almost as consummate and artistic a
rascal as his great-great-great-grandson and namesake, Philip II. of
Spain. His duplicity was so unfathomable and his policy so obscure,
that it would be hardly safe to affirm a priori that he might not, for
reasons best known to himself, have played a double game with his friend
the Duke of Bedford. On this hypothesis, he would of course keep
Jeanne in close custody so long as there was any reason for keeping his
treachery secret. But in 1436, after the death of Bedford and the final
expulsion of the English from France, no harm could come from setting
her at liberty.

But as soon as we cease to reason a priori, this is seen to be, after
all, a lame hypothesis. No one can read the trial of Jeanne at Rouen,
the questions that were put to her and the answers which she made,
without being convinced that we are here dealing with the genuine Maid
and not with a substitute. The first step of a counterfeit Jeanne would
have naturally been to save herself from the flames by revealing her
true character. Moreover, among the multitudes who saw her during her
cruel trial, it is not l