arly in the month of April, 1430, that Joan of Arc left the
Court and rode to the north, on what was to prove her last expedition.
It is said that while at Melun, during Easter week, she was told by
her voices that she would be taken prisoner before St. John's Day.

It was at Lagny that an incident occurred which formed one of the
accusations brought against the Maid by her judges, and to which
reference may now be made. A freebooter, named Franquet d'Arras, had,
at the head of a band of about three hundred English freelances, held
all the country-side in terror round about Lagny. Hearing of this,
being in the neighbourhood of Lagny, Joan of Arc gave orders that
Franquet and his band should be attacked. The French were in number
about equal to the English. After a stubborn fight, the English were
all killed or captured. Among the latter was the chief of the robbers,
Franquet d'Arras. It was proved before the bailiff and justices of
Lagny that Franquet had not only been a thief, but a murderer, and he
was consequently condemned to die. Joan of Arc wished that he should
be exchanged for a French prisoner, but this French prisoner had
meanwhile died. The justices of Lagny insisted on having their
sentence carried out, to which Joan at length unwillingly gave way,
and Franquet met with his deserts. We cannot see how the Maid was to
blame in this affair; but this thing was one of the accusations which
helped to bring her to the stake.

On the 17th of April the truce agreed to between King Charles and
Burgundy came to an end. At this time the town of greatest strategical
importance to Burgundy was that of Compiegne. Holding Compiegne, the
Duke of Burgundy held the key of France. King Charles, with his
habitual carelessness, had been on the point of handing over Compiegne
to the Duke as a pledge of peace; and no doubt he would have done so
had not the inhabitants protested. Charles then surrendered the town
of Pont Sainte-Maxence to Burgundy instead of Compiegne. But this sop
did not at all satisfy the greedy Duke, whose mouth watered for
Compiegne, which he was determined to obtain by fair or by foul means.
At Soissons the Duke had succeeded in gaining the Governor by a bribe,
and had, through this bribe, obtained the place; and there is little
reason not to suppose that he was still more ready to offer a still
greater bribe to obtain Compiegne. The Governor of Compiegne, William
de Flavigny--a man very deeply suspected, wri