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The Maid placed herself near the Royal person during the solemn service, clad in full armour, holding her standard in her hand. At the close of the high mass she flung herself at Charles's feet, embraced his knees, and bedewed them with tears of joy, as she thus addressed him:-" At length, gentle Prince, is accomplished the will of God, that you should at Rheims be worthily crowned in token of your being truly King, he to whom the realm pertains." Charles expressed largely his sense of her signal services. She received from the nobles and the captains their compliments of congratulation; their joy was mixed with astonishment when they now saw accomplished things the least of which they so lately had declared to be chimerical, and plans successful which they had but yesterday deemed the height of rashness. But the Royal gratitude was gracefully and appropriately testified by a decree immediately pronounced exempting Domremy, the Maid's native village, for ever from all kinds of aids, taxes, and tribute-a decree twice afterwards confirmed by Charles himself, in 1459, and by Louis XIII. a century and a half after. Her family were ennobled, but not till later in the year;

Nov. 1429.

all, both male and female, were raised to rank; the name of De Lys was conferred on them instead of D'Arc or D'Ay; and although the female branches were afterwards excepted from the former decree by a new ordinance, the males of the family were ever afterwards noble.

1614.

The effects of the solemnity at Rheims soon became apparent. No one ever pretended that the authority of the monarch in France depended upon his coronation, or was in any degree derived from that august ceremonial; yet all have observed its powerful influence in striking the minds of the people with reverence, and making them bow more submissively to the anointed representative of royalty. Accordingly, no sooner did intelligence of the proceedings at Rheims reach the surrounding country, than Soissons, Laon, Château-Thierry, and other important towns of Champagne acknowledged Charles; and Bedford became seriously alarmed at the daily improvement in the aspect of his adversary's fortunes. The conduct of that great man, alike remarkable in civil as in military affairs, presents at this time a singular union of all the qualities which were most required by the extraordinary difficulties of his situation-firmness, presence of mind, boundless fertility of resources, entire devotion of himself to the performance of his duties, and an absolute forgetfulness of every selfish feeling or personal interest. He first sent to Philip an embassy, conducted by persons of the greatest consideration, inviting him to Paris, where he desired to confer upon the position of their common cause. It was his happy fortune to succeed so far, that the Burgundian, though longing to treat with Charles, yielded to the Regent's authority, and repaired to meet him. Then in order to counteract Charles's intrigues with the Parisians, he carefully

circulated detailed accounts of the assassination at Montereau, by which he also gained the advantage of rendering more difficult any accommodation of Philip with one notoriously accused as the murderer of his father. He obtained from England a timely supply of 4000 men under the Cardinal; and, leaving a moderate garrison at Paris, he marched to Melun with an army of 12,000 men. Charles met him there and offered battle, but the advantage not being sufficiently clear on the English side to authorise risking it, the offer was declined. Bedford having chiefly desired to show his force, retired towards Paris, and Charles, against the Maid's earnest remonstrances, retired in the opposite direction. Bedford again marched as if to meet him; and always chose his position so as to leave no possibility of an attack. In these and other marches of a like description, his object was closely to watch his adversary, and avail himself with his unbroken force of any error, any false move he might make-without giving the least opportunity of himself becoming the assailant-for he well knew that a defeat must prove far more fatal to the English than it could be to the French.

At this juncture, had Charles been able to press the war against Picardy, in all likelihood Amiens, Abbeville, indeed the whole province would have fallen. But he was about to attempt a negotiation of the utmost importance-nothing less than effecting a reconcilement with the Burgundian, who was then amicably disposed, and who must have been at once driven back

into hostility, if such a conquest had been made in the vicinity of his own states of Artois. Bedford, however, was alarmed by the exposed state of Picardy, and hastened thither with all the troops he could spare from Paris, whither Charles immediately marched, took the suburb of St. Denys, and laid siege to the fort of the Gate St. Honoré. In reconnoitering and sounding the ditch there, the Maid was wounded; nor do any authorities express a doubt that the officers treacherously withheld from her the knowledge they possessed of its depth. St. Denys was then retaken, and Charles, after showing during the attack an indolence which was alleged to partake of timidity, marched back towards Melun.

Sept. 1429.

His negotiation with Philip now proceeded so favourably that a personal interview took place, and everything seemed on the point of being arranged. But the fortune of Bedford again prevailed, or rather the ascendant which he possessed over the Burgundian, and the contrivances he resorted to for retaining him in his interest, were an overmatch for any means which Charles had of detaching him. He was induced to visit Paris at this critical juncture. Every engine was there set to work for regaining his entire confidence. The priests were set on him to dwell unceasingly upon the tragedy of Montereau, and warn him against ever being knit in the bonds of fellowship with its actors. The commanders whom he had sent with some supplies to the English army were promoted to distinguished stations.

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Bedford pressed upon Philip the Regency itself, refused by him on Henry's decease, and induced him to accept it for some months, that is, until the following Easter. He further promised him Champagne and Brie, to be holden as fiefs of the English Crown. To the Duke of Brittany he promised Poictiers: and though all men clearly saw that these promises cost him nothing, inasmuch as they extended only to dominions which were in Charles's possession, yet both the Burgundian and the Breton princes were mightily affected by them, and the negotiation with Charles was reduced to a truce from September to Christmas, and regarded only the province of Picardy.

At this time it happened that the good feeling towards Bedford in Paris became considerably lessened by the successes of Charles, and the want of supplies both in men and money so often promised from England. The emissaries of Charles failed not to work upon the discontent which they saw increasing in every direction. The Regent had notice of communications observed to be maintained between the

capital and Charles's head quarters. He had all travellers carefully watched, and a friar being stopped and searched was found to be the bearer of treasonable intelligence. A clue was thus obtained to the conspiracy which had been formed; many arrests were made; a great number of executions followed; and, though terror was thus struck into the adherents of Charles, the odium which such severity excited

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