Page:Daughters of Genius.djvu/486

474 THE TRIAL OF JEANNE DARC. submitted all to God, our Lady, and the saints. "And my opinion is," said she, " that God and the Church are one." The questioner then explained to her that there was a Church militant and a Church triumphant, and that it was to the Church militant — consisting of the Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, and all good Catholics — to which her submission was required. But she could not be brought to submit to the Church militant. To the end of these nine incisive questionings she held her ground firmly, claiming supernatural war- rant for all that she had done for her king and party, glorying in it, protesting her warm desire to renew her labors in the field, and refusing to resume the dress of her sex. She said that if they condemned her to the stake, she would wear at the last hour a long woman's garment, but till then she should retain the attire assigned her by Divine command. She refused, a few days after, even to change her dress for the mass. Further deliberation followed, and at length the charges against her were drawn up, to the number of seventy, each of which was read to her in open court, and her answer required. Many weary days were thus consumed without result. When the last charge had been read and answered, she was asked again the question upon which her life depended, " If the Church militant says to you that your revelations are illusory or diabolical, will you submit to the decision of the Church ? " Her answer was the same as before : " I submit all to God, whose com- mand I shall always obey." The seventy charges were then condensed to twelve, for the convenience of the court. These charges were chiefly drawn from her own avowals. The first article, for example, accused her of saying that she had been visited and guided by St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Marga- ret. Her leap from the tower, as related by herself, was