The Story of Joan of Arc

TIME went on, and the Dauphin, the rightful Prince of France, was more and moreunfortunate. It is true that Henry V., the King of England, died. He was a great soldier, andhis son was only a baby, but the war was carried on by the brother of the late King, theDuke of Bedford; by the Earl of Salisbury; by the famous Talbot; by Sir John Fastolf, andmany other English generals. The Scots won a great victory over the English at Baug bridge, where the Duke of Clarence, the brother of Henry V., was killed. But the French andScots were beaten at Verneuil, where most of the Scots fell fighting bravely. However, anew army came from Scotland, under Stewart of Dam-ley, and still the war went on.By that time the Dauphin only held France south of the great river Loire. The strongestplace which was true to the Dauphin was the town of Orleans. If the English could once takethat city, and fill it with previsions, and guns, and other weapons, the French could nothope to win it back again, and the English would overrun the whole of the centre and southof France, and drive the Dauphin out of his own country. He was very poor and veryunhappy. He could scarcely pay his bootmaker, and as he was not a good fighting man, helived here and there idly, at towns south of Orleans, such as Blois and Poitiers. He used towonder whether he had not better give up the war and go to Spain or Scotland. Anotherthing made him miserable. He did not know for certain whether he had really the right tobe King or not, as many people said that he was not truly the son of the last King of France.In his distress he prayed, privately and in silence, that he might know whether or not hewas the rightful prince, and ought to be crowned and anointed as King. But he told nobodyabout this, and lived as he best could, wandering from one town to another. Then he heardthat his great city of Orleans was being besieged by the English, in the autumn of the year1428. Orleans lies on the right bank of the river Loire, which here is deep, broad, and swift, with several islands in the middle of the current. The bridge was fortified, on the fartherside, by two strong towers, called Les Tourelles, but the English took this fortification, andso the people of Orleans could not cross the river by the bridge, and they broke down anarch, that the English might not cross to them.