ARC, SEMIDIURNAL. See ASTRONOMY.
ARC, (JoAN of), otherwise called the Maid of Or leans, a celebrated heroine of France. Henry V. of England, on his death-bed, had appointed his brother, the duke of Bedford, regent of that part of France which he had conquered by his arms. Bedford had determined to carry on those schemes of conquest which had been so successfully begun, and for this purpose had laid siege to Orleans, which at that time commanded the communication with the south of France ; as this town was of the utmost importance, the French king had determined to make the most vigorous defence. The attack, however, was so successfully pushed by the English, that Charles gave over the place for lost, and began to entertain thoughts of retiring unto Languedoc, and Dauphiny, with the remains of his forces. His queen and his mistress equally opposed this intention, and whilst he was in this critical situation, our heroine appeared and offered her assistance for the deliverance of Orleans and of France. She was about twenty-seven years of age, when she fancied she had received a com mission from heaven, to deliver her oppressed and in jured country ; and was living at that time in the village of Domremi, near Vaucouleurs, in the humble station of servant at an inn. Being affected by the distresses of her country, but more particularly by those of the youthful monarch, whose gallantry made him the idol of the softer sex, she was seized with a strong desire of bringing relief to her unfortunate sovereign; her mind dwelling day and night on this favourite subject, she soon began to mistake the impulses of passion for the inspirations of heaven, and to fancy that she saw visions and heard voices, exhorting her to attempt the deliverance of France from the domination of foreign invaders. With her head full of these ideas, she procured admission to Baudricourt, the governor of Vaucouleurs, and inform ed him of her inspirations and intentions ; Baudricourt thought he observed something extraordinary about the maid, and, perceiving the use that might be made of such an engine, he sent her immediately to the French court, at that time residing at Chinon.
No sooner was she introduced to the king, than she offered in the name of the supreme Creator, to raise the siege of Orleans ; and to conduct him to Rheims, to be crowned and anointed. An assembly of grave doctors and theologians being appointed to examine Joan's pre tensions, pronounced her mission to be undoubted and supernatural : and a jury of matrons declared her to be an unspotted virgin. She was, therefore, at her own request, armed cap-a-pie, mounted on horseback, and shewn in that martial habiliment to the whole people ; her dexterity in managing her horse, which she had acquired in her former station at the inn, was regarded as another proof of her mission ; and those hearts which had a little before been filled with despondency, began to beat high with expectation. Though the English
affected to speak with derision of the Maid and her pre tensions, yet their imaginations gradually became infect ed; their courage drooped, and their arms were un nerved, when they thought they were to contend with supernatural power. Whilst the minds of men were thus variously affected, the Maid entered the city of Orleans at the head of a convoy, arrayed in her military garb, and displaying her consecrated standard. By the instructions of count Dunois, commonly called the Bas tard of Orleans, she actually obliged the English to raise the siege, after defeating them in several attacks.
The raising of the siege of Orleans was one part of the Maid's promise to Charles, the crowning him at Rheims was the other; and she now insisted that ho should immediately set out on that enterprise. Rheims was, at that time, in the hands of a victorious enemy ; the whole road which led to it was occupied by their gar risons, and no plan could be more hazardous than that which the Maid proposed to carry into execution. Charles, however, in obedience to the exhortations of his warlike prophetess, resolved to make the attempt ; he according• ly set out for Rheims at the head of twelve thousand men, and scarcely perceived, as he passed along, that he was marching through an enemy's country ; every city open ed its gates to him, Rheims sent him its keys, and the ceremony of his inauguration was performed with the holy oil, which a pigeon is said to have brought from heaven to Clovis, on the first establishment of the French monarchy.
After the coronation of Charles, Joan declared that her mission was now accomplished, and expressed her inclination to return to occupations more becoming her sex ; but Dunois, sensible of the advantages which might still be derived from her presence, exhorted her to per severe till the final expulsion of the English from France, In compliance with this advice, she threw herself into the town of Compeigne, at that time besieged by the duke: of Burgundy, assisted by the earls of Arundel and Suffolk ; the garrison now believed themselves in vincible, but their joy was of short duration. The Maid was taken prisoner in a sally ; and the duke of Bedford, with a cruelty unbecoming his character, ordered her to be tried by the ecclesiastical court for sorcery, im piety, and magic. Her fate may easily be loreseen, af ter falling into such hands ; her revelations were de clared to be inventions of the devi ; and this admirable heroine, to whom the more generous superstition 01 the ancients would have erected altars, was condemned to the flames, and at last expiated, by that dreadful punish ment, the signal services which she had rendered to her prince and country. She declared her mission in 1429, and suffered in 1431. The story of Joan of Arc has en gaged the pens of many French authors, both in prose and verse, and has been wrought into an epic poem by Mr. Southy. (g)