FRA 
forward to attack his adverfaries ; and Buchan, to fup- 
port him, was compelled to abandon the advantageous 
ground he had chofen. Yet even this error did not pre¬ 
vent the day from being obftinately difputed ; the Englifh 
archers were broken, and rallied again with difficulty ; 
but the cavalry, animated by the prefence and example 
of the duke of Bedford, charged with irrefiftible fury. 
After a bloody confiidt, the French preffied on all fides 
began to retreat. Four thoufand of their braved: fuldiers, 
with the earls of Buchan and Douglas, the counts Au- 
roale, Ventadour, and Narbonne, perifhed in the field ; 
and Verneuil capitulated the next day. But the vidtors 
purchafcd their triumph at the expence of fixteen hundred 
men ; a lofs fo fevere, that the duke of Bedford forbad 
all rejoicings for his victory. 
In 1+27, it was determined to lay fiege to the city of 
Orleans, which, being fituated between the provinces in 
the hands of the Englifii and thofe poffeffed by Charles, 
opened an eafy entrance to either. The army deftined 
for this enterprife confided of ten thoufand men, entruft- 
ed to the veteran abilities of the earl of Salifbury. The 
fird motions of the Englidt apprifed Charles of their in¬ 
tentions ; he reinforced the garrifon, repleniffied the ma¬ 
gazines, and appointed as governor the lord of Gaucour, 
a brave and experienced officer. The earl of Salifbury, 
in a fpirited and fuccefaful attempt on the fortifications, 
was killed by a cannon-ball, in 1428 ; and the command 
devolved on the earl of Suffolk. The army was rein¬ 
forced by large bodies of the Burgundians; and Orleans, 
under his directions, was completely inverted. The 
inclemency of the feafon, and the rigour of winter, 
could not overcome the perfeverance of the befiegers ; 
a chain of forts was affiduoudy condrudted ; yet the va¬ 
cant fpaces dill allowed fuccours to be introduced ; the 
garrifon, before the return of fpring, was fwelled by fre¬ 
quent fupplies from twelve hundred to three thoufand 
men ; and their hopes were raifed, and their efforts en¬ 
couraged, by the prefence and example of the count of 
Dunois, who being the natural fon of that duke of Or¬ 
leans who was afldffinated by the duke of Burgundy, was 
called the Badard of Orleans. The Englifh were now 
compelled to draw their fubfidcnce from a confiderable 
didance. A convoy of provifions was efcorted by fir 
John Faldoffe, with a detachment of 2500 men. The 
king of France, determined to feize this fupply, fent a 
body of four thoufand troops under the command of the 
count of Clermont, to^ntercept them. On the approach 
of the French, Faldoffe drew up his men behind the 
waggons, and calmly received the fury of their charge. 
They were foon broken by their own impetuofity; five 
hundred peridied on the field ; and this action, from the 
provifions of which the convoy was compofed, obtained 
the name of the battle of Herrings. 
This memorable fiege was to decide the fate of the 
French monarchy. The attack and the defence were con¬ 
ducted with equal vigour. Count Dunois, in various 
fallies, performed prodigies of valour ; notwithdanding 
which the befieged was about to furrender the place, 
when a hidden and unexpected event occurred to revive 
the ardour of the French. A young country girl, named 
Joan of Arc, prefented herfelf to Charles and his council, 
to fay that God had, in a revelation, apprized her that 
the royal troops would be enabled to fuftain the fiege, and 
force the enemy to retire. Struck with furprife and ad¬ 
miration at the fledfaft and heroical conduCt (lie difplay- 
ed, the council granted her the fword the requeued; and 
by this fword (he fwore, that in her hand it fltould be 
fatal to the Englifh, whom flic would drive from the 
kingdom, to reftore it to its lawful inheritor. At the 
head of the French troops the fulfilled the promife fhe 
had made. She was mounted on a white palfrey, and dif- 
played in her hands a conferrated banner. Thus arrayed, 
flte Tallied forth into the field, and, having obliged the 
Englifh to raife the fiege of Orleans, led on the troops of 
France to further conquefts. The hopes of the nation 
V ol. VII. No. 460. 
N C E. C83 
were raifed, as if by a miracle. Rheims opened its gates; 
and while the Englifh were difperfed in every direction^ 
Charles extended hisconquefts to the banks of the Seine. 
He was re-crowned in the above city, Joan of Arc being 
prefect at the ceremony, clad in martial array, and hold¬ 
ing in her hand her victorious fword. 
As a recompence for thefe important fervices, fhe was 
ennobled by Charles, together with the whole of her fa¬ 
mily, and their heirs and defcendants. The nobility did 
not refute to receive into their body the humble female 
domeflic of a tavern keeper ; an inconteflible proof of the 
juft celebrity of her exploits. Having been afterwards 
wounded in defending Compiegne, which was befieged 
by the duke of Orleans, fhe was made prifoner, and fold 
to the Englifn for ten thoufand livres. She was by then? 
tried at Rouen for forcery, and condemned to be burned. 
See her hiflory and heroical atchievements, with the par¬ 
ticulars of her trial and bufferings, under the article Joan 
of Arc, vol. ii. p. 43. 
The afpeCt of affairs now becarne fuddenly changed. 
Paris opened h£r gates to her long exiled fovereign, 
and proclaimed Charles VII. her rightful king. -The 
Engliffi governor long defended himf'elf in the Baftile, 
and at laft obtained a capitulation, which permitted him 
to retire to Rouen. Charles entered his capital in 1438, 
after an abfence cf nineteen years ; and proceeded to the 
regulation of his judicial affairs. He received ambaffit- 
dors the enfuing year from the council of Bafil, which 
had quarrelled with pope Eugenius V. and in an affem- 
bly compofed of the princes of the blood and the digni¬ 
fied clergy, he caufed the regulations of that council to 
be examined. Thefe lie compiled into a law, to which 
he gave the name of the Pragmatic SanElion ; and which 
has ever fince been confidered as the bulwark of the Gal- 
lican church ; fince it has deprived the fee of Rome from 
nominating to ecclefiaftical dignities, and from granting 
reverfions, penfions, and exemptions, within the monarchy 
of France. 
The diforders which on every fide diftracted the French 
government, ftrongly inclined the wifhes of Charles to 
peace; and Henry VI. of England, concealed not his de¬ 
fire to extinguifh the deflrmftive flames of war. Yet the 
pretenfions of the rival nations admitted not of lafting 
tranquillity ; in 1443, afufpenfion of arms for twenty-two 
months was the temporifing expedient adopted ; and this 
term, which left both parties in poffefiion of what they 
then occupied, was afterwards prolonged by mutual agree¬ 
ment. The interval from war Charles had affiduoully 
employed in reftoring the fplendour of his capital, and 
the agriculture of the provinces: he laboured to recal 
the advantages of commerce, and to eftabliffi the admini- 
ftration of the courts of juftice; he introduced order into 
the finances, and difcipline among his troops; herenreffed 
the factions of his court, and revived the languid fpirit 
of induftry. He prudently paffed in filence the levity of 
the Genoefe, who had demanded his affiftance, and after¬ 
wards refufed to admit his troops ; and he declined flip- 
porting the pretenfions of the duke of Orleans to Milan, 
who, if feconded by the power of France, might proba¬ 
bly have poffeffed himfelf of that duchy. But he inter¬ 
fered with vigour on another occafion : on the marriage 
of Henry VI. of England to Margaret of Anjou, the pro¬ 
vince of Maine had been promifed to Charles of Anjou, 
the queen’s uncle. The court of London had ftudioufiy 
delayed the reftoration of that county ; but Charles in- 
ftantly ordered the count of Dunois, at the iiead of an 
army well difciplined and well provided, to enter the pro¬ 
vince, and expel the Engliffi. Mans, in 1448, after a 
gallant reliftance, was obliged to capitulate ; and, with 
its dependencies, was for ever alienated from the crown 
of England. 
Surienne, the governor of Mans, with the troops under 
his command, amounting to two thoufand five hundred 
men, had retired towards Normandy ; but the duke cf 
Somerfet, to whom the provinces of France were entrufted 
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