1803. ] oe 
What the French, on the fide of Charles, 
took for a divine miracle, thofe on the 
fide of the Englith attributed to the power 
of the devil. Even the Englifh army 
was infected by this belief; and a letter-of 
the Duke of \Bedford’s to the King of 
England fufficiently proves it. ** Every 
thing ({ays he) fucceeded for you here 
until the fiege of Orleans, at ‘which 
time, a terrible blow from the hand 
of God fell upon your ‘people, who 
were aflembled in great numbers at that 
place. A reverfe “occafioned in a great 
mealure, as far as I can difcover, by the 
weaknefs, fatal credulity, and {upertti- 
tious fear, which they have conceived 
at a2 woman, a true difciple of Satan, 
formed out of the very refute of hell, cal- 
led La Pucelle, who has at her command 
a power of enchantment and forcery. This 
reverfe and confequent defeat have not 
only proved fatal to many of your troops, 
but difcouraged the remainder ina moft 
aftonifhing manner; and, further, have 
excited your enemies to afiemble in great 
numbers.” 
The punifhment of forcerers had gene- 
rally been burning to death: it was, 
therefore, decided that the infernal fpirit, 
acting inthefhape and bythe voice of Joan, 
fhould either renounce his influence, or 
fubmit to the penalties of the law. The 
maintenance of the holy faith and of reli- 
gion feemed to exa&t this at their hands. 
The proceeding, therefore, was either 
the confequence of a general error, or of 
cool znd deliberate injuftice ; or, perhaps, 
fome of the judges might aft under the 
influence of error, and others of wilful 
injuftice. THe feelings of the human 
mind are often too eafily led away by ma- 
tives of religion to be aware of committing 
an act of injuftice under the idea of dif- 
charging aduty. The revifal of the pre- 
ceding will indeed-fhew us what particu- 
lar enormities fome of the judges may be 
charged with; but thofe ougat not to fall 
upon ali who had a part in this lamentable 
affair. 
The examination of the voluminous 
manulcripis, which M: de Averdy now 
commences, will, be obferves, alone ena- 
ble us to form a corre&t judgment upon 
all thefe various points. 
* This account is divided into four parts. 
The firft includes every thing which pre- 
ceded the infituting the profecution. 
The fecond, the proceedings up to the 
time of forming the articles of accufation, 
with the opinions of the learned bodies 
who were confulted upon it. The third, 
what happened up-to the time of the pre- 
tended confeffion and retractation of Joan, 
Cantabrigiana. 
good manners. 
25 
which put an end to the proceedings. The 
fourth, what pafied from the conclufioa 
of the proceedings up to the death of the 
heroine. 
An account of the moft interefting parts 
of these four divifions will be given in our 
next. . 
I 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
CANTABRIGIANA. 
LXXIIL.——-THE MSS. OF MR. WILLIAM 
COLE, iN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 
HESE papers comprize no lefs than 
fixty volumes, all written or colietted 
by the late Rev. Mr.Cole, of Milton, near 
Cambridge ; a gentleman who, for halfa 
century before he died, had been making 
local obfervations, and procuring materi- 
als for a topographical and archaeological 
Hiftory of Cambridgefhire. | | 
Mr. Cole left this prodigious collection 
to the Britith Mufeum ; but ordered in his 
will, that it fhould be preferved unopened 
till twenty years after his deceafe. That 
time being elapfed, the books were lately 
opened, and are now become ace: flible to 
the public. 
Cole’s papers differ fomewhat from Ba- 
ker’s: the latter, though they contain a 
few articles of the writer's own, are prin- 
cipally tranfcripts of ancient records: the 
former, while they abound with collec- 
tions and copies from public archives, 
contain likewife a great variety of original 
compofitions.. The authors alfo appear to 
have differed as much in their talte and 
charaéter, as in the quality of their writ- 
ings. Baker, though he may be fuppofed 
by fome to have been a mere plodding co- 
pyilt, poliefled the exploring Ipirit of the 
autiquary with the liberality of a gentle- 
man; he had learning, judgment, and - 
Cole, whatever may have 
veen his literary attainments—and 4€ is cere 
tainly not intended, in tae mof diftant 
manner, to underrate them—yet could 
ftcop to pick up ftraws; or even to-perpe- 
tuate {candal : and with the perfeverance 
of the antiquary united the .:minutenefs of 
a parith-clerk, : 
Quin id eratcura#, quo p2fo cuncta tenerem, - 
Utpote res tenues tenui fermone peractas, 
Horace. 
LXXIV.—A BROTHER ANTIQUARY'S 
REMARKS QN MR. COLE. - 
The hint relative to Mr. Cole’s pro- 
penfity to fcandal is not Here made for the 
fir time. A brother of the craft, who 
publifhed a book at Cambridge in the year 
1734, {peaking of thefe MSS. preceeds 
thus, — “ if according to his whimfical 
wills 
=n 
