wards, crowned with a crown or. The name of Arc was changed to that of Lys, and the town of Donremi where he was born, was exempted from all taxes, aids, and subsidies for ever!

These honours were soon followed by the most melancholy catastrophe. The English in 1430, with the duke of Burgundy, besieged Compeigne. Jane came there with Poton de Santrailles, the 25th of May; and in spite of the besiegers entered the town. The next day she made a sally at the head of an hundred men, over the bridge, on the quarters of John of Luxemburgh. After a very long combat, she twice repulsed the enemy, as far as the quarters of the Burgundians; but seeing a very strong reinforcement coming against her, she began her retreat. It was rather late to think of it: for the and all her troops were directly surrounded. Nevertheless, after performing miracles of courage, the disengaged her company, who fortunately re-entered the town. Jane remained at the rear, to facilitate their retreat. But when the wished to enter, found the gates fhut. She directly faced about to her enemies, and charged them with a courage worthy a better fate. She seemed not to expect any afsistance; for whether he had overheard, seen, or suspected some treachery, she was heard to have cried out as the passed the gates to make her sally, "I am betrayed." During the time fhe was defending herself with the courage of despair, her horse stumbled, and fhe fell. This obliged her to surrender herself to Lyonel Vasture of Vendôme, who gave her up to John of Luxemburgh. This nobleman, forgetting the respect that

a warrior should fhow to courage, meanly sold her to the English for ten thousand livres. From the moment fhe was a prisoner, this heroine was forgotten. The king made no attempts to redeem her and though at the time he had many English prisoners of the highest rank, he did not offer one of them in exchange for her. Were the very important services which Jane had atchieved so soon forgotten!!!

This neglect of Jane, and the persecution of Jacques Coeur, will be eternal blets on the memory of Charles VII. Upon Jane being a prisoner, the English made such rejoicings, as if they had conquered the kingdom. Such a man as the Black Prince would have honoured and respected her courage. The duke of Bedford thought it proper to disgrace her, in order to re-animate the courage of his countrymen. She had pretended to have been inspired; the regent pretended to believe her a sor cerefs. The university of Paris presented a petition against Jane, accusing her of magic and heresy. Either the university thought, as they imagined the regent wished them to think; or if otherwise, they acted with infamous cowardice. This heroine, worthy of the miracle fhe pretended, was judged at Rouen, by Cauchon bishop of Beauvais, and five other French bishops; only one English bishop attending. It would have been very easy for her to have justified herself; but her defence would have been uselefs; as he was condemned before fhe was tried. She therefore thought of procuring her li berty by other means, and had the courage to leap

from the top of the Tower Beaurevoir, where the was confined. This fall which ought to have killed her, only stunned her; the noise however of her fall alarmed the centinel, and he was retaken. They gave a different pretext to this attempt, and construed it into an act of suicide. In fhort, for this and the other crimes before mentioned, she was condemned to be burnt alive, according to the sentence pronounced by the bishops of Beauvais, Coutances, Lisieux, the chapter of Nôtre Dame, sixteen licentiates, and eleven advocates of Rouen, the 24th May 1431; and fhe was given up to the secular power to put the sentence in execution. When she was led to the Galf Market, neither the sight of the scaffold, nor the stake, affected her courage; and the mounted it as boldly as the formerly did the breach at an afsault. She sat down very quietly, and was tied to the fatal stake, uttering only," God be praised!" The fire was scarcely lighted when he was suffocated, and after he was burnt, her ashes were dispersed in the air.

Such was the end of this extraordinary girl, whose punishment will always be a blot on the English. Her mother in 1454 demanded a revision of her process, and pope Nicholas v. gave the commifsion to the bishop of Paris, who easily found the justification proofs, which fhewed clearly that Jane had never given the smallest cause of suspicion of her faith, her manners, or her conduct; in consequence of which, her fame was solemnly re-established. Many different monuments were erected to her memory; and among other places, there was VOL. xiv.

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326 one at Rouen, which from being the place where they intended to cover her with disgrace, became that of her triumph. This monument having been hurt by length of time, the magistrates ordered a new one to be erected, and in a better taste.

The family of Jane existed till within these few years, in the provinces of Anjou and la Bretagne. The last male died in 1760..

By a petition from the attorney general in 1614, they took from this family its greatest prerogative, which consisted in the female line, independent of the situation of their hufbands, ennobling their children. The illustrious Rollin looks upon this deprivation as deserving the regret of every good

citizen.

READING MEMORANDUMS.

MALEVOLENCE to the clergy, is seldom at a great distance from irreverence of religion.

The variable weather of the human mind, the flying vapours of fancy, which from time to time cloud reason, without totally echipsing it, require much force of thought to regulate sound conduct.

* An engraving of this monument, from a beautiful drawing transmitted by the writer of this article, will be given as a specimen of the taste of the times, in some future number of this work.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

As the charter of the East India company has nearly expired, it is of high importance to consider by what means the British nation can secure to herself the esteem and confidence of the people of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, together with the extensive population that has been lately added, by the termination of the war in the Meissore.

With this scope I have sent you a very interesting letter from a gentleman of eminence, who had an high command in India, was well acquainted with the country, and had no interest to pursue contrary to that of his native country, and of general policy and humanity in the good government of its extensive dependencie.

This letter you will observe by its date, and its reference to Mr Fox's famous speech on the India bill, was written with a view to be communicated to some of the leaders of the parties, that at that time distracted this country and nation; and its good sense entitles it to more particular attention now that higher considerations and more general knowledge of the springs of political contest in Britain have brought all parties into disrepute, and have taught the friends of the country and of humanity to think for themselves. I am, Sir, your constant reader,

N.

Letter from a gentleman of high military rank, on India affairs.

Ever since Indian affairs became so much the subject of public disquisition, I have thought of writing the following letter, but was always deterred by the ridicule