This was on the 21st of February, 1431.  As we have said, from the day of her arrival in Rouen, at the end of December of the previous year, till this 21st day of February, Joan had been kept in an iron cage—­a martyrdom of fifty days’ daily and nightly torture.  During the trial her confinement was less barbarous, but she was kept chained to a wooden bed, and the only wonder is that she did not succumb to this barbarous imprisonment.  We shall see that she fell seriously ill, and the English at one time feared she would die a natural death, and defeat their object of having her exposed and destroyed as a witch and a heretic.

On the day before the meeting of the tribunal, Cauchon sent summonses for all the judges to attend.  Joan of Arc had meanwhile made two demands, both of which were refused.  One was, that an equal number of clergy belonging to the French party should form an equal number in the tribunal to those of the English faction.  The other demand was that she should be allowed to hear Mass before appearing before the tribunal.

At eight in the morning of Wednesday, the 21st of February, Cauchon took his seat as presiding judge for the trial about to commence.  Beneath him were ranged forty-three assessors—­there were ninety-five assessors in all who took part in the trial.  On the public days their numbers varied from between forty to sixty.

The prisoner was led into the chapel by the priest Massieu.  Cauchon opened the proceedings with the following harangue:—­

‘This woman,’ he said, pointing to Joan of Arc, ’this woman has been seized and apprehended some time back, in the territory of our diocese of Beauvais.  Numerous acts injurious to the orthodox faith have been committed by her, not merely in our diocese, but in many other regions.  The public voice which accuses her of such crimes has become known throughout Christendom, and quite recently the high and very Christian Prince, our lord the King, has delivered her up and given her in our custody in order that a trial in the cause of religion shall be made, as it seemeth right and proper.  For as much in the eyes of public opinion, and owing to certain matters which have come to our knowledge’—­(Cauchon here refers to the information that he sought to obtain from Domremy:  as nothing could be learnt there but what redounded to Joan of Arc’s credit, no further use was made of the information by the Bishop)—­’we have, with the assistance of learned doctors in religious and civil law, called you together in order to examine the said Joan, in order that she be examined on matters relating to faith.  Therefore,’ he continued, ’we desire in this trial that you fill the duty of your office for the preservation and exaltation of the Catholic faith; and, with the Divine assistance of our Lord, we call upon you to expedite these proceedings for the welfare of your consciences, that you speak the plain and honest truth, without subterfuge or concealment, on all questions that will be made you touching the faith.  And in the first place we call upon you to take the oath in the form prescribed.  Swear, the hands placed on the Gospels, that you will answer the truth in the questions that will be asked you.’