CHAPTER IV.

THE WITCH OF ENDOR.*

HER proper name we neither find, nor need curiously inquire: without it, she is described enough for our knowledge, too much for her shame.

King Saul had banished all witches and sorcerers out of Israel; but no besom can sweep so clean, as to leave no crum of dust behind it. This witch of Endor still keeps herself safe in the land. God hath "his remnant," where saints are cruelly persecuted; Satan also his remnant, where offenders are severely prosecuted, and (if there were no more) the whole species of witches is preserved in this individuum, till more be provided.

It happened now, that king Saul, being ready to fight with the Philistines, was in great distress, because God answered him not concerning the success of the battle. With the silent, he will be silent: Saul gave no real answer in his obedience to God's commands, God will give no vocal answer to Saul's requests.

Men's minds are naturally ambitious to know things to come: Saul is restless to know the issue of the fight. Alas! what needed he to set his teeth on edge with the sourness of that bad tidings, who soon after was to have his belly full thereof?

He said to his servants, "Seek me out" (no wonder she was such a jewel to be sought for !) "one with a familiar spirit." Which was accordingly performed, and Saul came to her in a disguise. Formerly Samuel told him, that his "disobedience was as witchcraft;" now Saul falls from the like to the same, and tradeth with witches indeed, (the receiver is as bad as the thief!) and at his request she raiseth up Samuel to come unto him.

"What! true Samuel?" It is above Satan's power to degrade a saint from glory, though for a moment: since his own fall thence, he could fetch none from heaven. "Or was it only the true body of Samuel?" No; the precious ashes of

1 Sam. xxviii.

the saints (the pawn for the return of their souls!) are locked up safe in the cabinet of their graves, and the devil hath no key unto it. "Or, lastly, was it his seeming body?" He that could not counterfeit the least and worst of worms, (Exodus viii. 18,) could he dissemble the shape of one of the best and greatest of men?

Yet this is most probable, seeing Satan could change himself into an angel of light, and God gives him more power at some times than at other. However, we will not be too peremptory herein, and build standing structures of bold assertions on so uncertain a foundation: rather, with the Rechabites, we will live in tents of conjectures, which, on better reason, we may easily alter and remove.

The devil's speech looks backward and forward, relates and foretells. The historical part thereof is easy, recounting God's special favours to Saul, and his ingratitude to God, and the matter thereof very pious. "Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord!" (whether to him or of him!) "shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." For Satan here useth the Lord's name six times in four verses. The prophetical part of his speech is harder, how he could foretell, "To-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." "What! with me, true Samuel, in heaven?" That was too good a place (will some say) for Saul. "Or with me, true Satan, in hell?" That was too bad a place for Jonathan. "What then?" With me, pretended Samuel, in an [hades] "in the state of the dead."

But how came the witch or Satan by this knowledge? Surely, that ugly monster never looked his face in that beautiful glass of the Trinity, which (as some will have it) represents things to the blessed angels. No doubt, then, he gathered it by experimental collection, who, having kept an exact ephemerides of all actions for more than five thousand years together, can thereby make a more than probable guess of future contingents; the rather, because accidents in this world are not so much new as renewed. Besides, he saw it in the natural causes,-in the strength of the Philistines, and weakness of the Israelitish army, and in David's ripeness to succeed Saul in the throne. Perchance, as vultures are said to smell the earthliness of a dying corpse; so this bird of prey resented *

To resent, from the Latin sentio, "to feel," and re intensitive, in all its forms, was almost uniformly used by our old writers, down to the age of James II., in the signification of feeling intensely either in the mind or through any one of the bodily

senses.

Our modern usage of the word resentment, in the sense of "strong anger

a worse than earthly savour in the soul of Saul,-an evidence of his death at hand. Or else we may say, the devil knew it by particular revelation; for God, to use the devil for his own turn, might impart it unto him, to advance wicked men's repute of Satan's power, that they who would be deceived should be deceived to believe, that Satan knows more than he does.

The dismal news so frighted Saul, that he fell along on the earth; and yet at last is persuaded to arise and eat meat, she killing and dressing a fat calf for him.

Witches generally are so poor they can scarce feed themselves. See here one able to feast a king. "That which goeth into the mouth defileth not." Better eat meat of her dressing, than take counsel of her giving; and her hands might be clean, whose soul meddled with unclean spirits. Saul must eat somewhat, that he might be strengthened to live to be killed, as afterwards it came to pass. And here the mention of this witch in Scripture vanisheth away, and we will follow her no farther. If afterwards she escaped the justice of man, God's judgment, without her repentance, hath long since overtaken her.

on account of some affront or injury received," it will be perceived, is but confining what was formerly a general term to a more restricted meaning. Resented, in this sentence, has no reference whatever to the word scent, but retains the ancient meaning of felt a strong and unearthly savour.-EDIT.

CHAPTER V.

THE LIFE OF JOAN OF ARC.

JOAN OF ARC was born in a village called Domrenny [Droimy] upon the Marches of Bar, near to Vaucouleurs. Her parents, James of Arc and Isabel, were very poor people, and brought her up to keep sheep: where for a while we will leave her, and come to behold the miserable estate of the kingdom of France wherein she lived.

In her time Charles VII. was the distressed French king, having only two entire provinces left him, Gascony and Languedoc; and his enemies were about them, and in all the rest, which were possessed by the English, under their young king Henry VI., and his aged generals, the duke of Bedford and the earls of Salisbury and Suffolk. Besides, they had besieged the city of Orleans, and brought it to that pass, that the highest hopes of those therein was, to yield on good terms.

Matters standing in this woful case, three French noblemen projected with themselves, to make a cordial for the consumption of the spirits of their king and countrymen.* But this seemed a great difficulty to perform, the French people being so much dejected; and when men's hearts are once down, it is hard to fasten any pullies to them to draw them up. However, they resolved to pitch upon some project out of the ordinary road of accidents, to elevate the people's fancies thereby, knowing that men's fancies easily slip off from smooth and common things, but are quickly catched and longest kept in such plots as have odd angles, and strange unusual corners in them.

Hereupon, they resolved to set up the aforesaid Joan of Arc, to make her pretend that she had a revelation from heaven, to be the leader of an army, to drive all the English out of France : and she, being a handsome, witty, and bold maid, (about twenty years of age,) was both apprehensive of the plot, and very active to prosecute it. But other authors will not admit of any such complotting, but make her moved thereunto, either of her own, or by some spirit's, instigation.

By the mediation of a lord, she is brought to the presence of

▪ GYRARD SEIGNEUR DU HAILLIZAN, in "Charles VII."

king Charles, whom she instantly knew, though never seen before, and at that time of set purpose much disguised.* This very thing some heighten to a miracle; though others make it fall much beneath a wonder,-as being no more than a scholar's ready-saying of that lesson, which he hath formerly learned, without book. To the king she boldly delivers her message, how that this was the time wherein the sins of the English, and the sufferings of the French, were come to the height, and she appointed by the God of heaven to be the French leader to conquer the English. If this opportunity were let slip, let them thank Heaven's bounty for the tender, and their own folly for the refusal; and who would pity their eternal slavery, who thrust their own liberty from themselves?

He must be deaf, indeed, who hears not that spoken which he desires. Charles triumphs at this news. Both his arms were too few to embrace the motion. The fame of her flies through France; and all talk of her, whom the divines esteem as Deborah, and the soldiers as Semiramis. People found out a nest of miracles in her education, that so lion-like a spirit should be bred amongst sheep, like David.

Ever after she went in man's clothes, being armed cap-à-piè, and mounted on a brave steed: and, which was a wonder, when she was on horseback, none was more bold and daring; when alighted, none more tame and meek; † so that one could scarce see her for herself, she was so changed and altered, as if her spirits dismounted with her body. No sword would please her, but one taken out of the church of St. Catherine in Fierebois in Tourain. Her first service was in twice victualling of Orleans, whilst the English made no resistance, as if they had eyes only to gaze, and no arms to fight.

Hence she sent a menacing letter to the earl of Suffolk, the English general, commanding him, in God's and her own name, to yield up the keys of all good cities to her, the virgin sent by God to restore them to the French.§ The letter was received with scorn; and the trumpeter that brought it commanded to be burnt, against the law of nations, saith a French author,|| but erroneously: for his coming was not warranted by the authority of any lawful prince, but from a private maid, how

Though he had never been seen by her before, and was at that time, of set purpose, much disguised.-EDIT. + GERSON, lib. De mirabili Victoria cujusdam Puellæ, paulò post initium. POLYDORE VIRGIL, in "Henry VI.," p. 471. § See the copy thereof in SPEED'S "King Henry VI.," p. 654. DU SERRES in his "French History," translated by Grimston, p. 326.