Joan of Arc and Bluebeard.
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but all in vain. It was this demon (or some take risks. At length two of his chief kindred spirit) that in spite or rage changed creditors, Duke Jean of Brittany and Jean Gilles de Rais's splendid beard of red into a de Malestroit, bishop of Nantes, were anx brilliant blue. And even yet the peasants ious (as moderns would say) to realize on around Tiffauges, Champtoce and Mache- their securities, and perchance both Church and State hoped to gain by forfeitures that coul know this baron by the name of Blue might result from De Rais's conviction of the beard. Demons were numerous in those days. crimes, rumors of which filled the air. The Marshal precipitated matters. He had Old Burton tells us that Paracelsus stiffly maintains that the air is not so full of flies in sold the castle of St. Etienne de Malcinort to summer as it is at all times of invisible dev the treasurer of the duke, and delivered seisin ils. The blessed Reichhelm, about 1370, thereof to the purchaser's brother, who had received from God the gift of being able to received the tonsure and wore the habit of discern the aerial bodies of these creatures; a clerk. Some quarrel arose, and the Mar he often saw them as thick as dust or as shal with armed followers seized the castle, motes in a sunbeam, or thickly falling rain; and took the monk in church while hearing all material sounds, water falling, stones mass, carrying him off a prisoner, laden hand clashing, winds blowing, according to this and foot with chains. Gilles was forced by the duke to give up his captive and the worthy abbot, are but their voices. In that day a man who invoked a demon, castle; then he imagined all was well again, thinking it to be no sin, was a manifest but the Church was not inclined to overlook heretic; if he knew it was a sin, he was not his sacrilege in violently interrupting mass, a heretic, but was to be classed as such; and his sin in violating its immunities in the while to expect a demon to tell the truth person of the monk. On the ijth of Septem was the act of a heretic. To ask a demon, ber, 1440, the bishop launched his thunder even without adoration, that which depended bolts, charging Gilles with murdering many upon the will of God, or man, or upon the children after gratifying his lust on them, future, was heresy, and heresy was cogniza and with invoking a demon with horrid rites, with entering into compacts with him, and ble by the Church alone, and its punish other crimes and offenses savoring of heresy, ment was death. and citing the accused to appear for trial on Those who practiced magic were prose cuted with the utmost rigor of the law; the 19th. Gilles made no resistance and, when at the crucifixion or the beasts was the sentence under the Roman Empire, and the fagot hearing the public prosecutor accused him of and stake remained for long centuries the heresy, he boldly offered to purge himself be punishment of such impostors. Even to fore the bishop, or any other ecclesiastical understand the art was banishment or death, judge. A day was fixed for his appearance according to the rank of the criminal. before the bishop and the vice-inquisitor of Nantes. Meanwhile, his servants were ex Justice, though lame of foot, at last ap peared on the scenes. In view of his ex amined; had these proved unwilling wit travagances, De Rais's friends had already nesses, or prevaricated or equivocated, there obtained from Charles VII, in due legal was the gentle persuasion of the torture form, an edict enjoining him from alienat chamber (which was even more freely used ing his lands and revenues, and all persons on witnesses than on principals) to refresh from buying them from him. However, their memories and loosen their tongues. there were in those days, as ever since, Information was gathered, the matter was money lenders willing, for consideration, to noised abroad, sorrowing parents came upon
