THE SEVENTY ARTICLES
Wednesday, March 28, 1431
ARTICLE 61
Admonished of having to submit all her words and actions to the Church Militant, after that the distinction between the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant had been shown to her, Jeanne declared that she submitted herself to the Church Triumphant and refused to submit to the Church Militant, confessing by this that she did not rightly understand the Article of the Faith 'I believe in the Church, One, Holy, Catholic,' and that she is in error on this point. She had said she would reveal them only to God, and that she referred her acts to God and to His Saints and not to the judgment of the Church.
ARTICLE 62
Jeanne had labored to scandalize the people, to induce them to believe in her talk, taking to herself the authority of God and His Angels, presumptuously seeking to seduce men from ecclesiastical authority, as do the false prophets who establish sects of error and perdition and separate themselves from the unity of the Church; a thing pernicious in the Christian religion, which, if the Bishops did not provide against it might destroy ecclesiastical authority; on all sides, in fact, raising up men and women who, pretending to have revelations from God and the Angels, will sow untruth and error as had already happened to many since this woman had arisen and had begun to scandalize Christian people and to publish her knavery's.
ARTICLE 63
Jeanne is not afraid to lie in court, and to violate her own oath when on the subject of her revelations; she did affirm a number of contradictory things, and which imply contradiction among themselves: she did not fear to hurl malediction against a whole nation, the rulers of that nation and its greatest people; she did speak of them without respect, allowing herself a tone of mockery and derision such as no woman in a state of holiness would allow; which showed well that she is ruled and guided by evil spirits and not, as she had boasted, by God and the Angels. Christ said of false prophets, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."
ARTICLE 64
Jeanne did pretend to know that she had obtained pardon of the sin committed when, in despair, driven by the evil spirits, she threw herself from the tower of the Castle at Beaurevoir: yet the Scriptures say that no one knew if he is worthy of love or hate, nor, in consequence, if he is purged of sin and justified.
ARTICLE 65
Many times Jeanne had said that she asked of God to send her special revelations by the Angels and by the Saints Catherine and Margaret upon what she ought to do: for example, in the matter of learning if she ought to make known the truth in court on certain points and certain facts which are personal to herself. It is to tempt God, to ask Him that which ought not to be asked of Him, because there is no need, and man may himself suffice for it by his own research. Thus, by the leap from the tower of Beaurevoir she did seem manifestly to have tempted God.
ARTICLE 66
Of many of the deeds and words that have just been noticed some are opposed to the Divine Law, to Gospel Law, to Canon Law, to Civil Law, and to the rules of General Councils; others are witchcraft's, divination, or superstitions; others breathe heresy and errors in faith; others are attempts against peace and tend to the effusion of human blood; others constitute blasphemies against God and the Saints and are wounding to pious ears. In all this, the Accused, by her audacious temerity, at the instigation of the Devil, had offended God and sinned against Holy Church; she had been a cause of scandal; she is on all these points notoriously defamed: she should be punished and corrected by you.
ARTICLE 67
All and each of these transgressions the Accused had committed, perpetrated, said, uttered, recited, dogmatized, promulgated, put in action, as much in your jurisdiction as elsewhere, in many and divers places of this realm, not once only but many times, in divers times, days and hours. She had fallen again and again into all these errors; she had furnished counsel, help, and favor to those who have committed them with her.
ARTICLE 68
Because a persistent clamor had struck your ears not once only, but many times; because public rumor and an information based on what had gone before had made you recognize that the Accused is vehemently suspect and defamed; you have decreed that there is reason to bring an action against her, and to proceed therein, by you or one of you, by causing the said woman to be cited, and by setting her to answer as had been done.
ARTICLE 69
By all which precedes, the Accused is vehemently suspect, scandalized and as far as possible defamed by all honest and serious people. But by all that had gone before she is neither corrected nor amended; she had postponed and did still postpone; she had refused and did still refuse to correct or amend herself; she had continued and persevered, did continue and persevere, in her errors, although by you the Judges, and by a great number of notable clergy, and other honest persons, she had been charitably and otherwise duly and sufficiently warned, summoned and required.
ARTICLE 70
All and each of these propositions contained in these Articles are true, notorious and manifest; the public voice and rumor had occupied and did occupy itself there with; the Accused had recognized and acknowledged these things as true, many times and sufficiently, before witnesses proved and worthy of belief, in and out of court.
The Seventy Articles preceding which form the Act of Accusation for the Trial, were reduced to Twelve by Maître Nicolas Midi.