[Excerpt from the deposition of Pierre Milet,n1
on 11 May 1456]n2
"...not long after her arrival at Orléans,
she sent word to the English maintaining the siege around the town, and sent a summons
to them in writing, sending a small note rather simply done, which the witness
himself had read, containing in essence that she was telling the English what the will
of God was, saying these words in her dialect:n3
"My Lord commands you to go back to your own land; for it's
His will, or otherwise I will cause such a disaster for you."1
[Excerpt from the deposition of Jean, Count of Dunois,n4
on 22 February 1456]n5
"... she sent an ultimatum to the aforesaid English, by a
letter written in her native dialect, in quite simple words,
containing in essence that the English should agree to withdraw from the
siege, and go back to the Kingdom of England; otherwise she would launch such a great
assault against them that they would be compelled to withdraw. And
the aforesaid letter was sent to Lord Talbot;n6
and [the witness, Dunois] asserts that from that hour onward, the English,
two hundred of whom would previously rout eight hundred or a thousand
of the Royal troops,n7 after that point four or five hundred soldiers
would fight in battle against practically the full strength of the English,
and so harried the English at the siege that they didn't dare leave their
revetments and fortresses..."2
[Excerpt from the deposition of Jean Luillier,n8 on 16 March 1456]n9
"...questioned as to what she did in this
city after her entry: he says that she urged everyone to
trust in God; and [said that] if they would have good hope and trust in God,
they would be rescued from their enemies. He additionally says
that she wanted to send an ultimatum to the English besieging the city, before
she would allow an attack against
these enemies to drive them away; and this was
done, for she sent an ultimatum to these Englishmen
by a letter containing, in substance, that the English should agree to
withdraw from the siege and go [back] to the Kingdom of
England, otherwise they would be compelled to withdraw by force.
He additionally says that from that
point onward the English were terrified,n10 and no longer had
such ability to resist as previously..."3
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