had given glimpses of in his lucid intervals had made him an object of
tender pity. Some weeks yet before his death, when he had entered Paris
again, the inhabitants, in the midst of their sufferings and under the
harsh government of the English, had seen with joy their poor mad king
coming back amongst them, and had greeted him with thousand-fold shouts
of "Noel!" His body lay in state for three days, with the face
uncovered, in a hall of the hostel of St. Paul, and the multitude went
thither to pray for him, saying, "Ah! dear prince, never shall we have
any so good as thou Wert; never shall we see thee more. Accursed be thy
death! Since thou dost leave us, we shall never have aught but wars and
troubles. As for thee, thou goest to thy rest; as for us, we remain in
tribulation and sorrow. We seem made to fall into the same distress as
the children of Israel during the captivity in Babylon."

[Illustration: The Body of Charles VI. lying in State----84]

The people's instinct was at the same time right and wrong. France had
yet many evil days to go through and cruel trials to endure; she was,
however, to be saved at last; Charles VI. was to be followed by Charles
VII. and Joan of Arc.




CHAPTER XXIV.----THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR.--CHARLES VII. AND JOAN
OF ARC. 1422-1461.

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF JOAN OF ARC----85]

Whilst Charles VI. was dying at Paris, his son Charles, the _dauphin_,