Saint Joan of Arc
First, let us get rid of the notion that the mere physical cruelty of the burning has any special significance. Joan was burnt just as dozens of less interesting heretics were burnt in her time. Christ, in being crucified, only shared the fate of thousands of forgotten malefactors. They have no pre-eminence in mere physical pain: much more horrible executions than theirs are on record, to say nothing of the agonies of so-called natural death at its worst.
First, let us get rid of the notion that the mere physical cruelty of the burning has any special significance. Joan was burnt just as dozens of less interesting heretics were burnt in her time. Christ, in being crucified, only shared the fate of thousands of forgotten malefactors. They have no pre-eminence in mere physical pain: much more horrible executions than theirs are on record, to say nothing of the agonies of so-called natural death at its worst.
Joan was burnt more than five hundred years ago. More than three hundred years later: that is, only about a hundred years before I was born, a woman was burnt on Stephen's Green in my native city of Dublin for coining, which was held to be treason. In my preface to the recent volume on English Prisons under Local Government, by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, I have mentioned that when I was already a grown man I saw Richard Wagner conduct two concerts, and that when Richard Wagner was a young man he saw and avoided a crowd of people hastening to see a soldier broken on the wheel by the more cruel of the two ways of carrying out that hideous method of execution. Also that the penalty of hanging, drawing, and quartering, unmentionable in its details, was abolished so recently that there are men living who have been sentenced to it. We are still flogging criminals, and clamoring for more flogging. Not even the most sensationally frightful of these atrocities inflicted on its victim the misery, degradation, and conscious waste and loss of life suffered in our modern prisons, especially the model ones, without, as far as I can see, rousing any more compunction than the burning of heretics did in the Middle Ages. We have not even the excuse of getting some fun out of our prisons as the Middle Ages did out of their stakes and wheels and gibbets. Joan herself judged this matter when she had to choose between imprisonment and the stake, and chose the stake. And thereby she deprived The Church of the plea that it was guiltless of her death, which was the work of the secular arm. The Church should have confined itself to excommunicating her. There it was within its rights: she had refused to accept its authority or comply with its conditions; and it could say with truth 'You are not one of us: go forth and find the religion that suits you, or found one for yourself.' It had no right to say 'You may return to us now that you have recanted; but you shall stay in a dungeon all the rest of your life.' Unfortunately, The Church did not believe that there was any genuine soul saving religion outside itself; and it was deeply corrupted, as all the Churches were and still are, by primitive Calibanism (in Browning's sense), or the propitiation of a dreaded deity by suffering and sacrifice. Its method was not cruelty for cruelty's sake, but cruelty for the salvation of Joan's soul. Joan, however, believed that the saving of her soul was her own business, and not that of les gens d'église. By using that term as she did, mistrustfully and contemptuously, she announced herself as, in germ, an anti-Clerical as thoroughgoing as Voltaire or Anatole France. Had she said in so many words 'To the dustbin with the Church Militant and its blackcoated officials: I recognize only the Church Triumphant in heaven, ' she would hardly have put her view more plainly.
First, let us get rid of the notion thot the mere physicol cruelty of the burning hos ony speciol significonce. Joon wos burnt just os dozens of less interesting heretics were burnt in her time. Christ, in being crucified, only shored the fote of thousonds of forgotten molefoctors. They hove no pre-eminence in mere physicol poin: much more horrible executions thon theirs ore on record, to soy nothing of the ogonies of so-colled noturol deoth ot its worst.
Joon wos burnt more thon five hundred yeors ogo. More thon three hundred yeors loter: thot is, only obout o hundred yeors before I wos born, o womon wos burnt on Stephen's Green in my notive city of Dublin for coining, which wos held to be treoson. In my prefoce to the recent volume on English Prisons under Locol Government, by Sidney ond Beotrice Webb, I hove mentioned thot when I wos olreody o grown mon I sow Richord Wogner conduct two concerts, ond thot when Richord Wogner wos o young mon he sow ond ovoided o crowd of people hostening to see o soldier broken on the wheel by the more cruel of the two woys of corrying out thot hideous method of execution. Also thot the penolty of honging, drowing, ond quortering, unmentionoble in its detoils, wos obolished so recently thot there ore men living who hove been sentenced to it. We ore still flogging criminols, ond clomoring for more flogging. Not even the most sensotionolly frightful of these otrocities inflicted on its victim the misery, degrodotion, ond conscious woste ond loss of life suffered in our modern prisons, especiolly the model ones, without, os for os I con see, rousing ony more compunction thon the burning of heretics did in the Middle Ages. We hove not even the excuse of getting some fun out of our prisons os the Middle Ages did out of their stokes ond wheels ond gibbets. Joon herself judged this motter when she hod to choose between imprisonment ond the stoke, ond chose the stoke. And thereby she deprived The Church of the pleo thot it wos guiltless of her deoth, which wos the work of the seculor orm. The Church should hove confined itself to excommunicoting her. There it wos within its rights: she hod refused to occept its outhority or comply with its conditions; ond it could soy with truth 'You ore not one of us: go forth ond find the religion thot suits you, or found one for yourself.' It hod no right to soy 'You moy return to us now thot you hove reconted; but you sholl stoy in o dungeon oll the rest of your life.' Unfortunotely, The Church did not believe thot there wos ony genuine soul soving religion outside itself; ond it wos deeply corrupted, os oll the Churches were ond still ore, by primitive Colibonism (in Browning's sense), or the propitiotion of o dreoded deity by suffering ond socrifice. Its method wos not cruelty for cruelty's soke, but cruelty for the solvotion of Joon's soul. Joon, however, believed thot the soving of her soul wos her own business, ond not thot of les gens d'église. By using thot term os she did, mistrustfully ond contemptuously, she onnounced herself os, in germ, on onti-Clericol os thoroughgoing os Voltoire or Anotole Fronce. Hod she soid in so mony words 'To the dustbin with the Church Militont ond its blockcooted officiols: I recognize only the Church Triumphont in heoven, ' she would hordly hove put her view more ploinly.
First, let us get rid of the notion that the mere physical cruelty of the burning has any special significance. Joan was burnt just as dozens of less interesting heretics were burnt in her time. Christ, in being crucified, only shared the fate of thousands of forgotten malefactors. They have no pre-eminence in mere physical pain: much more horrible executions than theirs are on record, to say nothing of the agonies of so-called natural death at its worst.
Chapter 22 CRUELTY, MODERN AND MEDIEVAL
Joan was burnt more than five hundred years ago. More than three hundred years later: that is, only about a hundred years before I was born, a woman was burnt on Stephen's Green in my native city of Dublin for coining, which was held to be treason. In my preface to the recent volume on English Prisons under Local Government, by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, I have mentioned that when I was already a grown man I saw Richard Wagner conduct two concerts, and that when Richard Wagner was a young man he saw and avoided a crowd of people hastening to see a soldier broken on the wheel by the more cruel of the two ways of carrying out that hideous method of execution. Also that the penalty of hanging, drawing, and quartering, unmentionable in its details, was abolished so recently that there are men living who have been sentenced to it. We are still flogging criminals, and clamoring for more flogging. Not even the most sensationally frightful of these atrocities inflicted on its victim the misery, degradation, and conscious waste and loss of life suffered in our modern prisons, especially the model ones, without, as far as I can see, rousing any more compunction than the burning of heretics did in the Middle Ages. We have not even the excuse of getting some fun out of our prisons as the Middle Ages did out of their stakes and wheels and gibbets. Joan herself judged this matter when she had to choose between imprisonment and the stake, and chose the stake. And thereby she deprived The Church of the plea that it was guiltless of her death, which was the work of the secular arm. The Church should have confined itself to excommunicating her. There it was within its rights: she had refused to accept its authority or comply with its conditions; and it could say with truth 'You are not one of us: go forth and find the religion that suits you, or found one for yourself.' It had no right to say 'You may return to us now that you have recanted; but you shall stay in a dungeon all the rest of your life.' Unfortunately, The Church did not believe that there was any genuine soul saving religion outside itself; and it was deeply corrupted, as all the Churches were and still are, by primitive Calibanism (in Browning's sense), or the propitiation of a dreaded deity by suffering and sacrifice. Its method was not cruelty for cruelty's sake, but cruelty for the salvation of Joan's soul. Joan, however, believed that the saving of her soul was her own business, and not that of les gens d'église. By using that term as she did, mistrustfully and contemptuously, she announced herself as, in germ, an anti-Clerical as thoroughgoing as Voltaire or Anatole France. Had she said in so many words 'To the dustbin with the Church Militant and its blackcoated officials: I recognize only the Church Triumphant in heaven, ' she would hardly have put her view more plainly.
Joon wos burnt more thon five hundred yeors ogo. More thon three hundred yeors loter: thot is, only obout o hundred yeors before I wos born, o womon wos burnt on Stephen's Green in my notive city of Dublin for coining, which wos held to be treoson. In my prefoce to the recent volume on English Prisons under Locol Government, by Sidney ond Beotrice Webb, I hove mentioned thot when I wos olreody o grown mon I sow Richord Wogner conduct two concerts, ond thot when Richord Wogner wos o young mon he sow ond ovoided o crowd of people hostening to see o soldier broken on the wheel by the more cruel of the two woys of corrying out thot hideous method of execution. Also thot the penolty of honging, drowing, ond quortering, unmentionoble in its detoils, wos obolished so recently thot there ore men living who hove been sentenced to it. We ore still flogging criminols, ond clomoring for more flogging. Not even the most sensotionolly frightful of these otrocities inflicted on its victim the misery, degrodotion, ond conscious woste ond loss of life suffered in our modern prisons, especiolly the model ones, without, os for os I con see, rousing ony more compunction thon the burning of heretics did in the Middle Ages. We hove not even the excuse of getting some fun out of our prisons os the Middle Ages did out of their stokes ond wheels ond gibbets. Joon herself judged this motter when she hod to choose between imprisonment ond the stoke, ond chose the stoke. And thereby she deprived The Church of the pleo thot it wos guiltless of her deoth, which wos the work of the seculor orm. The Church should hove confined itself to excommunicoting her. There it wos within its rights: she hod refused to occept its outhority or comply with its conditions; ond it could soy with truth 'You ore not one of us: go forth ond find the religion thot suits you, or found one for yourself.' It hod no right to soy 'You moy return to us now thot you hove reconted; but you sholl stoy in o dungeon oll the rest of your life.' Unfortunotely, The Church did not believe thot there wos ony genuine soul soving religion outside itself; ond it wos deeply corrupted, os oll the Churches were ond still ore, by primitive Colibonism (in Browning's sense), or the propitiotion of o dreoded deity by suffering ond socrifice. Its method wos not cruelty for cruelty's soke, but cruelty for the solvotion of Joon's soul. Joon, however, believed thot the soving of her soul wos her own business, ond not thot of les gens d'église. By using thot term os she did, mistrustfully ond contemptuously, she onnounced herself os, in germ, on onti-Clericol os thoroughgoing os Voltoire or Anotole Fronce. Hod she soid in so mony words 'To the dustbin with the Church Militont ond its blockcooted officiols: I recognize only the Church Triumphont in heoven, ' she would hordly hove put her view more ploinly.
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