France has at this hour no more distinguished man of letters than M. Anatole France. Before he became a novelist and essayist, and a moralist in his own way, he had been, I believe, a trained student of history. When a man of his great qualities and exquisite style devotes years to the study of Jeanne d'Arc, we expect much from him, and much for her. These expectations are not fulfilled to the heart's desire. M. France has been industrious; perhaps no works and documents relative to Jeanne, nothing that illustrates her environment – political, social, religious, legendary, and biographical – has escaped his research. But his inaccuracies are a constant marvel; and his inconsistencies are no less surprising. While in a few passages he recognises the noble character of the Maid, as a rule he finds, often he unconsciously invents, pretexts for pointless sneers at herself and her inspiration. Why he adopts this line I can only guess, but why he fails all along the line it is easy to understand. M. France, for all that I know, may dislike Jeanne because she is a favourite of the clergy (though the Church is in no hurry to canonise her), or because she is dear to all patriots (and patriotism is apt to be military). But he fails, because in the character and career of the Maid there is no act or word which deserves a sneer unless she is despicable because she shared the religious beliefs of her age.

Of M. France's inconsistencies let us take a typical example from the second and third pages of his preface. ‘We all know the value of the replies of the Maid’ (at her trial in 1431). ‘They are heroic in their sincerity, and, le plus souvent, are translucently clear’ (p. ii).

That is true. Turn to page iii. ‘It is certain that but a year after date she had only a confused memory of important facts in her career. Enfin, her perpetual hallucinations made her, le plus souvent, incapable of distinguishing between the true and the false.’

Were ever two such statements offered in two consecutive pages? The Maid is heroically sincere, and cannot distinguish between truth and error.