JOAN, POPE, called by Platina, John VIII., a woman said to have occupied the holy see between Leo IV. who died in 855, and Benedict III. who died in 858. Marianus Scotus says that she occupied the pontifical chair two years five months and four days. Numberless have been the controversies, fables, and conjectures, respecting this pope. It is said that a German girl, pretending to be a man, went to Athens, where she made great progress in the sciences; and that she afterwards repaired to Rome, still indued with the male habit. As she had a quick genius, and spoke with a good grace in the public disputations and lectures of the time, her great learning was admired, and every one loved her extremely; so that after the death of Leo, she was chosen pope, and performed all offices as such. But whilst she was in possession of this high dignity, she became pregnant; and as she was going in a solemn procession to the Lateran church, she was delivered of a child, between the Coliseum and St Clement's church, in a public street, before a crowd of people, and died on the spot, in 857. By way of embellishing this story, it has been alleged that precautions were afterwards taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar accident.
JOAN d'ARC, commonly called the Maid of Orleans, whose heroic behaviour, in re-animating the expiring valour of the French nation, deserved a better fate. To accomplish this object, she pretended to be inspired; and, in her character of prophetess as well as heroine, succeeded in infusing new energy into her countrymen. But her enemies were not deceived as to her real character; they regarded her merely as a bold and successful impostor; and accordingly, when she fell into their hands, they put her to death. She was burned by the English as a sorceress in 1421, at the age of twenty-four. See FRANCE.