History of the FranksGregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint
History
History of the Franks
Gregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint
France -- Church history -- To 987; France -- History -- To 987; Franks -- History -- To 768
he returned to Lyons and dwelt with him for two months. But since
he could not prevail on the king to restore him to the place from
which he had been expelled he fled in the night and passed over to
Sigibert’s kingdom and was made bishop of the village of Arisitum[CE]
with fifteen parishes more or less under him. These the Goths had
held at first, and now Dalmatius, bishop of Rodez, judges them.
When he went away the people of Langres again requested as bishop,
Silvester, a kinsman of ours and of the blessed Tetricus. Now they
asked for him at the instigation of my brother. Meantime the blessed
Tetricus passed away and Silvester received the tonsure and was
ordained priest and took the whole authority over the property of
the church. And he made preparations to go and receive the blessing
of the bishops at Lyons. While this was going on he was stricken by
an attack of epilepsy, having been long a victim of the disease,
and being more cruelly bereft of his senses than before he kept
continually uttering a moaning cry for two days and on the third day
breathed his last. After this Lampadius, who had lost his position
and his means as is described above, united with Silvester’s son in
hatred of Peter the deacon, plotting and asserting that his father
had been killed by Peter’s evil arts. Now the son being young and
light-minded was aroused against him, accusing him in public of
murder. Upon hearing this Peter carried his case before the holy
bishop Nicetius, my mother’s uncle, and went to Lyons and there in
the presence of bishop Siagrius and many other bishops as well as
secular princes he cleared himself by oath of ever having had any
part in Silvester’s death. But two years later, being urged to it
again by Lampadius, Silvester’s son followed Peter the deacon on the
road and killed him with a lance wound. When the deed was done Peter
was taken from that place and carried to the town of Dijon and buried
beside the holy Gregory, our great-grandfather. But Silvester’s son
fled and passed over to king Chilperic, leaving his property to the
treasury of king Gunthram. And when he was wandering through distant
parts because of the crime he had committed, and there was no safe
place for him to dwell in, at length, I suppose, innocent blood
called upon the divine power against him and when he was traveling in
a certain place he drew his sword and slew a man who had done him no
harm. And the man’s kinsmen, filled with grief at the death of their
relative, roused the people, and drawing their swords they cut him
in pieces and scattered him limb by limb. Such a fate did the wretch
meet by God’s just judgment, so that he who slew an innocent kinsman
should not himself live longer in guilt. Now this happened to him in
the third year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account