baptism left that city and returned to Marseilles. [12. The abbot Brachio, a Thuringian and formerly a hunter, dies. 13. Great battle between Chilperic’s duke, Desiderius, and Gunthram’s patrician, Mummolus. Desiderius is defeated.] 14. After this Merovech, who was kept in custody by his father, received the tonsure, and changing his garments for those which it is customary for the clergy to wear he was ordained priest and sent to the monastery at Mans called Anninsola [Saint-Calais] to be instructed in the duties of priests. Hearing this Gunthram Boso who was then living in the church of St. Martin, as we have stated, sent the subdeacon Rigulf to advise him secretly to take refuge in the church of St. Martin. And when Merovech was on his way, Galen his slave went to meet him from the other side. And since his escort was not a strong one he was rescued by Galen on the way, and covering his head and putting on secular clothes he took refuge in the temple of the blessed Martin. We were celebrating mass in the holy church when he entered, finding the door open. After the mass he asked us to give him the consecrated bread. Now there was with us at that time Ragnemodus, bishop of the see of Paris, who had succeeded the holy Germanus; and when we refused, Merovech began to raise a disturbance and to say that we did not rightly suspend him from the communion without the assent of our brethren. When he said this we examined the case in the light of canon law, and with the consent of the brother who was present he received the consecrated bread from us. I was afraid that if I suspended one from communion I would become a slayer of many. For he threatened to kill some of our people if he did not receive the communion from us. The country of Tours has sustained many disasters on this account. In these days Nicetius, my niece’s husband, went with our deacon to king Chilperic on business of his own, and he told the king of Merovech’s flight. On seeing them queen Fredegunda said: “They are spies and have come to learn what the king is doing, in order to know what to report to Merovech.” And she at once ordered them to be spoiled and thrust off into exile, from which they were released in the seventh month. Now Chilperic sent messengers to us saying: “Cast that apostate out of the church. If you don’t I will burn that whole country with fire.” And when we wrote back that it was impossible that what had not happened in the time of the heretics should now happen in Christian times, he set his army in motion and sent it toward this country.