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
32. A few months earlier Leudast had come to Tours with the king’s
command to take his wife back and dwell there. Moreover he brought
me a letter signed by the bishops directing that he be admitted
to the communion again. But since I saw no letter from the queen,
on whose account especially he had been excommunicated, I put off
admitting him and said: “When I receive the queen’s command then I
will not delay to admit him.” Meantime I sent to her and she wrote
back saying: “I was urged by many and could not help letting him
go. But now I ask you not to be reconciled to him nor give him the
holy bread from your hand until I consider more fully what I ought
to do.” But when I read this letter over I was afraid he would be
killed, and sending for his brother-in-law I made it known to him
and asked that Leudast be careful until the queen should relent. But
he received with suspicion the advice which I gave frankly in God’s
sight, and since he was my enemy he refused to do what I ordered,
and the proverb was fulfilled which I once heard an old man mention:
“Always give good advice to friend and foe because the friend takes
it and the foe despises it.” And so he despised this advice and went
to the king, who was then at Melun with his army, and he entreated
the people to beg the king to see him. So when all made entreaty
the king gave him a hearing. Leudast threw himself at his feet and
begged for pardon, and the king replied to him: “Be on guard yet
for a little while until I see the queen and make arrangement as
to how you are to return into favor with her.” But he was reckless
and foolish and was confident because he had had a hearing before
the king, and when the king returned to Paris he threw himself at
the queen’s feet in the holy church on the Lord’s day and asked for
pardon. But she was furious and cursed the sight of him and drove
him away and said, bursting into tears: “I have no sons living to
avenge the slander against me and I leave it to you, Lord Jesus, to
avenge.” And she threw herself at the king’s feet and added: “Woe is
me that I see my enemy and do not prevail over him.” Then Leudast was
driven from the holy place and the mass was celebrated. The king and
queen returned from the holy church and Leudast went to the square
having no idea what was going to happen to him; he went around the
traders’ houses, examined their costly wares, tested the weight of
the silver articles and looked at various ornaments, saying: “I’ll
buy this and this because I still have much gold and silver.” As he
was saying this the queen’s servants came suddenly and wished to bind
him with chains. But he drew his sword and struck one of them. Then
in a rage they seized their swords and shields and rushed at him. And
one of them dealt a stroke that took hair and skin off a great part
of his head. And as he fled across the city bridge his foot slipped
between two planks of the bridge and his leg was broken and he was
taken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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