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
Meantime legates came to Paris from king Childebert and warned king
Chilperic not to take anything from the cities he held that belonged
to the realm of Childebert’s father, [or present his daughter with
the treasures in any of them] or dare to touch the slaves or horses
or yokes of oxen or anything in them. They say that one of these
legates was secretly killed, but it was not known by whom; still
suspicion turned to the king. King Chilperic promised that he would
touch nothing from these cities, and invited the Frankish nobles and
the rest who had sworn fealty and celebrated his daughter’s marriage.
She was given over to the legates of the Goths and he gave her great
treasures. Moreover her mother presented her with a great quantity of
gold and silver and garments, so that when the king saw it he thought
he had nothing left. The queen noticed he was provoked and she turned
to the Franks and said: “Do not think, men, that I have anything here
from the treasures of previous kings; for all that you see is taken
from my own property, since the most glorious king has given me much
and I have gathered a good deal by my own labor, and I have made
great gains from houses granted to me, both from the revenues and the
tribute. Moreover you have often enriched me with your gifts, and
from these sources comes all that you see before you, for there is
nothing here from the public treasures.” And thus the king’s mind was
deceived.
There was such a multitude of things that it took fifty wagons to
carry the gold and silver and other ornaments. The Franks offered
many gifts,[DQ] some gold, others silver, many horses or garments;
each gave such a gift as he could. Finally the girl said farewell
after tears and kisses and when she was going out of the gate a wagon
axle broke and all said: “Mala hora,” which was taken by some as an
augury. So she went forth from Paris and ordered the tents pitched at
the eighth milestone from the city. And fifty men rose in the night
and took a hundred of the best horses with golden bridles and two
great chains and fled to king Childebert. Moreover along the whole
way when any one could escape, he fled, taking whatever he could lay
hands on. Abundant supplies at the expense of the different cities
were gathered along the way; in this the king ordered that nothing
should be taken from his own treasury but all from the contributions
of the poor. And as the king was suspicious that his brother or
nephew would prepare some ambush against the girl on the way, he
directed that she should be guarded by an army. Great warriors were
with her, duke Bobo, Mummolinus’s son, with his wife as attendant
on the bride, Domigisel and Ansovald and the major-domo Waddo who
had once been count of Saintes, and also about four thousand common
soldiers. The rest of the dukes and chamberlains who started with
her turned back at Poitiers. The others journeyed on as they could.
And on this journey such spoils and booty were taken as can scarcely
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