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
22. While this was going on Eberulf’s property was being granted
to different persons; his gold and silver and other valuables that
he had with him he offered for sale.[EC] What he held in trust was
confiscated. The herds of horses, swine, and pack-animals were taken.
His house within the walls which he had taken from the possession
of the church and which was full of grain, wine, sides of meat,
and many other things, was completely cleaned out and nothing but
the bare walls remained. Because of this he regarded me with great
suspicion although I was running faithfully on his errands, and
he kept promising that if he ever regained the king’s favor he
would take vengeance on me for what he suffered. But God, to whom
the secrets of the heart are revealed, knows that I helped him
disinterestedly as far as I could. And although in former times he
had laid many traps for me in order to get St. Martin’s property,
still there was a reason why I should forget them, namely because
I had taken his son from the holy font. But I believe it was the
greatest drawback to the unlucky man that he showed no respect for
the holy bishop. For he often engaged in violence within the very
portico that is close to the saint’s feet, and was continually
occupied with drunkenness and vanities; and when a priest refused to
give him wine, since he was plainly drunk already, he crushed him
down on a bench and beat him with his fists and with other blows, so
that he seemed to be almost dying; and perhaps he would have died if
the cupping-glasses of the physicians had not helped him. Now because
of his fear of the king he had his lodging in the audience chamber
of the holy church. And when the priest who kept the door keys had
closed the other doors and gone, girls went in with the rest of his
attendants by the door of the audience chamber and looked at the
paintings on the walls and fingered the ornaments of the holy tomb,
which was a wicked crime in the eyes of the religious. And when the
priest learned of this he drove nails in the door and fitted bars
within. And after dinner when he was drunk he noticed this, and as we
were singing in the church on account of the service at nightfall,
he entered in a rage and began to attack me with abuse and curses,
reviling me, among other things, because I wished to keep him away
from the holy bishops’ tomb cover. But I was amazed that such madness
should possess the man and tried to calm him with soothing words.
But as I could not overcome his rage by gentle words I decided to be
silent. And finding that I would say nothing he turned to the priest
and overwhelmed him with abuse. For he assailed both him and me with
vile language and various insults. But when we saw that he was so
to speak possessed by a demon, we went out of the holy church and
ended the disgraceful scene and the service at the same time, being
especially indignant that he had become so abusive before the very
tomb, without respect for the holy bishop.
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