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
[26. Gundovald goes about among the southern cities exacting the oath
of allegiance. 27. He enters Toulouse and exiles bishop Magnulf. 28.
Gunthram’s army marches south from Poitiers. [EE]29. Eberulf is slain
by Claudius. 30. A legate of Gundovald is captured by Gunthram. 31.
Gundovald obtains a piece of the finger bone of the martyr Sergius,
hearing that an Oriental king had defeated his enemy by the help of
one of Sergius’ finger bones. 32. Two legates of Gundovald are taken
and tortured. 33. Friendship is reëstablished between Gunthram and
Childebert. 34. Gundovald takes refuge in Comminges. 35. March of
Gunthram’s army to Comminges. 36. Gunthram’s men outside the wall
abuse Gundovald and he answers with an account of his life.]
37. The fifteenth day of this siege had dawned when Leudeghisel
began to make ready new engines to destroy the city, wagons carrying
battering rams covered with woven branches, and planks under which
the army was to move forward to tear down the walls. But when they
came near they were so overwhelmed with stones that all who got near
the wall perished. They threw upon them pots of burning pitch and fat
and hurled jars full of stones down on them. And when night ended
the contest the army returned to the camp. Now Gundovald had on his
side Chariulf, a very rich and powerful man, with whose store-rooms
the city was very full, and it was on his substance that they were
chiefly supported. And Bladast saw what was being done and was afraid
that Leudeghisel would win the victory and put them to death, so he
set fire to the bishop’s house, and when the people shut in the city
ran to put the fire out he slipped away and departed. In the morning
the army rose again for battle and they made bundles of rods as if to
fill the deep trench which lay on the east; but here the engine could
do no harm. And Sagittarius the bishop went frequently around the
walls in arms and from the wall hurled stones with his own hand at
the enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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