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
7. When the Lord’s day came the king went to church to hear mass.
And the brethren and fellow-bishops who were there yielded to bishop
Palladius the honor of celebrating it. When he began to read the
prophecy the king inquired who he was. And when they told him that it
was the bishop Palladius he was angry at once and said: “Is he now to
preach the sacred word before me who has always been faithless to me
and perjured. I will leave this church immediately and will not hear
my enemy preach.” So saying he started to leave the church. Then the
bishops were troubled by the humiliation of their brother and said to
the king: “We saw him present at the feast you gave and we saw you
receive a blessing at his hand and why does the king despise him now?
If we had known that he was hateful to you we would have resorted to
another to celebrate mass. But now if you permit it let him continue
the ceremony which he has begun; to-morrow if you bring any charge
against him let it be judged in accordance with the holy canons.”
By this time bishop Palladius had retired to the sacristy in great
humiliation. Then the king bade him be recalled and he finished the
ceremony which he had begun. Moreover when Palladius and Bertram were
again summoned to the king’s table they became angry at one another
and reproached one another with many adulteries and fornications and
with a good many perjuries as well. At these matters many laughed,
but a number who were keener of perception lamented that the weeds
of the devil should so flourish among the bishops of the Lord. And so
they left the king’s presence, giving bonds and security to appear at
the synod on the tenth day before the kalends of the ninth month.
[8. List of prodigies. 9. Queen Fredegunda, three bishops and
three hundred nobles swear to Gunthram that the young Clothar is
Chilperic’s son. 10. Gunthram discovers the bodies of Chilperic’s
sons, Merovech and Clovis, and gives them due burial. 11. Gunthram’s
life is in danger. 12. Bishop Theodore of Marseilles is forced to
appear before Gunthram. 13. Gunthram sends an embassy to Childebert.
14. Gregory nearly loses his life in crossing the Rhine but is saved
by relics of St. Martin.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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