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
when his wife was in this hard situation since she had lost all the
honor she had in her husband’s house, and he was gone to the king,
Virus,--this was the man’s name--her husband’s nephew, fell in love
with her and wished to marry her since he had lost his wife. Virus
however was afraid of his uncle’s enmity and sent the woman to duke
Desiderius with the intention of marrying her later on. And she took
with her all her husband’s substance both in gold and silver and
garments and all she could take, together with her older son, but
she left the younger son at home. Eulalius returned from his journey
and learned what had happened. And when his grief was lessened and
he had taken a little rest he rushed upon his nephew Virus and
killed him in a narrow valley of Auvergne. And Desiderius who had
lately lost his wife heard that Virus had been killed and married
Tetradia. But Eulalius took a girl by force from the convent at Lyons
and married her. But his concubines impelled by envy, as some say,
made her insane by evil arts. A long time after Eulalius secretly
attacked and killed Emerius, cousin of this girl. In like manner he
killed Socratius, brother of his half-sister whom his father had
had by a concubine. He committed also many other crimes, too many
to tell. John, his son, who had gone off with his mother ran away
from Desiderius’s house and went to Auvergne. And Innocent being now
a candidate for the bishopric of Rodez, Eulalius sent a message to
him that he could recover by Innocent’s aid the property that was
rightfully his in the territory of this city. Innocent replied: “If
I receive one of your sons to make a cleric of and to keep to help
me, I will do what you ask.” Eulalius sent the boy named John and
received his property back. And Innocent received the boy and shaved
the hair of his head and put him in the care of the archdeacon of his
church. And he became so abstemious that he ate barley instead of
wheat, drank water instead of wine, used an ass instead of a horse,
and wore the meanest garments. And so the bishops and leading men
met, as we have said, at the confines of the cities mentioned, and
Tetradia was represented by Agyn and Eulalius appeared to speak
against her. When Eulalius asked for the things she had taken from
his home when she went to Desiderius, Tetradia was ordered to repay
what she took fourfold, and the children that she had by Desiderius
were declared illegitimate; they also directed that if she paid
Eulalius what she was ordered to pay him, she would have the liberty
of going to Auvergne and of enjoying without disturbance the property
which had come to her from her father. This was done.
[9. Gunthram sends an expedition against the Bretons which proves a
failure.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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