At that time, Prætextatus was bishop of Rouen. His position was difficult. The insurgent son had made Rouen his head-quarters, and expected, or exacted contributions from the Church, which Prætextatus was unwilling to grant, but which the prince was strong enough to obtain. To make the case more difficult, Meroveus was the spiritual son of this bishop, that is, Prætextatus had baptized him, and this spiritual relationship was then regarded as a sacred and dear tie. Chilperic heard exaggerated accounts of what the bishop had done, and hastily concluding that Prætextatus was privy to the revolt of Meroveus, ordered a council of prelates to meet in Paris, to try and sentence Prætextatus either to have his episcopal habit rent in twain, and to have Psalm cviii. (A. V. 109), said over him, in token that his bishopric was taken from him, or that he should be excommunicated. Prætextatus was first charged by the king with having broken the canons by marrying Meroveus to his aunt, and with having fomented rebellion by giving large contributions to the prince. The bishop denied both charges. The king in person pressed the charge. S. Gregory, bishop of Tours, who gives us a full account of the affair, and Aetius, archdeacon of Paris, were the only two who had courage to take the part of the bishop, on whose destruction the king was resolved. Gregory steadfastly refused to condemn Prætextatus on charges which could not be substantiated. Then the king sent for him privately, and endeavoured by flattery to break his resolution, but in vain. Then bursting out in a passion, he exclaimed, "Hah! bishop, you who have to dispense justice, will not show justice to me. True, by my faith! is the proverb, Hawks will not peck out hawks' een. Here is a collation I had prepared for you," pointing to a table on which were roast fowl and other delicacies. Gregory refused to eat, till the king had sworn that he would not violate the laws of the realm and the canons of the Church, by forcing the council to condemn an innocent man. After that he took, so he tells us, some bread, and even a little wine; and so departed. That night queen Fredegund sent to his lodgings a large sum of money, in hopes of bribing him to consent to the sentence on Prætextatus, but Gregory refused the bribe. The king next raked up another charge against the bishop of Rouen, of having stolen some handsome birds he valued at three thousand sous, but this charge broke down also. Then some false friend urged Prætextatus to deliver the bishops who tried him from their perilous predicament, by confessing himself guilty, assuring him that this would satisfy the king, who would not press further punishment on him. Prætextatus was weak enough to yield to this treacherous advice,[66] and thus to remove it out of the power of his two defenders to maintain their opposition to the majority. The bishop of Rouen was at once condemned and banished to a little island off Coutances, probably Jersey.