Library › St Gregory of Tours › History of the Franks
History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 2, 1. Of the Episcopate of Brice
Now after the death of the blessed Martin, bishop of Tours, most exalted and incomparable among men, whose miracles are recorded in great volumes preserved among us, Brice succeeded to the episcopate. This Brice when he was quite young would often seek to entrap the holy Martin, then living in the flesh, because he used to rebuke him for pursuing trivial things. One day, when a certain sick man came to the blessed Martin to be healed, he met Brice, then a deacon, in the street, and said in his simplicity: ‘I am waiting for the holy man, but know not where he is, or what he is doing.’ To whom Brice: ‘If thou seekest that crazed fellow look yonder. According to his wont, he is sky-gazing, as one that hath lost his wits.’ After the poor man had been received and had obtained that for which he asked, the saint thus addressed the deacon: ‘And so, Brice, thou deemest me crazed?’ When the other in confusion denied that he had said any such thing, the holy man continued: ‘Were not my ears at thy lips when thou saidst it all that distance away? I say to thee, So be it, I have obtained of the Lord that when I pass from the world thou shalt attain the dignity of this bishopric. But know that as bishop thou art destined to suffer much adversity.’ At this Brice laughed, and said: ‘Was I not right to maintain that the speech of this man is madness?’ Even after his promotion to the priesthood he often vexed the saint by his abuse. But when he had obtained the bishopric by the consent of his fellow citizens, he devoted himself to prayer; for though arrogant and vain, he was yet regarded as a man chaste of body. But in the thirty-third year of his episcopate, a lamentable charge was brought against him. For a woman to whom his servants used to give his clothes to wash, and who to seem one of the religious had changed her garb, conceived and bore a child. Whereupon all the populace of Tours arose in wrath and laid the whole guilt on the bishop, seeking as one man to stone him. ‘Too long’, they cried, ‘hath the kindliness of the saint concealed thy profligacy. But God will suffer us no longer to be polluted by kissing thine unworthy hands.’ But he stoutly denied the charge, and said: ‘Bring the child to me.’ And when the infant, then thirty days old, was brought, Brice said to him: ‘I adjure thee by Jesus Christ the Son of God, if I am thy father, to declare it before all.’ The child replied: ‘Thou art not my father.’ And when the people now asked him to inquire who the father was, the servant of God replied: ‘That is not for me to do. I was concerned for that which affected me; if ye would know more, put the question yourselves.’ Thereupon, asserting that these things were done by magic arts, they rose against him with one consent, and dragged him away, crying out: ‘Thou shalt no longer have lordship over us, usurping the name of our pastor.’ Then, to satisfy the people, he placed live coals in his thick robe and drawing it close to him proceeded with the whole crowd to the tomb of the holy Martin. There he flung down the coals before the sepulchre, and lo! his garment appeared unburned. And he said further: ‘As ye see this garment unharmed by this fire, even so is my body undefiled by the embrace of woman.’ Yet they would not believe, but gave him the lie; and they dragged him with them and reviled him, and cast him out, that the saying of the saint might be fulfilled: ‘Know that in thy episcopate thou shalt suffer much adversity.’ And when they had expelled him they made Justinian bishop. Then Brice sought the pope of Rome, weeping and making loud lament, and said: ‘I deserve so to suffer, because I sinned against the holy man of God; many a time I called him mad and crazed, and would not believe in miracles plain to see.’ Upon his departure the people of Tours said to their new bishop: ‘Go after him, and look to thine own cause, for if thou dost not follow, thou shalt be despised of all.’ So Justinian left Tours and came to Vercellae, a city of Italy; there, smitten by the judgement of God, he died in a foreign land. When the people of Tours heard of his death, they persisted in their evil way, and appointed Armentius in his stead. But Brice the bishop, coming to Rome, told the pope all that he had suffered. And residing at the apostolic see, and frequently celebrating Mass, he wept for all his offences against the holy man of God. After seven years he quitted Rome and prepared with the pope’s sanction to return to Tours. And arriving at a village called Mont-Louis, six miles from the city, he abode there. But Armentius was seized by a fever, and at dead of night gave up the ghost. This being revealed in a vision to Brice the bishop, he said to those of his company: ‘Rise up with all speed and let us hasten to the burial of our brother the bishop of Tours.’ And as they entered one of the gates of the city, lo! the body was being borne out at another. After the funeral Brice returned to his see and lived in tranquillity for seven years. Upon his death, in the forty-seventh year of his episcopate, he was succeeded by Eustochius, a shining example of holiness to all.