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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 2, Of the Holiness of Bishop Sidonius, and How Divine Vengeance Requited the Wrongs…

After his admission to the Lord’s service, while he was already living as a saint in this world, there rose up against him two priests, who deprived him of all authority over the property of the Church, left him narrow and stinted means of life, and subjected him to the greatest indignity. But the divine clemency did not long suffer the wrongdoers to go unpunished. One of these most vile men, all unworthy of the priestly rank, who had threatened the night before to drag the bishop from the church, rose the next morning at the sound of the bell calling to matins, full of spite against the holy man of God, pondering in his unjust heart the plan which he had devised on the preceding day. But visiting his privy place, he gave up the ghost while he sought to purge the body. A servant with a candle waited without for his master to come forth. Dawn was now come, and his satellite, the other priest, sent him a messenger to say: ‘Come, make no delay, that we may execute the plan which we agreed upon yesterday.’ The dead man giving no answer, the slave lifted the curtain before the door and found his master lifeless upon the seat. Whence it may not be doubted that this man was guilty of a crime not less than that of the vile Arius, who in like manner perished by the issue of his bowels through the draught. For this too is heretical belief, that in the Church man may disobey the bishop of God to whom the sheep are entrusted to be fed, and that authority may be usurped by one to whom none has been entrusted, either by God or man. Thereafter the saintly bishop, though one foe was yet left to him, was restored to his authority. But it befell, at a later time, that he fell ill of an attack of fever, and asked his people to carry him into the church. And when he was carried in, there came about him a multitude of men and women, yea, and of children, weeping and saying: ‘Wherefore dost thou abandon us, O good shepherd, or to whom wouldst thou leave us, abandoned even as orphans? Shall life be aught to us after thy passing? Shall there be any one in the time to come to preserve us with the like salt of wisdom, or with like far-seeing reason persuade us to the fear of God’s name?’ These things, and others like to them, the people uttered with great lamentation; to whom at length the bishop answered, the power of the Holy Spirit moving him: ‘Fear not, my people, for behold Aprunculus my brother liveth, and he shall be your bishop.’ But they understood him not, deeming that he spoke in an ecstasy. After the passing of the holy man,¹ that evil priest who yet survived his fellow forthwith, in his blind greed, laid usurping hands on the whole property of the Church, as if he were already bishop, and proclaimed: ‘God hath at length looked down to me, perceiving in me one juster than Sidonius; it is he that hath bestowed on me this authority.’ He rode in his pride through the whole city, and on the Sunday next after the saint’s passing, he made ready a feast in the church house, and invited all the citizens. And slighting the senior among them, he reclined first upon the couch. Then the cup-bearer, offering him a cup, said: ‘My lord, I have seen a vision in a dream, which, if thou permittest, I will relate to thee. I saw it on this Sunday night, and behold, there was a great dwelling, and in the dwelling was set a throne, whereon one sat like unto a judge, more excellent in power than all. And about him were many priests in white raiment, and also multitudes of people without order in uncounted numbers. While I gazed on these things in fear, I beheld the blessed Sidonius standing forth in a high place among them, hotly contending with that priest so very dear to thee who a few years since departed out of this world. This priest was vanquished, whereupon that king commanded that he be thrust into the straitest and lowest prison cell. After he had been removed, I saw the saint once more arise in accusation, this time against thee, as confederate in the crime for which that other had just been condemned. The judge began to make earnest inquiry whom he might send to thee, and I began to hide myself among the rest, and stood at the back, considering with myself that he might send me, as being known to the man in question. While I was secretly revolving these things every one else vanished, and I was left standing alone. The judge called to me, and I came nearer, but at the sight of his might and splendour I was stupefied and tottered for very dread. Then he said: “My servant, have no fear, but go and say to that priest: ‘Come and answer to the charge, for Sidonius has requested that thou be summoned.’” Do thou, therefore, delay not in going, for with great threatenings that king bade me tell thee all these things, saying to me: “If thou tell them not, thou shalt die the worst death.”’ At these words, the priest in terror let fall the cup from his hand, and gave up the ghost; he was borne away dead from the couch and committed to the grave, to share in hell with that his accomplice. Such judgement upon these unruly priests did the Lord pass in this world: that the one should meet the fate of Arius, that the other, like Simon Magus at the prayer of a holy apostle, should be dashed headlong from the high summit of his pride. None may doubt that both have their part in hell, who together did wickedness against their holy bishop.

In the meantime the rumour of Frankish might already echoed in these regions, and all men longed for their dominion with a passionate desire. For this reason the holy Aprunculus, bishop of Langres, had fallen under suspicion with the Burgundians; their hatred towards him grew from day to day, and the order went forth that he should be slain secretly with the sword. But tidings of his danger reaching him, he was let down by night from the walls of Dijon and so came to Clermont, where, in accordance with the Lord’s word placed in the mouth of Sidonius, he was made eleventh bishop of the city.

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