Library › St Gregory of Tours › History of the Franks

History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 6, 32. Of the Death of Leudast

A few months earlier, Leudast¹ arrived in the territory of Tours bringing a royal order that his wife should be restored to him, and that he should be allowed to settle there. He also brought me a letter signed by several bishops, recommending me to admit him to communion again. But as I saw nothing of any letter from the queen,² to whom his exclusion was chiefly due, I put off his readmission, and said: ‘When I receive an order from the queen, then I will delay no longer to take him back.’ Meanwhile I sent a message to her, and she returned me a written answer to this effect: ‘Yielding to the pressure of several persons, I could do naught but let him go. But now I request thee not to permit him to reconcile himself with thee, or to receive consecrated bread from thy hand until we have more fully weighed the course which we ought to pursue.’ When I read this letter, I feared there might be intent to slay him. I summoned his father-in-law and informed him of all, beseeching him to put Leudast on his guard until the queen’s wrath should be assuaged. I gave him this advice for the love of God, in all sincerity, but he suspected a trap and, as he was still my enemy, would not do as I bade him. So was fulfilled a saying that once I heard from the lips of an old man: ‘To friend and enemy alike, give ever good advice, for the friend will take it, and the enemy reject it.’ Spurning, therefore, my counsel, Leudast went to the king, who then was with his army in the district of Melun, and besought the army to intercede with him, that he would give him audience. All the people pleading his cause, the king admitted him to his presence, when he prostrated himself at his feet and besought pardon. The king thereon replied: ‘Be cautious a while, until I have seen the queen, and some way hath been found to restore thee to her good grace, for thou art guilty of much against her.’ Leudast, reckless and irresponsible as ever, was full of confidence through having thus been received in audience. He returned with the king to Paris, and on a Sunday in the holy church cast himself at the queen’s feet, imploring her forgiveness. But she, furious, and abominating the very sight of him, thrust him from her, and cried amid her tears: ‘Since I have no son left me to take up my cause, to Thee, Lord Jesus, do I commit it.’ Then, throwing herself at the king’s feet, she went on: ‘Woe is me that I see mine enemy face to face, and may not prevail against him.’ Leudast was expelled from the holy place, and Mass was celebrated. But when the king and queen came out from the holy church, Leudast followed them into the street, without suspecting what should befall him. He went about among the merchants’ houses, examined the precious things, had silver weighed, and caused divers ornaments to be shown him, saying: ‘This and this will I buy, for I have yet good store of gold and silver.’ While the words were yet in his mouth, the queen’s servants came up, and would have put him in chains. But he unsheathed his sword, and wounded one of them; whereupon the rest, in their fury, seized sword and shield, and rushed upon him. One of them levelled a blow which cut away the skin and hair, laying bare the greater part of his head. He took to flight over the city bridge, but his foot slipped between two of the planks which form the bridge, and he broke his leg. He was thus captured; his hands were then bound behind his back, and he was committed to prison. The king commanded that he should be kept by the doctors until such time as he should be healed of these wounds, and then be subjected to a lingering torture. He was taken to a royal domain, reduced to the last extremity, his wounds being already festered. But by the queen’s orders he was laid on the ground upon his back, and a great bar was placed under his head, while with a second they struck him upon the throat. So did a perfidious life meet a fitting end.

Previous · Contents · Next