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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 6, 36. Of Bishop Aetherius

Now Aetherius, bishop of Lisieux, of whom I have above spoken,¹ was expelled from his city and restored to it in the following way. There was a certain priest of Le Mans, given to fleshly lusts and overfond of women; one abandoned to gluttony, fornication, and all manner of uncleanness. This man, having formed a connexion with a certain woman, cut her hair short, and dressing her as a man, took her away to another city; he thought that among strangers he might not be suspected of fornication. She was a woman of free birth and came of a good stock. After some days her kinsfolk discovered what had occurred, and made haste to avenge the dishonour of their family. As soon as they found the priest, they bound him and cast him into prison; the woman they burned alive. But now, as the accursed thirst of gold has ever power over men,² they endeavoured to sell the priest, calculating that some one would be found to redeem him; if not, he would have to suffer the penalty of death.

When the matter came to the ears of Aetherius, he was moved to compassion, and by a payment of twenty pieces of gold saved the man from imminent death. The priest thus obtaining his life announced himself as a teacher of letters, promising the bishop to perfect in grammar any boys who might be entrusted to his charge. The bishop was rejoiced; he assembled the boys of the city, and handed them over to the priest to be taught. The man won a position of repute among the citizens; he was presented by the bishop with a piece of land and a vineyard, and was invited to the homes of his pupils. But the dog returned to his vomit; for he forgot his former wickedness, and lusted after the mother of one of the boys. She was a modest women, and told her husband, who summoned his relations. They put the priest to grievous tortures, and would have killed him, had not the bishop, once more moved to compassion, freed him and restored him to his place, administering a mild rebuke for all punishment. But this crooked mind was never to be bent to goodness. On the contrary, the fellow now became the enemy of the man who had more than once saved him from death. He conspired with the archdeacon of the city, and, pretending to be worthy of the bishopric, plotted the bishop’s death. They suborned a cleric to strike him down with an axe; meanwhile they themselves went about everywhere, muttering, making secret friends, and promising rewards if the bishop should die and the conspirator should succeed him. But God in His mercy prevented their miserable plot, and by the swift power of His love ended the cruelty of these wicked men. One day the bishop had gathered labourers for the ploughing, and the aforesaid cleric with his axe kept following the bishop, who had not the faintest suspicion of his design. At last he noticed the man, and said: ‘Why dost thou follow me so closely with this axe?’ Then was the cleric stricken with fear, and fell at his feet, crying: ‘Have no fear, priest of God. For know that I am sent by the archdeacon and the schoolmaster to smite thee with an axe; but though several times I wished to do it, whenever I raised my right arm to strike, darkness covered my eyes, my ears were stopped, and my whole body shook and trembled. Moreover, my hands lost their cunning; I could not do my desire; but as soon as I let my arms hang idle, I felt no shadow of these things. Since, now, I was helpless in any wise to do thee harm, I know that the Lord is with thee.’ At these words the bishop wept. Then, bidding the cleric keep silence, he returned home, and dined; after the meal he went to repose on his bed, round which were many other beds occupied by his clergy. Now those two evil men, no longer trusting the cleric, considered how they might finish their wickedness alone. They contrived new schemes by which they might either do the bishop to death or at least bring against him some charge which should drive him from his bishopric. About midnight, when all men slept, they broke into his chamber, shouting at the top of their voices that they had seen a woman issue from the room, whom they had let go that they might come forthwith to the bishop. What was this but the Devil’s work and prompting, that led them to bring such a charge against so old a man, one now about seventy years of age? Once again the aforesaid cleric was called to their aid, and without more ado the bishop was bound in chains by the hands of the very man from whose neck he had often struck the bonds,³ and placed under strict guard by him whom not seldom he had rescued from filthy cells. But when he found that his enemies had forcibly prevailed against him, all straitened though he was in his chains, he besought the pity of the Lord with tears. And soon his guards were overcome by sleep, and his bonds miraculously loosed; he went forth from his prison, he, the sinless, who had so often set the sinful free. Thereupon he made his escape and went over into King Guntram’s territory. As soon as he was gone, those scoundrels, now freed from all restraint, hastened to King Chilperic to demand the bishopric, setting forth many charges against Aetherius, and ending with these words: ‘Thou mayst perceive the truth of what we say, most glorious king, by his escape to thy brother’s kingdom; he feareth the penalty of death for his crimes.’ Chilperic did not believe them, and ordered them to go back to their city. Meanwhile the citizens sorrowed for their lost shepherd; they perceived that all which had befallen him was done of envy and covetousness. So they laid hands on the archdeacon and his satellite, and trounced them; they then petitioned the king that their bishop might be restored to them. Chilperic sent envoys to his brother, asserting that he had found no guilt in Aetherius. Then King Guntram, kindly as he ever was, and swift to mercy, gave him many presents, with a letter to all the bishops in his country, charging them for the love of God to give the stranger what comfort they could. Aetherius went his way through their cities and received from the bishops so much raiment and money that hardly might he bring all of it to his own city. So was fulfilled that which the apostle saith: ‘To them that love the Lord all things work together for good.’⁴ For his far journeying brought him riches, and his exile much plenty. On his return home, he was welcomed by the citizens with great honour, all weeping for joy and blessing God, who in the end had given back to their church so good a bishop.

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