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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 7, 33. How Childebert Came to His Uncle Guntram
After the envoys had been thus flogged and cast into prison, the king summoned his nephew Childebert, thinking it well that they should hear the evidence of these men together. The two kings therefore questioned the prisoners, who repeated in their joint presence all that King Guntram had heard alone. They steadily asserted that the matter, as I have said above, was common knowledge to all the chief men in Childebert’s kingdom. This was the reason why some of them were afraid to attend the present conference; they were suspected of being parties to the affair. After this, King Guntram placed his spear in the hand of King Childebert, saying: ‘This is the sign that I have bestowed all my kingdom on thee. By virtue of this, take under thy dominion all my cities as if they were thine own. For by reason of my sins, no male of my line remaineth, save only thou, who art my brother’s son. I shut out all others from my succession; do thou succeed as heir in all my realm.’ Then, dismissing all the rest and taking the boy apart, he privily spoke with him, first earnestly adjuring him to reveal to no man the secrets of their conversation. He then indicated to him the men whom he should admit as his advisers and those whom he should keep from his counsels; those whom he might trust, and those whom he should avoid; those whom he should distinguish by rewards, and those whom he should degrade from their offices: enjoining him above all on no account to trust or have about him Egidius, bishop of Reims, who had ever been his enemy and had many a time sworn falsely both to his father and himself.1 Later, when they appeared together at the banquet, King Guntram exhorted all his people in these words: ‘Behold, O comrades, how my son Childebert is now grown up to manhood; behold, and give heed that ye take him no more for a child. Forsake now your frowardness and your presumption; for he is now a king to whom ye owe your service.’ These words he said and others like to them; and having for three whole days feasted and made merry together, exchanging many and rich gifts, the kings separated in peace. It was on this occasion that King Guntram restored to his nephew all that had belonged to Sigibert his father, adjuring him not to visit his mother, that no opening should be given her for writing to Gundovald or receiving letters from him in return.
Notes
- Cf. ch. 14 above.