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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 7, How Rigunth Was Robbed of Her Treasures and Kept in Durance by Duke Desiderius
Meanwhile, Rigunth, daughter of King Chilperic, had arrived at Toulouse with the treasures of which I have above written.1 Seeing that she was now close to the Gothic territory, she began to make delays; moreover, her companions declared that she ought to make a halt at this place, as they were themselves travel-worn; their clothes were neglected, their shoes rent; the furnishings for the horses and carriages, which were behind in wagons, had yet to be put together. It would be better first to get all in perfect order and then proceed, that they might appear before the bridegroom in their best array, for, if they showed themselves in this neglected state, the Goths might greet them with mockery and laughter. While they were thus detained, a whisper of the death of King Chilperic reached the ears of Duke Desiderius, who collected a force of picked men and entered the city of Toulouse. He took the treasure from the control of the queen2 and transferred it to a certain house. Here he had it placed under seals and guarded by armed men, allowing the queen herself nothing but a scanty subsistence until such time as he should return to the city.
Notes
- VI. 32 (45).
- i. e. the princess Rigunth; cf. V. 49.