History of the Franks
Book 4
41. Albin, king of the Lombards, who had married Chlotsinda, daughter
of king Clothar, abandoned his country and set out for t Italy with all
the Lombard people. They put their army in motion and went with their
wives and children, purposing to remain t there. They entered the country
and spent seven years chiefly in wandering through it, despoiling the
churches, killing the bishops, and bringing the land under their control.
When his wife Chlotsinda died, Albin married another wife whose father
he had killed :. a short time before. For this reason the woman always
hated her husband and awaited an opportunity to avenge the wrong done
her father, and so it happened that she fell in love with one of the household
slaves and poisoned her husband. When he died she went off with the slave
but they were overtaken and put to death together. Then the Lombards chose
another king over them.
42. Eunius, who was also named
Mummulus, was made patrician by king Gunthram. I think that certain details
should be given as to the beginning of his military service. He was a
son of Peonius and native of the city of Auxerre. Peonius governed this
town as count. And when he had sent gifts to the king by his son to secure
reappointment, the son gave his father's presents and asked for his father's
office, and took his place when he should have helped him. From this start
he gradually rose and attained a greater prominence. And upon the invasion
of the Gauls by the Lombards the patrician Amatus, who had lately succeeded
Celsus, went against them and engaged in battle, but was defeated and
slain. And it is said that the slaughter of the Burgundians by the Lombards
was so great on that occasion that the slain could not be counted. And
the Lombards loaded with plunder departed again for Italy. And upon their
departure Eunius, also named Murmmulus, was summoned by the king and raised
to the high office of patrician. When the Lombards made a second inroad
into the Gauls and came as far as Musti Calmes near the city
of Embrun, Mummulus set his army in motion and came to that place with
the Burgundians. He surrounded the Lombards with his army and made an
abattis and attacked them in pathless woods, and killing many took a number
of captives whom he sent to the king. The king ordered them to be kept
under guard in various places through the country, but a few in one way
or another escaped and took the news to their native land. There were
present in this battle Salonius and Sagittarius, brothers and.bishops,
who armed themselves-not 'with the cross of heaven but with the worldly
helmet and what is worse, are reported to have killed many with their
own hands. This was Mummulus' first victory. Then the Saxons, who had
entered Italy with the Lombards, made a second expedition into the Gauls,
and pitched camp in the territory of Riez, that is, near the village of
Estoublon, scattering from there among the villages belonging to neighboring
cities, taking booty, leading off captives and laying all waste. When
Mummolus learned of this he set his army in motion and attacked them,
killing many thousands, and he did not cease to cut them down until evening
when night made an end. For he had taken them off their guard when they
expected nothing of what happened. In the morning the Saxons marshaled
their army and made ready for battle, but messengers passed from one army
to the other and they made peace. They gave presents to Mummolus, and
surrendered all the plunder of the region with the captives, and departed
after taking oath that they would return to the Gauls in obedience to
the kings and as allies to the Franks. And so the Saxons returned to Italy,
and taking their wives and little ones and all their possessions undertook
the return journey into the Gauls with the intention of presenting themselves
to king Sigibert and establishing themselves again in the district which
they had left. They formed two wedges [cunios] as they call them;
and one came by way of Nice and the other by Embrun, keeping in fact to
the road they had come the previous year, and the two divisions united
the territory of Avignon. It was then harvest time, and that country had
its crops chiefly in the open fields and the inhabitants had not stored
any of them. When the Saxons came they divided the crops among them and
gathered and threshed the grain and used it, leaving nothing to those
who had done the work. But after the harvest had been used up and they
came to the shore of the river Rhone in order to cross the torrent and
present themselves in the kingdom of king Sigibrt, Mummolus met them and
said: "You shall not cross this torrent. Behold, you have devastated
the land of my lord the king, you have gathered the crops, plundered the
herds, burned the houses, cut down the olive groves and vineyards. You
shall not go up unless you first satisfy those whom you have left in want;
otherwise you shall not escape my hands, but I shall draw my sword against
you and your wives and little ones and avenge the wrong done to my lord
king Gunthram." Then they were very much afraid and gave many thousand
pieces of coined gold as a ransom, and were allowed to cross, and thus
they came to Clermont. It was then springtime. They brought there pieces
of bronze engraved like gold, and any one seeing them would have no doubt
that it was gold tested and weighed for it was colored by some device
or other. And a good many were deceived by the false appearance and gave
gold and received bronze and became poor. And they went on to king Sigibert
and ere settled in the land they had left.
[43. Albinus, governor of
Provence, seizes archdeacon Virgilius on Christmas day in the church for
failing to punish his men; Albinus is fined. 44. Three Lombard
chiefs invade Gaul but are defeated and driven back into Italy by Mummolus.
45. Mummolus recovers Tours and Poitiers for Sigibert from Chilperic.]
46. As I am about to speak
of the death of Andarchius, it seems best to tell first of his birth and
native place. He was a slave of the senator Felix as they say, and being
assigned to attend is young master he entered with him upon the study
of letters and became distinguished for his learning. For he was fully
instructed in the works of Virgil, the books of the Theodosian law, and
the art of calculation. Being puffed up with such knowledge he began to
hold his masters in contempt, and devoted himself to the service of duke
Lupus when he went to the city of Marseille by order of king Sigibert.
When Lupus left Marseilles he told Andarchius to go with him and secured
for him the favor of king Sigibert and put him at his service. And Sigibert
sent him to various places and gave him an opportunity for military service
Being held in a sort of honor because of this he came to Clermont and
there entered into friendship with Ursus, a citizen of the city Then being
of an ambitious temper he wished to be betrothed to Ursus' daughter, and
concealed a coat of mail, as they tell, in a chest in which documents
used to be kept, and said to Ursus' wife: "I give in your care a
multitude of gold pieces, more than sixteen thousand, which I have placed
in this chest, and it shall be yours if you will cause your daughter to
be betrothed to me." "To what do you not drive the hearts of
men, accursed greed for gold? The woman believed him without reserve and
in her husband's absence agreed to betroth the girl to him. He went back
to the king and brought an order to the judge of the place commanding
him to marry this girl, saying: "I paid the earnest money at the
betrothal." But Ursus denied it saying: "I do not know who you
are and I have none of your property." When the quarrel continued
and grew hotter Andarchius had Ursus summoned to the presence of the king.
And coming to the village of Braine he found another man named Ursus whom
he caused to be taken secretly to the altar and to swear and say: "By
this holy place and the relics of the blessed martyrs I will not delay
in paying you the sixteen thousand solidi, since I am not to give
my daughter in marriage to you." Now witnesses were standing in the
sanctuary listening secretly to what was said but not seeing the person
who spoke. Then Andarchius soothed Ursus with gentle words and caused
him to return to his native place without seeing the king After this he
made an oath and when Ursus went away he produced before the king a document
containing the oath and said: ''Such and such is the writing I have from
Ursus, and therefore I request an order from your glory that he give his
daughter to me in marriage. Otherwise let me have authority to take his
possessions until I receive sixteen thousand solidi and am satisfied
in this case " Then he received the order and returned to Clermont
and showed the judge the king's order. Ursus retired into the territory
of Velay. And when his property was turned over to Andarchius he also
went to Velay, and going into one of Ursus' houses he bade them prepare
supper for him and heat water for bathing. And when the slaves of the
household did not obey their new master, he beat some with clubs, others
with switches, and struck some on head, drawing blood. The whole household
was in confusion but the supper was prepared; he bathed in hot water,
became drunk with wine and stretched himself on his couch. He had only
seven slaves with him. And when they were sound asleep, weighed down by
drowsiness not less than by wine, the household was gathered together,
and Ursus closed the doors of the house which were made of wooden boards.
He took the keys and tore down the stacks of grain near by and heaped
piles of the grain which was then in the sheaf around and above the house
until it was seen that the house was entirely covered. Then he set fire
to in different places and when the burning timbers of the building were
falling on the luckless ones they awoke and began to shout but there was
no one to listen to them and the whole house was burned and the fire consumed
all alike. Ursus fled in fear to the church of St. Julian, and after making
presents to the king he received again a good title to his property.
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