Book 5

Chapter XXXI.

Afterwards, in the month of August, a comet appeared in the east with very brilliant rays, which again turned back upon itself and disappeared. And without delay a heavy pestilence followed from the same eastern quarter and destroyed the Roman people. In these days Domnus (Donus), Pope of the Roman Church, covered with large white blocks of marble in a wonderful manner the place which is called Paradise in front of the church of the blessed apostle Peter.


Chapter XXXII.

At this time Dagipert governed the kingdom of the Franks in Gaul and with him king Grimuald entered into a treaty of lasting peace. [1] Perctarit also, who had settled in the country of the Franks, fearing the power of this Grimuald, departed from Gaul and determined to hasten to the island of Britain and the king of the Saxons.

[1] This appears to be doubtful, as Dagipert II, to whom it refers, came to the throne in 674, after Grimuald's death (Jacobi, 42). Hartmann believes that the treaty was made, though not with Dagipert (II, I, 277). Clothar III or Childeric are suggested (Waitz).


Chapter XXXIII.

But Grimuald indeed having remained in the palace on the ninth day after the use of the lancet, took his bow and when he attempted to hit a dove with an arrow, the vein of his arm was ruptured. The doctors, as they say, administered poisoned medicines and totally withdrew him from this life. He added in the edict which king Rothari had composed certain chapters of law which seemed useful to him. [1] He was moreover very strong in body, foremost in boldness, with a bald head and a heavy beard and was adorned with wisdom no less than with strength. And his body was buried in the church of the blessed Ambrose the Confessor, which he had formerly built in the city of Ticinum. Upon the expiration of one year and three months after the death of king Aripert, he usurped the kingdom of the Langobards, reigned nine years and left as king Garibald his son, still of boyish age whom the daughter of king Aripert had borne him.[2] Then, as we had begun to say, Perctarit having departed from Gaul, embarked in a ship to pass over to the island of Britain to the kingdom of the Saxons. And when he had already sailed a little way through the sea, a voice was heard from the shore of one inquiring whether Perctarit was in that ship. And when the answer was given him that Perctarit was there, he who called out added: "Say to him he may return to his country since today is the third day that Grimuald has been withdrawn from this life." When he heard this, Perctarit straightway turned back again and coming to the shore could not find the person who informed him of the death of Grimuald, from which he thought that this was not a man but a Divine messenger. And then directing his course to his own country, when he had come to the confines of Italy he found already there awaiting him all the retinue of the palace, and all the royal officials in readiness together with a great multitude of the Langobards. And thus when he returned to Ticinum, and the little boy Garibald had been driven away from the kingdom, he was raised to the kingly power by all the Langobards, the third month after the death of Grimuald. [3] He was moreover a pious man, a Catholic in belief, [4] tenacious of justice and a very bountiful supporter of the poor. And he straightway sent to Beneventum and called back from thence his wife Rodelinda and his son Cunincpert.

[1] In these chapters he discouraged the wager of battle and made strict provisions against bigamy, a crime which seems to have been increasing. He also incorporated the Roman principle in the succession of property, that when a father died the children should represent and take his share. His edict was issued A.D. 663 (Hodgkin, VI, 291, 292).
[2] His elder son Romuald seems to have kept the duchy of Benevento.
[3] A.D. 671 (Hartmann, II, 1, 255).
[4] So much a Catholic that he caused the Jews in the kingdom to be baptized, and ordered all who refused to be slain (Song of the Synod of Pavia; see Hodgkin, VI, 303). Grimuald's aggressive policy against the Romans was now abandoned.


Chapter XXXIV.

And as soon as he had taken upon himself the rights of sovereignty, he built in that place which is on the side of the river Ticinus (Ticino) whence he himself had previously escaped, a convent called the New one, to his Lord and Deliverer in honor of the Holy Virgin and Martyr Agatha. [1] In it he gathered together many virgins, and he also endowed this place with possessions and ornaments of many kinds. His queen Rodelinda indeed built with wonderful workmanship outside the walls of this city of Ticinum a church of the Holy Mother of God which is called "At the Poles," and adorned it with marvelous decorations. This place moreover was called "At the Poles" because formerly poles, that is beams, had stood there upright which were wont to be planted according to the custom of the Langobards for the following reason: if any one were killed in any place either in war or in any other way, his relatives fixed a pole within their burial ground upon the top of which they placed a dove made of wood that was turned in that direction where their beloved had expired so that it might be known in what place he who had died was sleeping.

[1] It is said his escape occurred in the night before the festival of St. Agatha (Waitz).


Chapter XXXV.

Then Perctarit, when he had ruled alone for seven years, now in the eighth year took his son Cunincpert as his consort in the government and with him he reigned in like manner for ten years. [1]

[1] This seems to be a mistake. The period was something more than eight years (Hodgkin, VI, 304).


Chapter XXXVI

And while they were living in great peace and had tranquility around them on every side, there arose against them a son of iniquity, Alahis by name, by whom the peace was disturbed in the kingdom of the Langobards, and a great slaughter was made of the people. This man, when he was duke of the city of Tridentum (Trent), fought with the count of the Bavarians that they call "gravio" [1] who governed Bauzanum (Botzen) and other strongholds, and defeated him in an astonishing manner. Elated from this cause, he also lifted his hand against Perctarit his king, and rebelling, fortified himself within the stronghold of Tridentum. King Perctarit advanced against him and while he besieged him from the outside, suddenly Alahis rushed unexpectedly out of the city with his followers, overthrew the king's camp and compelled the king himself to seek flight. He afterwards however returned to the favor of king Perctarit through the agency of Cunincpert, the king's son, who loved him now for a long time. For when the king had at different times wanted to put him to death, his son Cunincpert always prevented this being done, thinking that he would thereafter be faithful, nor did he refrain from getting his father also to bestow upon Alahis the dukedom of Brexia (Brescia), although the father often protested that Cunincpert did this to his own ruin, since he offered his enemy the means of obtaining the kingly power. The city of Brexia indeed had always a great multitude of noble Langobards and Perctarit feared that by their aid Alahis would become too powerful. In these days king Perctarit built with wonderful workmanship in the city of Ticinum, a gate adjoining the palace which was also called the " Palace Gate."

[1] Or grafio, the German Graf.


Chapter XXXVII.

When he had held the sovereignty eighteen years, [1] first alone and afterwards with his son, he was withdrawn from this life and his body was buried hard by the church of our Lord the Saviour which Aripert his father had built. He was of becoming stature, of a corpulent body, mild and gentle in all things. But king Cunincpert indeed took to wife Hermelinda, of the race of the Anglo-Saxons. [2] She had seen in the bath Theodote, a girl sprung from a very noble stock of Romans, of graceful body and adorned with flaxen hair almost to the feet, and she praised the girl's beauty to king Cunincpert, her husband. And although he concealed from his wife that he had heard this with pleasure, he was inflamed, nevertheless, with great love for the girl, and without delay he set forth to hunt in the wood they call "The City," and directed his wife Hermelinda to come with him. And he stole out from there by night and came to Ticinum, and making the girl Theodote come to him he lay with her. Yet he sent her afterwards into a monastery in Ticinum which was called by her name.

[1] But see chapter 35, supra. and note.
[2] Egbert, king of Kent from 664 to 673, had a sister Eormengild and an uncle Eormenred, whose daughters' names all begin with "Eormen." Eormenlind or Hermelinda probably came from one of these families (Hodgkin, VI, 305, note 3).


Chapter XXXVIII.

Alahis indeed gave birth to the iniquity he had long since conceived, and with the help of Aldo and Grauso, citizens of Brexia, as well as many others of the Langobards, forgetful of so many favors that king Cunincpert had conferred upon him, forgetting also the oath by which he had engaged to be most faithful to him, he took possession, while Cunincpert was absent, of his kingly power and of the palace that stood at Ticinum. Cunincpert, hearing this at the place where he was, straightway fled to an island which is in Lake Larius (Como), not far from Comum (Como), and there fortified himself strongly. But there was great grief among all who loved him and especially among the priests and clergy, all of whom Alahis held in hatred. There was indeed at that time a bishop of the church of Ticinum, Damianus, a man of God, distinguished for sanctity and well instructed in the liberal arts. When he saw that Alahis had taken possession of the palace, in order that neither he nor his church should suffer harm from him, he dispatched to him his deacon Thomas, a wise and religious man and sent by him to this same Alahis the blessing [1] of his holy church. It was announced to Alahis that Thomas the deacon stood before the door and had brought the benediction from the bishop. Then Alahis, who as we said, held all churchmen in hatred, thus spoke to his servants: "Go, say to him if he has clean breeches he may come in but if otherwise let him keep his foot outside." Thomas, indeed, when he had heard these expressions thus answered: "Say to him that I have clean breeches, since I put them on washed today." Alahis sent word to him again as follows: " I do not speak of the breeches but of the things that are inside the breeches," To these things Thomas thus made answer: "Go, say to him God only can find blame in me for these causes, but that man can by no means do so." And when Alahis had made this deacon come in to him he spoke with him very bitterly and with reproaching. Then fear and hatred of the tyrant took possession of all the churchmen and priests, since they deemed they could not at all bear his rudeness; and they began to wish for Cunincpert so much the more as they had in execration the haughty usurper of the kingdom. But not very long did rudeness and rough brutality keep the sovereignty they had usurped.

[1] 'Benedictio', perhaps '' the bread of the Eucharist'' the 'blessed bread" (Waitz). See DuCange _Benedictiones, Eulogia_