The Society for Ancient Languages
Week Four
English Translation |
GREGORII EPISCOPI TURONENSIS LIBER II |
BISHOP GREGORY OF TOURS BOOK 2 |
| Eo tempore multae aeclesiae a Chlodovecho exercitu depraedatae sunt quia erat ille adhuc fanaticis erroribus involutus. Igitur de quadam eclesia urceum mirae magnitudinis ac pulchritudinis hostes abstulerant, cum reliqua eclesiastici ministerii ornamenta. Episcopus autem eclesiae illius missis ad regem dirigit, poscens ut, si aliud de sacris vasis recipere non meretur, saltim vel urceum aeclesia sua reciperit. Haec audiens rex, ait nuntio: 'Sequere nos usque Sexonas, quia ibi cuncta que acquisita sunt dividenda erunt. Cumque mihi vas illud sors dederit, quae papa poscit adimpleam.' Dehinc adveniens Sexonas, cunctum onus praedae in medio positunt ait rex: 'Rogo vos, o fortissimi proeliatores, ut saltim mihi vas istud' --hoc enim de urceo supra memorato dicebat, --'extra partem concidere non abnuatis.' Haec regi dicente, illi quorum erat mens sanior aiunt: 'Omnia, gloriose rex, quae cernimus, tua sunt, sed et nos ipsi tuo sumus dominio subiugati. Nunc quod tibi bene placitum viditur facito; nullus enim potestati tuae resistere valet.' Cum haec ita dixissent, unus levis, invidus ac facilis, cum voce magna elevatam bipennem urceo inpulit, dicens: 'Nihil hinc accipies, nisi quae tibi sors vera largitur.' Ad haec obstupefactis omnibus, rex iniuriam suam patientiae lenitate coercuit, acceptumque urceum nuntio eclesiastico reddidit, servans abditum sub pectore vulnus. Transacto vero anno, iussit omnem cum armorum apparatu advenire falangam, ostensuram in campo Marcio horum armorum nitorem. Verum ubi cunctus circuire diliberat venit ad urcei percussorem; cui ait: 'Nullus tam inculta ut tu detulit arma; nam neque tibi hasta neque gladius neque securis est utilis.' Et adpraehensam securem eius terrae deiecit. At ille cum paulolum inclinatus fuisset ad collegendum, rex, elevatis manibus, securem suam capite eius defixit. 'Sic,' inquid, 'tu Sexonas in urceo illi fecisti.' Quo mortuo, reliquos abscedere iubet, magnum sibi per hanc causam timorem statuens. Multa bella victuriasque fecit. Nam decimo regni sui anno Thoringis bellum intulit eosdemque suis diccionibus subiugavit. | At that time many churches were plundered by the army of Clovis because he was still involved in fanatic errors (i.e. he was still non-Christian). Therefore his troops had taken from a certain church an ewer of atonishing size and beauty, with the rest of the trappings of the Church service. However, the bishop of the church deployed a messenger to the king, begging that if none of the other sacred vessels merited return, perhaps he might bring back at least the church's own ewer. The king, hearing these thing these things, said to the messenger: 'Follow us as far as Soissons, because there all that was acquired are to be divided. And when my share offers to me that vessel, which your bishop demands, I shall satisfy him.' Then, arriving at Soissons, the whole burden of loot was placed in the middle, the king said: 'I ask you, o mightiest of warriors, that in any event, you not deny to me this vessel (for he pointed to the ewer mentioned earlier), that falls outside my share.' With the king saying these things, those men of whom the mind was more reasonable said: 'Glorious king, all things that we see are yours, even we ourselves are subject to your rule. Now you do what seems well pleasing to you; for no one is strong enough to oppose your authority.' When they had thus said these things, one capricious man, envious and simple, raising his battle-axe struck at the ewer, saying with a loud voice: 'You will take nothing of this, except the true share which is granted to you.' Though all were stunned at these events, the king restrained his outrage with patient clemency; he returned the agreed-upon ewer to the church messenger, keeping his wound hidden under his breast. However, when the year ended, he ordered all men equipped with arms to form a phalanx, to display for inspection on the Martian field (i.e. the parade-ground) the neatness (i.e. fitness) of those arms. Whereby when the whole army gathered round he inspected it; he came to the man who struck the ewer; he said to him: 'No one but you carries weapons so uncared for; for neither your spear nor your sword nor your axe is usable.' And the man's axe that he held he threw to the ground. But when the man had bent down a little to pick it back up, the king, his hands raised, struck the man's head with his own axe. 'Thus,' he said, 'did you do to that ewer in Soissons.' Whereby, with the man being dead, he ordered the rest to retire, each one bearing a great fear for this reason. He made many wars and victories. In fact, in the tenth year of his reign, he made war on the Thuringians and subjugated them to his rule. |