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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 10, 10. Of the Death of Chundo, the King’s Chamberlain

In the fifteenth year of King Childebert, and the twenty-ninth of King Guntram,¹ while the latter king was hunting in the forest of the Vosges, he found tracks of a buffalo which had been killed. He severely questioned the forester as to who had presumed to kill game in the royal domain, and the guard named Chundo, the royal chamberlain. At this, the king ordered Chundo to be arrested and taken to Chalon loaded with chains. There was an altercation between the two before the king; and since Chundo maintained that he was guiltless of the presumptuous act laid to his charge, the king ordered trial by single combat. The chamberlain put forward a nephew to do battle for him, and the two champions stood forth on the field. The boy hurled his lance at the forest guard and pierced his foot, so that he soon fell backwards to the earth. Then drawing the knife which hung from his girdle, he tried to cut the fallen man’s throat, but himself received a knife-thrust in the stomach. Both of them were thus laid low, and met their death. But when Chundo saw the issue, he fled towards the church of the holy Marcellus. The king shouted that he must be captured before his foot touched the holy threshold. He was seized, bound to a stake, and stoned. Afterwards the king repented him deeply that he had let himself be carried away by passion, and thus for a small offence recklessly slain a faithful servant whom he could ill spare.

Notes

590.