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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 3, 15. Of the Captivity of Attalus

Theuderic and Childebert entered into a treaty, and took a mutual oath that neither would make any attack upon the other; they exchanged hostages to ensure the keeping of their promises. Many of these were sons of senatorial families, but new contention arising between the two kings, they were reduced to servitude on the royal domain, or were made the slaves of those to whose custody they had been committed. Many of them escaped and returned home; but some were kept in servitude; among these was Attalus, nephew of the blessed Gregory, bishop of Langres; he was made a public slave and set to look after horses; his master was a certain Frank in the territory of Trèves. The blessed Gregory sent his servants to find him out. And when they discovered him, they offered his master presents; but he spurned them, saying: ‘A man of such a family should not be redeemed for less than ten pounds of gold.’ When the servants returned home, a certain Leo, the bishop’s cook, said to his lord: ‘If thou wouldst but grant me leave, haply I could bring him back out of his captivity.’ The bishop was glad, and Leo was sent to the place. On his arrival there, he tried to bring the boy away by stealth, but failed. He then made an agreement with a certain man, to whom he said: ‘Come with me and sell me into the household of this Frank, and the price which he shall pay for me shall be thy profit; all that I want is freer opportunity of carrying out the design on which I am bent.’ An oath was sworn between them; the man took him and sold him for twelve pieces of gold, after which he went his way. The purchaser asked his new slave what kind of work he could do, and Leo answered: ‘I am skilled in the preparation of all manner of dishes for lords’ tables; I have no fear that my equal shall be found in the art of cookery. I tell thee sooth, that if thou wert minded to offer a banquet to the king himself, I am able to prepare royal dishes; none can do it better than I.’ The other then said: ‘Sunday¹ is near’ (for so the barbarians are wont to call the Lord’s Day), ‘when I shall invite my neighbours and my kinsfolk to my house. I would have thee make me such a supper as shall make them marvel and say: “Never saw we anything better even in the king’s house.”’ Leo made answer: ‘Let my lord cause to be brought in a great number of fowls, and I will do his bidding.’ All that he required having been made ready, the Lord’s Day dawned, and he set forth a great feast, abounding with all manner of delicacies. The guests feasted and praised the meal, and the kinsfolk departed to their homes. And the lord accorded his favour to his servant, who received power over all his goods. He was much beloved of his lord, and distributed the bread and meat² to all the household. Now after the lapse of a year, when he was wholly trusted by his master, he went out into a field near the house with the youth Attalus, the keeper of the horses. They both lay down on the ground, but some distance apart, and back to back, that none might perceive that they were talking to each other. He then said to the youth: ‘It is time for us to be thinking of our own country. So I warn thee, when to-night thou hast brought the horses in to be stabled, not to fall asleep, but to join me as soon as I call, that we may start on our way.’ The Frank had invited a number of his relations to a feast, and among them his son-in-law, the husband of his daughter. They rose from the board about midnight and betook themselves to rest; but Leo attended his lord’s son-in-law to his room with a draught, and offered him to drink. And the man said to him: ‘Tell me, O thou to whom my father-in-law entrusteth so much: hast thou the chance, wilt thou resolve to take his horses and go back to thy own country?’ This he said in jest, of his good humour. Leo answered in the like jesting manner, but at the same time telling him the truth: ‘I intend doing it this very night, if it be God’s will.’ The other rejoined: ‘I hope my servants will keep a good watch, and see that thou takest nothing belonging to me.’ So they parted in merriment. But as soon as all were asleep, Leo called Attalus, and when the horses were saddled, asked him whether he had a sword. Attalus answered: ‘No; I need nothing but a small javelin.’ Upon this Leo went into his master’s room and took his shield and spear. When his master asked who it was, and what he wanted, he replied: ‘It is thy servant Leo; I go to wake Attalus, and bid him rise forthwith to take the horses out to graze; for he is fast in a deep sleep, as if he were drunken.’ The other said, ‘Do as thou wilt!’ and fell asleep. Leo went out and armed the boy, and found the yard gates miraculously opened, though in the early part of the night they had been fastened by hammering in wedges to keep the horses safely in. Then, giving thanks to God, and taking the rest of the horses with them, they made their escape, carrying a single bundle with their clothes. When they came to the ford of the Moselle, they were detained by certain people there; so they abandoned the horses and their clothes, and swam the river on their shields. Landing on the farther bank, they went into a wood under cover of night, and there lay concealed. It was now the third night that they were travelling without a mouthful of food; when lo! by the help of God they found a tree covered with the fruit called plums. They ate, and, somewhat sustained, set forth on the road into Champagne. But as they pressed forward they heard the noise of galloping horses, and said one to the other: ‘Let us lie flat on the ground, so as to be invisible to the men behind us.’ And suddenly they found near by a large bramble bush, behind which they ran and flung themselves down, drawing their swords that if discovered they might instantly defend themselves from any evil men. When the riders came up, they paused by the bramble bush, and while the horses staled, one of them said: ‘A curse upon it that these rogues have got away, and are not to be found. I swear, by my life, that if ever they are caught I will have one gibbeted and the other cut to pieces by the sword.’ It was the Frank himself, their master, coming from Reims in pursuit of them, and he would have surely found them on the road had not nightfall hindered his search. The party spurred their horses and went off again. But the same night the fugitives reached Reims, and entering the city asked a man whom they met where the house of the priest Paulellus³ might be found. He told them, and while they were going along the street the bell rang for morning service, for it was the Lord’s Day They knocked at the priest’s door, and Leo explained whose servant he was. ‘So my vision was true,’ cried the priest. ‘For this very night I saw two doves fly up and settle upon my hand, one white, the other black.’ Then Leo said to the priest: ‘May the Lord grant us indulgence, if on His holy day we beg thee for some food. This is the dawning of the fourth day since we have tasted neither bread nor meat.’ The priest concealed them, gave them bread steeped in wine, and went to service. The Frank, too, came in his turn inquiring after his escaped slaves; but the priest frustrated him, and he withdrew; this priest was bound to the blessed Gregory by ties of ancient friendship. The two recovered strength with nourishment, and stayed two days in the priest’s house before they renewed their journey. And so they came to the blessed Gregory. At sight of them the bishop rejoiced, and wept upon the neck of his nephew Attalus. And he enfranchised Leo and all his kin, and gave him land of his own on which he lived as a free man with his wife and children all the days of his life.

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