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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 3, 29. How Childebert and Lothar Went to Spain
After these events King Childebert went into Spain. He invaded the country with Lothar, surrounding and besieging with his army the city of Saragossa. But the besieged turned with great humility to God; abstaining alike from food and drink, and clothing themselves in shirts of hair, they marched round their walls singing psalms, and bearing the tunic of the blessed martyr Vincent. The women followed weeping, clad in black raiment with their hair unbound and ashes on their heads, so that they seemed as widows at the funerals of their dead husbands. In this wise the city placed all its hope in the mercy of God, and it might have been said to fast even as Nineveh;1 its prayers could not fail to bend the divine compassion. The besiegers, not understanding what the beleaguered did, circumambulating the walls thus in their sight, conceived that they were practising some kind of enchantment. But having taken prisoner a poor man of the place, they asked him the meaning of these proceedings. He answered: ‘They are bearing the tunic of the blessed Vincent, and with it are imploring the Lord to have mercy upon them.’ This filled them with fear, and they withdrew from the city. But they had conquered a large part of Spain, and returned with great booty into Gaul.
Notes
- Cf. Jonah iii. 5.