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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 5, Of Signs and Wonders, and How Chilperic Usurped and Invaded Poitiers
Thereafter, on the night of the third day of the Ides of November, while we were celebrating the vigil of the holy Martin, there appeared to us a great wonder. A glittering star was seen to shine in the centre of the moon; above and below the moon appeared other stars all near to it, and round it was the circle which is wont to portend rain. We know not what these things signified. And often, in this year, we saw the moon darkened, and before Christmastide there was loud thunder. Moreover, there appeared round the sun the meteors which the country people also call suns, such as those described by me as visible before the calamity in Auvergne.1 It was declared that the sea had risen beyond its usual bounds, and many other signs were seen.
Notes
- The plague. Cf. above, IV. (24) 31.