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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 8, 39. Of the Death of Certain Bishops

In this year died many bishops, among their number Badegisil¹ of Le Mans, a right savage man to his people, unjustly seizing and carrying off the goods of many. His wife, worse than himself,² enhanced his harsh and merciless temper, ever urging him on to new crimes by the spur of her most wicked counsel. Hardly a day, hardly a moment, passed wherein he did not go about to plunder the citizens and to drag them into new disputes. Daily he would argue cases with the judges, and devote himself to secular affairs, raging against some men, ill-using others, even going so far as to deal blows with his own hands, crying at the same time: ‘Because I have turned cleric, am I therefore debarred from avenging my wrongs?’ But why should I speak of his conduct to strangers, when he did not spare his own brothers, but rather chose them out for robbery; for they were never able to get justice at his hands in the matter of their paternal and maternal inheritance. After the fifth year of his bishopric, as he was entering upon the sixth, and had prepared a banquet for the townspeople, with promise of huge delights, he caught a fever, and straightway a sudden death cut all too short for him the year in this wise begun. Bertram, archdeacon of Paris, was appointed in his place.³ He is said to have had many disputes with the widow of the dead man, because she kept back as her own property gifts presented to the church in the time of Badegisil, asserting: ‘This property was the acquisition of my husband. Nevertheless she was compelled, sorely against her will, to make restoration of them all. She was a woman of indescribable wickedness. Often did she cut men’s virile members together with the skin of the belly, and burned with red-hot plates the privy parts of women; and many other iniquities she practised, as to which I deem it better to hold my peace.

Sabaudus, bishop of Arles,⁴ also died; Licerius, referendary of King Guntram,⁵ was admitted in his place. Provence was overrun by a grievous pestilence. Evantius, too, bishop of Vienne,⁶ ended his days; Virus, a priest of senatorial family, was chosen by the king to fill his see. Many other bishops passed away in this year; I have been able to omit mention of them here because all in their several cities have left memorials of themselves.

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