Page:History of the Franks.djvu/157

THE FIFTH BOOK 125 began to fear that he would pay many penalties to satisfy the ven- geance of his enemies, and called to him Galen his slave and said : "Up to the present we have had one mind and purpose. I ask you not to allow me to fall into the hands of my enemies, but to take your sword and rush upon me." And Galen did not hesitate but stabbed him with his dagger. The king came and found him dead. There were some at the time who said that Merovech's words, which we have just reported, were an invention of the queen, and that Merovech had been secretly killed at her command. Galen was seized and his hands, feet, ears, and the end of his nose were cut off, and he was subjected to many other tortures and met a cruel death. Grindio they fastened to a wheel and raised aloft, and Ciucilo, once count of king Sigibert's palace, they exe- cuted by beheading. Moreover they cruelly butchered by various forms of death many others who had come with Merovech. * Men said at that time that bishop Egidius and Gunthram Boso were the leaders in the betrayal, because Gunthram enjoyed the secret friendship of Fredegunda for the kilHng of Theodobert, and Egidius had been her friend for a long time. [19. Tiberius Caesar, his alms to the poor, and the treasures miraculously discovered by him.] 20. An uproar arose against the bishops Salunius and Sagit- tarius. They had been trained by the holy Nicetius,^ bishop of Lyons, and had attained the office of deacon; and in his time Salunius was made bishop of Embrun and Sagittarius of Gap. Having reached the office of bishop they became their own masters and in a mad way began to seize property, wound, kill, commit adultery, and various other crimes, and at one time when Victor, bishop of Saint-Paul Trois-Chateaux was celebrating his birthday, they sent a band of men to attack him with swords and arrows. They went and tore his robes, wounded his servants, and carried off the dishes and everything used at the dinner, leaving the bishop overwhelmed by abuse. When king Gunthram learned of it he ordered a synod to meet in Lyons. The bishops assembled with the patriarch, blessed Nicetius, and after examining the case found that they were absolutely convicted of the crimes charged to them, and they ordered that men guilty of such acts should be removed ^ Gregory's great uncle.