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iQo HISTORY OF THE FRANKS salvation by your coming, so that I may be saved when in my humihty I receive your words of blessing." When he said this all thanked him, and as dinner was finished we rose. 2. In the morning while the king was visiting the holy places to offer prayer he came to my lodging. It was the church of Saint Avitus the abbot, whom I mention in my book of the miracles. I rose gladly, I admit, to go to meet him, and after giving him my blessing begged him to accept St. Martin's holy bread at my lodg- ing. He did not refuse but courteously came in, drank a cup, invited me to the dinner and went away in good humor. At that time Bertram, bishop of Bordeaux, and Palladius of Saintes were in great disfavor with the king because of their support of Gundovald of which we have told above. Moreover bishop Palladius had especially offended the king because he had re- peatedly deceived him. Now they had recently been under examination before the remaining bishops and the nobles as to why they had supported Gundovald and why they had fooHshly or- dained Faustian bishop of Ax at his command. But bishop Palladius took the blame for the ordination from his metropohtan Bertram and took it on his own shoulders, saying : My metropoli- tan was suffering greatly from sore eyes and I was plundered and treated with indignity and dragged to the place against my will. I could do nothing else than obey one who said he had received complete control of the Gauls." When this was told the king he was greatly irritated so that he could scarcely be prevailed upon to invite to the dinner these bishops whom he had previously refused to see. So when Bertram came in the king asked : "Who is he?" For it had been a long time since he had seen him. And they said: This is Bertram bishop of Bordeaux." And the king said to him: "We thank you for keeping faith as you have with your own family. For I would have you know, beloved father, that you are my kinsman on my mother's side and you should not have brought a plague from abroad on your own people." When Ber- tram had been told this and more, the king turned to Palladius and said: "You do not deserve much gratitude either, bishop Palladius. For you perjured yourself to me three times — a hard thing to say of a bishop — sending me information full of treachery. You excused yourself to me by letter and at the