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THE SECOND BOOK 25 the Son," when she said this she stained the water with a worthy ointment/ that is, she defiled it with excrement. Then she was taken to the examination according to the law, and after the needle, flame and claw, she was beheaded for Christ the lord. After this the Vandals crossed the sea, the Alemanni following as far as Tangier, and were dispersed throughout all Africa and Mauretania. [3. Persecutions of CathoKcs by Arians under the Vandal king Honeric of Africa. 4. The same, under the Gothic king Athanaric of Spain. 5. Journey of Bishop Aravatius of Tongres to Rome that he might avert by prayer the threatened invasion of the Huns. But there he learns that "it was sanctioned in the council of the Lord that the Huns must come into the Gauls and ravage them." He returns to Tongres and dies.] 6. Now the Huns left Pannonia and, as certain say, on the very watch-night of holy Easter arrived at the city of Metz, after dev- astating the country, and gave the city over to burning, slaying the people with the edge of the sword and kilKng the very priests of the Lord before the holy altars. And there remained in the city no place unburned except the oratory of the blessed Stephen, the deacon and first martyr. And I do not hesitate to tell what I have heard from certain persons about this oratory. For they say that before these enemies came, a man of the faith saw in a vision the blessed levite Stephen as if conferring with the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and speaking as follows about this disaster : I beg you, my lords, to prevent by your intercession the burning of the city of Metz by the enemy, because there is a place in it in which the rehcs of my Uf e on earth are preserved ; rather let the people learn that I have some influence with God. But if the wickedness of the people has grown too great, so that nothing else can be done ex- cept deHver the city to burning, at least let this oratory not be consumed." And they repHed to him: Go in peace, beloved brother, your oratory alone the fire shall not burn. But as for the city, we shall not prevail, because the sentence of the will of the Lord has already gone out over it. For the sin of the people has grown great, and the outcry of their wickedness ascends to the presence of God; therefore this city shall be burned with fire." ^ For aqua sanguine cimcta injecit read digne aquas unguine infecit. See Bonnet, Le Latin de Gregoire de Tours, p. 457.