This noble was living without a wife's companionship,
because his consort had departed from life,
and left him one son, who afterwards was a monk
and abbot after Maurus, living gloriously,
even as this book telleth clearly hereafter.
Then Floras went joyfully to meet them,
and with great honour received to himself
the noble men of God, and provided for them a dwelling,
praising his Lord, and the holy Benedict.
This Florus was then the first of the Frankish nobles,
and dearest to the king who reigned over that people,
because he had ever been pious from his youth,
and all the king's counsel went by his advice.
Then Florus made known his desire to the king,
and, with his leave, established, in his own land,
a monastery and monastic discipline, as Maurus directed him,
and with great favour he benefited the monastery,
and assigned privileges to it in clear testimony [thereof],
and altogether made over the monastery to Maurus
with full liberty, for his soul's profit.
He offered also then on the same day,
his only son to Almighty God
for the monastic life under the care of Maurus,
saying that he himself desired, if God so ordained,
to forsake all worldly things, and dwell in the monastery,
in God's service, and he even so fulfilled it.
Then he gathered very good workmen from all quarters,
and built the monastery entirely by Maurus' direction,
near the great river that men call the Liger [Loire],
Then on a certain day were sitting together
Florus and Maurus in the midst of the workmen,
and Maurus was reading, and relating it to Florus.
Then suddenly a priest fell off the work,
so that he lay half alive, as if dying,
and all flowing with blood, but Maurus bade them bear him
