Page:History of the Franks.djvu/252

220 HISTORY OF THE FRANKS merciful and not only gave her her Hfe but commanded that an order be given that she should be placed under his protection and should not suffer harm from any kinsman of the dead man. More- over we know that by God's help the girl's chastity was not in any way violated by her savage ravisher. [28. Brunhilda's messenger to the Spanish king is detained by Gunthram. 29. Childebert sends an army against the Lombards.] 30. King Childebert at the invitation of Bishop Maroveus sent assessors to Poitiers, namely, Florientian, the queen's major- domo, and Romulf, count of the palace, to make new tax Hsts in order that the people might pay the taxes they had paid in his father's time. For many of them were dead and the weight of the tribute came on widows and orphans and the weak. And they made an orderly examination and released the poor and sick and subjected to the pubHc tax those who should justly pay. And so they came to Tours. But when they wished to impose the pay- ment of taxes on the people, saying they had the book in their hands, showing how they had paid in the time of previous kings, I answered saying: It is well known that the city of Tours was assessed in the time of king Clothar and those books were taken to the presence of the king, but the king was stricken with fear of the holy bishop Martin and they were burned. After king Clo- thar 's death this people swore allegiance to king Charibert and he likewise swore that he would not impose new laws or customs on the people but would thereafter maintain them in the status in which they lived in his father's reign, and he promised that he would not impose any new ordinance which would tend to despoil them. And count Gaiso in the same time began to exact tribute, following a capitulary which we have said was written at a more ancient time. But being stopped by bishop Euphronius he went with the Httle he had collected to the king's presence and pointed to the capitulary in which the tributes were contained. But the king uttered a groan and fearing the power of Saint Martin he had it burned, and sent back the gold coins that had been collected to the church of Saint Martin, asserting that no one of the people of Tours should pay tribute. After his death king Sigibert ruled this city and did not lay upon it the weight of any tribute. More- over in the fourteen years of his reign from his father's death up to