DLH VII.13

English, pp.396-7

Immediately after the death of Chilperic, Duke Gararic came to Limoges and received oaths of allegiance in the name of Childebert. From there he moved to Poitiers, where he was received and allowed to take up residence. When he heard what the inhabitants of Tours were suffering, he despatched messengers to us to say that if we wished to further our own interests we should not go over to King Guntram's party, but rather that we should remember Sigibert, whose son was Childebert. We sent back this message in reply to the Bishop and the citizens: that unless they submitted to King Guntram for the time being, they would suffer the same fate as we had. Guntram now stood in the place of father to the two sons of Sigibert and Chilperic, whom be had adopted; and it followed from this that he held sway over the entire kingdom, as his father Lothar had done before him. They did not agree with this; and Gararic rode out from Poitiers, planning to return with an army, but leaving Ebero, King Childebert's Treasurer, behind in the city. With the help of Willachar, Count of Orleans, whom Tours had accepted as its Count. Sichar now led an armed force against the people of Poitiers. In this way the men of Tours could advance on one side and the men of Bourges on the other, and lay waste I the whole territory. As soon as they had entered the neighbourhood of Poitiers and begun to burn the houses, the Poitevins I sent messengers to them. 'We beg you to desist,' they said, 'until the conference which the two Kings Guntram and Childebert have called. If it is then agreed that King Guntram should take us over in peace, we shall not resist. If not, we recognize as our overlord whichever King we may be called upon to serve.' 'This has nothing to do with us,' the invaders answered. 'We are here to obey our ruler's commands. If you refuse, we shall go on as we have begun and destroy everything.' As things had come to such a pass that all their possessions must otherwise be burnt, or stolen or carried away as loot, the people of Poitiers ordered Childebert's men to leave and gave an oath of allegiance to King Guntram. They were not destined to keep it for long.

Latin, pp.

13. De incendio et praedes Pectavi urbis.

Confestim autem post mortem Chilperici Gararicus dux Limovicas accesserat et sacramenta de nomine Childeberthi susceperat. Exinde Pectavis veniens, ab ipsis receptus est et ibi morabatur. Audiens vero quae Toronici patiebantur, mittit legationem, obtestans, ne nos ad partem Gunthchramni regis tradere deberimus, si nobis vellimus esse consultum; sed meminirimus potius Sigyberthi, qui quondam genitur Childeberthi fuit. Nos vero haec rursum episcopo et civibus mandata remisimus, quod, nisi se ad tempus Gunthchramno rege subderent, similia paterentur, adserentes, hunc esse nunc patrem super duos filios, Sigyberthi scilicet et Chilperici, qui ei fuerant adoptati; et sic tenere regni principatum, ut quondam Chlotharius rex fecerat, pater eius. His quoque non adquiescentibus, Gararicus de civitate egreditur, quasi exercitum adducturus, in urbe vero Eberonem cubicularium Childeberthi regis relinquens. Sicharius vero cum Willachario Aurilianense comite, qui tunc Toronus acceperat, exercitum contra Pectavos commovit, ut scilicet ab una parte Toronici, ab alia Biturigi commoti cuncta vastarent. Qui cum ad terminum propinquassent ac domus cremare coepissent, miserunt ad eos Pectavi legatos, dicentes: 'Petemus, ut usque in placito, quod inter se Gunthchramnus et Childeberthus regis habent, susteneatis. Quod si convenit, ut pagos hos rex Gunthchramnus accipiat, non resistemus; sin aliud, dominum nostrum recognuscimus, cui servire plenius debeamus'. Ad haec illi responderunt: 'Nihil nobis de hac causa pertinet, nisi tantum iussa principis adimplere. Nam si nolueritis, cuncta ut coepimus devastamus'. Cumque in hoc res ageretur, ut universa incendio, praedae adque captivitati traderentur, eiectis de civitate hominibus Childeberthi, sacramenta Gunthchramno rege dederunt, non longo tempore ea custodientes.

Notes:

• Gibeonites

• Joshua 9