HL 5.38

English

Alahis indeed gave birth to the iniquity he had long since conceived, and with the help of Aldo and Grauso, citizens of Brexia, as well as many others of the Langobards, forgetful of so many favors that king Cunincpert had conferred upon him, forgetting also the oath by which he had engaged to be most faithful to him, he took possession, while Cunincpert was absent, of his kingly power and of the palace that stood at Ticinum. Cunincpert, hearing this at the place where he was, straightway fled to an island which is in Lake Larius (Como), not far from Com um (Como), and there fortified himself strongly.

But there was great grief among all who loved him and especially among the priests and clergy, all of whom Alahis held in hatred. There was indeed at that time a bishop of the church of Ticinum, Damianus, a man of God, distinguished for sanctity and well instructed in the liberal arts. When he saw that Alahis had taken possession of the palace, in order that neither he nor his church should suffer harm from him, he dispatched to him his deacon Thomas, a wise and religious man and sent by him to this same Alahis the blessing 1 of his holy church. It was announced to Alahis that Thomas the deacon stood before the door and had brought the benediction from the bishop. Then Alahis, who as we said, held all churchmen in hatred, thus spoke to his servants: " Go, say to him if he has clean breeches he may come in but if otherwise let him keep his foot outside." Thomas, indeed, when he had heard these expressions thus answered: " Say to him that I have clean breeches, since I put them on washed today." Alahis sent word to him again as follows: " I do not speak of the breeches but of the things that are inside the breeches." To these things Thomas thus made answer: " Go, say to him God only can find blame in me for these causes, but that man can by no means do so." And when Alahis had made this deacon come in to him he spoke with him very bitterly and with reproaching. Then fear and hatred of the tyrant took possession of all the churchmen and priests, since they deemed they could not at all bear his rudeness; and they began to wish for Cunincpert so much the more as they had in execration the haughty usurper of the kingdom. But not very long did rudeness and rough brutality keep the sovereignty they had usurped.

Latin