Page:History of the Franks.djvu/132

 loo HISTORY OF THE FRANKS himself purposed to hasten thither. And the holy bishop Ger- manus said to him: ''If you go and do not purpose to kill your brother you shall return alive and victorious ; but if you have an- other purpose in mind you shall die. For thus said the Lord through Solomon : ' You who prepare a pit for your brother shall fall into it.'" But because of his wickedness he failed to pay heed. And when he came to the village named Vitry, all the army was gathered about him, and they placed him on a shield and made him king over them. Then two slaves who had been placed under a charm by Queen Fredegunda, carrying strong knives with poisoned blades — of the sort commonly called scramasaxi — approached him on some pretext and stabbed him one on each side. He cried aloud and fell and died in a short time. At the same time Charigysel, his chamberlain, was slain and Sigila who came from the land of the Goths was seriously wounded. He was afterwards seized by King Chilperic and met a cruel death, every joint being burned with white-hot irons and his Hmbs being torn one from the other. Charigysel was both fickle and avaricious. He had risen from a lowly place and become great with the king by flattery. He was a man who grasped other men's property, and was a breaker of wills, and the end of his Kfe was such that he did not succeed in making his own will when death threatened, he who had so often destroyed the wills of others. Chilperic was in suspense and did not know whether he should escape or perish, when messengers came to him to tell of his brother's death. Then he left Tournai with his wife and children and clothed Sigibert and buried him in the village of Lambres. Whence he was later transferred to Soissons to the church of the holy Medard which he had built, and was buried there by the side of his father Clothar. He died in the fourteenth year of his reign, the fortieth of his Hfe. From the death of Theodobert the elder to that of Sigibert twenty-nine years are included, and there were eighteen days between his death and that of his nephew Theodobert. Upon the death of Sigibert, Childebert his son reigned in his place. From the beginning to the flood there were 2242 years; from the flood to Abraham 942 years ; from Abraham to the going out of the children of Israel from Egypt 462 years ; from the going of the children of Israel from Egypt to the building of the temple of Solo-