volence and humanity, and to have been exceedingly beloved by his people. But, with all these good qualities, he must be allowed to have been inconftant, perfidious, and in many respects a true Barbarian. He left no male iffue but Theodo. balde, or Thibaut, who, tho' born of his concubine Deuteria, fucceeded to his dominions, without any oppofition from his great uncles Childebert and Clothaire.

[An. 548.] The death of The odobert freed the emperor from the apprehenfion he had conceived of that prince's influence and defigns. A peace was immediately patched up between him and France; but this proved of very fhort duration. Juftinian's general Narfes, who fucceeded to the command of Belifarius in Italy, obtained two fignal victories, which proved fatal to king Totila and his fucceffor Teias, and abfolutely ruined the affairs of the Oftrogoths, great part of whom were permitted by capitulation to quit Italy, on condition that they fhould never more bear arms against the emperor: but one of their chiefs, called Ingulphus, refufed to comply with fuch dishonourable terms. He recruited his forces, invaded Pavia, revived the spirits of his countrymen, and fent a formal embaffy into France, to demand fuccour against the Romans. His requeft met with a refufal in public; but the ambaffadors received favourable hints in private, with which they returned perfectly well Latisfied.

Accordingly Bucelin and Leutharis, the two chief counsellors of the French monarch Theodobalde, in a little time paffed the Alps with an army of feventy-five thousand men,

and were joined by a great number of Goths on the banks of the Po. Then they entered Parma without refiftance, defeated a body of the Heruli, advanced as far as Rimini, where Narfes worfted them in a rencounter, and wintered in that part of Italy which lies between the Alps and the Appennines. In the fpring they took the field again, and ravaged the open country as far as the ftreight that feparates Italy from Sicily: but Leutharis, in his retreat to the Po, was attacked by the light troops of the emperor, who compelled him to abandon the greater part of his booty, and the prisoners he had taken.

He had scarce reached his quarters of refreshment on the Po, when his army was invaded with a pestilential diffemper, of which he himflf and all his people perifhed. The other body, commanded by Bucelin, gave battle to Narfes near Cafilinis, where they were defeated and flaughtered to a man; and a third detachment, under Hamming, met with the fame fate in the country of Venice.

During these unfortunate tranf actions, Theodebalde died at Compiegne of a paralytic diforder, under which he had laboured from his infancy. He was a weak prince in mind as well as in body, and, confidering that he fucceeded to the throne in his minority, muft have been altogether unfit for governing fuch a ferocious people. As he died without iffue, his dominions, according to the law of fucceflion, ought to have been divided between his two uncles Clothaire and Childebert; but this laft being dangerously ill, the other took advantage of his malady, feized upon

the

it in fuch a manner, that when Childebert recovered, he found it would be to no purpose to difpute his conduct he, therefore, made a virtue of neceffity, and, on pretence of his having no children, formally renounced his pretenfions toAuftrafia, in favour of his brother. He feemed, however, to repent of this ceffion in the fequel.

The Saxons, who were tributary to the French nation, revolted twice fucceffively, and were as often reduced by Clothaire. At length, a rebellion was excited by his own fon, prince Cramne, whom he recalled from his government of Auvergne. He was encouraged in his rebellious principles by his uncle Childebert, who met him at Paris, where they engaged in a confederacy againft his father Clothaire. They not only took the field against him, but alfo fpirited the Saxons to a third infurrection. The end of this alliance, however, was fruftrated by the death of Childebert, who breathed his last in the year 558, and was buried in the church of St. Vincent, which he himself had built, together with the monaftery now called St. Germain des Prez. In his reign, four councils were held; one at Orleans, one at Arles, and two at Paris. He was, in a great meafure, influenced by priefts; and therefore celebrated as a pious prince. His way was so just and moderate for the times, that he acquired the love of his people. He had diftinguished his courage on many occafions; and, tho' tainted with cruelty and ambition, was on the whole more civilized than his brother Clothaire, who now found himself fole master of the French empire.

In his return to France, he visited the fhrine of St. Martin at Tours, to which he made valuable prefents, foliciting the faint with marks of contrition, to obtain for him the forgiveness of his fins, which were manifold. He did not long furvive this expedition. Being feized with a fever, while he hunted in the foreft of Cuiffe, he was conveyed to a pleafure-houfe at Compiegne, where he died in the fifty-first year of his reign, univerfally dreaded and detefted for his cruelty, perfidy, and profligate manners. On his deathbed perceiving his end approaching, he began to be terrified at the profpect of futurity, and could not help exclaiming with marks of horror, "How powerful muft this king of heaven be, who can thus destroy the greateft princes of the earth at his pleafure!" A remark expreffive at once of his ignorance and barbarity. He owned two or three wives all living at the fame time, and all dignified alike with the title of queen; and by these he left four fons, namely, Chilperic, Charibert, Gontran, and Sigebert; but he had made no divifion of his dominions.

Chilperic, the youngest and most

enter

enterprizing, immediately feized his father's treasures, by means of which, he formed a strong party, who conducted him to Paris, and feated him on the throne; but his brothers uniting all their intereft, and affembling a strong body of forces, compelled him to refign his royalty, and acquiefce in a partition by lot, according to the cuftom of the nation. In this trial, Fortune bestowed upon Charibert the eldeft, the kingdom of Paris; Gontram the fecond, obtained Orleans and Burgundy; Metz, or the kingdom of Auftrafia, fell to Sigebert; and Chilperic was forced to be content with Soiffons.

The death of Clothaire encouraged the Abares, a barbarous people, the remnant of the Huns, who had ferved in the army of the emperor Juftinian, and fettled on the banks of the Danube, to pillage the lands which the French poffeffed on the other fide of the Rhine. They accordingly fell into Thuringia, where they were joined by the inhabitants of that country, who had determined to shake off the French yoke. Sigebert, king of Auftrafia, no fooner heard of this infurrection and revolt, than he marched against them with a body of forces, and hazarded a battle, in which he fignalized himfelf after a very extraordinary manner. He not only made an excellent difpofition for the attack, but rushed perfonally into the hotteft parts of the action, and fought fo valiantly with a battle-ax, that the victory was in a great measure owing to his fingle prowefs. The enemy, after a defperate refiftance, were totally overthrown, and driven to the banks of the Elbe, where they sued for peace, which the victor

granted. This they the more eafily obtained, as he had just received advice, that his brother Chilperic had taken the opportunity of his abfence to invade his dominions, inveft Rheims, and ravage the country of Champagne. He forthwith repaffed the Rhine, and penetrating into the kingdom of Soiffons, befieged and took that capital, where he found his brother's eldest fon Theodobert. He afterwards de

feated the other in battle, recovered all the places which had been taken from him in his abfence, and in his turn defpoiled Chilperic of the best part of his dominions. The two eldest brothers interpofed in behalf of Chilperic, and under their mediation a peace was concluded. Sigebert abandoned his conquefts, and fet his nephew at liberty, after having exacted an oath from him, that he would never bear arms against him for the future. Chilperic, naturally fiery and ambitious, had been stimulated to this enterprize by his concubine Fredegonda, with whom he had cohabited from his tender years. She was the daughter of a peafant in Picardy remarkable for her beauty; but ftill more famous for intrigue, proud, cruel, and perfidious; yet fo much mistress of infinuation, that fhe acquired and maintained a furprifing afcendancy over the mind of Chilperic, which was naturally fierce, brutal, and inconftant. Notwithftanding his connexion with this woman, he married Andovera, equal in beauty, but far inferior in point of genius to Fredegonda, who found means, when his paffion was gratified, to prevail upon him to repudiate his wife, according to the custom of the

times,

times, and fend her to a monaftery; fo that the concubine retrieved all her former influence.

The princes of those days feem to have gratified their fenfual appetites without any regard to decorum, or to the laws of the religion which they poffeffed. Charibert, the eldeft brother, and king of Paris, though in other refpects a mild prince, learned, courteous, and polite, was, nevertheless, fuch a voluptuary, that even during the life of his queen Ingoberge, he married two fifters of the lowest plebeian order, and alfo efpoufed Theudechilde, a fhepherd's daughter, having first of all repudiated his lawful wife. Germanus, bishop of Paris, expoftulated with him on this infamous courfe of life; and finding him irreclaimable, proceeded to the fentence of excommunication, which Charibert feemed very little to regard.

Sigebert, fcandalized at the meannefs of his brothers, afpired to a match more worthy of his dignity, and demanded in marriage Brunehaut, youngest daughter of Athanagilde, king of the Vifigoths in Spain, one of the moft beautiful and accomplished princeffes in Europe. His propofal was embraced, and Brunehaut received amidst the

acclamations of the French, to whom this marriage was the more agreeable, as the renounced that Arianifm in which he had been educated, and embraced the Catholic religion. Chilperic's pride being fired by this fpirited conduct of his brother, he refolved to follow his example: and, if poffible, obtain in marriage Galfuinde, the eldest fifter of Brunehaut. He had by this time ef poufed his concubine Fredegonda, whom he now repudiated, in order to make room for the Spanish princefs. His morals were fo loofe, and his character fo fcandalous, that he found great difficulty in obtaining the confent of the Gothic king: this, however, was extorted, and Galfuinde received him as her husband. She did not long furvive her marriage. Fredegonda still preserved credit at the court of Soiffons; and was refolved to effect the ruin of her rival, who had, like her filter, adopted the Catholic faith, and conciliated the affection of the French by her amiable difpofition. In all probability, Chilperic being cloyed with poffeffion, had recourfe to the vengeance of his old concubine. Galfuinde was found itrangled in her bed, and Fredegonda rettored to the title of queen.

[To be continued.] 220

NAVY

1. S. d. 5,594,790 7