When, by the grace of God, we [i.e. Gregory of Tours] returned to Tours, we found the Church disordered by Presbyter Riculfus. This man had been raised up from the poor by Bishop Eufronius [Gregory's predecessor in bishopric], and ordained an archdeacon. After his promotion to presbyterate, he showed his true nature. He was always above himself, inflated, and presumptuous. When I was detained by the king [Gregory was accused of conspiring against Queen Fredegundis, see [
1790]], Riculfus had the impudence to enter the church-house as if he were already the bishop. He made an inventory of all the silver [
argentum describit, i.e., probably, liturgical vessels] and assumed control over the rest of the Church property. He enriched the higher clergy (
maiores clerici) with gifts, granted them vineyards, and assigned meadows (
prata) to them. To the lower [clergy] he appealed with sticks and scourges [administering blows] with his own hand, saying: "Know your lord, who has obtained victory over his enemies, by whose ingenuity the city of Tours has been purged of the people from Clermont [i.e. Gregory and his supporters]". This poor man was unaware that, apart from five, all other bishops who held episcopacy (
sacerdotium) in Tours were related to the families of our [i.e. Gregory's] relatives. Riculfus often used to say to his trusted friends (
familiaribus) that one can deceive a prudent man only by perjury. But when I returned he continued to treat me with contempt. He did not come to welcome me (
ad salutationem meam), as all the other citizens did, but rather threatened to kill me. I took the advice of the other bishops from my province and ordered him to be sent to the monastery. Although he was kept there under close surveillance, by the intercession of the servants of Bishop Felix [of Nantes], who supported the conspiracy outlined above, Riculfus tricked the abbot by perjury and made his escape. He went to join Bishop Felix, who should have excommunicated (
execrare) him, but instead welcomed him warmly.
(trans. Thorpe 1974: 321-322, altered by J. Szafranowski)
