A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

The Council of Poitiers.

THis Council was assembled for reforming the Disorders of a Monastery of Nuns in this City. This Monastery was founded by Radegonda, and was at first in Subjection to the * 1.1 Bishop of the place: But under the Reign of Sigebert, Radegonda having brought from the East some Wood of the Holy Cross, and other Reliques, to put them into her Monastery, she pray'd Marovaeus, then Bishop of Poitiers, that he would be present at this Festival; but this Bishop went into the Country, because he would not be present at this Ceremony. Ra∣degonda pray'd King Sigebert to allow her a Bishop for placing these Reliques in her Mona∣stery. Euphronius Bishop of Tours did it with great Solemnity. Although Radegonda had reason to be displeas'd with the Bishop of Poitiers, yet she did all that lay in her power to be reconcil'd to him; but not being able to compass her design, she fetch'd from Arles the Rule of St. Caesarius, and put her Monastery under the Protection of the King, because the Bishop would not take care of it. After the death of Radegonda, the Abbess call'd Leu∣bovera, pray'd also the Bishop to take it into his Protection. At first he refus'd it, but afterwards accepted of it, and took also Letters from King Chilperic, which import that this Monastery should be subject to him, as the other Churches of his Diocese were.

There were in this Monastery two King's Daughters, Clotilda the Daughter of Charibert, and Basina the Daughter of Chilperic, who had embrac'd a Religious Life under St. Rade∣genda. After her death, these two Daughters had not Humility enough to obey an Abbess, who in the Opinion of the World was not equal to them in quality, despising the Remon∣strances of their Bishop, whom they suspected, broke the Gates, burst in pieces the Bolts of their Monastery, and went out with forty Nuns, under pretence that the Abbess had abus'd them. Clotilda went in the first place to Gregory of Tours, who advis'd her to return, and offer'd also to go with her, and to find out a way, with Marovaeus's assistance, to reduce their Abbess to reason. She would not follow his advice, and went to Court to wait upon King Gontranus. In the mean time the Nuns that went with her out of the Monastery, led a most licentious Life. Some time after Clotilda and Basina return'd to Poitiers, they plac'd themselves in the Church of St. Hilary, with some wretched Ruffians, and said that they would never return to their Monastery till their Abbess were turn'd out. One of the Nuns, who continued in the Monastery, being as corrupt as the rest, feigning that she would be shut up in a private Cell, fled out at a Window, and came to them to be a Witness against the Abbess. The Bishop of the place finding himself not strong enough to put a stop to this Disorder, summon'd Gondegisilius Bishop of Bourdeaux, Nicasius of Angoulesme, and Saffarius of Petrocera. These Bishops came with the Clergy to the Church of St. Hilary, and threat∣ned these Nuns to Excommunicate them; but they were receiv'd with blows of a stick, push'd back, affronted and beaten; so that they were forc'd to retire, having Excommunicated the

Nuns. They wrote to the Bishops of the Kingdom of Gontranus, who approv'd their Pro∣ceedings in their Answer, and summon'd them to be present with them at a Synod which * 1.2 should be held at the beginning of November. In the mean time these Nuns continued to commit all sorts of Outrages and Disorders, so that Childebert was forc'd to send an Officer, call'd Macon, to hinder them. Marovaeus being afraid of himself, sollicited Gondegisilius, and the other Bishops, to remove the Excommunication; but they would do nothing in it. The King Childebert sent a Priest to settle this Affair, but he could not do it. This did nothing but irritate these Nuns, who sent their Ruffians to the Monastery, broke open the Gates, beat and wounded the Nuns, tore the Abesses Clothes, dragg'd her through the Street, and shut her up in a place, from whence she could not come forth, even on Easter-day. The Bishops renew'd the Excommunication pronounc'd against them, but they car'd not for it, and continued their Outrages. At last Childebert and Gontranus were forc'd to agree among themselves, That the Bishops of both Kingdoms should assemble to judge them, and to give them a strong Force for hindring such Outrages as they had committed. These Bishops be∣ing assembled at Poitiers the nine and twentieth year of the Reign of Gontranus, and the fifteenth of Childebert's (which is the thirtieth according to the vulgar Aera) had this Affair under Examination. They heard the Accusations which Basina and Clotilda alledg'd against the Abbess, and the Defence which the Abbess made for her self. They accus'd the Abbess of exposing the Nuns to hunger and nakedness, of suffering Men to wash in a Bathe of the Monastery, of playing at Dice, Tabula, of suffering Contracts of Marriage to be made in the Abby, of taking the Sacred Ornaments to dress up her Niece. The Abbess answer'd, That she had always maintain'd her Nuns as plentifully as the Season would permit; that as to Garments, they had the remainder of them in their Coffers; that she had never suffered strangers to wash in the Bathe; that if she had play'd, it was while Radegonda was alive, and that she did not think it was forbidden by the Rule or by the Canons, but if the Bishops should forbid her, she would not do it any more; that she had made no Feasts, but only receiv'd and entertain'd Guests; that she had only receiv'd the Earnest of the Espousals of her Niece; that if it was a fault, she would ask pardon; and lastly, that she had not taken any of the Ornaments of the Church, to dress up her Niece. On the other side, Clotilda and Ba∣sina were accus'd of going out of the Monastery, of carrying out with them many Nuns, and of other Crimes and Outrages which we have just now related. This being prov'd, the Bi∣shops found that the Abbess had committed no Crime for which she deserv'd to be Depos'd, but only some slight Faults, which they exhorted her not to commit again: And as to Basina and Clotilda, they Excommunicated them till they should do Penance, and pray'd the Kings not to suffer them to enter again into the Monastery.

In the Council of Metz, which was held after the decease of King Gontranus, wherein Ae∣gidius Archbishop of Rhemes was Depos'd as guilty of Treason. Clotilda and Basina ask'd par∣don for their Fault, and they were receiv'd into Communion upon the request of King Chil∣peric. Clotilda return'd into the Monastery, and Basina spent the remainder of her Life in a Country-house.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Coun∣cil of Poitiers.
• * 1.2

  The Coun∣cil of Metz in the year 590.