repaired to Raoul. The King and the great 924-942 Vermandois were reconciled. Herbert had accomplished his ends: Laôn, castle, rock, city, and tower, were won. He commended himself again to Raoul, and King Charles descended again into his dungeon. 928-929 countable ance of King § 11. Herbert marched with King Raoul to Burgundy. Vienne was granted to the Count of Vermandois-the bargain did not hold. But a most astounding event next ensued, unaccom- Unacpanied by any note of preparation. We meet reappearKing Raoul at Rheims. Without any warning, Charles at the prison-doors are opened, and we behold King liberty. Charles honoured as a king by Raoul, and reinstated in the royal domain of Pontyon and the palace of Attigny.-Another sudden change, and, as by the wand of a magician, Charles is replaced in the hard custody of Herbert of Vermandois. These marvellous mutations imply a maze of intrigues, now wholly inexplicable; but they were effected smoothly and silently. Amongst these kings and princes all pacts and promises were lies; and nothing so easy as lying. Never was Charles seen again alive beyond his prison-walls. He was lingering in his dungeon, bound in fetters. About a year afterwards, his corpse was carried out-he was buried at Peronne, "Peronna Scottorum," in the church dedicated to famous Saint Fursæus, the anchorite of Burgh Castle. Many believed that Herbert had 929-930 924-942 caused the sinews of his legs to be divided a horrible device occasionally adopted by those, who, unable to tread out the last glimmering spark of conscientious compunction, sought, without inflicting death, to render the sufferer impotent and helpless. This report however, was probably an exaggeration: the cruelty would have been needless, otherwise than as a vindictive retribution for the death of the blinded Bernard. Herbert had no need to employ violence: he might safely trust to grief, close confinement, heavy irons, stinted Oct. 7, 929. diet, and foul air. Herbert's Physicians, well read King in Constantinus Africanus, discreetly pronounced Peronne. that the complaint of which the prisoner died was a "macronosia,"-that is to say,-a decline produced by malignant humours and natural causes. Charles was very patient during all his sufferings: after his decease he was secretly honoured as a martyr; and the imperial line of Charlemagne was now reduced to one individual, the child Louis beyond the sea. Death of Charles at 930 The Danes Loire-de Raoul at § 12. Guillaume Longue-épée avoided, for beyond the the present, any direct intervention in French feated by affairs. But the Danish Northmen, acting indeLimoges. pendently, and possibly reinforced from Northumbria, were raging south of the Loire, punishing the country as in the darkest times of their invasions. Raoul issued a general summons. The King was obeyed by the French with extraordinary alacrity. It was indeed for their own in 930-931 terest that they should exert themselves heartily 924-942 in repelling the marauders from their own confines. Twelve legions were assembled: it is difficult to conjecture the number of troops implied by this expression, yet we may construe the awkwardly employed classical phraseology into the fact, that Raoul commanded a strong and well-marshalled army. He advanced to Limoges. A single battle ensued, which ended this Danish war: the Danes were defeated, and the greater part slain. Rarely indeed had the prowess of the Franks been rewarded by such a decisive victory. The splendid triumph gained at Limoges by Raoul over the Pagans, accomplished another conquest, but pacific. Raoul won the fealty of many amongst the Aquitanians: he had relieved them from their enemies, and their obedience testified their gratitude; it was well to have such a helpful king. But Burgundy was troubled, and required his presence: the Saracens blocked the Alpine passes; and Queen Emma, whom Raoul had stationed as his lieutenant, acting over-much as a virago, had provoked a family rebellion. Emma. ances in Gilbert, married to Hermengarda, Richard-le- Queen Justicier's daughter, and therefore Raoul's brother- Disturbin-law, was Count, or, perhaps, Governor of great Burgundy. part of Burgundy, including the Dijonnais, under Raoul's supremacy. It seems as if it were impossible that any relatives in those times could live without a quarrel: quarrelling was meat 931-933 924-942 and drink to them. For some unknown, but perhaps justifiable cause, Queen Emma mustered her troops, and boldly expelled the husband of her husband's sister from his favourite stronghold— dark mountainous Avalon. Gilbert retaliated: Raoul came to the help of his wife, checked Gilbert's progress, and the brothers-in-law thenceforth really became and continued friends,-a social phenomenon. Emma's unrecorded achievements and exertions were probably far more numerous than those whereof the history is preserved. Very meagre and obscure are the memorials of Burgundy. Feud between Grand and § 13. Raoul now hastened to FranceHugh-le- France in utter confusion. A bitter feud was Herbert of raging between the original confederates, Hughdois. le-Grand and Herbert of Vermandois, dating Verman from the year when King Charles died at Peronne, and possibly connected with that event. Raoul had made great exertions to pacify them— worked hard as a mediator;-but, after every truce, the bickering, impatient rivals, resumed their strife with renewed pertinacity. This feud must be considered as a running accompaniment of discord to all the incidents of Raoul's reign until its conclusion. The dissensions between Hugh and Herbert became perplexedly complicated with the virulent contest carried on between King Raoul and Count Herbert for the Archbishoprick of Rheims. Raoul, who previously had 931-933 worked so strenuously with Herbert for the pur- 924-942 pose of accomplishing little Hugh's promotion, now laboured just as strenuously, or more so, to undo his own work, and to place Artaldus, a monk of Saint Remi, in the See. Artaldus was a good man and wise, but tainted by the miserable politics of his time; a political deserter also, who, having abandoned Herbert, had become the retainer of Hugh-le-Grand. abandons of Herbert. appointed Archbi shop of Rheims. Raoul issued his precept to the clergy and Raoul citizens, commanding them to elect Artaldus, the party a command which they consistently refused to Artaldus obey-Hugonet was their Archbishop-their election was made. Raoul, aided by Hugh-le-Grand, brought them to reason. After a siege of three weeks they opened their gates, and Artaldus was consecrated and enthroned: Raoul did not condescend to go through the form of an election. These hostilities between the King, the Duke, and the Count, intermixed with numerous incidental feuds, of which I omit many and abridge all, however petty they appear, are, in truth, of the highest importance. At this period, they constitute the history of France, and, in a set history of France, should be given with minuteness of detail: for they dispel the various brilliant theories which represent the contests between Charlemagne's descendants and the descendants of Robert-le-Fort as disclosing the deeply-rooted sentiments resulting from race or VOL. II. H |