had her son baptized solemnly, hoping that the striking nature of the ceremony might win to the faith the father whom her words and prayers had been powerless to touch.  The child soon died, and Clovis bitterly reproached the Queen, saying:  “Had the child been dedicated to my gods he would be alive; he was baptized in the name of your God, and he could not live.”  Clotilde defended her God and prayed.  She had a second son who was also baptized, and fell sick.  “It cannot be otherwise with him than with his brother,” said Clovis; “baptized in the name of your Christ, he is going to die.”  But the child was cured, and lived; and Clovis was pacified and less incredulous of Christ.

An event then came to pass which affected him still more than the sickness or cure of his children.

In 496 the Alemannians, a Germanic confederation like the Franks, who also had been, for some time past, assailing the Roman Empire on the banks of the Rhine or the frontiers of Switzerland, crossed the river and invaded the settlements of the Franks on the left bank.  Clovis went to the aid of his confederation and attacked the Alemannians at Tolbiac, near Cologne.  He had with him Aurelian, who had been his messenger to Clotilde, whom he had made duke of Melun, and who commanded the forces of Sens.  The battle was going ill; the Franks were wavering and Clovis was anxious.  Before setting out he had, according to Fredegaire, promised his wife that if he were victorious he would turn Christian.

Other chroniclers say that Aurelian, seeing the battle in danger of being lost, said to Clovis, “My lord King, believe only on the Lord of heaven whom the Queen, my mistress, preacheth.”  Clovis cried out with emotion:  “Christ Jesus, thou whom my queen Clotilde calleth the Son of the living God, I have invoked my own gods, and they have withdrawn from me; I believe that they have no power, since they aid not those who call upon them.  Thee, very God and Lord, I invoke; if thou give me victory over these foes, if I find in thee the power that the people proclaim of thee, I will believe on thee, and will be baptized in thy name.”  The tide of battle turned; the Franks recovered confidence and courage; and the Allemannians, beaten and seeing their King slain, surrendered themselves to Clovis, saying:  “Cease, of thy grace, to cause any more of our people to perish; for we are thine.”

On the return of Clovis, Clotilde, fearing he should forget his victory and his promise, “secretly sent,” says Gregory of Tours, “to St. Remi, bishop of Rheims, and prayed him to penetrate the King’s heart with the words of salvation.”  St. Remi was a fervent Christian and able bishop; and “I will listen to thee, most holy father,” said Clovis, “willingly; but there is a difficulty.  The people that follow me will not give up their gods.  But I am about to assemble them, and will speak to them according to thy word.”  The King found the people more docile or better prepared than he had represented to the bishop.  Even before he opened his mouth the greater part of those present cried out:  “We abjure the mortal gods; we are ready to follow the immortal God whom Remi preacheth.”