having a sovereign of our persuasion; but she is no longer alone in possession of this precious gift; the rest of the world doth share her light.”  Pope Anastasius hastened to express his joy to Clovis.  “The Church, our common mother,” he wrote, “rejoiceth to have born unto God so great a king.  Continue, glorious and illustrious son, to cheer the heart of this tender mother; be a column of iron to support her, and she in her turn will give thee victory over all thine enemies.”

Clovis was not a man to omit turning his Catholic popularity to the account of his ambition.  At the very time when he was receiving these testimonies of good-will from the heads of the Church he learned that Gondebaud, disquieted, no doubt, at the conversion of his powerful neighbor, had just made a vain attempt, at a conference held at Lyons, to reconcile in his kingdom the Catholics and the Arians.  Clovis considered the moment favorable to his projects of aggrandizement at the expense of the Burgundian King; he fomented the dissensions which already prevailed between Gondebaud and his brother Godegisile, assured to himself the latter’s complicity, and suddenly entered Burgundy with his army.  Gondebaud, betrayed and beaten at the first encounter at Dijon, fled to the south of his kingdom, and went and shut himself up in Avignon.  Clovis pursued, and besieged him there.  Gondebaud in great alarm asked counsel of his Roman confidant Aridius, who had but lately foretold to him what the marriage of his niece Clotilde would bring upon him.  “On every side,” said the King, “I am encompassed by perils, and I know not what to do.  Lo! here be these barbarians come upon us to slay us and destroy the land.”  “To escape death,” answered Aridius, “thou must appease the ferocity of this man.  Now, if it please thee, I will feign to fly from thee and go over to him.  So soon as I shall be with him, I will so do that he ruin neither thee nor the land.  Only have thou care to perform whatsoever I shall ask of thee, until the Lord in his goodness deign to make thy cause triumph.”  “All that thou shalt bid will I do,” said Gondebaud.  So Aridius left Gondebaud and went his way to Clovis, and said:  “Most pious King, I am thy humble servant; I give up this wretched Gondebaud and come unto thy mightiness.  If thy goodness deign to cast a glance upon me, thou and thy descendants will find in me a servant of integrity and fidelity.”

Clovis received him very kindly and kept him by him, for Aridius was agreeable in conversation, wise in counsel, just in judgment, and faithful in whatever was committed to his care.  As the siege continued Aridius said to Clovis:  “O King, if the glory of thy greatness would suffer thee to listen to the words of my feebleness, though thou needest not counsel, I would submit them to thee in all fidelity, and they might be of use to thee, whether for thyself or for the towns by the which thou dost propose to pass.  Wherefore keepest thou here thine army whilst