Athanaghild, King of the Visigoths A.D

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1. 1. Brunehilde, otherwise Brunehaut and Brunichild. Her long and eventful life is one of the most interesting in Frank history.

1. 6. maire du palais d’Austrasie. The mayors of the palace, originally stewards of the King’s household, very soon exercised a nearly absolute power: the mayors of Neustriamade use of their influence

to strengthen the authority of the crown ; those of Austrasia, on the contrary, united themselves to the aristocracy against the King.

1. 20. les cointes des villes , the grafs or royal officers placed over the towns.

1. 22. les ducs. These were the old tribal chiefs, surviving as military leaders under the Kings.

1. 23. des Alamans, des Baiwares et des Thorins ou Thuringiens . The Alemans (from whose name cornes Fr. Allemagne) inhabited S. Germany and what is now Switzerland. The Baiovars (Bavarians) were in S.E. Germany. The Thuringians were between the Elbe and Weser.

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1. 4. tudesque. German, from O. G. Theotisc , modem German Deutsch .

1. 8. Fortunatus. Venantius Fortunatus was born near Ceneda in Italy 530 a.d. and came to Gaul about p,^5 A.D. After some years at Metz he went to Tours and became friend aud chaplain of St Radegund, formerly wife of Chlothar I., who had become a nun. He took orders, and after being chaplain of St Radegund’s convent at Poitiers, was made Bishop of Poitiers and died there early in the 7th century.

1. 26. la place de Trajan , the Forum Trajani, the greatest public work of that Emperor. The Column of Trajan stood in the middle of it.

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1. 13. Napêe. The Napææ were the nymphs of glens and vales (Gr. vdirr] a dell).

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1. 26. skramasax. If this means ‘safety-knife’, as Thierry supposes, it is probably connected with Germ. schirm , defence. Ducange gives scrama , alone, as meaning a dagger. Sax or seax was the word for knife, and is said to hâve given the Saxons their name. The Fr. escrimer to fence is derived from scrama .

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