INTRODUCTION xiii

and Sallust^s Catiline but probably did not go beyond these. ^ His attitude toward pagan literature was the conventional one of his age, — fear of the demonic influences embodied in it ; ^ he expresses it thus : "We ought not to relate their lying fables lest we fall under sentence of eternal death." ^ Among Christian writers Sulpicius Severus, Prudentius, Sidonius ApoUonaris, and Fortunatus were the only ones to exercise a genuine influence on his style. The question has been much discussed whether sixth-century education in Gaul included a knowledge of the hberal arts. Gregory gives us no definite information on the point. It is true that he is explicit as to his own case. He says, "I was not trained in gram- mar or instructed in the finished style of the heathen writers, but the influence of the blessed father Avitus, bishop of Auvergne, turned me solely to the writings of the church." ^ Gregory does indeed mention Martianus Capella's work on the seven Hberal arts and seems to have had some notion of the scope of each one.' but in the face of his repeated confessions of ignorance of the mosB<| elementary of them as well as the actual proof of ignorance which he constantly gives, the conclusion must be that they were not included in his education. As to the general situation the only evidence is furnished by Gregory's famous preface in which he declares that "hberal learning is declining or rather perishing in the GalHc cities," and no one could be found sufficiently versed in the Hberal arts to write the History of the Franks as it ought to be written. We may feel certain that Gregory's idea of the quaH- fications for historical writing were not high; correct spelHng, knowledge of the rules of grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic as laid down in the text-books would be sufficient. But, as he tells us, no person so quaHfied could be found to undertake the task. Again we hear of bishops who were ilHterate. It is plain that the trend of the evidence is all in one direction, namely that in Gaul by this time the Hberal arts had disappeared from education. Gregory's Latin presents many problems. Its relation to sixth- century Hnguistic development is not well understood although it

• Bonnet, Le Latin- de Gregoire de Tours, pp. 48-76.

2 Speaking of Jupiter, Mercury, Minerva, Venus, a character in the Vitae Patrum, XVII, 5, says, Nolite, 0, viri, nolite eos invocare, non sunt enim dii isti sed dcsmones. 3 Gloria Martyrum, Pref . * VitcB Patrum, II, Pref. ^ See p. 240.