Preston, Aug. 1851.
It is, I think, indisputable that the St. Gregory commemorated on the
tomb of Brunehaut is _Pope Gregory the Great_. Among his _Letters_ are
several addressed to the Frankish queen, betokening the unqualified
esteem in which she was held by the Roman pontiff. See _Gregor. Opp._
(tom. ii., edit. Paris, 1586), Lib. v. Indict. xiv. ep. 5; Lib. vii.
Indict. i. ep. 5.; Lib. ix. Indict. vi. ep. 8.; Lib. xi. Indict. vi. ep.
8. I will give a short specimen from the first and last _Letters_:
"Excellentiae vestrae praedicandam ac Deo placitam bonitatem et
gubernacula regni testantur et educatio fidel manifestat."--_Col._
766.
"Inter alia bona hoc apud vos prae ceteris tenet principatum, quod
in mediis hujus mundi fluctibus, qui regentis animos turbulenta
solent vexatione confundere, ita cor ad Divini cultus amorem et
venerabilium locorum disponendam quietam reducitis ac si vos nulla
alia cura sollicitet."--_Col. 1061._
Much to her merit, in the eyes of Gregory, arose from her abjuration of
Arianism, and the patronage she extended to religious houses. At the
same time, it is impossible to acquit her of the serious charges under
which she labours.
"Elle est diffamee," says Moreri, "dans les ecrits des autres
auteurs, par sa cruaute, sa vengeance, son avarice, et son
impudicite."