A Dispute over Baptisms

Interea regina fidelis filium ad baptismum exhibet, adornare eclesiam velis praecipit atque curtinis, quo facilius vel hoc misterio provocaretur ad credendum, qui flecti praedicationem non poterat. Baptizatus autem puer, quem Ingomerem vocitaverunt, in ipsis, sicut regeneratus fuerat, albis obiit. Qua de causa commotus felle rex, non signiter increpabat regina, dicens: 'Si in nomine deorum meorum puer fuisset decatus, vixisset utique; nunc autem, quia in nomine Dei vestri baptizatus est, vivere omnino non potuit'. Ad haec regina: 'Deo', inquid, 'omnipotenti, creatori omnium, gratias ago, qui me non usquequaque iudicavit indigna, ut de utero meo genitum regno suo dignaretur adscire. Mihi autem dolore huius causae animus non attingitur, quia scio, in albis ab hoc mundo vocatus Dei obtutibus nutriendus'. Post hunc vero genuit alium filium, quem baptizatum Chlodomere vocavit; et hic cum egrotare coepisset, dicebat rex: 'Non potest aliud, nisi et de hoc sicut et de fratre eius contingat, ut baptizatus in nomine Christi vestri protinus moriatur'. Sed orante matre, Domino iubente convaluit. Sanctus Gregorius Turonensis, Historia Francorum Lib. 2, Cap. 29

Meanwhile the faithful queen Clotilda prepared her son for baptism, ordering the church adorned with hangings and curtains so that the king might be called to belief in the mystery, he who would not be inclined by preaching. The boy baptized, whom they named Ingomer, died still wearing the white garments in which he was reborn. This caused the king severe disturbance, and he chided the queen harshly, saying: ' If the boy had been dedicated in the name of my gods he would have lived; but now, because he was baptized in the name of your God, he was not able to live at all.' To this the queen said: 'To the omnipotent God, Creator of all, I give thanks, He who has judged me not wholly unworthy, that he should deign to take to his kingdom one born from my womb. Grief does not touch my soul for his sake, because I know that, called from this world in white, he will be fed by visions of God.' After this she give birth to another son, whom she named Chlodomer at baptism; and when he also began to sicken, the king said: "It is not possible but that it will happen to him as happened to his brother, that being baptized in the name of your Christ, he should promptly die.' But through the prayers of his mother, and by the Lord's command, he became well. St Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, Bk. 2, Ch. 29