, tells us that 'the
Lords of Yvetot claimed and exercised, in the olden time, some such
fantastical privileges as are here alluded to.'

The translators have some excuse for their ignorance regarding the
king of Yvetot; for few Frenchmen of the present day, with the
exception of antiquaries, consider him to have been anything else than
a popular myth. Be it our task, then, to jot down some authentic
notices of that ancient, and now extinct monarchy.

Yvetot, a town and commune of ancient Normandy (Pays de Caux), in the
department of Seine-Inferieure, now traversed by the railway leading
from Havre de Grace to Rouen, was, in the sixth century, the seigniory
of one Vauthier, chamberlain to Clotaire I., the royal son of Clovis
and Clotilda. Nothing whatever is known of the earlier part of
Vauthier's history, more than that he held the fief of Yvetot from
Clotaire by the feudal tenure of military service. An able and
trustworthy statesman in the council-chamber, a valiant and skilful
commander in the battle-field, the chamberlain lived on terms of the
most intimate familiarity with his king, who ever lent a ready ear to
his sage suggestions. This high honour, however, being not at all
agreeable to the other followers of the court, they entered into a
conspiracy to ruin the favourite chamberlain. Taking advantage of his
absence, they perfidiously vilified him to the king. The chroniclers
do not state what were the exact charges brought against him, but they
must have been weighty and artfully insinuated, for the rude and
truculent Clotaire swore that he would, with his own hand, slay the
Sieur of Yvetot, when and wherever he should chance to meet with him.
The reader must not be surprised at such a vow: in those days,
sovereigns frequently indulged in a plurality of offices, and could
upon occasion perform the duty of the executioner as well as that of
the judge. Vauthier happened to have a friend at court, who sent him
timely warning of this state of affairs; and not thinking it by any
means prudent to expose himself to the lethal fury of a king who had
unscrupulously killed his own nephews, he left the country, and joined
the army of the north, then fighting against the Thuringian pagans,
the enemies of Clotaire and his religion, such as it was.

After ten years of arduous service and heroic exploits, Vauthier,
crowned with glory, and hoping that time had mollified the malignant
feelings of the king, turned his face on