from himself. But besides the
unprofitable Name of a King, and a precarious Allowance for his private
Expences, (which the Mayor of the Palace was pleased out of Bounty to
give him) he had nothing that he could call his own, except one Village
of very small Revenue, where he had a little House, and a few Servants,
barely sufficient for his necessary Occasions, &c."

_Sigebertus, sub Anno 662._ taking _Eguinarthus_ for his Pattern,
inveighs against the former Kings in almost the same contumelious Terms.
"Whose Custom (says he) it was, indeed, to make an Appearance like a
Prince, according to what had been usual to their Family; but neither to
act, nor dispose of any thing, only to tarry at Home, and to Eat and
Drink like Irrational Creatures."--As if the like Sloth and Cowardise
ought to be imputed to all the former Kings, among whom we nevertheless
find many brave Men, such as _Clodoveus_, who not only defeated a great
Army of _Germans_, which had made an Irruption into _France_, in a great
Battel near _Tolbiacum_; but also drove the Remainder of the _Romans_
out of the Confines of _Gallia_. What shall we say of _Childebert_ and
_Clotharius_, who rooted the _Visigoths_ and _Ostrogoths_ out of
_Provence_ and _Aquitain_, where they had seated themselves? In the
Histories of all which Princes, there is no Mention made of any _Mayor
of the Palace_, but cursorily, and by the By, as one of the _King's
Servants_. This we may see in _Gregorius_, lib 5. cap. 18, where he
speaks of _Gucilius_, _Lib. 6. cap. 9._ and _cap. 45. Lib. 7. cap.
49._ And we find this Employment to have been not only in the _King's_
Palace, but also in the _Queen's_: For the same _Gregorius_, lib. 7.
cap. 27. mentions one _Waddo_ as _Mayor_ of the _Palace_, in the Court
of _Queen Riguntha_: And in very many other Places of their Histories,
we find both _Gregorius_ and _Aimoinus_ making Mention of these _Masters
of the Court_ and _the King's House_.

Now the first Beginning of the great Authority of these _Praefecti
Regii_, was (as we told you before) during the Reign of King
_Clotharius_ the Second, about the Year of our Lord 588. that is, about
130 Years after the constituting the _Francogallican Kingdom_; which we
may also learn from the before-mention'd Historian, so often quoted by
_Venericus_.

Yet there are two other Historians, (tho' not of equal Credit)
_Sigibertus_ and _Trithemius_, who refer the Beginning of so great a
Power in the _Mayor of