FAULT WITH THE SOLDIER]

When the next time came for dividing spoils Clovis asked that he
might have the vase over and above his regular share, his intention
being to return it to the bishop. But one of the soldiers objected,
saying that the king should have no more than his fair share, and
at the same time shattered the vase with his ax. Clovis was very
angry, but at the time said nothing. Soon afterwards, however,
there was the usual examination of the arms of the soldiers to
see that they were in proper condition for active service. Clovis
himself took part in the examination, and when he came to the soldier
who had broken the vase he found fault with the condition of his
weapons and with one blow of his battle-ax struck the man dead.

IV

The next war that Clovis engaged in was with some tribes of the
Goths who occupied the country called Aquitaine lying south of the
River Loire. He defeated them and added Aquitaine to the kingdom
of the Franks.

Clovis afterwards made war upon other people of Gaul and defeated
them. At last all the provinces from the lower Rhine to the Pyrenees
Mountains were compelled to acknowledge him as king. He then went
to reside at the city of Paris, which he made the capital of his
kingdom. He died there A.D. 511.

The dynasty or family of kings to which he belonged is known in
history as the Merovingian dynasty. It was so called from Me-ro-vae'us,
the father of Childeric and grandfather of Clovis.

JUSTINIAN THE GREAT

EMPEROR FROM 527-565 A.D.

I

In the time of Clovis the country now called Bulgaria was inhabited
by Goths. One day a poor shepherd boy, about sixteen years of age,
left his mountain home in that country to go to the city of
Constantinople, which was many miles away. The boy had no money
to pay the expenses of the journey, but he was determined to go,
even though he should have to walk every step of the road and live
on fruits that he could gather by the way. He was a bright, clever
boy who had spent his life hitherto in a village, but was now eager
to go out into the world to seek his fortune.

Some years before, this boy's uncle, who was named Justin, had
gone to Constantinople and joined the Roman army. He was so brave
and so good a soldier that he soon came to be commander of the
imperial guard which attended the emperor.

The poor shepherd boy had heard of the success of his uncle, and
this was the reason why he resolved to set off for the big city