olic Church and
the royal authority, King Louis the Pious orders the Breton people to
pay the tribute that they owe to the sovereignty of the Frankish Empire,
and to submit themselves to the apostolic decisions of the Archbishop of
Tours. In case of failure to comply, King Louis the Pious will, by means
of his invincible arms, ruin the country and compel the obedience of the
Breton people."

"Abbot Witchaire," Morvan answered after a few moments' reflection,
"Amael, the grandfather of Vortigern, my wife's brother, entered into an
agreement with the Emperor Charles to the effect that, provided we held
ourselves within our own borders, there never would be any war between
us and the Franks. We kept our promise, so did Charles. His son, whom
you call 'The Pious,' has not troubled us until now. If to-day he
demands tribute from us, he violates the provisions of the compact."

"Louis the Pious is King by divine right, sovereign master of Gaul.
Brittany is part of Gaul, consequently Brittany belongs to him and must
pay him tribute."

"We will pay tribute to no king. As to what regards the clergy, I have
this to say to you: Before their arrival in Brittany the country never
was invaded. Since a century ago, all that has changed. It was to be
expected. Whoever sees the black robe of a priest, soon sees the glint
of a Frank's sword."

"You speak truly. The Catholic priest is everywhere the precursor of
royalty."

"We now have but too many of these precursors. Despite their continuous
quarrels with the Archbishop of Tours, the good priests are rare, the
bad ones numerous. At the time of the last war, several of your
churchmen acted as guides to the Franks, while others seduced some of
our tribes into treason by making them believe that to resist your kings
was to incur the anger of heaven. Despite such acts of treason, we
defended our liberty then; we will defend it again both against the
machinations of the clergy and the swords of the Franks."

"Morvan, you look like a sensible man. Is it proposed to enslave you?
No! To dispossess you of your lands? No! What is it that Louis the Pious
demands? Merely that you pay him tribute in homage to his sovereignty.
Nothing more!"

"That is too much--and it is iniquitous!"

"Consider the frightful misfortunes to which Brittany will expose
herself if she refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of Louis the
Pious. Can you prefer to see your fields laid waste, your crops
destroyed,