t an active and cheerful life, far from the envy and strife
of the world, for which he had no taste whatever. Nevertheless the fame
of his good deeds had reached the high places of the earth. Sigebert,
who at that time held his court at Andernach, heard of the piety and
noble life of the hermit, and invited him to his palace. St. Goar
accepted the invitation--or, rather, obeyed the command--and made his
way to Andernach. He was well received by the monarch, whom his genuine
holiness and single-mindedness greatly impressed. But pure as he was,
the worthy Goar was not destined to escape calumny. There were at the
court of Sigebert other ecclesiastics of a less exalted type, and these
were filled with envy and indignation when they beheld the favours
bestowed upon the erstwhile recluse. Foremost among his persecutors
was the Archbishop of Treves, and with him Sigebert dealt in summary
fashion, depriving him of his archbishopric and offering the see to
St. Goar. The latter, however, was sick of the perpetual intrigues and
squabblings of the court, and longed to return to the shelter of his
mossy cell and the sincere friendship of the poor fishermen among whom
his mission lay. So he refused the proffered dignity and informed the
monarch of his desire to return home. As he stood in the hall of the
palace preparing to take his leave, he threw his cloak over a sunbeam,
and, strange to say, the garment was suspended as though the shaft of
light were solid. This, we are told, was not a mere piece of bravado,
but was done to show that the saint's action in refusing the see was
prompted by divine inspiration.

When St. Goar died Sigebert caused a chapel to be erected over his
grave, choosing from among his disciples two worthy monks to officiate.
Other hermits took up their abode near the spot, and all were
subsequently gathered together in a monastery. The grave of the
solitary became a favourite shrine, to which pilgrims travelled from all
quarters, and St. Goar became the patron saint of hospitality, not so
much personally as through the monastery of which he was the patron, and
one of whose rules was that no stranger should be denied hospitality for
a certain period.

A goodly number of stories are told of his somewhat drastic treatment
of those who passed by his shrine without bringing an offering--stories
which may be traced to the monks who dwelt there, and who reaped the
benefit of these offerings.

Charlemagne at the Sh