rine of St. Goar

Here is one of those tales concerning the great Karl. On one occasion
while he was travelling from Ingelheim to Aix-la-Chapelle, by way of
Coblentz, he passed the shrine of St. Goar without so much as a
single thought. Nor did those who accompanied him give the saint more
attention. It was the height of summer, everything was bright and
beautiful, and as the Emperor's flotilla drifted lazily down the Rhine
the sound of laughter and light jesting could be heard.

No sooner had the Emperor and his courtiers passed St. Goar, however,
than the smiling sky became overcast, heavy clouds gathered, and the
distant sound of thunder was heard. A moment more and they were in
the midst of a raging storm; water surged and boiled all around, and
darkness fell so thickly that scarce could one see another's face. Panic
reigned supreme where all had been gaiety and merriment.

In vain the sailors strove to reach the shore; in vain the ladies
shrieked and the Emperor and his nobles lent their aid to the seamen.
All the exertions of the sailors would not suffice to move the vessels
one foot nearer the shore. At length an old boatman who had spent the
greater part of a lifetime on the Rhine approached the Emperor and
addressed him thus:

"Sire, our labours are useless. We have offended God and St. Goar."

The words were repeated by the Emperor's panic-stricken train, who now
saw that the storm was of miraculous origin. "Let us go ashore," said
Charlemagne in an awed voice. "In the name of God and St. Goar, let us
go ashore. We will pray at the shrine of the saint that he may help us
make peace with Heaven."

Scarcely had he uttered the words ere the sky began to clear, the
boiling water subsided to its former glassy smoothness, and the storm
was over. The illustrious company landed and sought the shrine of the
holy man, where they spent the rest of the day in prayer.

Ere they departed on the following morning Charlemagne and his court
presented rich offerings at the shrine, and the Emperor afterward
endowed the monastery with lands of great extent, by which means it is
to be hoped that he succeeded in propitiating the jealous saint.

The Reconciliation

One more tale of St. Goar may be added, dealing this time with
Charlemagne's sons, Pepin and Karloman. These two, brave knights both,
had had a serious quarrel over the sovereignty of their father's vast
Empire. Gradually the breach widened to a deadly feud, and