s his way into Paris, to
share the terrors of the siege. Henry the Saxon again appears, but is
ambushed and slain and his army melts away. Yet again Paris is
abandoned by her emperor and seeks help of heaven, for the waters are
low, the besiegers are able to get footing on the island, set fire to
the gates and attack the walls. The body of St. Genevieve, which had
been transferred to the Cite, is borne about, and at night the ghostly
figure of St. Germain is seen by the sentinels to pass along the
ramparts, sprinkling them with holy water and promising salvation.
Charles the Fat, the Lord's anointed, now appears with a multitude of
a hundred tongues and encamps on Montmartre, but while the Parisians
are preparing to second him in crushing their foes, they learn that
the cowardly emperor has bought them off with a bribe and permission
to winter in Burgundy. The Parisians, however, refused to give them
passage and by an unparalleled feat of engineering they transported
their ships overland for two miles and set sail again above the city.
Next year, as Gozlin's successor, Bishop Antheric, was sitting at
table with Abbot Ebles, a fearful messenger brought news that the
_acephali_[36] were again in sight. Forgetting the repast, the two
churchmen seized their weapons, called the city to arms, hastened to
the ramparts, and the abbot slew their pilot with a well-aimed shaft.
The Normans are terrified, and at length a treaty is made with their
leaders, who promised not to ravage the Marne and some even entered
Paris. But the ill-disciplined hordes were hard to hold in and bands
of brigands, as soon as the ramparts were passed, began to plunder and
slew a score of Christian men. The Parisians in their indignation
sought out and--Hurrah! cries Abbo--found five hundred Normans in the
city and slew them. But the bishop protected those that took refuge in
his palace, instead of killing them as he ought to have done--_potius
concidere debens_. For a time Paris had respite; cowardly Charles the
Fat was deposed, and in 887 Count Eudes was acclaimed king of France
after his return from Aquitaine, whose duke he had brought to
subjection. He counselled a gathering of all the peoples outside Paris
to make common cause against the Normans, and Abbo saw the proud
Franks march in with heads erect, the skilful and polished Aquitaines,
the Burgundians too prone to flight. But nought availed: the motley
host soon melted away.

[Footnote 35: The