King of the Franks. In the earlier letter Boethius is directed to
procure such a harper (citharoedus), and to see that he is a
first-rate performer. In the later, Theodoric congratulates his royal
brother-in-law on his victory over the Alamanni, adjures him not to
pursue the panic-stricken fugitives who have taken refuge within the
Ostrogothic territory, and sends ambassadors to introduce the harper
whom Boethius has provided. It used to be thought that these letters
must be referred to 496, the year of the celebrated victory of Clovis
over the Alamanni, commonly, but incorrectly, called the battle of
Tulbiacum. But this was a most improbable theory, for it was difficult
to understand how a boy of sixteen (and that was the age of Boethius
in 496) should have attained such eminence as a musical connoisseur as
to be entrusted with the task of selecting the citharoedus. And in a
very recent monograph[31] Herr von Schubert has shown, I think
convincingly, that the last victory of Clovis over the Alamanni, and
their migration to Raetia within the borders of Theodoric's territory,
occurred not in 496 but a few years later, probably about 503 or 504.
It is true that Gregory of Tours (to whom the earlier battle is
all-important, as being the event which brought about the conversion
of Clovis) says nothing about this later campaign; but to those who
know the fragmentary and incomplete character of this part of his
history, such an omission will not appear an important argument.

[Footnote 31: Die Uterwerfung der Alamannen: Strassburg, 1884.]

[Sidenote: Letters to Gaulish princes.]

The letters written in Theodoric's name to Clovis, to Alaric II, to
Gundobad of Burgundy, and to other princes, in order to prevent the
outbreak of a war between the Visigoths and the Franks, have been by