288 F. M. Warren, 



urgent summons which hastened Abbo's return from Ramsey shows 

 that his presence was imperatively demanded by the authorities at 

 Fleury. Oilbodus evidently felt that his strength was declining. 

 The protagonists of the new education at Fleury were also his 

 personal opponents. He wished to make sure of the succession to 

 the pastoral office, and he did so, but not by winning over the 

 malcontents. Abbo's biographer admits that the election was not 

 unanimous. Some friars objected, " as is wont to happen in such 

 cases," '^ and among these objectors we can hardly fail to find Con- 

 stantine. 



The subsequent relations of our monk to Fleury escape us. 

 Almoin mentions a " Constantinum presbyterum," who was to 

 accompany Bernard of Beaulieu on a pilgrimage to Rome, late in 

 989 or in 990, but he is almost certainly not the old scolasticus."^ 

 The silence of this writer must have been intentional. He 

 belonged to the dominant party, whose adherents seem to have 

 decided on the elimination of Constantine. The testimony of Andre 

 of Fleury, that Constantine's music for the poem on St. Benedict 

 was not sung until Gauzlin had succeeded to Abbo, indicates the 

 purpose on the part of the Fleury officials to ignore their brilliant 

 subordinate. If such was their intention is was thoroughly executed. 

 When Constantine appears again in the records of the day it is no 

 longer as a friar at Fleury, but as the abbot of St. Mesmin, a 

 foundation not many miles away from his earlier station. Unfortun- 

 ately the first document which shows this transfer and promotion 

 is a letter of Gerbert, written as late as|997,3 and which is wholly 

 devoted to its author's own troubles at Rheims. It does not allude 

 to Constantine's aifairs, and we would be entirely at loss to know 

 how he had secured his abbacy, did not we not possess Andre of 

 Fleury 's statement, already cited, that he had been appointed to 

 the position by Arnulf of Orleans. The ecclesiastical annals of the 

 nineties may perhaps furnish a clue to this bishop's benevolent 

 intervention. 



In June, 991, a council of prelates had convened at Verzy, near 

 Rheims, to pass on the conduct of Arnulf, archbishop of Rheims, 



1 Migne, loc. cit.^ col. 593. 



^ Migne, loc. cit.^ col. 598. Almoin speaks of a " Constantinus presbyter" 

 — probably the same m.onk — who was present at the relation of a miracle, 

 apparently after Abbo's death (f 1004). See Miracles de St. Benoit (in the 

 Societe de I'Histoii-e de France series), iii, c. 3 (p. 132). 



* Op. cit.., letter 191. Cf. F. TjOt, Etudes sur le regne de Hugues Capet 

 pp. 272-276. 



