V WITNESS TO THE MIRACULOUS 177 



belonged to St. Tiburtius ; but afterwards con- 

 fessed, as a great secret, how he had come by 

 them, and he wound up his discourse thus : 



They have a place of honour beside St. Medardus, where they 

 are worshipped with great veneration by all the people ; but 

 whether we may keep them or not is for your judgment. (Cap. 

 iii. 23.) 



Poor Eginhard was thrown into a state of great 

 perturbation of mind by this revelation. An 

 acquaintance of his had recently told him of a 

 rumour that was spread about that Hunus had 

 contrived to abstract all the remains of SS. 

 Marcellinus and Petrus while Eginhard's agents 

 were in a drunken sleep ; and that, while the real 

 relics were in Abbot Hildoin's hands at St. 

 Medardus, the shrine at Seligenstadt contained 

 nothing but a little dust. Though greatly annoyed 

 by this " execrable rumour, spread everywhere by 

 the subtlety of the devil/' Eginhard had doubtless 

 comforted himself by his supposed knowledge of 

 its falsity, and he only now discovered how con- 

 siderable a foundation there was for the scandal. 

 There was nothing for it but to insist upon the 

 return of the stolen treasures. One would have 

 thought that the holy man, who had admitted 

 himself to be knowingly a receiver of stolen goods, 

 would have made instant restitution and begged 

 only for absolution. But Eginhard intimates that 

 he had very great difficulty in getting his brother 

 abbot to see that even restitution was necessary. 



