that tongue, but the demon by her mouth. (Cap. v. 51.)

If the "Historia Translations" contained nothing more than has been laid
before the reader, up to this time, disbelief in the miracles of which
it gives so precise and full a record might well be regarded as
hyper-scepticism. It might fairly be said, Here you have a man, whose
high character, acute intelligence, and large instruction are certified
by eminent contemporaries; a man who stood high in the confidence of one
of the greatest rulers of any age, and whose other works prove him to be
an accurate and judicious narrator of ordinary events. This man tells
you, in language which bears the stamp of sincerity, of things which
happened within his own knowledge, or within that of persons in whose
veracity he has entire confidence, while he appeals to his sovereign and
the court as witnesses of others; what possible ground can there be for
disbelieving him?

Well, it is hard upon Eginhard to say so, but it is exactly the honesty
and sincerity of the man which are his undoing as a witness to the
miraculous. He himself makes it quite obvious that when his profound
piety comes on the stage, his good sense and even his perception of
right and wrong, make their exit. Let us go back to the point at which
we left him, secretly perusing the letter of Deacon Deusdona. As he
tells us, its contents were

that he [the deacon] had many relics of saints at home, and that he
would give them to me if I would furnish him with the means of
returning to Rome; he had observed that I had two mules, and if I
would let him have one of them and would despatch with him a
confidential servant to take charge of the relics, he would at once
send them to me. This plausibly expressed proposition pleased me,
and I made up my mind to test the value of the somewhat ambiguous
promise at once;[22] so giving him the mule and money for his
journey I ordered my notary Ratleig (who already desired to go to
Rome to offer his devotions there) to go with him. Therefore,
having left Aix-la-Chapelle (where the Emperor and his Court
resided at the time) they came to Soissons. Here they spoke with
Hildoin, abbot of the monastery of St. Medardus, because the said
deacon had assured him that he had the means of placing in his
possession the body of the blessed Tiburtius the Martyr. Attracted
by which promises he (Hildoin) sent with t