aster." By way of a sign that
the order was authoritative, the servant was promised that, from that
time forth, his fever should disappear. And as the fever did vanish to
return no more, the faith of Eginhard's people in Deacon Deusdona
naturally vanished with it (_et fidem diaconi promissis non
haberent_). Nevertheless, they put up at the deacon's house near St.
Peter ad Vincula. But time went on and no relics made their
appearance, while the notary and the priest were put off with all
sorts of excuses--the brother to whom the relics had been confided was
gone to Beneventum and not expected back for some time, and so
on--until Ratleig and Hunus began to despair, and were minded to
return, _infecto negotio_.

But my notary, calling to mind his servant's dream, proposed
to his companion that they should go to the cemetery which
their host had talked about without him. So, having found
and hired a guide, they went in the first place to the
basilica of the blessed Tiburtius in the Via Labicana, about
three thousand paces fron the town, and cautiously and
carefully inspected the tomb of that martyr, in order to
discover whether it could be opened without any one being
the wiser. Then they descended into the adjoining crypt, in
which the bodies of the blessed martyrs of Christ,
Marcellinus and Petrus, were buried; and, having made out
the nature of their tomb, they went away thinking their host
would not know what they had been about. But things fell out
differently from what they had imagined. (Cap. i. 7.)

In fact, Deacon Deusdona, who doubtless kept an eye on his guests,
knew all about their manoeuvres and made haste to offer his services,
in order that, "with the help of God" (_si Deus votis eorum favere
dignaretur_), they should all work together. The deacon was evidently
alarmed lest they should succeed without _his_ help.

So, by way of preparation for the contemplated _vol avec effraction_
they fasted three days; and then, at night, without being seen, they
betook themselves to the basilica of St. Tiburtius, and tried to break
open the altar erected over his remains. But the marble proving too
solid, they descended to the crypt, and, "having evoked our Lord Jesus
Christ and adored the holy martyrs," they proceeded to prise off the
stone which covered the tomb, and thereby exposed the body of the most
sacred martyr, Marcellinus, "whose head rest