chapter of S. Peter's that they might make a
new reliquary for the skull of S. Petronilla."

The search was doubtless irregular, imperfect and careless, as is
proved by other and far richer discoveries which were made in 1544.
Unfortunately, if the accounts we have of these are complete, no
drawings were made before the dispersion of the objects. The only
sketches which have reached us represent a few perfume bottles found
inside the grave. Of these _flacons_ there are two sets of drawings,
one in a codex of marchese Raffaelli di Cingoli, f. 43, with the
legend, "Five goblets of agate discovered in the foundations of S.
Peter's during the pontificate of Paul III. in the tomb of Maria,
daughter of Stilicho and wife of Honorius;" the other in the codex of
Fulvio Orsino, No. 3439 of the Vatican Library.

The discovery took place in 1544. A greater treasure of gems, gold,
and precious objects has never been found in a single tomb. The
beautiful empress was lying in a coffin of red granite, clothed in a
state robe woven of gold. Of the same material were the veil, and the
shroud which covered the head and breast. The melting of these
materials produced a considerable amount of pure gold, its weight
being variously stated at thirty-five or forty pounds. Bullinger puts
it at eighty, with manifest exaggeration. At the right of the body was
placed a casket of solid silver, full of goblets and smelling-bottles,
cut in rock crystal, agate, and other precious stones. There were
thirty in all, among which were two cups, one round, one oval,
decorated with figures in high relief, of exquisite taste, and a lamp,
made of gold and crystal, in the shape of a corrugated sea-shell, the
hole for the oil being protected and concealed by a golden fly, which
moved around a socket. There were also four golden vases, one of which
was studded with gems.

In a second casket of gilded silver, placed at the left side, were
found one hundred and fifty objects,--gold rings with engraved stones,
earrings, brooches, necklaces, buttons, hair-pins, etc. covered with
emeralds, pearls and sapphires; a golden nut, which opened in halves;
a _bulla_ which has been published in a special work by
Mazzucchelli;[102] and an emerald engraved with the bust of Honorius,
valued at five hundred ducats. Silver objects were scarce; of these we
find mentioned only a hairpin and a buckle of repousse work.

The letters and names engraved on some pieces prove that they f