MEMOIR OP RONDELET. 27 



better of the disorder under which he continued 

 to labour. This expectation, however, was not 

 realised ; the disease gradually increased in severity, 

 and ultimately proved fatal. His death took place 

 on the 30th July, 1566, in the fifty-ninth year of 

 his age. 



Such are the principal events of Rondelet's life, 

 which we consider it unnecessary to present in 

 further detail, even if the means of so doing had been 

 in our power. It is alleged that some time before 

 his death he became a convert to the Protestant 

 faith ; but if such was the case, it was kept secret 

 during his life. At one period he devoted a great por- 

 tion of his time to the perusal of books on theology ; 

 but when his friend Pellicier, bishop of Montpellier, 

 was imprisoned in 1552, for entertaining opinions in 

 favour of protestantism, he committed all the theo- 

 logical works in his library to the flames. This he 

 is said to have done because he had made up his 

 mind on the subject. He was probably much in- 

 fluenced in coming to this decision by a famous 

 theologian of the name of Caperon, who had like- 

 wise changed his sentiments, and whom Rondelet 

 kept for a long time secretly in his house. 



Rondelet was of very short stature, but in his latter 

 years extremely corpulent. From the age of twenty- 

 five, he gave up the use of wine and strong liquors of 

 every kind from fear of gout, to which he thought 

 himself liable ; but he compensated himself for this 

 forbearance by indulging his appetite very freely, 

 particularly in the articles of fruit and pastry. He 



