SENT TO THE UNIVERSITY. 43 



other way 1 . Jerome, ill-trained as he had been, with all 

 his oddities and faults, was a good son. The life of 

 Fazio was now declining ; Clara was much younger than 

 the old geometrician, and must turn naturally after the 

 old man's death to her son Jerome for protection. Let 

 him, therefore, before it was too late, be enabled 

 to earn bread. Fazio, though he had acquired some 

 property, was far from being rich. He had lent money 

 too carelessly, and been but too indifferent a steward of his 

 own resources. The main prop of his income as a juris- 

 consult was a stipend of a hundred scudi, from a lecture- 

 ship in Milan, which could one day be obtained also by 

 Jerome, if he were qualified to take his father's place 3 . 

 Clara had, therefore, good reason for backing with her 

 prayers Jerome's demand for education. Jerome declared 

 obstinately that if he were not sent to Pavia for instruc- 

 tion, he would run away from any situation into which 

 he might be put ; and thus the old man was at length 

 entreated and compelled to yield 3 . 



1 " Dii boni! florem liunc universum setatis, et sine voluptate, et sine 

 studiis transegi. Cum vero neque patrem cogere possem, nee fraudare 

 honestum ducerem,nec praecibus impetrare valerem : religion! tandem, 

 amore studiorum, tradere me volui. Inde metuentis matris orbitatem 

 prcccibus exoratus pater, in Gymnasium dimisit." De Consolatione, 

 Lib. iii. p. 75, 



2 De Vita Propr. cap. x. p. 48. 



3 " Atque ita precibus matris et amici praedicti, minisque meis, ut 

 qui omnino abire quoquo destinaveram, discessum in Academiam 

 sequent! anno impetravi." De Libris Propriis. 



