BIRTH OF A SON. 121 



tened by its name of Giovanni Battista, there flew into 

 the room a mighty wasp. 



This was portentous, for the wasp was larger than 

 wasps should be at that time of year, nor, reasoned 

 Cardan, do they usually enter houses till July or August. 

 All watched to see the issue of the omen : the anxious 

 father, whose sense of mystery was so fine that he had 

 found something supernatural even in the smell of his 

 own body, perceived that this was not a common wasp. 

 Hurting no one, but alarming all, it flew twice in a circle 

 round the bed, but from its third flight darted back 

 towards the window. There, however, instead of flying 

 out into the open air, it dashed into the curtain, and, 

 becoming entangled, made so loud a noise, " that you 

 would say," writes Cardan, ( ' a drum was being beaten. 

 We ran to it, nothing was found." The portent had 

 vanished ; there was no wasp to be seen ; and yet we are 

 told that it could not have escaped unnoticed through 

 the window while they were all watching it attentively. 

 It was agreed by the whole party that this wasp was a 

 revelation. All coincided in opinion that the life of 

 Jerome's first son would be short, that he would be gar- 

 rulous, and that he would be cut off by a sudden death. 

 So much Cardan predicted, and the vital part of the 

 prediction was fulfilled, how terribly no wasp or planet 

 could have taught the father to suspect* If griefs ever 

 send heralds out before them, there was a grief advancing 



