A SON ILL. 47 



world, that those who were courteous and able should be 

 put with princes, those who were active and laborious 

 with rich merchants, those who were ingenious with great 

 artificers, those who had ingratiating ways, and even tem- 

 pers, with the sons of rich men, as fellow-pupils, with 

 people hating their kindred and the like, with old men 

 especially, and misers 1 . 



There were fatherly dreams also. One night, in the 

 year 1547, Jerome, whose wife had not then long been 

 dead, dreamt that there remained to him but a single son. 

 In the morning he went out thinking of this, and was 

 pursued by the nurse, who told him that his son, Aldo, was 

 convulsed, that his eyes were distorted, and that she be- 

 lieved him to be dying. The vision of the night had warned 

 him of necessity for energetic measures, if he would preserve 

 his child. He ran home, therefore, without delay, to watch 

 over him. He administered a powder composed of pearl 

 and gems. It acted as an emetic. He administered an- 

 other. It was kept upon the stomach. The boy slept, 

 perspired, and in three days was well 3 . 



Another dream 3 was yet more curiously ominous, and 

 really seemed like a shadow thrown before by the cala- 

 mity, of which a portent had appeared at Gianbattista's 

 birth. In the year 1550, Cardan being then at Milan, 



1 Proxenata, p. 694. 9 De Vita Propria, cap, xxxvi, 



3 Synesiorum Somniorum Lib. p. 264. 



