152 JEROME CARDAN. 



man, at His guest's departure, used great effort to compel 

 him to accept a valuable mule, worth nearly a hundred 

 gold pieces. In the course of the same journey, a noble 

 Genoese, named Ezzelin, offered also to the traveller an 

 ambling horse (the English, Jerome says, call it, in their 

 language an Obin does he mean Dobbin?); but he was 

 ashamed to take it, though he had never seen an animal 

 that he thought handsomer. It was quite white, and 

 there were shown to him two of the kind, from which he 

 might have made his own selection. 



On the horse given by Affaidatus, Jerome turned aside 

 to Besa^on, where he again stayed for some days, that 

 being the last place at which he tarried on his way. 

 There he lodged with a liberal 'and courteous scholar, 

 Franciscus Bonvalutus, and met with a Church dignitary, 

 by whom he was hospitably entertained and sent away 

 with gifts. His was indeed a triumphal journey home 

 to Milan, for his fame abroad was at the highest, and 

 good gifts awaited him at almost every stage. 



From Besan^on he travelled into Italy, through Berne 

 and Zurich, of course visiting at Zurich Conrad Gesner, 

 who kept open house there for all learned men who came 

 into his neighbourhood. Gesner was not only the best 

 naturalist among the scholars of his day, but of all men 

 of that century he was the pattern man of letters. He 

 was faultless in private life, assiduous in study, diligent 



