238 JEROME CARDAN. 



anguish and alarm. In the morning, when he looked, 

 the mark was gone. During the night his son had 

 perished. He was executed by night in his prison on 

 the 7th of April, 1560, being then twenty-six years old 1 . 



The mutilated body was delivered to the old man, 

 who had taken to his heart the orphan children of Bran- 

 donia. Thrusting aside all question of legitimacy, he had 

 received them as his own blood. But the girl, Diaregina, 

 died almost at the same time as her father, and within the 

 week there died also the nurse who had come with the 

 infant boy. These all had to be buried, and three funerals 3 

 in one week crossed the threshold of Cardan. The old 

 physician and his little grandson were thus left alone 

 together. To that infant, three months old, his solemn 

 charge, his consolation in the bitterness of his affliction, 

 the philosopher transferred all love that was not buried 

 with his son. 



The stroke that fell so heavily on Cardan's heart de- 

 stroyed at the same time his local reputation 3 . He had 

 poured out his money in his son's cause. Thus from the 

 very summit of his fame he had been thrust suddenly 

 into poverty, contempt, and wretchedness ; but it was 

 only of the wretchedness that he was conscious. Time 



1 De Ut, ex Adv. Cap. p. 1105. 



3 De Vita Propria, p. xxvii. 



3 Evidence of statements here made will appear in the sequel. 



