SCANDAL AT PAVIA. 257 



The libel had been founded on the fact that Cardan, 

 whose love for music was a ruling taste, generally main- 

 tained in his house, according to a custom of the age, a 

 singing boy, and that he was rarely without pupils. The 

 sick mind of the philosopher had no longer the strength 

 to despise idle calumny; and even Fioravanti could not 

 afterwards desire the aid of his boys in a church choir, or 

 as singers in a comedy, without exciting Jerome's anger 

 at suspected motives. Visconti was at last swayed by 

 the strength of Cardan's feelings into sharing the belief, 

 that it was designed to remove all faithful attendants, 

 that his master might more readily be poisoned. 



It is evident that Jerome's intellect was greatly shaken 

 by the suffering that followed his son's crime and execu- 

 tion. His superstition, increased and confirmed by age, 

 was increased tenfold by his gloomy fortune; and Ms 

 views of life were coloured as they never before had been 

 by his sick imaginings. The next illustration of this fact 

 is very striking. 



In May of the year 1562, there was founded in Pavia 

 the Accademia degli Affidati, which suddenly became 

 one of the most illustrious of all Italian institutions of the 

 kind. Writing from Pavia in August, Contile 1 spoke of 



1 Contile is here quoted through Tiraboschi, from whose Storia della 

 Letteratura Italiana (ed. Milan, 1824), Tom. vii. pp. 276, et seq. this 

 account of the academy is taken, 



VOL. II. S 



