266 JEROME CARDAN. 



he fell asleep, and on awaking could not find the ring on 

 his left hand. He aroused Giacomo Antonio Scacaba- 

 rozio, a boy of fifteen, who was his page, and slept in the 

 chamber, ordering him to find the rings. He found the 

 selenite at once under the pillow. The jacinth, first 

 Jerome and then the boy looked for in vain; they could 

 not find it. " Sorrowful to death on account of the omen," 

 says Cardan, " my mind desponded, for I scarcely could 

 consider this a natural occurrence. When I had rested 

 for a little while I gathered courage, and bade the boy 

 go and get light from the hearth. He answered, I think 

 because he disliked the trouble, and was afraid to be in 

 the dark, that the fire had been thoroughly put out last 

 evening. I bade him light a candle with the flint. He 

 said that we were without matches or tinder." Jerome 

 persisted, and at last got up, for he said effort must be 

 made, " if even without hope ; because if I went to sleep 

 upon so dire a prodigy it would portend destruction. I 

 commanded the boy, therefore, to get light in some way. 

 He departed, raked among the ashes, found a coal no 

 bigger than a cherry, indeed smaller, that was quite 

 glowing, and took it with the tongs. Then I was afraid 

 there was no hope of getting flame ; but he brought a 

 lamp with a cotton wick, blew on the coal, and obtained 

 a light without any emission of flame from the coal, 

 which again seemed to me a prodigy." The boy asked 



