PROFESSOR AT BOLOGNA. 277 



his grandson, Jerome established himself, against much 

 opposition, as a professor in the university, with which 

 his connexion was maintained during the next eight 

 years of his life. At first he occupied a house next door 

 to a ruined palace, of which the story was, that its owner, 

 named Gramigna, had dug a mine in it, near some of the 

 main pillars, for the purpose of destroying certain of his 

 enemies, whom he had invited to an entertainment 1 . A 

 train was set, and the mine was to explode an hour after 

 the entertainment had commenced. The treacherous 

 host of course made for himself occasion to depart from 

 table just before the critical moment. At the appointed 

 time, and after it, nothing occurred ; and Gramigna, at last 

 growing angry and impatient, rushed in with his drawn 

 sword to ascertain the cause of the delay. When he had 

 passed into the hall the mine exploded; and, the main 

 pillars being broken, the whole palace tumbled to the 

 ground. The mangled body of its owner was found dead 

 among the ruins, and in that state gibbeted. Next door 

 to the ruin Cardan lived. It will be most convenient 

 here to say that he removed afterwards to rooms in the 

 palazzo Ranuzzi, where he occupied successively two sets 2 , 

 one splendid, but with a dilapidated roof that was per- 

 petually letting pieces fall, and threatened in the end to 



1 Paralipomenon, Lib. v. cap. 2. 



2 De Vita Propria, cap. xxiii. 



