JEROME'S POSITION AT BOLOGNA. 287 



from my other son I have but slight hope of happiness, or 

 of the continuation of my family; my daughter, now 

 nine years a wife, is childless. I who once flourished so 

 strongly am now happy, in spite of all reverse. I teach 

 with my mind "bent wholly on the duty, and therefore 

 with a most numerous class. I manage my affairs more 

 wisely than I used ; my latest writings, if anybody will 

 compare them with my former works, will show that my 

 mind is fuller, livelier, and purer than it ever was before." 

 So, pen in hand, and with a train of philosophic medita- 

 tion in his mind, he could deceive himself, and even at 

 times prove that his son's fate had been a blessing. Inas- 

 much as he had reformed his household, and had become 

 more prudent in the management of money, he had 

 grounds for his assertion that he had improved by his 

 affliction. It is true also that as a philosopher, whenever 

 his topic was of a purely contemplative kind, grief had 

 improved rather than impaired his powers. He was 

 writing at that time a work " On Nature;" and admo- 

 nished by his approach to the allotted term of mortal life, 

 was engaged upon several books under the title " Paralipo- 

 menon," in which he put down, each under its own head, 

 much that he had to communicate on all the subjects he 

 had spent his life in studying, and for which it was not 

 likely that room would be made in future treatises. In 

 this work are books on Algebra, Medicine, Natural His- 



