him
in his necessities, and gave him wherewithal to set up again. At length,
being one day at a great entertainment, and more gay than ever, having
asked for wine, he found the taste of it was bitter. Immediately
remembering the prophecy of Father Xavier, he was seized with an inward
horror; which beginning from the soul, spread over his body, as if death
had been pronounced against him, or the image of death presented to his
eyes. Nevertheless, somewhat recovering his spirits, for his farther
satisfaction in the point, he desired his fellow-guests at the table to
taste the wine out of his glass. All judged it to be excellent, besides
himself, who made divers trials of it on his palate. He called for other
wines, and another glass; but always found the same bitterness. Then, no
longer doubting but that his last hour was coming, after he had made an
interior sacrifice of his life to God, he related to the company that
prediction, which was now accomplished; and arose from the table with the
thoughts of a Christian, who is disposing himself for death. Having
distributed his goods betwixt his children and the poor, he went to see
his friends, and to give and take the last farewell;--notwithstanding his
great age, he was in perfect health. It was thought he doted, and they
endeavoured to persuade him out of his melancholy apprehensions. But
their arguments prevailed so little on his mind, that he gave orders for
his own funeral, and invited his friends to do him the last kind office,
of accompanying his corpse to burial. To content him, and to make
themselves merry at his folly, they attended him into the church: in
their presence he received the viaticum, and the extreme unction, without
being sick; afterwards he laid himself upon the bier, and caused them to
sing the mass for the dead. The people gathered in a crowd at the
strangeness of the report; some drawn by the novelty of the sight, the
rest to be eye-witnesses how the prediction of Father Xavier would
succeed. Mass being ended, the priest, attended by his inferiors,
performed all the ceremonies of the church about the grave, and, at
length, sung the last words belonging to a Christian burial over the old
man, who was alive, and bore his part in the responses. There now
remaining no more to do, the servant of Veglio coming to help his master
off the bier, he found him dead. All the assistants were witnesses of the
matter of fact, and every one went home full of admir