re physical misfortune. He
gives a rapid sketch of the year following his father's death. "Then, my
father having breathed his last and my term of office come to an end, I
went, at the beginning of my twenty-sixth year, to reside at Sacco, a town
distant ten miles from Padua and twenty-five from Venice. I fixed on this
place by the advice of Francesco Buonafidei, a physician of Padua, who,
albeit I brought no profit to him--not even being one of those who
attended his public teaching--helped me and took a liking for me, being
moved to this benevolence by his exceeding goodness of heart. In this
place I lived while our State was being vexed by every sort of calamity.
In 1524 by a raging pestilence and by a two-fold change of ruler. In 1526
and 1527 by a destructive scarcity of the fruits of the earth. It was hard
to get corn in exchange for money of any kind, and over and beyond this
was the intolerable weight of taxation. In 1528 the land was visited by
divers diseases and by the plague as well, but these afflictions seemed
the easier to bear because all other parts were likewise suffering from
the same. In 1529 I ventured to return to Milan--these ill-starred
troubles being in some degree abated--but I was refused membership by the
College of Physicians there, I was unable to settle my lawsuit with the
Barbiani, and I found my mother in a very ill humour, so I went back to my
village home, having suffered greatly in health during my absence. For
what with cruel vexations, and struggles, and cares which I saw impending,
and a troublesome cough and pleurisy aggravated by a copious discharge of
humour, I was brought into a condition such as few men exchange for aught
else besides a coffin."[44]

The closing words of his eulogy on his father tell how the son, on the
father's death, found that one small house was all he could call his own.
The explanation of this seems to be that the old man, being of a careless
disposition and litigious to boot, had left his affairs in piteous
disorder. In consequence of this neglect Jerome was involved in lawsuits
for many years, and the one afore-mentioned with the Barbiani was one of
them. This case was subsequently settled in Jerome's favour.

FOOTNOTES:

[28] Pavia, like certain modern universities, did not spend all its time
over study. "Aggressus sum Mediolani vacationibus quadragenariae, seu
Bacchanalium potius, anni MDLXI. Ita enim non obscurum est, nostra aetate
celebrari ante