ion was made for the
Kalends of May and the days immediately before and after, and no
penalty could be inflicted for gambling in the house of the Rector.
The records, of Florence afford an illustration of the checks upon the
rectorial power, to which we have referred in speaking of the typical
Student-University at Bologna. In 1433, a series of complaints were
brought against a certain Hieronimus who had just completed his year
of office as Rector, and a Syndicate, consisting of a Doctor of
Decrees (who was also a scholar in civil law), a scholar in Canon Law,
and a scholar in Medicine, was appointed to inquire into the conduct
of the late Rector and of his two Camerarii. The accusations were
both general and personal, and the Syndics, after deciding that (p. 036)
Hieronimus must restore eight silver _grossi_ of University money
which he had appropriated, proceeded to hear the charges brought by
individuals. A lecturer in the University complained that the Rector
had unjustly and maliciously given a sentence against him and in
favour of a Greek residing at Florence, and that he had unjustly
declared him perjured; fifty gold florins were awarded as damages for
this and some other injuries. A doctor of Arts and Medicine obtained a
judgment for two florins for expenses incurred when the Rector was in
his house. A student complained that he had been denounced as
"infamis" in all the Schools for not paying his matriculation-fee, and
that his name had been entered in the book called the "Speculum." The
Syndics ordered the record of his punishment to be erased. The most
interesting case is that of student of Civil Law, called Andreas
Romuli de Lancisca. He averred that he had sold Hieronimus six
measures of grain, to be paid for at the customary price. After four
months' delay, the Rector paid seven pounds, and when asked to
complete the payment, gave Andreas a book of medicine, "for which I
got five florins." Some days later he demanded the return of the book,
to which Andreas replied: "Date mihi residuum et libenter restituam
librum." To this request the Rector, "in superbiam elevatus," answered,
"Tu reddes librum et non solvam tibi." The quarrel continued, and (p. 037)
one morning, when Andreas was in the Schools at a lecture, Hieronimus
sent the servant of the Podesta, who seized him "ignominiose et
vituperose" in the Schools and conducted him to the town prison like a
common thief. For all these injuries Andreas craved