ors, and to the students, should become a member of the
Accademia degli Affidati, a society in which were enrolled divers
illustrious theologians, two Cardinals, and two princes, the Duke of
Mantua, and the Marquis Pescara. When they perceived how loth I was to
take this step they began to threaten. What was I to do, broken down by
the cruel fate of my son, and suffering every possible evil? Finally I
agreed, induced by the promise they made me, that, in the course of a few
days, I should be relieved of my duties as Professor; but I did not then
perceive the snare, or consider how it was that they should now court the
fellowship of one whom, less than fifteen days ago, all ranks of the
College had declared to be a monster not to be tolerated. Alas for faith
in heaven, for the barbarity of men, for the hatred of false friends, for
that shamelessness and cruelty more fell than serpent's bite! What more is
there to tell? The first time I entered the room of the Affidati I saw
that a heavy beam had been poised above in such fashion that it might
easily fall and kill whatsoever person might be passing underneath.
Whether this had been done by accident or design I cannot say. But
hereafter I attended as rarely as possible, making excuses for my absence;
and, when I did go, I went when no one looked for me, and out of season,
taking good heed of this trap the while. Wherefore no evil befell me
thereby, either because my foes deemed it unwise to work such wickedness
in public, or because they had not finally agreed to put their scheme in
operation, or because they were plotting some fresh evil against me.
Another attempt was made a few days later, when I was called to the ailing
son of one Piero Trono, a surgeon; they placed high over the door a leaden
weight which might easily be made to fall, pretending that it had been put
there to hold up the curtain. This weight did fall; and, had it struck me,
it would certainly have killed me: how near I was to death, God knows.
Wherefore I began to be suspicious of something I could not define, so
greatly was my mind upset. Then a third attempt was made, which was
evident enough. A few days later, when they were about to sing a new Mass,
the same rascally crew came to me, asking me whether I would lend them the
services of my two singing boys, for my enemies knew well enough that
these boys acted as my cup-bearers, and over and beyond this they made an
agreement with my hired woman that sh