But it came into my mind while talking, that in Umbria, in
the old Duchy (Spoleto)? near the town of Nursia, there is a cave
beneath a steep rock, in which water flows. There, as I remember to
have heard, are witches (striges), demons, and nightly shades, and he
that has the courage can see and speak to ghosts (spiritus), and learn
magical arts. I have not seen it, nor taken any trouble about it, for
that which is learned with sin is better not learned at all.' He
nevertheless names his informant, and begs his brother to take the
bearer of the letter to him, should he be still alive. Aeneas goes far
enough here in his politeness to a man of position, but personally he
was not only freer from superstition than his contemporaries, but he
also stood a test on the subject which not every educated man of our
own day could endure. At the time of the Council of Basle, when he lay
sick of the fever for seventy-five days at Milan, he could never be
persuaded to listen to the magic doctors, though a man was brought to
his bedside who a short time before had marvelously cured 2,000
soldiers of fever in the camp of Piccinino. While still an invalid,
Aeneas rode over the mountains to Basle, and got well on the journey.
We learn something more about the neighborhood of Norcia through the
necromancer who tried to get Benvenuto Cellini into his power.
Pages:
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600