He had refused the terms which the party opposed to him in the Senate at
Bologna had sent for his acceptance, and was still waiting to hear whether
they would carry out their original propositions. It was during this time
of suspense that he was subjected to strange and inexplicable treatment at
the hands of the Milanese Senate, treatment which, viewed by the light of
his own report--the only one extant--seems very harsh and unjust. He
writes: "At the time when I was greatly angered by the action of the
Bolognese agent, four of the Senators persuaded me to seek practice once
more in Milan, wherefore I, having altered my plans, began to try to earn
an honest living, for I reckoned that the Senate of Milan knew that I had
rejected the offers from Bologna, since these offers were unjust in
themselves, and put before me in unjust fashion. But afterwards, although
the same iniquitous terms were offered to me, I accepted them, not indeed
because I was satisfied therewith, but because of my necessity, and so
that I might be free from those dangers which, as I have before stated,
pressed upon me in those days. The reason why I took this step was that
the Senate, by most unexpected action, removed my name from the lists of
those licensed to teach; nor was this all. They warned me by a message
that they had recently given hearing to a double charge against me of very
grave offences, and that nothing but my position, and the interests of the
College, kept them back from laying me in hold. Nevertheless, influenced
by these considerations, they had been moved to reduce my punishment to
that of exile. But neither my good fortune nor God deserted me; for on the
same day certain things came to pass by means of which I was able, with a
single word, to free myself from all suspicion upon either charge, and to
prove my innocence. Moreover, I forced them to admit that no mention of
this affair had ever been made before the Senate, although two graduates
had informed me that it had been discussed."[211]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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