Luckily, the person to whose care he had left his house--the son of the worthy rustic, lately deceased--having a presentiment of the robbery, had conveyed to the castle a great many books which Petrarch left behind him; and the robbers, believing that there were persons in the castle to defend it, had not the courage to make an attack.
As Petrarch grew old, we do not find him improve in consistency.

In his letter, dated the 21st of October, 1353, it is evident that he had a return of his hankering after Vaucluse.

He accordingly wrote to his friends, requesting that they would procure him an establishment in the Comtat.

Socrates, upon this, immediately communicated with the Bishop of Cavaillon, who did all that he could to obtain for the poet the object of his wish.

It appears that the Bishop endeavoured to get for him a good benefice in his own diocese.