when he reached his fiftieth year , he withdrew from all things and would no longer exercise his arts . one summer evening he was sitting in his courtyard , enjoying the cool air . while there he drank a number of goblets of wine , and by midnight had fallen fast asleep . suddenly he awoke , feeling ill . it seemed as though some one were patting him on the back , and before he knew it , the ball of fire had leaped out from his throat . at once a hand reached for it and a voice said : " for thirty long years you kept my treasure from me , and from a poor farmer - lad you have grown to be a wealthy man . now you have enough , and i would like to have my fire - ball back again ! " then the man knew what had happened , but the fox was gone . 
the fox took away the elixir of life from him .
why did the farmer feel ill ?
why did the farmer feel ill ?