,,jerome ,,cardan     ,illustration     
,,jerome ,,cardan  ,a ,,biographical    
,,study  ,,by  ,w4,g4 ,,waters  ,to be  
content that times to come should only  
know there was such a man1 not caring   
whether they knew more of him1 was a    
frigid ambition in ,cardan4--,,sir      
,,thomas ,,browne4  ,illustration       
,,lawrence  ,,bullen1 ,limited1  #af    
,henrietta ,street1 ,covent ,garden1    
,london1 ,,mdcccxcviii4       ,,richard 
,,clay  ,,sons1 ,,limited1   ,,london   
,,bungay4     ,,preface   ,no attempt is
 made in the following pages to submit  
to historical treatment the vast and    
varied mass of printed matter which     
,cardan left as his contribution to     
letters and science1 except in the case 
of those works which are1 in purpose or 
incidentally1 autobiographical1 or of   
those which furnish in themselves       
effective contributions towards the     
framing of an estimate of the genius and
 character of the writer4 ,neither has  
it seemed worth while to offer to the   

public another biography constructed on 
the lines of the one brought out by     
,professor ,henry ,morley in #ahed1 for 
the reason that the circumstances of    
,cardan's life1 the character of his    
work1 and of the times in which he      
lived1 all appeared to be susceptible of
 more succinct and homogeneous treatment
 than is possible in a chronicle of the 
passing years1 and of the work that each
 one saw accomplished4 ,at certain      
junctures the narrative form is         
inevitable1 but an attempt has been made
 to treat the more noteworthy episodes  
of ,cardan's life and work1 and the     
contemporary aspect of the republic of  
letters1 in relation to existing        
tendencies and conditions1 whenever such
 a course has seemed possible4          
,professor ,morley's book1 ,the ,life of
 ,girolamo ,cardano1 of ,milan1         
physician1 has been for some time out of
 print4 ,this industrious writer        
gathered together a large quantity of   
material1 dealing almost as fully with  

the more famous of the contemporary men 
of mark1 with whom ,cardan was brought  
into contact1 as with ,cardan himself4  
,the translations and analyses of some  
of ,cardan's more popular works which   
,professor ,morley gives are admirable  
in their way1 but the space they occupy 
in the biography is somewhat excessive4 
,had sufficient leisure for revision and
 condensation been allowed1 ,professor  
,morley's book would have taken a high  
place in biographical literature4 ,as it
 stands it is a noteworthy performance2 
and1 by reason of its wide and varied   
stores of information and its excellent 
index1 it must always prove a valuable  
magazine of mmoires pour servir for any 
future students who may be moved to     
write afresh1 concerning the life and   
work of the great ,milanese physician4  
,an apology may be needed for the       
occurrence here and there of passages   
translated from the ,de ,vita ,propria  
and the ,de ,utilitate ex ,adversis     
capienda1 passages which some readers   

may find too frequent and too lengthy1  
but contemporary opinion is strongly in 
favour of letting the subject speak for 
himself as far as may be possible4 ,the 
date and place of ,cardan's quoted works
 are given in the first citation        
therefrom2 those of his writings which  
have not been available in separate form
 have been consulted in the collected   
edition of his works in ten volumes1    
edited by ,spon1 and published at ,lyons
 in #affc4  ,the author desires to      
acknowledge with gratitude the valuable 
assistance in the way of suggestion and 
emendation which he received from ,mr4  
,r4,c4 ,christie during the final       
revision of the proofs4  ,london1       
,october #ahih4     ,,jerome ,,cardan   
,,chapter ,i   ,,like certain others of 
the illustrious personages who          
flourished in his time1 ,girolamo       
,cardano1 or1 as he has become to us by 
the unwritten law of nomenclature1      
,jerome ,cardan1 was fated to suffer the
 burden and obloquy of bastardy4#a ,he  

was born at ,pavia from the illicit     
union of ,fazio ,cardano1 a ,milanese   
jurisconsult and mathematician of       
considerable repute1 and a young widow1 
whose maiden name had been ,chiara      
,micheria1 his father being fifty-six1  
and his mother thirty-seven years of age
 at his birth4 ,the family of ,fazio was
 settled at ,gallarate1 a town in       
,milanese territory1 and was one which1 
according to ,jerome's contention1 could
 lay claim to considerable antiquity and
 distinction4 ,he prefers a claim of    
descent from the house of ,castillione1 
founding the same upon an inscription on
 the apse of the principal church at    
,gallarate4#b ,he asserts that as far   
back as #aahi ,milo ,cardano was        
,governor of ,milan for more than seven 
years1 and according to tradition       
,franco ,cardano1 the commander of the  
forces of ,matteo ,visconti1#c was a    
member of the family4 ,if the claim of  
the ,castillione ancestry be allowed the
 archives of the race would be still    

farther enriched by the name of ,pope   
,celestine ,,iv41 ,godfrey of ,milan1   
who was elected ,pope in #abda1 and died
 the same year4  ,cardan's immediate    
ancestors were long-lived4 ,the sons of 
,fazio ,cardano1 his great-grandfather1 
,joanni1 ,aldo1 and ,antonio1 lived to  
be severally ninety-four1 eighty-eight1 
and eighty-six years of age4 ,of these  
,joanni begat two sons3 ,antonio1 who   
lived eighty-eight years1 and ,angelo1  
who reached the age of eighty-six4 ,to  
,aldo were born ,jacopo1 who died at    
seventy-two2 ,gottardo1 who died at     
eighty-four2 and ,fazio1 the father of  
,jerome1 who died at eighty4#d  ,fazio1 
albeit he came of such a long-lived     
stock1 and lived himself to be          
fourscore1 suffered much physical       
trouble during his life4 ,on account of 
a wound which he had received when he   
was a youth1 some of the bones of his   
skull had to be removed1 and from this  
time forth he never dared to remain long
 with his head uncovered4 ,when he was  

fifty-nine he swallowed a certain       
corrosive poison1 which did not kill    
him1 but left him toothless4 ,he was    
likewise round-shouldered1 a stammerer1 
and subject to constant palpitation of  
the heart2 but in compensation for these
 defects he had eyes which could see in 
the dark and which needed not spectacles
 even in advanced age4  ,of ,jerome's   
mother little is known4 ,her family     
seems to have been as tenacious of life 
as that of ,fazio1 for her father       
,jacopo lived to be seventy-five years  
of age4 ,of his maternal grandfather    
,jerome remarks that he was a highly    
skilled mathematician1 and that when he 
was about seventy years of age1 he was  
cast into prison for some offence       
against the law4 ,he speaks of his      
mother as choleric in temper1 well      
dowered with memory and mental parts1   
small in stature and fat1 and of a pious
 disposition1#e and declares that she   
and his father were alike in one        
respect1 to wit that they were easily   

moved to anger and were wont to manifest
 but lukewarm and intermittent affection
 for their child4 ,nevertheless they    
were in a way indulgent to him4 ,his    
father permitted him to remain in bed   
till the second hour of the day had     
struck1 or rather forbade him to rise   
before this time--an indulgence which   
worked well for the preservation of his 
health4 ,he adds that in after times he 
always thought of his father as         
possessing the kindlier nature of the   
two4#f  ,it would seem from the passage 
above written1 as well as from certain  
others subsequent1 that ,jerome had     
little affection for his mother2 and    
albeit he neither chides nor reproaches 
her1 he never refers to her in terms so 
appreciative and loving as those which  
he uses in lamenting the death of his   
harsh and tyrannical father4 ,in the    
,geniturarum ,exempla#g he says that1   
seeing he is writing of a woman1 he will
 confine his remarks to saying that she 
was ingenious1 of good parts1 generous1 

upright1 and loving towards her         
children4 ,perhaps the fact that his    
father died early1 while his mother     
lived on for many years1 and was        
afterwards a member of his              
household--together with his wife--may  
account for the colder tone of his      
remarks while writing about her4 ,she   
was the widow of a certain ,antonio     
,alberio1#h and during her marriage had 
borne him three children1 ,tommaso1     
,catilina1 and ,joanni ,ambrogio2 but   
when ,jerome was a year old all three of
 these died of the plague within the    
space of a few weeks4#i ,he himself     
narrowly escaped death from the same    
cause1 and this attack he attributes to 
an inherited tendency from his mother1  
she having suffered from the same       
disease during her girlhood4 ,there     
seems to have been born to ,fazio and   
,chiara another son1 who died at        
birth4#aj  ,jerome ,cardan was born on  
,september #bd1 #aeja1 between half-past
 six o'clock and a quarter to seven in  

the evening4 ,in the second chapter of  
his autobiography he gives the year as  
#aejj1 and in ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cdg1  
he writes the date as ,september #bc1   
but on all other occasions the date     
first written is used4 ,before he saw   
the light malefic influences were at    
work against him4 ,his mother1 urged on 
no doubt by the desire to conceal her   
shame1 and persuaded by evil            
counsellors1 drank a potion of abortive 
drugs in order to produce               
miscarriage1#aa but ,nature on this     
occasion was not to be baulked4 ,in     
recording the circumstances of his birth
 he writes at some length in the jargon 
of astrology to show how the celestial  
bodies were leagued together so as to   
mar him both in body and mind4          
,wherefore ,i ought1 according to every 
rule1 to have been born a monster1 and1 
under the circumstances1 it was no      
marvel that it was found necessary to   
tear me from the womb in order to bring 
me into the world4 ,thus was ,i born1 or

 rather dragged from my mother's body4  
,i was to all outward seeming dead1 with
 my head covered with black curly hair4 
,i was brought round by being plunged in
 a bath of heated wine1 a remedy which  
might well have proved hurtful to any   
other infant4 ,my mother lay three whole
 days in labour1 but at last gave birth 
to me1 a living child4#ab  ,the sinister
 influences of the stars soon began to  
manifest their power4 ,before ,jerome   
had been many days in the world the     
woman into whose charge he had been     
given was seized with the plague and    
died the same day1 whereupon his mother 
took him home with her4 ,the first of   
his bodily ailments1--the catalogue of  
the same which he subsequently gives is 
indeed a portentous one1#ac--was an     
eruption of carbuncles on the face in   
the form of a cross1 one of the sores   
being set on the tip of the nose2 and   
when these disappeared1 swellings came4 
,before the boy was two months old his  
godfather1 ,isidore di ,resta of        

,ticino1 gave him into the care of      
another nurse who lived at ,moirago1 a  
town about seven miles from ,milan1 but 
here again ill fortune attended him4    
,his body began to waste and his stomach
 to swell because the nurse who gave him
 suck was herself pregnant4#ad ,a third 
foster-mother was found for him1 and he 
remained with her till he was weaned in 
his third year4  ,when he was four years
 of age he was taken to ,milan to be    
under the care of his mother1 who1 with 
her sister1 ,margarita1 was living in   
,fazio's house2 but whether she was at  
this time legally married to him or not 
there is no evidence to show4 ,in       
recording this change he remarks that he
 now came under a gentler discipline    
from the hands of his mother and his    
aunt1 but immediately afterwards        
proclaims his belief that the last-named
 must have been born without a gall     
bladder1 a remark somewhat difficult to 
apply1 seeing he frequently complains   
afterwards of her harshness4 ,it must be

 remembered1 however1 that these details
 are taken from a record of the writer's
 fifth year set down when he was past   
seventy4#ae ,he quotes certain lapses   
from kindly usage1 as for instance when 
it happened that he was beaten by his   
father or his mother without a cause4   
,after much chastisement he always fell 
sick1 and lay some time in mortal       
danger4 ,when ,i was seven years old my 
father and my mother were then living   
apart--my kinsfolk determined1 for some 
reason or other1 to give over beating   
me1 though perchance a touch of the whip
 might then have done me no harm4 ,but  
ill-fortune was ever hovering around me2
 she let my tribulation take a different
 shape1 but she did not remove it4 ,my  
father1 having hired a house1 took me   
and my mother and my aunt to live with  
him1 and made me always accompany him in
 his rounds about the city4 ,on this    
account ,i1 being taken at this tender  
age with my weak body from a life of    
absolute rest and put to hard and       

constant work1 was seized at the        
beginning of my eighth year with        
dysentery and fever1 an ailment which   
was at that time epidemic in our city4  
,moreover ,i had eaten by stealth a vast
 quantity of sour grapes4 ,but after ,i 
had been visited by the physicians1     
,bernabo della ,croce and ,angelo ,gyra1
 there seemed to be some hope of my     
recovery1 albeit both my parents1 and my
 aunt as well1 had already bewept me as 
one dead4  ,at this season my father1   
who was at heart a man of piety1 was    
minded to invoke the divine assistance  
of ,san ,girolamo 7commending me to the 
care of the ,saint in his prayers7      
rather than trust to the working of that
 familiar spirit which1 as he was wont  
to declare openly1 was constantly in    
attendance upon him4 ,the reason of this
 change in his treatment of me ,i never 
cared to inquire4 ,it was during the    
time of my recovery from this sickness1 
that the ,french celebrated their       
triumph after defeating the ,venetians  

on the banks of the ,adda1 which        
spectacle ,i was allowed to witness from
 my window4#af ,after this my father    
freed me of the task of going with him  
on his rounds4 ,but the anger of ,juno  
was not yet exhausted2 for1 before ,i   
had fully recovered my health1 ,i fell  
down-stairs 7we were then living in the 
,via dei ,maini71 with a hammer in my   
hand1 and by this accident ,i hurt the  
left side of my forehead1 injuring the  
bone and causing a scar which remains to
 this day4 ,before ,i had recovered from
 this mishap ,i was sitting on the      
threshold of the house when a stone1    
about as long and as broad as a nut1    
fell down from the top of a high house  
next door and wounded my head just where
 my hair grew very thickly on the left  
side4  ,at the beginning of my tenth    
year my father changed this house1 which
 had proved a very unlucky one for me1  
for another in the same street1 and     
there ,i abode for three whole years4   
,but my ill luck still followed me1 for 

my father once more caused me to go     
about with him as his famulus1 and would
 never allow me on any pretext to escape
 this task4 ,i should hesitate to say   
that he did this through cruelty2 for1  
taking into consideration what ensued1  
you may perchance be brought to see that
 this action of his came to pass rather 
through the will of ,heaven than through
 any failing of his own4 ,i must add too
 that my mother and my aunt were fully  
in agreement with him in his treatment  
of me4 ,in after times1 however1 he     
dealt with me in much milder fashion1   
for he took to live with him two of his 
nephews1 wherefore my own labour was    
lessened by the amount of service he    
exacted from these4 ,either ,i did not  
go out at all1 or if we all went out    
together the task was less irksome4     
,when ,i had completed my sixteenth     
year--up to which time ,i served my     
father constantly--we once more changed 
our house1 and dwelt with ,alessandro   
,cardano next door to the bakery of the 

,bossi4 ,my father had two other        
nephews1 sons of a sister of his1 one   
named ,evangelista1 a member of the     
,franciscan ,order1 and nearly seventy  
years of age1 and the other ,otto       
,cantone1 a farmer of the taxes1 and    
very rich4 ,the last-named1 before he   
died1 wished to leave me his sole heir2 
but this my father forbad1 saying that  
,otto's wealth had been ill gotten2     
wherefore the estate was distributed    
according to the directions of the      
surviving brother4#ag  ,this1 told as   
nearly as may be in his own words1 is   
the story of ,cardan's birth and        
childhood and early discipline1 a       
discipline ill calculated to let him    
grow up to useful and worthy manhood4   
,it must have been a wretched spring of 
life4 ,many times he refers to the hard 
slavery he underwent in the days when he
 was forced to carry his father's bag   
about the town1 and tells how he had to 
listen to words of insult cast at his   
mother's name4#ah ,like most boys who   

lead solitary lives1 unrelieved by the  
companionship of other children1 he was 
driven in upon himself1 and grew up into
 a fanciful imaginative youth1 a lover  
of books rather than of games1 with an  
old head upon his young shoulders4      
,after such a training it was only      
natural that he should be transformed   
from a nervous hysterical child into an 
embittered1 cross-grained man1          
profligate and superstitious at the same
 time4 ,abundant light is thrown upon   
every stage of his career1 for few men  
have left a clearer picture of          
themselves in their written words1 and  
nowhere is ,cardan1 from the opening to 
the closing scene1 so plainly exhibited 
as in the ,de ,vita ,propria1 almost the
 last work which came from his pen4 ,it 
has been asserted that this book1       
written in the twilight of senility by  
an old man with his heart cankered by   
misfortune and ill-usage1 and his brain 
upset by the dread of real or fancied   
assaults of foes who lay in wait for him

 at every turn1 is no trustworthy guide1
 even when bare facts are in question1  
and undoubtedly it would be undesirable 
to trust this record without seeking    
confirmation elsewhere4 ,this           
confirmation is nearly always at hand1  
for there is hardly a noteworthy event  
in his career which he does not refer to
 constantly in the more autobiographic  
of his works4 ,the ,de ,vita ,propria is
 indeed ill arranged and full of        
inconsistencies1 but in spite of its    
imperfections1 it presents its subject  
as clearly and effectively as ,benvenuto
 ,cellini is displayed in his own work4 
,the rough sketch of a great master     
often performs its task more thoroughly 
than the finished painting1 and         
,cardan's autobiography is a fragment of
 this sort4 ,it lets pass in order of   
procession the moody neglected boy in   
,fazio's ill-ordered house1 the student 
at ,pavia1 the youthful ,rector of the  
,paduan ,gymnasium1 plunging when just  
across the threshold of life into       

criminal excess of ,sardanapalean       
luxury1 the country doctor at ,sacco and
 afterwards at ,gallarate1 starving     
amongst his penniless patients1 the     
,university professor1 the famous       
physician for whose services the most   
illustrious monarchs in ,europe came as 
suppliants in vain1 the father broken by
 family disgrace and calamity1 and the  
old man1 disgraced and suspected and    
harassed by persecutors who shot their  
arrows in the dark1 but at the same time
 tremblingly anxious to set down the    
record of his days before the night     
should descend4  ,until he had completed
 his nineteenth year ,jerome continued  
to dwell under the roof which for the   
time being might give shelter to his    
parents4 ,the emoluments which ,fazio   
drew from his profession were sufficient
 for the family wants--he himself being 
a man of simple tastes2 wherefore       
,jerome was not forced1 in addition to  
his other youthful troubles1 to submit  
to that execrata paupertas and its      

concomitant miseries which vexed him in 
later years4 ,to judge from his conduct 
in the matter of ,otto ,cantone's       
estate1 ,fazio seems to have been as    
great a despiser of wealth as his son   
proved to be afterwards4 ,his virtue1   
such as it was1 must have been the      
outcome of one of those hard cold       
natures1 with wants few and trifling1   
and none of those tastes which cry out  
daily for some new toy1 only to be      
procured by money4 ,the fact that he    
made his son run after him through the  
streets of ,milan in place of a servant 
is not a conclusive proof of avarice2 it
 may just as likely mean that the old   
man was indifferent and callous to      
whatever suffering he might inflict upon
 his young son1 and indisposed to       
trouble himself about searching for a   
hireling to carry his bag4 ,the one     
indication we gather of his worldly     
wisdom is his dissatisfaction that his  
son was firmly set to follow medicine   
rather than jurisprudence1 a step which 

would involve the loss of the stipend of
 one hundred crowns a year which he drew
 for his lectureship1 an income which he
 had hoped might be continued to a son  
of his after his death4#ai  ,amidst the 
turmoil and discomfort of what must at  
the best have been a most ill-regulated 
household1 the boy's education was      
undertaken by his father in such odds   
and ends of time as he might find to    
spare for the task4#bj ,what with the   
hardness and irritability of the        
teacher1 and the peevishness inseparable
 from the pupil's physical feebleness   
and morbid overwrought mental habit1    
these hours of lessons must have been   
irksome to both1 and of little benefit4 
,in the meantime my father taught me    
orally the ,latin tongue as well as the 
rudiments of ,arithmetic1 ,geometry1 and
 ,astrology4 ,but he allowed me to sleep
 well into the day1 and he himself would
 always remain abed till nine o'clock4  
,but one habit of his appeared to me    
likely to lead to grave consequences1 to

 wit the way he had of lending to others
 anything which belonged to him4 ,part  
of these loans1 which were made to      
insolvents1 he lost altogether2 and the 
residue1 lent to divers persons in high 
places1 could only be recovered with    
much trouble and no little danger1 and  
with loss of all interest on the same4  
,i know not whether he acted in this    
wise by the advice of that familiar     
spirit#ba whose services he retained for
 eight-and-thirty years4 ,what          
afterwards came to pass showed that my  
father treated me1 his son1 rightly in  
all things relating to education1 seeing
 that ,i had a keen intelligence4 ,for  
with boys of this sort it is well to    
make use of the bit as though you were  
dealing with mules4 ,beyond this he was 
witty and diverting in his conversation1
 and given to the telling of stories and
 strange occurrences well worth notice4 
,he told me many things about familiar  
spirits1 but what part of these were    
true ,i know not2 but assuredly tales of

 this sort1 wonderful in themselves and 
artfully put together1 delighted me     
marvellously4  ,but what chiefly        
deserved condemnation in my father was  
that he brought up certain other youths 
with the intention of leaving to them   
his goods in case ,i should die2 which  
thing1 in sooth1 meant nothing less than
 the exposure of myself to open danger  
through plots of the parents of the boys
 aforesaid1 on account of the prize     
offered4 ,over this affair my father and
 my mother quarrelled grievously1 and   
finally decided to live apart4          
,whereupon my mother1 stricken by this  
mental vexation1 and troubled at        
intervals with what ,i deem to have been
 an hysterical affection1 fell one day  
full on the back of her neck1 and struck
 her head upon the floor1 which was     
composed of tiles4 ,it was two or three 
hours before she came round1 and indeed 
her recovery was little short of        
miraculous1 especially as at the end of 
her seizure she foamed much at the      

mouth4  ,in the meantime ,i altered the 
whole drift of this tragedy by a        
pretended adoption of the religious     
life1 for ,i became for a time a member 
of the mendicant ,franciscan            
brotherhood4 ,but at the beginning of my
 twenty-first year#bb ,i went to the    
,gymnasium at ,pavia1 whereupon my      
father1 feeling my absence1 was softened
 towards me1 and a reconciliation       
between him and my mother took place4   
,before this time ,i had learnt music1  
my mother and even my father having     
secretly given me money for the same2 my
 father likewise paid for my instruction
 in dialectics4 ,i became so proficient 
in this art that ,i taught it to certain
 other youths before ,i went to the     
,university4 ,thus he sent me there     
endowed with the means of winning an    
honest living2 but he never once spake a
 word to me concerning this matter1     
bearing himself always towards me in    
considerate1 kindly1 and pious wise4    
,for the residue of his days 7and he    

lived on well-nigh four more years7 his 
life was a sad one1 as if he would fain 
let it be known to the world how much he
 loved me4#bc ,moreover1 when by the    
working of fate ,i returned home while  
he lay sick1 he besought1 he commanded1 
nay he even forced me1 all unwilling1 to
 depart thence1 what though he knew his 
last hour was nigh1 for the reason that 
the plague was in the city1 and he was  
fain that ,i should put myself beyond   
danger from the same4 ,even now my tears
 rise when ,i think of his goodwill     
towards me4 ,but1 my father1 ,i will do 
all the justice ,i can to thy merit and 
to thy paternal care2 and1 as long as   
these pages may be read1 so long shall  
thy name and thy virtues be celebrated4 
,he was a man not to be corrupted by any
 offering whatsoever1 and indeed a      
saint4 ,but ,i myself was left after his
 death involved in many lawsuits1 having
 nothing clearly secured except one     
small house4#bd  ,fazio contracted a    
close intimacy with a certain ,galeazzo 

,rosso1 a man clever as a smith1 and    
endowed with mechanical tastes which no 
doubt helped to secure him ,fazio's     
friendship4 ,galeazzo discovered the    
principle of the water-screw of         
,archimedes before the description of   
the same1 written in the books of the   
inventor1 had been published4 ,he also  
made swords which could be bent as if   
they were of lead1 and sharp enough to  
cut iron like wood4 ,he performed a more
 wonderful feat in fashioning iron      
breast-plates which would resist the    
impact of red-hot missiles4 ,in the ,de 
,sapientia1 ,cardan records that when   
,galeazzo perfected his water-screw1 he 
lost his wits for joy4  ,fazio took no  
trouble to teach his son ,latin1#be     
though the learned language would have  
been just as necessary for the study of 
jurisprudence as for any other liberal  
calling1 and ,jerome did not begin to   
study it systematically till he was past
 nineteen years of age4 ,through some   
whim or prejudice the old man refused   

for some time to allow the boy to go to 
the ,university1 and when at last he    
gave his consent he still fought hard to
 compel ,jerome to qualify himself in   
jurisprudence2 but here he found himself
 at issue with a will more stubborn than
 his own4 ,cardan writes3 ,from my      
earliest youth ,i let every action of   
mine be regulated in view of the after  
course of my life1 and ,i deemed that as
 a career medicine would serve my       
purpose far better than law1 being more 
appropriate for the end ,i had in view1 
of greater interest to the world at     
large1 and likely to last as long as    
time itself4 ,at the same time ,i       
regarded it as a study which embodied   
the nobler principles1 and rested upon  
the ground of reason 7that is upon the  
eternal laws of ,nature7 rather than    
upon the sanction of human opinion4 ,on 
this account ,i took up medicine rather 
than jurisprudence1 nay ,i almost       
entirely cast aside1 or even fled from  
the company of those friends of mine who

 followed the law1 rejecting at the same
 time wealth and power and honour4 ,my  
father1 when he heard that ,i had       
abandoned the study of law to follow    
philosophy1 wept in my presence1 and    
grieved amain that ,i would not settle  
down to the study of his own subject4   
,he deemed it the more salutary         
discipline--proofs of which opinion he  
would often bring forward out of        
,aristotle--that it was better adapted  
for the acquisition of power and riches2
 and that it would help me more         
efficiently in restoring the fortunes of
 our house4 ,he perceived moreover that 
the office of teaching in the schools of
 the city1 together with its            
accompanying salary of a hundred crowns 
which he had enjoyed for so many years1 
would not be handed on to me1 as he had 
hoped1 and he saw that a stranger would 
succeed to the same4 ,nor was that      
commentary of his destined ever to see  
the light or to be illustrated by my    
notes4 ,earlier in life he had nourished

 a hope that his name might become      
illustrious as the emendator of the     
',commentaries of ,john1 ,archbishop of 
,canterbury on ,optics and              
,perspective4'#bf ,indeed the following 
verses were printed thereanent3         
',hoc ,cardana viro gaudet domus3 omnia 
novit     ,unus3 habent nullum saecula  
nostra parem4'  ,these words may be     
taken as a sort of augury referring     
rather to certain other men about to set
 forth to do their work in the world1   
than to my father1 who1 except in the   
department of jurisprudence 7of which   
indeed rumour says that he was a        
master71 never let his mind take in     
aught that was new4 ,the rudiments of   
mathematics were all that he possessed1 
and he gathered no fresh knowledge from 
the store-houses of ,greek learning4    
,this disposition in him was probably   
produced by the vast multitude of       
subjects to be mastered1 and by his     
infirmity of purpose1 rather than by any
 lack of natural parts1 or by idleness  

or by defect of judgment2 vices to which
 he was in no way addicted4 ,but ,i1    
being firmly set upon the object of my  
wishes1 for the reasons given above1 and
 because ,i perceived that my father had
 achieved only moderate success--though 
he had encountered but few              
hindrances--remained unconvinced by any 
of his exhortations4#bg  ,,footnotes3   
#a ,bayle is unwilling to admit         
,cardan's illegitimate birth4 ,in ,de   
,consolatione1 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fai  
7,lyons1 #affc71 ,cardan writes in      
reference to the action of the ,milanese
 ,college of ,physicians3 ,medicorum    
collegium1 suspitione obort1 qud 7tam   
mal  patre tractatus7 spurius essem1    
repellebat4 ,bayle apparently had not   
read the ,de ,consolatione1 as he quotes
 the sentence as the work of a modern   
writer1 and affirms that the word       
suspitio would not have been used had   
the fact been notorious4 ,but in the    
,dialogus de ,morte1 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 
#fgf1 ,cardan declares that his father  

openly spoke of him as a bastard4  #b   
,de ,utilitate ex adversis ,capienda    
7,franeker1 #afdh71 p4 #ceg4  #c ,matteo
 ,visconti was born in #abej1 and died  
in #acbb4 ,he was lord of ,novara       
,vercello ,como and ,monferrato1 and was
 made ,vicar ,imperial by ,adolphus of  
,nassau4 ,though he was worsted in his  
conflict with ,john ,,xxii4 he did much 
to lay the foundations of his family4   
#d ,de ,vita ,propria 7,amsterdam1      
#afed71 ch4 i4 p4 #d4  #e ,cardan makes 
a statement in ,de ,consolatione1       
,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fje1 which indicates
 that her disposition was not a happy   
one4 ,matrem meam ,claram ,micheriam1   
juvenem vidi1 cum admodum puer essem1   
meminique hanc dicere solitam1 ,utinam  
si ,deo placuisset1 extincta forem in   
infantia4  #f ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 i4
 p4 #d4  #g ,geniturarum ,exempla       
7,basil1 #aeed71 p4 #dcf4  #h ,de ,rerum
 ,varietate 7,basil1 #aeeg71 p4 #fee4   
#i ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cdg4 ,there is a 
passage in ,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4    

#dce1 dealing with ,fazio's horoscope1  
which may be taken to mean that these   
children were his4 ,alios habuisse      
filios qui obierint ipsa genitura       
demostrat1 me solo diu post etia illius 
morte superstite4  #aj ,with regard to  
the union of his parents he writes3     
,uxorem vix duxit ob ,lunam afflictam et
 eam in senectute4--,geniturarum        
,exempla1 p4 #dce4  #aa ,igitur ut ab   
initio exordiar1 in pestilentia         
conceptus1 matrem1 nondum natus 7ut     
puto7 mearum calamitatum participem1    
profugam habui4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4     
#fah4  ,mater ut abortiret medicamentum 
abortivum dum in utero essem1 alieno    
mandato bibit4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cdg4
  #ab ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 ii4 p4 #f4
  #ac ,in one passage1 ,de ,utilitate1  
p4 #cdh1 he sums up his physical        
misfortunes3 ,hydrope1 febribus1        
aliisque morbis conflictatus sum1 donec 
sub fine octavi anni ex dysenteria ac   
febre usque ad mortis limina perveni1   
pulsavi ostium sed non aperuere qui     

intro erant4  #ad ,inde lac praegnantis 
hausi per varias nutrices lactatus ac   
jactatus4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cdh4  #ae
 ,the ,de ,vita ,propria1 the chief     
authority for these remarks1 was written
 by ,cardan in ,rome shortly before his 
death4  #af ,the illness would have     
occurred about ,october #aejh1 and the  
victory of the ,adda was on ,may #ad1   
#aeji4 ,this fact fixes his birth in    
#aeja1 and shows that his illness must  
have lasted six or seven months4  #ag   
,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 ii4  #ah 
,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fgf4  #ai ,quod     
munus profitendi institutiones in urbe  
ipsa cum honorario centum coronatorum1  
quo jam tot annis gaudebat1 non in me   
7ut speraverat7 transiturum             
intelligebat4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4  
x4 p4 #ce4  #bj ,pater jam ant          
concesserat ut ,geometri et ,dialectic  
operam darem1 in quo 7quanquam prter    
paucas admonitiones1 librosque1 ac      
licentiam1 nullum aliud auxilium        
prbuerit7 eas tamen ego 7succicivis     

temporibus studens7 interim feliciter   
sum assecutus4--,de ,consolatione1      
,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fai4  #ba ,facius   
,cardanus dmonem therium1 ut ipse       
dicebat1 diu familiarem habuit2 qui     
quamdiu conjuratione usus est1 vera illi
 dabat responsa1 cm autem illam         
exussisset1 veniebat quidem1 sed        
responsa falsa dabat4 ,tenuit igitur    
annis1 ni fallor1 vinginti octo cum     
conjuratione1 solutum autem circiter    
quinque4--,de ,varietate1 p4 #fbi4  ,in 
the ,dialogus ,tetim 7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4
 #fgb71 ,cardan writes3 ,pater honeste  
obiit et ex senio1 sed multo antea eum  
,genius ille reliquerat4  #bb ,there is 
a discrepancy between this date and the 
one given in ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4
 p4 #aa4 ,anno exacto ,,xix contuli me  
in ,ticinensem ,academiam4  #bc ,inde   
7desiderium augente absenti7 mortuus    
est1 sviente peste1 cm primum me        
diligere coepisset4--,de ,consolatione1 
,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fai4  #bd ,de       
,utilitate1 p4 #cdh4  #be ,nimis satis  

fuit defuisse tot1 memoriam1 linguam    
,latinam per adolescentiam4--,de ,vita  
,propria1 ch4 li4 p4 #bah4  #bf ,john   
,peckham was a ,franciscan friar1 and   
was nominated to the see of ,canterbury 
by ,nicholas ,,iii4 in #abgi4 ,he had   
spent much time in the convent of his   
,order at ,oxford1 and there is a legend
 connecting him with a ,johannes        
,juvenis or ,john of ,london1 a youth   
who had attracted the attention and     
benevolence of ,roger ,bacon4 ,this     
,johannes became one of the first       
mathematicians and opticians of the age1
 and was sent to ,rome by ,bacon1 who   
entrusted to him the works which he was 
sending to ,pope ,clement ,,iv4 ,there  
is no reason for this view beyond the   
fact that both were called ,john1 and   
distinguished in the same branches of   
learning4 ,the ,perspectiva ,communis   
was his principal work2 it does not deal
 with perspective as now understood1 but
 with elementary propositions of optics4
 ,it was first printed in ,milan in or  

about #adhb4  #bg ,de ,vita ,propria1   
ch4 x4 p4 #cd4 ,a remark in ,de         
,sapientia1 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #egh1    
suggests that ,fazio began life as a    
physician3 ,pater meus ,facius ,cardanus
 ,medicus prim1 inde ,jurisconsultus    
factus est4     ,,chapter ,,ii   ,,the  
,university of ,pavia to which ,jerome  
now betook himself was by tradition one 
of the learned foundations of           
,charlemagne4#bh ,it had certainly      
enjoyed a high reputation all through   
the ,middle ,ages1 and had recently had 
the honour of numbering ,laurentius     
,valla amongst its professors4 ,in      
#acfb1 ,galeazzo ,visconti had obtained 
a charter for it from the ,emperor      
,charles ,,iv41 and that it had become a
 place of consequence in #adjj is proved
 by the fact that1 besides maintaining  
several professors in the ,canon ,law1  
it supported thirteen in ,civil ,law1   
five in ,medicine1 three in ,philosophy1
 and one each in ,astrology1 ,greek1 and
 ,eloquence4 ,like all the other        

,universities of ,northern ,italy1 it   
suffered occasional eclipse or even     
extinction on account of the constant   
war and desolation which vexed these    
parts almost without intermission during
 the years following the formation of   
the ,league of ,cambrai4 ,indeed1 as    
recently as #aejj1 the famous library   
collected by ,petrarch1 and presented by
 ,gian ,galeazzo ,visconti to the       
,university1 was carried off by the     
,french4#bi  ,to judge from the pictures
 which the ,pavian student1 writing in  
after years1 gives of his physical self1
 it may be inferred that he was         
ill-endowed by the ,graces4 ,i am of    
middle height4 ,my chest is somewhat    
narrow and my arms exceedingly thin3 my 
right hand is the more grossly fashioned
 of the two1 so that a chiromantist     
might have set me down as rude or       
doltish3 indeed1 should such an one     
examine my hand1 he would be ashamed to 
say what he thought4 ,in it the line of 
life is short1 and that named after     

,saturn long and well marked4 ,my left  
hand1 however1 is seemly1 with fingers  
long1 tapering1 and well-set1 and       
shining nails4 ,my neck is longer and   
thinner than the rule1 my chin is       
divided1 my lower lip thick and         
pendulous1 my eyes are very small1 and  
it is my wont to keep them half-closed1 
peradventure lest ,i should discern     
things over clearly4 ,my forehead is    
wide and bare of hair where it meets the
 temples4 ,my hair and beard are both of
 them yellow in tint1 and both as a rule
 kept close cut4 ,my chin1 which as ,i  
have said already is marked by a        
division1 is covered in its lower part  
with a thick growth of long hair4 ,my   
habit is to speak in a highly-pitched   
voice1 so that my friends sometimes     
rebuke me thereanent2 but1 harsh and    
loud as is my voice1 it cannot be heard 
at any great distance while ,i am       
lecturing4 ,i am wont to talk too much1 
and in none too urbane a tone4 ,the look
 of my eyes is fixed1 like that of one  

in deep thought4 ,my front teeth are    
large1 and my complexion red and white3 
the form of my countenance being        
somewhat elongated1 and my head is      
finished off in narrow wise at the back1
 like to a small sphere4 ,indeed1 it was
 no rare thing for the painters1 who    
came from distant countries to paint my 
portrait1 to affirm that they could find
 no special characteristic which they   
could use for the rendering of my       
likeness1 so that ,i might be known by  
the same4#cj  ,after giving this account
 of his person1 ,cardan writes down a   
catalogue of the various diseases which 
vexed him from time to time1 a chapter  
of autobiography which looks like a     
transcript from a dictionary of         
,nosology4 ,more interesting is the     
sketch which he makes of his mental     
state during these early years4 ,boys   
brought up in company of their elders   
often show a tendency to introspection1 
and fall into a dreamy whimsical mood1  
and his case is a striking example4 ,by 

the command of my father ,i used to lie 
abed until nine o'clock1#ca and1 if     
perchance ,i lay awake any time before  
the wonted hour of rising1 it was my    
habit to spend the same by conjuring up 
to sight all sorts of pleasant visions1 
nor can ,i remember that ,i ever        
summoned these in vain4 ,i used to      
behold figures of divers kinds like airy
 bodies4 ,meseemed they were made up of 
tiny rings1 like those in coats of      
chain-armour1 though at this time ,i had
 seen nought of the kind4 ,they would   
rise at the bottom of the bed1 from the 
right-hand corner2 and1 moving in a     
semi-circle1 would pass slowly on and   
disappear in the left4 ,moreover ,i     
beheld the shapes of castles and houses1
 of horses and riders1 of plants1 trees1
 musical instruments1 theatres1 dresses 
of men of all sorts1 and flute-players  
who seemed to be playing upon their     
instruments1 but neither voice nor sound
 was heard therefrom4 ,and besides these
 things ,i beheld soldiers1 and crowds  

of men1 and fields1 and certain bodily  
forms1 which seem hateful to me even    
now3 groves and forests1 and divers     
other things which ,i now forget4 ,in   
all this ,i took no small delight1 and  
with straining eyes ,i would gaze upon  
these marvels2 wherefore my ,aunt       
,margaret asked me more than once       
whether ,i saw anything4 ,i1 though ,i  
was then only a child1 deliberated over 
this question of hers before ,i replied1
 saying to myself3 ',if ,i tell her the 
facts she will be wroth at the          
thing--whatever it may be--which is the 
cause of these phantasms1 and will      
deprive me of this delight4' ,and then  
,i seemed to see flowers of all kinds1  
and four-footed beasts1 and birds2 but  
all these1 though they were fashioned   
most beautifully1 were lacking in       
colour1 for they were things of air4    
,therefore ,i1 who neither as a boy nor 
as an old man ever learned to lie1 stood
 silent for some time4 ,then my aunt    
said--',boy1 what makes you stare thus  

and stand silent8' ,i know not what     
answer ,i made1 but ,i think ,i said    
nothing at all4 ,in my dreams ,i        
frequently saw what seemed to be a cock1
 which ,i feared might speak to me in a 
human voice4 ,this in sooth came to pass
 later on1 and the words it spake were  
threatening ones1 but ,i cannot now     
recall what ,i may have heard on these  
occasions4#cb  ,with a brain capable of 
such remarkable exercises as the        
above-written vision1 living his life in
 an atmosphere of books1 and with all   
games and relaxations dear to boys of   
his age denied to him1 it was no marvel 
that ,jerome should make an early       
literary essay on his own account4 ,the 
death of a young kinsman1 ,niccolo      
,cardano1#cc suggested to him a theme   
which he elaborated in a tract called   
,de immortalitate paranda1 a work which 
perished unlamented by its author1 and a
 little later he wrote a treatise on the
 calculation of the distances between   
the various heavenly bodies4#cd ,but he 

put his mathematical skill to other and 
more sinister uses than this2 for1      
having gained practical experience at   
the gaming-tables1 he combined this     
experience with his knowledge of the    
properties of numbers1 and wrote a tract
 on games of chance4 ,afterwards he     
amplified this into his book1 ,liber de 
,ludo ,ale4  ,with this equipment and   
discipline ,jerome went to ,pavia in    
#aebj4 ,he found lodging in the house of
 ,giovanni ,ambrogio ,targio1 and until 
the end of his twenty-first year he     
spent all his time between ,pavia and   
,milan4 ,by this date he had made       
sufficiently good use of his time to let
 the world see of what metal he was     
formed1 for in the year following he had
 advanced far enough in learning to     
dispute in public1 to teach ,euclid in  
the ,gymnasium1 and to take occasional  
classes in ,dialectics and ,elementary  
,philosophy4 ,at the end of his         
twenty-second year the country was      
convulsed by the wars between the       

,spaniards and the ,french under        
,lautrec1 which ended in the expulsion  
of the last-named and the establishment 
of the ,imperial power in ,milan4       
,another result of the war1 more germane
 to this history1 was the closing of the
 ,university of ,pavia through lack of  
funds4 ,in consequence of this calamity 
,jerome remained some time in ,milan1   
and during these months he worked hard  
at mathematics2 but he was not destined 
to return to ,pavia as a student4 ,the  
schools there remained some long time in
 confusion1 so in #aebd he went with his
 father's consent to ,padua4 ,in the    
autumn of that same year he was summoned
 back to ,milan to find ,fazio in the   
grip of his dying illness4 ,whereupon   
he1 careful of my weal rather than his  
own1 bade me return to ,padua at once1  
being well pleased to hear that ,i had  
taken at the ,venetian ,college the     
,baccalaureat of ,arts4#ce ,after my    
return to ,padua1 letters were brought  
to me which told me that he had died on 

the ninth day after he had refused      
nourishment4 ,he died on the            
twenty-eighth of ,august1 having last   
eaten on ,sunday the twentieth of the   
month4 ,towards the close of my         
twenty-fourth year ,i was chosen ,rector
 of the ,academy at ,padua1#cf and at   
the end of the next was made ,doctor of 
,medicine4 ,for the first-named office  
,i came out the victor by one vote1 the 
suffrages having to be cast a second    
time2 and for the ,doctorate of         
,medicine my name had already twice come
 forth from the ballot with forty-seven 
votes cast against me 7a circumstance   
which forbade another voting after the  
third71 when1 at the third trial1 ,i    
came out the winner1 with only nine     
votes against me 7previously only this  
same number had been cast for me71 and  
with forty-eight in my favour4  ,though 
,i know well enough that affairs like   
these must needs be of small account1 ,i
 have set them down in the order in     
which they came to pass for no other    

reason than that ,i give pleasure to    
myself who write these words by so      
doing3 and ,i do not write for the      
gratification of others4 ,at the same   
time those people who read what ,i      
write--if indeed any one should ever be 
so minded--may learn hereby that the    
beginnings and the outcomes of great    
events may well be found difficult to   
trace1 because in sooth it is the way of
 such things to come to the notice of   
anybody rather than of those who would  
rightly observe them4#cg  ,padua cannot 
claim for its ,university an antiquity  
as high as that which may be conceded to
 ,pavia1 but in spite of its more recent
 origin1 there is no little obscurity   
surrounding its rise4 ,the one fact     
which may be put down as certain is that
 it sprang originally from the          
,university of ,bologna4 ,early in the  
thirteenth century violent discords     
arose between the citizens of ,bologna  
and the students1 and there is a        
tradition that the general school of    

teaching was transferred to ,padua in   
#abbb4 ,what happened was probably a    
large migration of students1 part of    
whom remained behind when peace between 
town and gown in ,bologna was restored4 
,the orthodox origin of the ,university 
is a charter granted by ,frederic ,,ii4 
in #abch4 ,frederic at this time was    
certainly trying to injure ,bologna1    
actuated by a desire to help on his own 
,university at ,naples1 and to crush    
,bologna as a member of the ,lombard    
,league4#ch ,padua1 however1 was also a 
member of this league1 so his benevolent
 action towards it is difficult to      
understand4 ,in #abbh the students had  
quarrelled with the ,paduan citizens1   
and there was a movement to migrate to  
,vercelli2 but1 whether this really took
 place or not1 the ,paduan school did   
not suffer3 its ruin and extinction was 
deferred till the despotism of the      
,ezzelini4 ,in #abfj it was again       
revived by a second migration from      
,bologna1 and this movement was         

increased on account of the interdict   
laid by the ,pope upon ,bologna in #acjf
 after the expulsion of the ,papal      
,legate by the citizens4  ,in the early 
days ,medicine and ,arts were entirely  
subordinate to the schools of canon and 
civil law2 but by the end of the        
fourteenth century these first-named    
,faculties had obtained a certain degree
 of independence1 and were allowed an   
equal share in appointing the           
,rector4#ci ,the first ,college was     
founded in #acfc1 and after #aejj the   
number rapidly increased4 ,the dominion 
of the ,dukes of ,carrara after #acbb   
was favourable to the growth of the     
,university1 which1 however1 did not    
attain its highest point till it came   
under ,venetian rule in #adjd4 ,the     
,venetian government raised the stipends
 of the professors1 and allowed four    
,paduan citizens to act as ,tutores     
,studii2 the election of the professors 
being vested in the students1 which     
custom obtained until the end of the    

sixteenth century4#dj ,the ,rector was  
allowed to wear a robe of purple and    
gold2 and1 when he retired1 the degree  
of ,doctor was granted to him1 together 
with the right to wear the golden collar
 of the order of ,saint ,mark4  ,padua  
like ,athens humanized its conquerors4  
,it became the ,university town of      
,venice1 as ,pavia was of ,milan1 and it
 was for a long time protected from the 
assaults of the ,catholic reaction by   
its rulers1 who possibly were instigated
 rather by political jealousy of the    
,papacy as a temporal power1 than by any
 enthusiasm for the humanist and        
scientific studies of which ,padua was  
the most illustrious home south of the  
,alps2 studies which the powers of the  
,church began already to recognize as   
their most dangerous foes4  ,such was   
the ,university of ,padua at the height 
of its glory1 and it will be apparent at
 once that ,padua must have fallen      
considerably in its fortunes when it    
installed as its ,rector an obscure     

student1 only twenty-four years of age1 
and of illegitimate birth1 and conferred
 upon him the right to go clad in purple
 and gold1 and to claim1 as his retiring
 gift1 the degree of ,doctor and the    
cross of ,saint ,mark4 ,in #aejh the    
,league of ,cambrai had been formed1 and
 ,venice1 not yet recovered from the    
effects of its disastrous wars with     
,bajazet ,,ii41 was forced to meet the  
combined assault of the ,pope1 the      
,emperor1 and the ,king of ,france4     
,padua was besieged by the ,imperial    
forces1 a motley horde of ,germans1     
,swiss1 and ,spaniards1 and the         
surrounding country was pillaged and    
devastated by these savages with a      
cruelty which recalled the days of      
,attila4 ,it is not wonderful that the  
,university closed its doors in such a  
time4 ,when the confederates began to   
fight amongst themselves the class-rooms
 were reopened1 intermittently at first1
 but after #aeae the teaching seems to  
have been continuous4 ,still the        

prevalent turmoil and poverty rendered  
it necessary to curtail all the mere    
honorary and ornamental adjuncts of the 
schools1 and for several years no       
,rector was appointed1 for the good and 
sufficient reason that no man of due    
position and wealth and character could 
be found to undertake the rectorial     
duties1 with the ,academy just emerging 
from complete disorganization4 ,these   
duties were many and important1 albeit  
the ,rector could1 if he willed1 appoint
 a deputy1 and the calls upon the purse 
of the holder must have been very heavy4
 ,it would be hard to imagine any one   
less fitted to fill such a post than    
,cardan1 and assuredly no office could  
befit him less than this                
pseudo-rectorship4#da ,it must ever     
remain a mystery why he was preferred1  
why he was elected1 and why he consented
 to serve3 though1 as to the last-named 
matter1 he hints in a passage lately    
cited from ,de ,utilitate1 that it was  
through the persuasions of his mother   

that he took upon himself this          
disastrous honour4 ,many pasages in his 
writings suggest that ,chiara was an    
indulgent parent4 ,she let ,fazio have  
no peace till he consented to allow the 
boy to go to college2 she paid secretly 
for music-lessons1 so that ,jerome was  
enabled to enjoy the relaxation he loved
 better than anything else in the       
world--except gambling2 she paid all his
 charges during his student life at     
,padua2 and now1 quite naturally1 she   
would have shed her heart's blood rather
 than let this son of hers--ugly        
duckling as he was--miss what she deemed
 to be the crowning honour of the       
rectorship2 but after all the sacrifices
 ,chiara made1 after all the misfortunes
 which attended ,jerome's ill-directed  
ambition1 there is a doubt as to whether
 he ever was ,rector in the full sense  
of the term4 ,many times and in divers  
works he affirms that once upon a time  
he was ,rector1 and over and beyond this
 he sets down in black and white the    

fact1 more than once1 that he never told
 a lie2 so it is only polite to accept  
this legend for what it is worth4 ,but  
it must likewise be noted that in the   
extant records of the ,university there 
is no mention of his name in the lists  
of ,rectors4#db  ,jerome has left very  
few details as to his life at ,padua4   
,of those which he notices the following
 are the most interesting3 ,in #aebe1   
the year in which ,i became ,rector1 ,i 
narrowly escaped drowning in the ,lago  
di ,garda4 ,i went on board the boat1   
unwillingly enough1 which carried       
likewise some hired horses2 and1 as we  
sailed on1 the mast and the rudder1 and 
one of the two oars we had with us1 were
 broken by the wind4 ,the sails1 even   
those on the smaller mast1 were split1  
and the night came on4 ,we landed at    
last safe and sound at ,sirmio1 but not 
before all my companions had given up   
hope1 and ,i myself was beginning to    
despair4 ,indeed1 had we been a minute  
later we must have perished1 for the    

tempest was so violent that the iron    
hinges of the inn windows were bent     
thereby4 ,i1 though ,i had been sore    
afraid ever since the wind began to     
blow1 fell to supper with a good heart  
when the host set upon the board a      
mighty pike1 but none of the others had 
any stomach for food1 except the one    
passenger who had advised us to make    
trial of this perilous adventure1 and   
who had proved to be an able and        
courageous helper in our hour of        
distress4  ,again1 once when ,i was in  
,venice on the birthday of the ,virgin1 
,i lost some money at dicing1 and on the
 day following all that was left me went
 the same way4 ,this happened in the    
house of the man with whom ,i was       
gambling1 and in the course of play ,i  
noticed that the cards were marked1     
whereupon ,i struck him in the face with
 my dagger1 wounding him slightly4 ,two 
of his servants were present at the     
time2 some spears hung all ready from   
the beams of the roof1 and besides this 

the house door was fastened4 ,but when  
,i had taken from him all the money he  
had about him--his own as well as that  
which he had won from me by cheating1   
and my cloak and the rings which ,i had 
lost to him the day before--,i was      
satisfied that ,i had got back all my   
possessions4 ,the chattels ,i sent home 
by my servant at once1 but a portion of 
the money ,i tossed back to the fellow  
when ,i saw that ,i had drawn blood of  
him4 ,then ,i attacked the servants who 
were standing by2 and1 as they knew not 
how to use their weapons and besought my
 mercy1 ,i granted this on the condition
 that they should unlock the door4      
,their master1 taking account of the    
uproar and confusion1 and mistrusting   
his safety in case the affair should not
 be settled forthwith 7,i suspect he was
 alarmed about the marked cards71       
commanded the servants to open the door1
 whereupon ,i went my way4  ,that very  
same evening1 while ,i was doing my best
 to escape the notice of the officers of

 justice on account of the wound ,i had 
given to this ,senator1 ,i lost my      
footing and fell into a canal1 having   
arms under my cloak the while4 ,in my   
fall ,i did not lose my nerve1 but      
flinging out my right arm1 ,i grasped   
the thwart of a passing boat and was    
rescued by those on board4 ,when ,i had 
been hauled into the boat ,i            
discovered--wonderful to relate--that   
the man with whom ,i had lately played  
cards was likewise on board1 with his   
face bandaged by reason of the wounds ,i
 had given him4 ,now of his own accord  
he brought out a suit of clothes1 fitted
 for seafaring1 and1 having clad myself 
in them1 ,i journeyed with him as far as
 ,padua4#dc  ,cardan's life from rise to
 set cannot be estimated otherwise than 
an unhappy one1 and its least fortunate 
years were probably those lying between 
his twenty-first and his thirty-first   
year of age4 ,during this period he was 
guilty of that crowning folly1 the      
acceptance of the ,rectorship of the    

,gymnasium at ,padua1 he felt the       
sharpest stings of poverty1 and his life
 was overshadowed by dire physical      
misfortune4 ,he gives a rapid sketch of 
the year following his father's death4  
,then1 my father having breathed his    
last and my term of office come to an   
end1 ,i went1 at the beginning of my    
twenty-sixth year1 to reside at ,sacco1 
a town distant ten miles from ,padua and
 twenty-five from ,venice4 ,i fixed on  
this place by the advice of ,francesco  
,buonafidei1 a physician of ,padua1 who1
 albeit ,i brought no profit to him--not
 even being one of those who attended   
his public teaching--helped me and took 
a liking for me1 being moved to this    
benevolence by his exceeding goodness of
 heart4 ,in this place ,i lived while   
our ,state was being vexed by every sort
 of calamity4 ,in #aebd by a raging     
pestilence and by a two-fold change of  
ruler4 ,in #aebf and #aebg by a         
destructive scarcity of the fruits of   
the earth4 ,it was hard to get corn in  

exchange for money of any kind1 and over
 and beyond this was the intolerable    
weight of taxation4 ,in #aebh the land  
was visited by divers diseases and by   
the plague as well1 but these           
afflictions seemed the easier to bear   
because all other parts were likewise   
suffering from the same4 ,in #aebi ,i   
ventured to return to ,milan--these     
ill-starred troubles being in some      
degree abated--but ,i was refused       
membership by the ,college of           
,physicians there1 ,i was unable to     
settle my lawsuit with the ,barbiani1   
and ,i found my mother in a very ill    
humour1 so ,i went back to my village   
home1 having suffered greatly in health 
during my absence4 ,for what with cruel 
vexations1 and struggles1 and cares     
which ,i saw impending1 and a           
troublesome cough and pleurisy          
aggravated by a copious discharge of    
humour1 ,i was brought into a condition 
such as few men exchange for aught else 
besides a coffin4#dd  ,the closing words

 of his eulogy on his father tell how   
the son1 on the father's death1 found   
that one small house was all he could   
call his own4 ,the explanation of this  
seems to be that the old man1 being of a
 careless disposition and litigious to  
boot1 had left his affairs in piteous   
disorder4 ,in consequence of this       
neglect ,jerome was involved in lawsuits
 for many years1 and the one            
afore-mentioned with the ,barbiani was  
one of them4 ,this case was subsequently
 settled in ,jerome's favour4           
,,footnotes3  #bh ,pavia1 like certain  
modern universities1 did not spend all  
its time over study4 ,aggressus sum     
,mediolani vacationibus quadragenari1   
seu ,bacchanalium potius1 anni ,,mdlxi4 
,ita enim non obscurum est1 nostra tate 
celebrari ante quadragenariam           
vacationes1 in quibus ludunt1           
convivantur1 personati ac larvati       
incedunt1 denique nullum luxus ac lasciv
 genus omittunt3 ,sybarit et ,lydi      
,persque vincuntur4 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4  

#aah4  #bi ,these books were taken to   
,blois4 ,they were subsequently removed 
by ,francis ,i4 to ,fontainebleau1 and  
with the other collections formed the   
nucleus of the ,bibliothque ,nationale4 
#cj ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 v4 p4 #ah4  
#ca ,the time covered by this experience
 was from his fourth to his seventh     
year4  #cb ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4      
xxxvii4 p4 #aad2 ,de ,rerum ,subtilitate
 7,basil1 #aeed71 p4 #ebd4  #cc ,opera1 
tom4 i4 p4 #fa4  #cd ,erat liber        
exiguus1 rem tamen probe absolvebat3 nam
 tunc forte in manus meas inciderat1    
,gebri ,hispani liber1 cujus auxilio non
 parum adjutus sum4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 
#ef4  #ce ,initio multi quidem          
paupertate aliave causa quum se nolunt  
subjicere rigoroso examini ,cl4         
,collegii in artibus ,medicinae vel in  
,jure1 ,baccalaureatus1 vel ,doctoratus 
gradum a ,comitibus ,palatinis aut      
,lateranensibus sumebant4 ,postea vero1 
sublata hac consuetudine1 ,gymnasii     
,rector1 sive substitutus1 convocatis   

duobus professoribus1 bina puncta       
dabantur1 iisque recitatis et diligentis
 sic excussis1 illis gradus             
,baccalaureatus                         
conferebatur4--,gymnasium ,patavinum    
7#afed71 p4 #bjj4  #cf ,he constantly   
bewails this step as the chief folly of 
his life3 ,stulte vero id egi1 quod     
,rector ,gymnasii ,patavini effectus    
sum1 tum1 cum1 inops essem1 et in patria
 maxime bella vigerent1 et tributa      
intolerabilia4 ,matris tamen            
solicitudine effectum est1 ut pondus    
impensarum1 quamvis aegre1              
sustinuerim4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cej4  
#cg ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #aa4 
#ch ,muratori1 ,chron4 di ,bologna1     
xviii4 #bed4  #ci ,the stipends paid to 
teachers of jurisprudence were much more
 liberal than those paid to humanists4  
,in the ,diary of ,sanudo it is recorded
 that a jurist professor at ,padua      
received a thousand ducats per annum4   
,lauro ,quirino1 a professor of         
rhetoric1 meantime received only forty  

ducats1 and ,laurentius ,valla at ,pavia
 received fifty sequins4--,muratori1    
xxii4 #iij4  #dj ,tomasinus1 ,gymnasium 
,patavinam 7#afed71 p4 #acf4  #da       
,tomasinus writes that the ,rector      
should be ,virum illustrem1 providum1   
eloquentem ac divitem1 quique eo pollet 
rerum usu ut ,gymnasi decora ipsius     
gubernatione et splendore               
augeantur4--,gymnasium ,patavinum1 p4   
#ed4 ,he likewise gives a portrait of   
the ,rector in his robes of office1 and 
devotes several chapters to an account  
of his duties4  #db ,ab anno #aeji usque
 ad annum #aeae ob bellum ,cameracense  
,gymn4 interrmissum fuit4--,elenchus    
nominum ,patavii 7#agjf71 p4 #bh4 ,the  
first names given after this interregnum
 are ,dom4 ,jo4 ,maria de ,zaffaris1    
,rector in ,arts1 and ,dom4 ,marinus de 
,ongaris1 ,rector in ,jurisprudence in  
#aebg4  ,papadapoli 7,historia ,gymn4   
,patav47 gives the name of ,ascanius    
,serra as pro-,rector in #aebf3 no      
,rector being mentioned at all4  #dc ,de

 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxx4 p4 #gi4  #dd  
,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #ac4     
,,chapter ,,iii   ,,during his life at  
,padua it would appear that ,cardan1    
over and above the allowance made to him
 by his mother1 had no other source of  
income than the gaming-table4#de        
,however futile and disastrous his      
sojourn at this ,university may have    
been1 he at least took away with him one
 possession of value1 to wit his        
doctorate of medicine1 on the strength  
of which he began to practise as a      
country physician at ,sacco4 ,the record
 of his life during these years gives   
the impression that he must have been   
one of the most wretched of living      
mortals4 ,the country was vexed by every
 sort of misfortune1 by prolonged       
warfare1 by raging pestilence1 by       
famine1 and by intolerable taxation2#df 
but while he paints this picture of     
misery and desolation in one place1 he  
goes on to declare in another that the  
time which he spent at ,sacco was the   

happiest he ever knew4#dg ,no greater   
instance of inconsistency is to be found
 in his pages4 ,he writes3 ,i gambled1  
,i occupied myself with music1 ,i walked
 abroad1 ,i feasted1 giving scant       
attention the while to my studies4 ,i   
feared no hurt1 ,i paid my respects to  
the ,venetian gentlemen living in the   
town1 and frequented their houses4 ,i1  
too1 was in the very flower of my age1  
and no time could have been more        
delightful than this which lasted for   
five years and a half4#dh  ,but for     
almost the whole of this period ,cardan 
was labouring under a physical          
misfortune concerning which he writes in
 another place in terms of almost savage
 bitterness4 ,during ten years of his   
life1 from his twenty-first to his      
thirty-first year1 he suffered from the 
loss of virile power1 a calamity which  
he laments in the following words3 ,and 
,i maintain that this misfortune was to 
me the worst of evils4 ,compared with it
 neither the harsh servitude under my   

father1 nor unkindness1 nor the troubles
 of litigation1 nor the wrongs done me  
by my fellow-townsmen1 nor the scorn of 
my fellow-physicians1 nor the ill things
 falsely spoken against me1 nor all the 
measureless mass of possible evil1 could
 have brought me to such despair1 and   
hatred of life1 and distaste of all     
pleasure1 and lasting sorrow4 ,i        
bitterly wept this misery1 that ,i must 
needs be a laughing-stock1 that marriage
 must be denied me1 and that ,i must    
ever live in solitude4 ,you ask for the 
cause of this misfortune1 a matter which
 ,i am quite unable to explain4 ,because
 of the reasons just mentioned1 and     
because ,i dreaded that men should know 
how grave was the ill afflicting me1 ,i 
shunned the society of women2 and1 on   
account of this habit1 the same         
miserable public scandal which ,i       
desired so earnestly to avoid1 arose    
concerning me1 and brought upon me the  
suspicion of still more nefarious       
practices3 in sooth it seemed that there

 was no further calamity left for me to 
endure4#di ,after reading these words1  
it is hard to believe that a man1       
afflicted with a misfortune which he    
characterizes in these terms1 could have
 been even moderately happy2 much less  
in that state of bliss which he sits    
down to describe forty years afterwards4
  ,but the end of his life at ,sacco was
 fated to be happier than the beginning1
 and it is possible that memories of the
 last months he spent there may have    
helped to colour with rosy tint the     
picture of happiness recently referred  
to4 ,in the first place he was suddenly 
freed from his physical infirmity1 and  
shortly after his restoration he met and
 married the woman who1 as long as she  
lived with him1 did all that was        
possible to make him happy4 ,every      
momentous event of ,cardan's life--and  
many a trifling one as well--was        
heralded by some manifestation of the   
powers lying beyond man's cognition4 ,in
 writing about the signs and tokens     

which served as premonitions of his     
courtship and marriage1 he glides easily
 into a description of the events       
themselves in terms which are worth     
producing4 ,in times past ,i had my home
 in ,sacco1 and there ,i led a joyful   
life1 as if ,i were a man unvexed by    
misfortune 7,i recall this circumstance 
somewhat out of season1 but the dream ,i
 am about to tell of seems only too     
appropriate to the occasion71 or a      
mortal made free of the habitations of  
the blest1 or rather of some region of  
delight4 ,then1 on a certain night1 ,i  
seemed to find myself in a pleasant     
garden1 beautiful exceedingly1 decked   
with flowers and filled with fruits of  
divers sorts1 and a soft air breathed   
around4 ,so lovely was it all that no   
painter nor our poet ,pulci1 nor any    
imagination of man could have figured   
the like4 ,i was standing in the        
forecourt of this garden1 the door      
whereof was open1 and there was another 
door on the opposite side1 when lo6 ,i  

beheld before me a damsel clad in white4
 ,i embraced and kissed her2 but before 
,i could kiss her again1 the gardener   
closed the door4 ,i straightway begged  
him earnestly that he would open it     
again1 but ,i begged in vain2 wherefore1
 plunged in grief and clinging to the   
damsel1 ,i seemed to be shut out of the 
garden4  ,a little time after this there
 was a rumour in the town of a house on 
fire1 and ,i was roused from sleep to   
hurry to the spot4 ,then ,i learned that
 the house belonged to one ,altobello   
,bandarini1#ej a captain of the         
,venetian levies in the district of     
,padua4 ,i had no acquaintance with him1
 in sooth ,i scarcely knew him by sight4
 ,now it chanced that after the fire he 
hired a house next door to my own1 a    
step which displeased me somewhat1 for  
such a neighbour was not to my taste2   
but what was ,i to do8 ,after the lapse 
of a few days1 when ,i was in the       
street1 ,i perceived a young girl who1  
as to her face and her raiment1 was the 

exact image of her whom ,i had beheld in
 my dream4 ,but ,i said to myself1      
',what is this girl to me8 ,if ,i1 poor 
wretch that ,i am1 take to wife a girl  
dowered with naught1 except a crowd of  
brothers and sisters1 it will be all    
over with me2 forasmuch as ,i can hardly
 keep myself as it is4 ,if ,i should    
attempt to carry her off1 or to have my 
will of her by stealth1 there will of a 
surety be some tale-bearers about2 and  
her father1 being a fellow-townsman and 
a soldier to boot1 would not sit down   
lightly under such an injury4 ,in this  
case1 or in that1 it is hard to say what
 course ,i should follow1 for if this   
affair should come to the issue ,i most 
desire1 ,i must needs fly the place4'   
,from that same hour these thoughts and 
others akin to them possessed my brain1 
which was only too ready to harbour     
them1 and ,i felt it would be better to 
die than to live on in such perplexity4 
,thenceforth ,i was as one              
love-possessed1 or even burnt up with   

passion1 and ,i understood what meaning 
,i might gather from the reading of my  
dream4 ,moreover ,i was by this time    
freed from the chain which had held me  
back from marriage4 ,thus ,i1 a willing 
bridegroom1 took a willing bride1 her   
kinsfolk questioning us how this thing  
had been brought about1 and offering us 
any help which might be of service2     
which help indeed proved of very        
substantial benefit4  ,but the          
interpretation of my dreams did not work
 itself out entirely in the after life  
of my wife2 it made itself felt likewise
 in the lives of my children4 ,my wife  
lived with me fifteen years1 and alas6  
this ill-advised marriage was the cause 
of all the misfortunes which            
subsequently happened to me4 ,these must
 have come about either by the working  
of the divine will1 or as the recompense
 due for some ill deeds wrought by      
myself or by my forefathers4#ea  ,the   
dream aforesaid was not the only portent
 having reference to his marriage4      

,after describing shakings and          
tremblings of his bed1 for which indeed 
a natural cause was not far to seek1 he 
tells how in #aeca a certain dog1 of    
gentle temper as a rule1 and quiet1 kept
 up a persistent howling for a long     
time2 how some ravens perched on the    
house-top and began croaking in an      
unusual manner2 and how1 when his       
servant was breaking up a faggot1 some  
sparks of fire flew out of the same2    
whereupon1 by an unlooked-for step ,i   
married a wife1 and from that time      
divers misfortunes have attended me4#eb 
,lucia1 the wife of his choice1 was the 
eldest daughter of ,altobello           
,bandarini1 who had1 besides her1 three 
daughters and four sons4 ,jerome1 as it 
has been already noted1 was possessed   
with a fear lest he should be burdened  
by his brothers-and sisters-in-law after
 his marriage2 but1 considering that he 
was a young unknown physician1 without  
either money or patients1 and that      
,bandarini was a man of position and    

repute1 with some wealth and more       
shrewdness1 the chances were that the   
burden would lie on the other side4     
,cardan seems to have inherited ,fazio's
 contempt for wealth1 or at least to    
have made a profession thereof2 for1 in 
chronicling the event of his marriage1  
he sets down1 with a certain degree of  
pomposity1 that he took a wife without a
 dower on account of a certain vow he   
had sworn4#ec ,if the bride was         
penniless the father-in-law was wealthy1
 and the last-named fact might well have
 proved a powerful argument to induce   
,cardan to remain at ,sacco1 albeit he  
had little scope for his calling4 ,that 
he soon determined to quit the place1 is
 an evidence of his independence of     
spirit1 and of his disinclination to    
sponge upon his well-to-do connections4 
,bandarini1 when this scheme was        
proposed to him1 vetoed it at once4 ,he 
was unwilling to part with his daughter1
 and possibly he may have taken a fancy 
to his son-in-law1 for ,cardan has left 

it on record that ,bandarini was greatly
 pleased with the match2 he ended1      
however1 by consenting to the migration1
 which was not made without the         
intervention of a warning portent4 ,a   
short time before the young couple      
departed1 it happened that a tile got   
mixed with the embers in ,bandarini's   
bed-chamber2 and1 in the course of the  
night1 exploded with a loud report1 and 
the fragments thereof were scattered    
around4 ,this event ,bandarini regarded 
as an augury of evil1 and indeed evil   
followed swiftly after4 ,before a year  
had passed he was dead1 some holding    
that his death had been hastened by the 
ill conduct of his eldest son1 and      
others whispering suspicions of poison4 
,jerome and his young wife betook       
themselves to ,milan1 but this visit    
seems to have been fully as unprofitable
 as the one he had paid in #aebi4 ,in   
that year he had to face his first      
rejection by the ,college of            
,physicians1 when he made application   

for admission2 and there is indirect    
evidence that he now made a second      
application with no better result4#ed   
,in any case his affairs were in a very 
bad way4 ,if he had money in his pocket 
he would not keep long away from the    
gaming-table2 and1 with the weight of   
trouble ever bearing him down more and  
more heavily1 it is almost certain that 
his spirits must have suffered1 and that
 poor ,lucia must have passed many an   
unhappy hour on account of his nervous  
irritability4 ,then the gates of his    
profession remained closed to him by the
 action of the ,college4 ,the pretext   
the authorities gave for their refusal  
to admit him was his illegitimate birth2
 but it is not unlikely that they may   
have mistrusted as a colleague the son  
of ,fazio ,cardano1 and that stories of 
the profligate life and the intractable 
temper of the candidate may have been   
brought to them4#ee ,his health suffered
 from the bad air of the city almost as 
severely as before1 and ,lucia1 who was 

at this time pregnant1 miscarried at    
four months1 and shortly afterwards had 
a second misfortune of the same kind4   
,his mother's temper was not of the     
sweetest1 and it is quite possible that 
between her and her daughter-in-law     
there may have been strained relations4 
,cardan at any rate found that he must  
once more beat a retreat from ,milan1   
wherefore1 at the end of ,april #aecc1  
he made up his mind to remove to        
,gallarate4  ,this town has already been
 mentioned as chief place of the        
district1 from which the ,cardan family 
took its origin4 ,before going thither  
,jerome had evidently weighed the matter
 well1 and he has set down at some      
length the reasons which led him to make
 this choice4 ,thus1 acting under the   
reasons aforesaid 7the family           
associations71 ,i resolved to go to     
,gallarate1 in order that ,i might have 
the enjoyment of four separate          
advantages which it offered4 ,firstly1  
that in the most healthy air of the     

place ,i might shake off entirely the   
distemper which ,i had contracted in    
,milan4 ,secondly1 that ,i might earn   
something by my profession1 seeing that 
then ,i should be free to practise4     
,thirdly1 that there would be no need   
for me to pine away while ,i beheld     
those physicians1 by whom ,i reckoned ,i
 had been despoiled1 flourishing in     
wealth and in the high estimation of all
 men4 ,lastly1 that by following a more 
frugal way of life1 ,i might make what  
,i possessed last the longer4 ,for all  
things are cheaper in the country1 since
 they have to be carried from the       
country into the town1 and many         
necessaries may be had for the asking4  
,persuaded by these arguments1 ,i went  
to this place1 and ,i was not altogether
 deceived1 seeing that ,i recovered my  
health1 and the son--who was to be reft 
from me later on by the ,senate--was    
born to me4#ef  ,employment at          
,gallarate was1 however1 almost as      
scarce as it had been at ,sacco1        

wherefore ,jerome found leisure in      
plenty for literary work4 ,he began a   
treatise on ,fate2 but1 even had this   
been completed1 it would scarcely have  
filled the empty larder by the proceeds 
of its sale4 ,more profitable was some  
chance employment which was given to him
 by ,filippo ,archinto1#eg a generous   
and accomplished young nobleman of      
,milan1 who was ambitious to figure as a
 writer on ,astronomy1 and1 it may be   
remarked1 ,archinto's benefactions were 
not confined to the payment for the hack
 work which ,jerome did for him at this 
period4 ,had it not been for his        
subsequent patronage and support1 it is 
quite possible that ,cardan would have  
gone under in the sea of adversity4  ,in
 spite of the cheapness of provisions at
 ,gallarate1 and of occasional meals    
taken gratis from the fields1 complete  
destitution seemed to be only a matter  
of days1 and just at this crisis1 to add
 to his embarrassments--though he longed
 earnestly for the event--,lucia was    

brought to bed with her first-born      
living child on ,may #ad1 #aecd4 ,the   
child's birth was accompanied by divers 
omens1 one of which the father          
describes1 finding therein some         
premonition of future disaster4 ,i had  
great fear of his life until the        
fifteenth day of ,june1 on which day1   
being a ,sunday1 he was baptized4 ,the  
sun shone brightly into the bed-chamber3
 it was between the hours of eleven and 
twelve in the forenoon2 and1 according  
to custom1 we were all gathered round   
the mother's bed except a young servant1
 the curtain was drawn away from the    
window and fastened to the wall1 when   
suddenly a large wasp flew into the     
room1 and circled round the infant4 ,we 
were all greatly afeard for the child1  
but the wasp did him no hurt4 ,the next 
moment it came against the curtain1     
making so great a noise that you would  
have said that a drum was being beaten1 
and all ran towards the place1 but found
 no trace of the wasp4 ,it could not    

have flown out of the room1 because all 
eyes had been fixed upon it4 ,then all  
of us who were then present felt some   
foreboding of what subsequently came to 
pass1 but did not deem that the end     
would be so bitter as it proved to      
be4#eh  ,the impulse which drives men in
 desperate straits to seek shelter in   
the streets of a city was as strong in  
,cardan's time as it is to-day4 ,at     
,gallarate the last coin was now spent1 
and there was an extra mouth to feed4   
,there seemed to be no other course open
 but another retreat to ,milan4         
,archinto was rich in literary          
ambitions1 which might perchance        
stimulate him to find farther work for  
the starving scholar3 and there was     
,chiara also who would scarcely let her 
grandchild die of want4 ,the revelation 
which ,cardan makes of himself and of   
his way of life at this time is not one 
to enlist sympathy for him entirely2 but
 it is not wanting in a note of pathetic
 sincerity4 ,for a long time the        

,college at ,milan refused to admit me1 
and during these days ,i was assuredly a
 spendthrift and heedless4 ,in body ,i  
was weakly1 and in estate plundered by  
thieves on all sides1 yet ,i never      
grudged money for the buying of books4  
,my residence at ,gallarate brought me  
no profit1 for in the whole nineteen    
months ,i lived there1 ,i did not       
receive more than twenty-five crowns    
towards the rent of the house ,i hired4 
,i had such ill luck with the dice that 
,i was forced to pawn all my wife's     
jewels1 and our very bed4 ,if it is a   
wonder that ,i found myself thus bereft 
of all my substance1 it is still more   
wonderful that ,i did not take to       
begging on account of my poverty1 and a 
wonder greater still that ,i harboured  
in my mind no unworthy thoughts against 
my forefathers1 or against right living1
 or against those honours which ,i had  
won--honours which afterwards stood me  
in good stead--but bore my misfortunes  
with mind undisturbed4#ei  ,cardan's    

worldly fortunes were now at their      
lowest ebb4 ,burdened with a wife and   
child1 he had found it necessary to     
return1 after a second futile attempt to
 gain a living by his calling in a      
country town1 to ,milan1 his            
stony-hearted step-mother4 ,if he had   
reckoned on his mother's bounty he was  
doomed to disappointment1 for ,chiara   
was an irritable woman1 and as her son's
 temper was none of the sweetest1 it is 
almost certain that they must have      
quarrelled occasionally4 ,it is hard to 
believe that they could have been on    
good terms at this juncture1 otherwise  
she would scarcely have allowed him to  
take his wife and child to what was then
 the public workhouse of the city2#fj   
but this place was his only refuge1 and 
in ,october #aecd he was glad to shelter
 himself beneath its roof4  ,there was  
in ,cardan's nature a strong vein of    
melancholy1 and up to the date now under
 consideration he had been the victim of
 a fortune calculated to deepen rather  

than disperse his morbid tendencies4 ,a 
proof of his high courage and dauntless 
perseverance may be deduced from the    
fact that neither poverty1 nor the sense
 of repeated failure1 nor the flouts of 
the ,milanese doctors1 prevailed at any 
time to quench in his heart the love of 
fame1#fa or to disabuse him of the      
conviction that he1 poverty-stricken    
wretch as he was1 would before long bind
 ,fortune to his chariot-wheels1 and    
would force the adverse world to        
acknowledge him as one of its master    
minds4 ,the dawn was now not far        
distant1 but the last hours of his night
 of misfortune were very dark4 ,the     
worst of the struggle1 as far as the    
world was concerned1 was over1 and the  
sharpest sorrows and the heaviest       
disgrace reserved for ,cardan in the    
future were to be those nourished in his
 own household4  ,writing of his way of 
life and of the vices and defects of his
 character1 he says3 ,if a man shall    
fail in his carriage before the world as

 he fails in other things1 who shall    
correct him8 ,thus ,i myself will do    
duty for that one leper who alone out of
 the ten who were healed came back to   
our ,lord4 ,by reasoning of this sort1  
,physicians and ,astrologers trace back 
the origin of our natural habits to our 
primal qualities1 to the training of our
 will1 and to our occupations and       
conversation4 ,in every man all these   
are found in proper ratio to the time of
 life of each individual2 nevertheless  
it will be easy to discern marked       
variations in cases otherwise similar4  
,therefore it behoves us to hold fast to
 some guiding principle chosen out of   
these1 and ,i on my part am inclined1 as
 far as it may be allowed1 to say with  
respect to all of them1 ,greek3 gnthi   
seauton4  ,my own nature in sooth was   
never a mystery to myself4 ,i was ever  
hot-tempered1 single-minded1 and given  
to women4 ,from these cardinal          
tendencies there proceeded truculence of
 temper1 wrangling1 obstinacy1 rudeness 

of carriage1 anger1 and an inordinate   
desire1 or rather a headstrong passion1 
for revenge in respect to any wrong done
 to me2 so that this inclination1 which 
is censured by many1 became to me a     
delight4 ,to put it briefly1 ,i held ,at
 vindicta bonum vita jucundius ipsa4 ,as
 a general rule ,i went astray but      
seldom1 though it is a common saying1   
',natura nostra prona est ad malum4' ,i 
am moreover truthful1 mindful of        
benefits wrought to me1 a lover of      
justice and of my own people1 a despiser
 of money1 a worshipper of that fame    
which defies death1 prone to thrust     
aside what is commonplace1 and still    
more disposed to treat mere trifles in  
the same way4 ,still1 knowing well how  
great may be the power of little things 
at any moment during the course of an   
undertaking1 ,i never make light of     
aught which may be useful4 ,by nature ,i
 am prone to every vice and ill-doing   
except ambition1 and ,i1 if no one else 
does1 know my own imperfections4 ,but   

because of my veneration for ,god1 and  
because ,i recognize the vanity and     
emptiness of all things of this sort1 it
 often happens that1 of my own free     
will1 ,i forego certain opportunities   
for taking revenge which may be offered 
to me4 ,i am timid1 with a cold heart   
and a hot brain1 given to reflection and
 the consideration of things many and   
mighty1 and even of things which can    
never come to pass4 ,i can even let my  
thoughts concern themselves with two    
distinct subjects at the same time4     
,those who throw out charges of         
garrulity and extravagance by way of    
contradicting any praise accorded to me1
 charge me with the faults of others    
rather than my own4 ,i attack no man1 ,i
 only defend myself4  ,and what reason  
is there why ,i should spend myself in  
this cause since ,i have so often borne 
witness of the emptiness of this life of
 ours8 ,my excuse must be that certain  
men have praised me1 wherefore they     
cannot deem me altogether wicked4 ,i    

have always trained myself to let my    
face contradict my thoughts4 ,thus while
 ,i can simulate what is not1 ,i cannot 
dissimulate what is4 ,to accomplish this
 is no difficult task if a man          
cultivates likewise the habit of hoping 
for nothing4 ,by striving for fifteen   
years to compass this end and by        
spending much trouble over the same ,i  
at last succeeded4 ,urged on by this    
humour ,i sometimes go forth in rags1   
sometimes finely dressed1 sometimes     
silent1 sometimes talkative1 sometimes  
joyful1 sometimes sad2 and on this      
account my two-fold mood shows          
everything double4 ,in my youth ,i      
rarely spent any care in keeping my hair
 in order1 because of my inclination for
 other pursuits more to my taste4 ,my   
gait is irregular4 ,i move now quickly1 
now slowly4 ,when ,i am at home ,i go   
with my legs naked as far as the ankles4
 ,i am slack in duty and reckless in    
speech1 and specially prone to show     
irritation over anything which may      

disgust or irk me4  ,the above-written  
self-description does not display a     
personality particularly attractive4    
,jerome ,cardan was one of those men who
 experience a morbid gratification in   
cataloguing all their sinister points of
 character1 and exaggerating them at the
 same time2 and in this picture1 as in  
many others scattered about the ,de     
,vita ,propria1 the shadows may have    
been put in too strongly4  ,in the      
foregoing pages reference was made to   
certain acts of benevolence done to     
,cardan by the family of ,archinto4 ,it 
is not impossible that the promises and 
persuasions of his young patron ,filippo
 may have had some weight in inducing   
,jerome to shift his home once more4    
,whatever befell he could hardly make   
his case worse2 but whether ,filippo had
 promised help or not1 he showed himself
 now a true and valuable friend4 ,there 
was in ,milan a public lectureship in   
geometry and astronomy supported by a   
small endowment left by a certain       

,tommaso ,plat1 and to this post1 which 
happened opportunely to be vacant1      
,cardan was appointed by the good       
offices of ,filippo ,archinto4 ,yet even
 when he was literally a pauper he seems
 to have felt some scruples about       
accepting this office1 but fortunately  
in this instance his poverty overcame   
his pride4 ,the salary was indeed a very
 small one1#fb and the lecturer was not 
suffered to handle the whole of it1 but 
it was at least liberal enough to banish
 the dread of starvation1 and his       
duties1 which consisted solely in the   
preparation and delivery of his         
lectures1 did not debar him from        
literary work on his own account4       
,wherefore in his leisure time he worked
 hard at his desk4  ,any differences    
which may have existed between him and  
his mother were now removed1 for he took
 her to live with him1 the household    
being made up of himself1 his wife1 his 
mother1 a friend 7a woman71 a nurse1 the
 little boy1 a man-and maidservant1 and 

a mule4#fc ,possibly ,chiara brought her
 own income with her1 and thus allowed  
the establishment to be conducted on a  
more liberal scale4 ,the ,plat          
lectureship would scarcely have         
maintained three servants1 and ,jerome's
 gains from other sources must have been
 as yet very slender4 ,his life at this 
time was a busy one1 but he always      
contrived to portion out his days in    
such wise that certain hours were left  
for recreation4 ,at such times as he was
 called upon to teach1 the class-room1  
of course1 had the first claims4 ,after 
the lecture he would walk in the shade  
outside the city walls1 then return to  
his dinner1 then divert himself with    
music1 and afterwards go fishing in the 
pools and streams hard by the town4 ,in 
the course of time he obtained other    
employment1 being appointed physician to
 the ,augustinian friars4 ,the ,prior of
 this ,order1 ,francesco ,gaddi1 was    
indeed his first patient of note4 ,he   
tells how he cured this man of a        

biennial leprosy after treating him for 
six months2#fd adding that his labour   
was in vain1 inasmuch as ,gaddi died a  
violent death afterwards4 ,the refusal  
of the ,college of ,milan to admit him  
to membership did not forbid him to     
prescribe for whatever patients might   
like to consult him by virtue of his    
,paduan degree4 ,he read voraciously    
everything which came in his way1 and it
 must have been during these years that 
he stored his memory with that vast     
collection of facts out of which he     
subsequently compounded the row of tomes
 which form his legacy to posterity4    
,filippo ,archinto was unfailing in his 
kindness1 and ,jerome at this time was  
fortunate enough to attract the         
attention of certain other ,milanese    
citizens of repute who afterwards proved
 to be valuable friends2 ,ludovico      
,madio1 ,girolamo ,guerrini a jeweller1 
,francesco ,belloti1 and ,francesco     
della ,croce4 ,the last-named was a     
skilled jurisconsult1 whose help proved 

of great service in a subsequent        
litigation between ,jerome and the      
,college of ,physicians4  ,all his life 
long ,cardan was a dreamer of dreams1   
and he gives an account of one of his   
visions in this year1 #aecd1 which1     
whether regarded as an allegory or as a 
portent1 is somewhat remarkable4 ,in the
 year #aecd1 when ,i was as it were     
groping in the dark1 when ,i had settled
 naught as to my future life1 and when  
my case seemed to grow more desperate   
day by day1 ,i beheld in a dream the    
figure of myself running towards the    
base of a mountain which stood upon my  
right hand1 in company with a vast crowd
 of people of every station and age and 
sex--women1 men1 old men1 boys1 infants1
 poor men and rich men1 clad in raiment 
of every sort4 ,i inquired whither we   
were all running1 whereupon one of the  
multitude answered that we were all     
hastening on to death4 ,i was greatly   
terrified at these words1 when ,i       
perceived a mountain on my left hand4   

,then1 having turned myself round so    
that it stood on my right side1 ,i      
grasped the vines 7which1 here in the   
midst of the mountains and as far as the
 place wherein ,i stood1 were covered   
with dry leaves1 and bare of grapes1 as 
we commonly see them in autumn7 and     
began to ascend4 ,at first ,i found this
 difficult1 for the reason that the     
mountain was very steep round the base1 
but having surmounted this ,i made my   
way upward easily4 ,when ,i had come to 
the summit it seemed that ,i was like to
 pass beyond the dictates of my own     
will4 ,steep naked rocks appeared on    
every side1 and ,i narrowly escaped     
falling down from a great height into a 
gloomy chasm4 ,so dreadful is all this  
that now1 what though forty years have  
rolled away1 the memory thereof still   
saddens and terrifies me4 ,then1 having 
turned towards the right where ,i could 
see naught but a plain covered with     
heath1 ,i took that path out of fear1   
and1 as ,i wended thither in reckless   

mood1 ,i found that ,i had come to the  
entrance of a rude hut1 thatched with   
straw and reeds and rushes1 and that ,i 
held by my right hand a boy about twelve
 years of age and clad in a grey        
garment4 ,then at this very moment ,i   
was aroused from sleep1 and my dream    
vanished4  ,in this vision was clearly  
displayed the deathless name which was  
to be mine1 my life of heavy and        
ceaseless work1 my imprisonment1 my     
seasons of grievous terror and sadness1 
and my abiding-place foreshadowed as    
inhospitable1 by the sharp stones ,i    
beheld3 barren1 by the want of trees and
 of all serviceable plants2 but destined
 to be1 nevertheless1 in the end happy1 
and righteous1 and easy4 ,this dream    
told also of my lasting fame in the     
future1 seeing that the vine yields a   
harvest every year4 ,as to the boy1 if  
he were indeed my good spirit1 the omen 
was lucky1 for ,i held him very close4  
,if he were meant to foreshadow my      
grandson it would be less fortunate4    

,that cottage in the desert was my hope 
of rest4 ,that overwhelming horror and  
the sense of falling headlong may have  
had reference to the ruin of my son4#fe 
,my second dream occurred a short time  
after4 ,it seemed to me that my soul was
 in the heaven of the moon1 freed from  
the body and all alone1 and when ,i was 
bewailing my fate ,i heard the voice of 
my father1 saying3 ',god has appointed  
me as a guardian to you4 ,all this      
region is full of spirits1 but these you
 cannot see1 and you must not speak     
either to me or to them4 ,in this part  
of heaven you will remain for seven     
thousand years1 and for the same time in
 certain other stars1 until you come to 
the eighth4 ,after this you shall enter 
the kingdom of ,god4' ,i read this dream
 as follows4 ,my father's soul is my    
tutelary spirit4 ,what could be dearer  
or more delightful8 ,the ,moon signifies
 ,grammar2 ,mercury ,geometry and       
,arithmetic2 ,venus ,music1 the ,art of 
,divination1 and ,poetry2 the ,sun the  

,moral1 and ,jupiter the ,natural1      
,world2 ,mars ,medicine2 ,saturn        
,agriculture1 the knowledge of plants1  
and other minor arts4 ,the eighth star  
stands for a gleaning of all mundane    
things1 natural science1 and various    
other studies4 ,after dealing with these
 ,i shall at last find my rest with the 
,prince of ,heaven4#ff  ,,footnotes3    
#de ,nec ullum mihi erat relictum       
auxilium nisi latrunculorum             
,ludus4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fai4  #df  
,from the formation of the ,league of   
,cambrai in #aejh to the establishment  
of the ,imperial supremacy in ,italy in 
#aecj1 the whole country was desolated  
by the marching and counter-marching of 
the contending forces4 ,milan1 lying    
directly in the path of the ,french     
armies1 suffered most of all4  #dg      
,compare ,de ,vita ,propria1 chaps4 iv4 
and xxxi4 pp4 #ac and #ib4  #dh ,de     
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxxi4 p4 #ib4 ,in   
taking the other view he writes3 ,vitam 
ducebam in ,saccensi oppido1 ut mihi    

videbar1 infelicissime4--,opera1 tom4 i4
 p4 #ig4  #di ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #bce4  
#ej ,he gives a long and interesting    
sketch of his father-in-law in ,de      
,utilitate1 p4 #cgj4  #ea ,de ,vita     
,propria1 ch4 xxvi4 p4 #fh2 ,opera1 tom4
 i4 p4 #ig4  #eb ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4
 xli4 p4 #adi4  #ec ,de ,utilitate1 p4  
#cej4  #ed ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #ceg3 ,nam
 in urbe nec collegium recipere volebat 
nec cum aliquo ex illis artem exercere  
licebat et sine illis difficillimum     
erat4 ,he writes thus while describing  
this particular visit to ,milan4  #ee   
,ill fortune seems to have pursued the  
whole family in their relations with    
learned societies4 ,nam et pater meus ut
 ab eo accepi1 diu in ingressu ,collegii
 ,jurisconsultorum laboravit1 et ego1 ut
 alias testatus sum1 bis a medicorum    
,patavino1 toties filius meus natu      
major1 a ,ticinensi1 uterque a          
,mediolanensi rejecti sumus4--,opera1   
tom4 i4 p4 #id4  #ef ,de ,utilitate1 p4 
#ceh4  #eg ,he became a priest1 and died

 ,archbishop of ,milan in #aeeb4 ,cardan
 dedicated to him his first published   
book1 ,de ,malo ,medendi4  #eh ,de ,vita
 ,propria1 ch4 xxxvii4 p4 #aai4  #ei ,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxv4 p4 #fg4  #fj  
,the ,xenodochium1 which was originally 
a stranger's lodging-house4 ,by this    
time places of this sort had become     
little else than succursales of some    
religious house4 ,the ,governors of the 
,milanese ,xenodochium were the patrons 
of the ,plat endowment which ,cardan    
afterwards enjoyed4  #fa ,hoc unum sat  
scio1 ab ineunte tate me inextinguibili 
nominis immortalis cupiditate           
flagrasse4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fa4  #fb
 ,minimo tamen honorario1 et illud etiam
 minimum suasu cujusdam amici egregii   
praefecti ,xenodochii imminuerunt2 ita  
cum hujus recordor in mentem venit      
fabell illius ,apuleii de annon         
,praefecto4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fd4    
#fc ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cea4  #fd ,the  
following gives a hint as to the        
treatment followed3 ,referant leprosos  

balneo ejus aquae in qua cadaver ablutum
 sit1 sanari4--,de ,varietate1 p4 #ccd4 
#fe ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxxvii4 p4  
#aba4 ,this dream is also told in ,de   
,libris ,propriis1 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4   
#fd4  #ff ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4       
xxxvii4 p4 #aba4     ,,chapter ,,iv     
,,jerome ,,cardan is now standing on the
 brink of authorship4 ,the very title of
 his first book1 ,de ,malo ,recentiorum 
,medicorum ,medendi ,usu1 gives plain   
indication of the humour which possessed
 him1 when he formulated his subject and
 put it in writing4 ,with his temper    
vexed by the persistent neglect and     
insult cast upon him by the ,milanese   
doctors he would naturally sit down con 
amore to compile a list of the errors   
perpetrated by the ignorance and        
bungling of the men who affected to     
despise him1 and if his object was to   
sting the hides of these pundits and    
arouse them to hostility yet more       
vehement1 he succeeded marvellously     
well4 ,he was enabled to launch his book

 rather by the strength of private      
friendship than by the hope of any      
commercial success4 ,whilst at ,pavia he
 had become intimate with ,ottaviano    
,scoto1 a fellow-student who came from  
,venice1 and in after times he found    
,ottaviano's purse very useful to his   
needs4 ,since their college days        
,ottaviano's father had died and had    
left his son to carry on his calling of 
printing4 ,in #aecf ,jerome bethought   
him of his friend1 and sent him the     
,,ms4 of the treatise which was to let  
the world learn with what little wisdom 
it was being doctored4#fg  ,ottaviano   
seems to have expected no profit from   
this venture1 which was manifestly      
undertaken out of a genuine desire to   
help his friend1 and he generously bore 
all the costs4 ,cardan deemed that1     
whatever the result of the issue of the 
book might be1 it would surely be to his
 benefit2 he hazarded nothing1 and the  
very publication of his work would give 
him at least notoriety4 ,it would       

moreover give him the intense pleasure  
of knowing that he was repaying in some 
measure the debt of vengeance owing to  
his professional foes4 ,the outcome was 
exactly the opposite of what printer and
 author had feared and hoped4 ,the      
success of the book was rapid and great4
  ,ottaviano must soon have recouped all
 the cost of publication2 and1 while he 
was counting his money1 the doctors     
everywhere were reading ,jerome's       
brochure1 and preparing a ruthless      
attack upon the daring censor1 who1 with
 the impetuosity of youth1 had laid     
himself open to attack by the careless  
fashion in which he had compiled his    
work4 ,he took fifteen days to write it1
 and he confesses in his preface to the 
revised edition that he found therein   
over three hundred mistakes of one sort 
or another4 ,the attack was naturally   
led by the ,milanese doctors4 ,they     
demanded to be told why this man1 who   
was not good enough to practise by their
 sanction1 was good enough to lay down  

the laws for the residue of the medical 
world4 ,they heaped blunder upon        
blunder1 and held him up to ridicule    
with all the wealth of invective        
characteristic of the learned           
controversy of the age4 ,cardan was     
deeply humbled and annoyed4 ,for my     
opponents1 seizing the opportunity1 took
 occasion to assail me through the      
reasoning of this book1 and cried out3  
',who can doubt that this man is mad8   
and that he would teach a method and a  
practice of medicine differing from our 
own1 since he has so many hard things to
 say of our procedure4' ,and1 as ,galen 
said1 ,i must in truth have appeared    
crazy in my efforts to contradict this  
multitude raging against me4 ,for1 as it
 was absolutely certain that either ,i  
or they must be in the wrong1 how could 
,i hope to win8 ,who would take my word 
against the word of this band of doctors
 of approved standing1 wealthy1 for the 
most part full of years1 well           
instructed1 richly clad and cultivated  

in their bearing1 well versed in        
speaking1 supported by crowds of friends
 and kinsfolk1 raised by popular        
approval to high position1 and1 what was
 more powerful than all else1 skilled in
 every art of cunning and deceit8       
,cardan had indeed prepared a bitter    
pill for his foes1 but the draught they 
compelled him to swallow was hardly more
 palatable4 ,the publication of the book
 naturally increased the difficulties of
 his position1 and in this respect      
tended to make his final triumph all the
 more noteworthy4  ,it was in #aecf that
 ,cardan made his first essay as an     
author4#fh ,the next three years of his 
life at ,milan were remarkable as years 
of preparation and accumulation1 rather 
than as years of achievement4 ,he had   
struck his first blow as a reformer1    
and1 as is often the lot of reformers1  
his sword had broken in his hand1 and   
there now rested upon him the sense of  
failure as a superadded torment4 ,yet   
now and again a gleam of consolation    

would disperse the gloom1 and advise him
 that the world was beginning to        
recognize his existence1 and in a way   
his merits4 ,in this same year he       
received an offer from ,pavia of the    
,professorship of ,medicine1 but this he
 refused because he did not see any     
prospect of being paid for his services4
 ,his friend ,filippo ,archinto was     
loyal still1 and zealous in working for 
his success1 and as he had been recently
 promoted to high office in the         
,imperial service1 his good word might  
be very valuable indeed4 ,he summoned   
his protg to join him at ,piacenza1     
whither he had gone to meet ,paul       
,,iii41 hoping to advance ,cardan's     
interests with the ,pope2 but though    
,marshal ,brissac1 the ,french king's   
representative1#fi joined ,archinto in  
advocating his cause1 nothing was done1 
and ,jerome returned disappointed to    
,milan4  ,in these months ,cardan1      
disgusted by the failure of his late    
attack upon the fortress of medical     

authority1 turned his back1 for a time1 
upon the study of medicine1 and gave his
 attention almost entirely to           
mathematics1 in which his reputation was
 high enough to attract pupils1 and he  
always had one or more of them in his   
house1 the most noteworthy of whom was  
,ludovico ,ferrari of ,bologna1 who     
became afterwards a mathematician of    
repute1 and a teacher both at ,milan and
 ,bologna4 ,while he was working at the 
,de ,malo ,medendi1 he began a treatise 
upon ,arithmetic1 which he dedicated to 
his friend ,prior ,gaddi2 but this work 
was not published till #aeci4 ,in #aecf 
he first heard a report of a fresh and  
important discovery in algebra1 made by 
one ,scipio ,ferreo of ,bologna2 the    
prologue to one of the most dramatic    
incidents in his career1 an incident    
which it will be necessary to treat at  
some length later on4  ,cardan was well 
aware that his excursions into astrology
 worked to his prejudice in public      
esteem1 but in spite of this he could   

not refrain therefrom4 ,it was during   
the plentiful leisure of this period    
that he cast the horoscope of ,jesus    
,christ1 a feat which subsequently      
brought upon him grave misfortune2 a few
 patients came to him1 moved no doubt by
 the spirit which still prompts people  
suffering from obscure diseases to      
consult professors of healing who are   
either in revolt or unqualified in      
preference to going to the orthodox     
physician4 ,in connection with this     
irregular practice of his he gives a    
curious story about a certain ,count    
,borromeo4 ,in #aecf1 while ,i was      
attending professionally in the house of
 the ,borromei1 it chanced that just    
about dawn ,i had a dream in which ,i   
beheld a serpent of enormous bulk1 and  
,i was seized with fear lest ,i should  
meet my death therefrom4 ,shortly       
afterwards there came a messenger to    
summon me to see the son of ,count      
,carlo ,borromeo4 ,i went to the boy1   
who was about seven years old1 and found

 him suffering from a slight distemper1 
but on feeling his pulse ,i perceived   
that it failed at every fourth beat4    
,his mother1 the ,countess ,corona1     
asked me how he fared1 and ,i answered  
that there was not much fever about him2
 but that1 because his pulse failed at  
every fourth beat1 ,i was in fear of    
something1 but what it might be ,i knew 
not rightly 7but ,i had not then by me  
,galen's books on the indications of the
 pulse74 ,therefore1 as the patient's   
state changed not1 ,i determined on the 
third day to give him in small doses the
 drug called ,diarob3 cum ,turbit3 ,i   
had already written my prescription1 and
 the messenger was just starting with it
 to the pharmacy1 when ,i remembered my 
dream4 ',how do ,i know1' said ,i to    
myself1 'that this boy may not be about 
to die as prefigured by the portent     
above written8 and in that case these   
other physicians who hate me so         
bitterly1 will maintain he died through 
taking this drug4' ,i called to the     

messenger1 and said there was wanting in
 the prescription something which ,i    
desired to add4 ,then ,i privately tore 
up what ,i had written1 and wrote out   
another made of pearls1 of the horn of  
unicorn1#gj and certain gems4 ,the      
powder was given1 and was followed by   
vomiting4 ,the bystanders perceived that
 the boy was indeed sick1 whereupon they
 called in three of the chief           
physicians1 one of whom was in a way    
friendly to me4 ,they saw the           
description of the medicine1 and        
demanded what ,i would do now4 ,now     
although two of these men hated me1 it  
was not ,god's will that ,i should be   
farther attacked1 and they not only     
praised the medicine1 but ordered that  
it should be repeated4 ,this was the    
saving of me4 ,when ,i went again in the
 evening ,i understood the case         
completely4 ,the following morning ,i   
was summoned at daybreak1 and found the 
boy battling with death1 and his father 
lying in tears4 ',behold him1' he cried1

 'the boy whom you declared to ail      
nothing' 7as if indeed ,i could have    
said such a thing72 'at least you will  
remain with him as long as he lives4' ,i
 promised that ,i would1 and a little   
later the boy tried to rise1 crying out 
the while4 ,they held him down1 and cast
 all the blame upon me4 ,what more is   
there to say8 ,if there had been found  
any trace of that drug ,diarob3 cum     
,turbit3 7which in sooth was not safe7  
it would have been all over with me1    
since ,borromeo all his life would      
either have launched against me         
complaints grave enough to make all men 
shun me1 or another ,canidia1 more fatal
 than ,african serpents1 would have     
breathed poison upon me4#ga  ,in this   
same year1 #aecf1 ,lucia brought forth  
another child1 a daughter1 and it was   
about this time that ,cardan first      
attracted the attention of ,alfonso     
d',avalos1 the ,governor of ,milan1 and 
an intimacy began which1 albeit         
fruitless at first1 was destined to be  

of no slight service to ,jerome at the  
crisis of his fortunes4#gb ,in the      
following year1 in #aecg1 he made a     
beginning of two of his books1 which    
were subsequently found worthy of being 
finished1 and which may still be read   
with a certain interest3 the treatises  
,de ,sapientia and ,de ,consolatione4   
,of the last-named1 he remarks that it  
pleased no one1 forasmuch as it appealed
 not to those who were happy1 and the   
wretched rejected it as entirely        
inadequate to give them solace in their 
evil case4 ,in this year he made another
 attempt to gain admission to the       
,college at ,milan1 and was again       
rejected2 the issue of the ,de ,malo    
,medendi was too recent1 and it needed  
other and more potent influences than   
those exercised by mere merit1 to       
appease the fury of his rivals and to   
procure him due status4 ,but it would   
appear that1 in #aecf or #aecg1 he      
negotiated with the ,college to obtain a
 quasi-recognition on conditions which  

he afterwards describes as disgraceful  
to himself1 and that this was granted to
 him4#gc  ,whatever his qualifications  
may have been1 ,cardan had no scruples  
in treating the few patients who came to
 him4 ,the first case he notes is that  
of ,donato ,lanza1#gd a druggist1 who   
had suffered for many years with        
blood-spitting1 which ailment he treated
 successfully4 ,success of this sort was
 naturally helpful1 but far more        
important than ,lanza's cure was the    
introduction given by the grateful      
patient to the physician1 commending him
 to ,francesco ,sfondrato1 a noble      
,milanese1 a senator1 and a member of   
the ,emperor's privy council4 ,the      
eldest son of this gentleman had        
suffered many months from convulsions1  
and ,cardan worked a cure in his case   
without difficulty4 ,shortly afterwards 
another child1 only ten months old1 was 
attacked by the same complaint1 and was 
treated by ,luca della ,croce1 the      
procurator of the ,college of           

,physicians1 of which ,sfondrato was a  
patron4 ,as the attack threatened to be 
a serious one1 ,della ,croce recommended
 that another physician1 ,ambrogio      
,cavenago1 should be called in1 but the 
father1 remembering ,cardan's cure of   
,lanza1 wished for him as well4 ,the    
description of the meeting of the       
doctors round the sick child's bed1 of  
their quotations from ,hippocrates1 of  
the uncertainty and helplessness of the 
orthodox practitioners1 and of the ready
 resource of the free-lance--who happens
 also to be the teller of the story--is 
a richly typical one4#ge ,we1 the       
physicians and the father of the child1 
met about seven in the morning1 and     
,della ,croce made a few general        
observations on death1 for he knew that 
,sfondrato was a sensible man1 and he   
himself was both honoured and learned4  
,cavenago kept silence at this stage1   
because the last word had been granted  
to him4 ,then ,i said1 ',do you not see 
that the child is suffering from        

,opisthotonos8' whereupon the first     
physician stood as one dazed1 as if ,i  
were trying to trouble his wits by my   
hard words4 ,but ,della ,croce at once  
swept aside all uncertainty by saying1  
',he means the backward contraction of  
the muscles4' ,i confirmed his words1   
and added1 ',i will show you what ,i    
mean4' ,whereupon ,i raised the boy's   
head1 which the doctors and all the rest
 believed was hanging down through      
weakness1 and by its own weight1 and    
bade them put it into its former        
position4 ,then ,sfondrato turned to me1
 and said1 ',as you have discovered what
 the disease is1 tell us likewise what  
is the remedy therefor4' ,since no one  
else spoke1 ,i turned towards him       
and--careful lest ,i should do hurt to  
the credit ,i had gained already1--,i   
said1 ',you know what ,hippocrates lays 
down in a case like this--febrem        
convulsioni'--and ,i recited the        
aphorism4 ,then ,i ordered a            
fomentation1 and an application of lint 

moistened with linseed-oil and oil of   
lilies1 and gave directions that the    
child should be gently handled until    
such time as the neck should be         
restored2 that the nurse should eat no  
meat1 and that the child should be      
nourished entirely by the milk of her   
breast1 and not too much of that2 that  
it should be kept in its cradle in a    
warm place1 and rocked gently till it   
should fall asleep4 ,after the other    
physicians had gone1 ,i remember that   
the father of the child said to me1 ',i 
give you this child for your own1' and  
that ,i answered1 ',you are doing him an
 ill turn1 in that you are supplanting  
his rich father by a poor one4' ,he     
answered1 ',i am sure that you would    
care for him as if he were your own1    
fearing naught that you might thereby   
give offence to these others' 7meaning  
the physicians74 ,i said1 ',it would    
please me well to work with them in     
everything1 and to win their support4'  
,i thus blended my words1 so that he    

might understand ,i neither despaired of
 the child's cure1 nor was quite        
confident thereanent4 ,the cure came to 
a favourable end2 for1 after the        
fourteenth day of the fever--the weather
 being very warm--the child got well in 
four days' time4 ,now as ,i review the  
circumstances1 ,i am of opinion that it 
was not because ,i perceived what the   
disease really was1 for ,i might have   
done so much by reason of my special    
practice2 nor because ,i healed the     
child1 for that might have been         
attributed to chance2 but because the   
child got well in four days1 whereas his
 brother lay ill for six months1 and was
 then left half dead1 that his father   
was so much amazed at my skill1 and     
afterwards preferred me to all others4  
,that he thought well of me is certain1 
because ,della ,croce himself1 during   
the time of his procuratorship1 was full
 of spite and jealousy against me1 and  
declared in the presence of ,cavenago   
and of ,sfondrato1 that he would not1   

under compulsion1 say a word in favour  
of a man like me1 one whom the ,college 
regarded with disfavour4 ,whereupon     
,sfondrato saw that the envy and        
jealousy of the other physicians was    
what kept me out of the ,college1 and   
not the circumstances of my birth4 ,he  
told the whole story to the ,senate1 and
 brought such influence to bear upon the
 ,governor of the ,province and other   
men of worship1 that at last the        
entrance to the ,college was opened to  
me4  ,up to the time of his admission to
 the ,college1 ,jerome had never felt   
that he could depend entirely upon      
medicine for his livelihood4 ,he now    
determined to publish his ,practica     
,arithmetic1 the book which he had      
prepared pari passu with the ill-starred
 ,de ,malo ,medendi4 ,it seems to have  
been thoroughly revised and corrected1  
and was finally published in #aeci1 in  
,milan2 ,cardan only received ten crowns
 for his work1 but the sudden fame he   
achieved as a mathematician ought to    

have set him on firm ground4 ,his       
friends were still working to secure for
 him benefits yet more substantial4     
,alfonso d',avalos1 ,francesco della    
,croce1 the jurisconsult whose name has 
already been mentioned1 and the senator 
,sfondrato1 were doing their best to    
bring the physicians of the city into a 
more reasonable temper1 and they finally
 succeeded in #aeci2 when1 after having 
been denied admission for twelve years1 
,jerome ,cardan became a member of the  
,college1 and a sharer in all the       
privileges appertaining thereto4        
,though ,cardan was now a fully         
qualified physician1 he spent his time  
for the next year or two rather with    
letters than with medicine4 ,he worked  
hard at ,greek1 and as the result of his
 studies published somewhat prematurely 
a treatise1 ,de ,immortalitate          
,animorum1 a collection of extracts from
 ,greek writers which ,julius ,csar     
,scaliger with justice calls a confused 
farrago of other men's learning4#gf ,he 

published also about this period the    
treatise on ,judicial ,astrology1 and   
the ,essay ,de ,consolatione1 the only  
one of his books which has been found   
worthy of an ,english translation4#gg   
,in #aeda he became ,rector of the      
,college of ,physicians1 but there is no
 record of any increase in the number of
 his patients by reason of this         
superadded dignity4 ,a passage in the   
,de ,vita ,propria1 written with even   
more than his usual brutal candour1     
gives a graphic view of his manner of   
life at this period4 ,it was in the     
summer of the year #aedc1 a time when it
 was my custom to go every day to the   
house of ,antonio ,vicomercato1 a       
gentleman of the city1 and to play chess
 with him from morning till night4 ,as  
we were wont to play for one real1 or   
even three or four1 on each game1 ,i1   
seeing that ,i was generally the winner1
 would as a rule carry away with me a   
gold piece after each day's play1       
sometimes more and sometimes less4 ,in  

the case of ,vicomercato it was a       
pleasure and nothing else to spend money
 in this wise2 but in my own there was  
an element of conflict as well2 and in  
this manner ,i lost my self-respect so  
completely that1 for two years and more1
 ,i took no thought of practising my    
art1 nor considered that ,i was wasting 
all my substance--save what ,i made by  
play--that my good name and my studies  
as well would suffer shipwreck4 ,but on 
a certain day towards the end of        
,august1 a new humour seized            
,vicomercato 7either advisedly on       
account of the constant loss he         
suffered1 or perhaps because he thought 
his decision would be for my benefit71 a
 determination from which he was to be  
moved neither by arguments1 nor         
adjurations1 nor abuse4 ,he forced me to
 swear that ,i would never again visit  
his house for the sake of gaming1 and   
,i1 on my part1 swore by all the gods as
 he wished4 ,that day's play was our    
last1 and thenceforth ,i gave myself up 

entirely to my studies4#gh  ,but these  
studies unfortunately were not of a     
nature to keep the wolf from the door2  
and ,jerome1 albeit now a duly qualified
 physician1 and known to fame as a      
writer on ,mathematics far beyond the   
bounds of ,italy1 was well-nigh as poor 
as ever4 ,his mother had died several   
years before1 in #aecg2 but what little 
money she may have left would soon have 
been wasted in gratifying his           
extravagant taste for costly things1#gi 
and at the gaming-table4 ,he found      
funds1 however1 for a journey to        
,florence1 whither he went to see       
d',avalos1 who was a generous1          
open-handed man1 and always ready to put
 his purse at the service of one whom he
 regarded as an honour to his city and  
country4 ,there can be little doubt that
 he helped ,cardan liberally at this    
juncture4 ,the need for a loan was      
assuredly urgent enough4 ,the recent    
resumption of hostilities between the   
,french and the ,imperialists had led to

 intolerable taxation throughout the    
,milanese provinces1 and in consequence 
of dearth of funds in #aedc1 the        
,academy at ,pavia was forced to close  
its class-rooms1 and leave its teachers 
unpaid4 ,the greater part of the        
professors migrated to ,pisa2 and the   
,faculty of ,medicine1 then vacant1 was1
 pro form1 transferred to ,milan4 ,this 
chair was now offered to ,cardan4 ,he   
was in desperate straits--a third child 
had been born this year--and1 though    
there must have been even less chance of
 getting his salary paid than when he   
had refused it before1 he accepted the  
post1 explaining that he took this step 
because there was now no need for him to
 leave ,milan1 or danger that he would  
be rated as an itinerant teacher4 ,it is
 not improbable that he may have been   
led to accept the office on account of  
the additional dignity it would give to 
him as a practising physician4 ,when1 a 
little later on1 the authorities began  
to talk of returning to ,pavia1 he was  

in no mind to follow them1 giving as a  
reason that1 were he to leave ,milan1 he
 would lose his stipend for the ,plat   
lectureship1 and be put to great trouble
 in the transport of his household1 and 
perhaps suffer in reputation as well4   
,the ,senate was evidently anxious to   
retain his services4 ,they bade him     
consider the matter1 promising to send  
on a certain date to learn his decision2
 and1 as fate would have it1 the        
question was conveniently decided for   
him by a portent4  ,on the night before 
the day upon which my answer was to be  
sent to the ,senate to say what course  
,i was going to take1 the whole of the  
house fell down into a heap of ruins1   
and no single thing was left unwrecked1 
save the bed in which ,i and my wife and
 my children were sleeping4 ,thus the   
step1 which ,i should never have taken  
of my own free will or without some     
sign1 ,i was compelled to take by the   
course of events4 ,this thing caused    
great wonder to all those who heard of  

it4#hj  ,this was in #aedd4 ,jerome     
hesitated no longer1 and went forthwith 
to ,pavia as ,professor of ,medicine at 
a salary of two hundred and forty gold  
crowns per annum2 but1 for the first    
year at least1 this salary was not paid2
 and the new professor lectured for a   
time to empty benches2 but1 as he was at
 this time engaged in the final stage of
 his great work on ,algebra1 the leisure
 granted to him by the neglect of the   
students must have been most acceptable4
 ,he published at this time a treatise  
called ,contradicentium ,medicorum1 and 
in #aede his ,algebra or ,liber ,artis  
,magn was issued from the press by      
,petreius of ,nuremberg4 ,the issue of  
this book1 by which alone the name of   
,cardan holds a place in contemporary   
learning1 is connected with an episode  
of his life important enough to demand  
special and detailed consideration in a 
separate place4  ,his practice in       
medicine was now a fairly lucrative one1
 but his extravagant tastes and the many

 vices with which he charges himself    
would have made short work of the       
largest income he could possibly have   
earned1 consequently poverty was never  
far removed from the household4         
,hitherto his reputation as a man of    
letters and a mathematician had exceeded
 his fame as a doctor2 for1 even after  
he had taken up his residence as        
,professor of ,medicine at ,padua1 many 
applications were made to him for his   
services in other branches of learning4 
,it was fortunate indeed that he had let
 his reading take a somewhat eclectic   
course1 for medicine at this time seemed
 fated to play him false4 ,at the end of
 #aedd no salary was forthcoming at     
,pavia1 so he abandoned his class-room1 
and returned to ,milan4  ,during his    
residence there1 in the summer of #aedf1
 ,cardinal ,moroni1 acting on behalf of 
,pope ,paul ,,iii41 made an offer for   
his services as a teacher of            
mathematics1 accompanied by terms which1
 as he himself admits1 were not to be   

despised2 but1 as was his wont1 he found
 some reason for demur1 and ultimately  
refused the offer4 ,in his ,harpocratic 
vein he argued1 ,this pope is an old    
man1 a tottering wall1 as it were4 ,why 
should ,i abandon a certainty for an    
uncertainty8#ha ,the certainty he here  
alludes to must have been the salary for
 the ,plat lectureship2 and1 as this    
emolument was a very small one1 it would
 appear that he did not rate at a high  
figure any profits which might come to  
him in the future from his acceptance of
 the ,pope's offer2 but1 as he admits   
subsequently1 he did not then fully     
realize the benevolence of the ,cardinal
 who approached him on the subject1 or  
the magnificent patronage of the        
,farnesi4#hb ,it is quite possible that 
this refusal of his may have been caused
 by a reluctance to quit ,milan1 the    
city which had treated him in such cruel
 and inhospitable fashion1 just at the  
time when he had become a man of mark4  
,in the arrogance of success it was     

doubtless a keen pleasure to let his    
fellow-townsmen see that the man upon   
whom they had heaped insult after insult
 for so many years was one who could    
afford to let ,popes and ,cardinals pray
 for his services in vain4 ,but whatever
 may have been his humour1 he resolved  
to remain in ,milan2 and1 as he had no  
other public duty to perform except the 
delivery of the ,plat lectures1 he had  
abundant leisure to spend upon the many 
and important works he had on hand at   
this season4  ,cardan had now achieved  
,european fame1 and was apparently on   
the high road to fortune1 but on the    
very threshold of his triumph a great   
sorrow and misfortune befell him1 the   
full effect of which he did not         
experience all at once4 ,in the closing 
days of #aedf he lost his wife4 ,there  
is very scant record of her life and    
character in any of her husband's       
writings1#hc although he wrote at great 
length concerning her father2 and the   
few words that are to be found here and 

there favour the view that she was a    
good wife and mother4 ,that ,jerome     
could have been an easy husband to live 
with under any circumstances it is hard 
to believe4 ,lucia's life1 had it been  
prolonged1 might have been more free of 
trouble as the wife of a famous and     
wealthy physician2 but it was her ill   
fortune to be the companion of her      
husband only in those dreary1 terrible  
days at ,sacco and ,gallarate1 and in   
the years of uncertainty which followed 
the final return to ,milan4 ,in the     
last-named period there was at least the
 ,plat lectureship standing between them
 and starvation2 but children increased 
the while in the nursery1 and           
manuscripts in the desk of the physician
 without patients1 and ,lucia's short   
life was all consumed in this weary time
 of waiting for fame and fortune which1 
albeit hovering near1 seemed destined to
 mock and delude the seeker to the end4 
,cardan was before all else a man of    
books and of the study1 and it is not   

rare to find that one of this sort makes
 a harsh unsympathetic husband4 ,the    
qualities which he attributes to himself
 in his autobiography suggest that to   
live with a man cursed with such a      
nature would have been difficult even in
 prosperity1 and intolerable in trouble 
and privation4 ,but fretful and         
irascible as ,cardan shows himself to   
have been1 there was a warm-hearted1    
affectionate side to his nature4 ,he was
 capable of steadfast devotion to all   
those to whom his love had ever been    
given4 ,his reverence for the memory of 
his tyrannical and irascible father had 
been noted already1 and a still more    
remarkable instance of his fidelity and 
love will have to be considered when the
 time comes to deal with the crowning   
tragedy of his life4 ,if ,cardan had    
this tender side to his nature1 if he   
could speak tolerant and even laudatory 
words concerning such a father as ,fazio
 ,cardano1 and show evidences of a love 
strong as death in the fight he made for

 the life of his ill-starred and        
unworthy son1 it may be hoped--in spite 
of his almost unnatural silence         
concerning her--that he gave ,lucia some
 of that tenderness and sympathy which  
her life of hard toil and heavy         
sacrifice so richly deserved2 and that  
even in the days when he sold her       
trinkets to pay his gambling losses1 she
 was not destined to weep the bitter    
tears of a neglected wife4 ,if her early
 married life had been full of care and 
travail1 if she died when a better day  
seemed to be dawning1 she was at least  
spared the supreme sorrow and disgrace  
which was destined to fall so soon upon 
the household4 ,judging by what         
subsequently happened1 it will perhaps  
be held that fate1 in cutting her thread
 of life1 was kinder to her than to her 
husband1 when it gave him a longer term 
of years under the sun4  ,,footnotes3   
#fg ,de ,libris ,propriis1 ,opera1 tom4 
i4 p4 #ajb4  #fh ,besides the ,de ,malo 
,medendi ,usu1 he published in #aecf a  

tract upon judicial astrology4 ,this1 in
 an enlarged form1 was reprinted by     
,petreius at ,nuremburg in #aedb4  #fi  
,cardan writes of ,brissac3 ,erat enim  
,brissacus ,prorex singularis in        
studiosis amoris et humanitatis4--,de   
,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #ad4  #gj    
,mirumque in modum venenis cornu ejus   
adversari creditur4--,de ,subtilitate1  
p4 #cae4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne 7,vulgar  
,errors1 ,bk4 iii4 #bc7 deals at length 
with the pretended virtues of the horn1 
and in the ,bestiary of ,philip de      
,thaun 7,popular ,treatises on ,science 
during the ,middle ,ages7 is given an   
account of the many wonderful qualities 
of the beast4  #ga ,de ,vita ,propria1  
ch4 xxxiii4 p4 #aje4 ,he also alludes to
 this case in ,de ,libris ,propriis     
7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fe71 affirming that
 the other doctors concerned in the case
 raised a great prejudice against him on
 account of his reputation as an        
astrologer4 ,ita tot modis et insanus   
paupertate1 et ,astrologus profitendo   

edendoque libros1 et imperitus casu     
illustris pueri1 et modum alium medendi 
observans ex titulo libri nuper edito1  
jam prope ab omnibus habebar4 ,atque hc 
omnia in ,urbe omnium nugacissima1 et qu
 calumniis maxim patet4  #gb ,the       
founder of this family was ,indico      
d',avalos1 a ,spanish gentleman1 who was
 chosen by ,alfonso of ,naples as a     
husband for ,antonella1 the daughter and
 heiress of the great ,marchese ,pescara
 of ,aquino4 ,this d',avalos ,marchese  
dal ,guasto was the grandson of ,indico4
 ,he commanded the advanced guard at the
 battle of ,pavia1 and took part in     
almost every battle between the ,french 
and ,imperialists1 and went with the    
,emperor to ,tunis in #aece4 ,though he 
was a brave soldier and a skilful       
tactician1 he was utterly defeated by   
d',enghien at ,cerisoles in #aedd4 ,he  
has been taxed with treachery in the    
case of the attack upon the messengers  
,rincon and ,fregoso1 who were carrying 
letters from ,francis ,i4 to the ,sultan

 during a truce1 but he did little more 
than imitate the tactics used by the    
,french against himself2 moreover1      
neither of the murdered men was a       
,french subject1 or had the status of an
 ambassador4 ,d',avalos was a liberal   
patron of letters and arts1 and was very
 popular as ,governor of ,milan4 ,he was
 a noted gallant and a great dandy4     
,brantme writes of him--qu'il tait si   
dameret qu'il parfumait jusqu'aux selles
 de ses chevaux4--,he died in #aedf4    
#gc ,violentia quorundam ,medicorum     
adactus sum anno ,,mdxxxvi1 seu         
,,xxxvii1 turpi conditione pacisci cum  
,collegio1 sed ut dixi1 postmodum       
dissoluta est1 anno ,,mdxxxix et        
restitutus sum integr4--,de ,vita       
,propria1 ch4 xxxiii4 p4 #aje4  #gd ,de 
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xl4 p4 #acc4--;,he  
gives a long list of cases of his       
successful treatment in ,opera1 tom4 i4 
p4 #hb4  #ge ,there is a full account of
 this episode in ,de ,libris ,propriis1 
p4 #abh1 and in ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 

xl4 p4 #acc4  #gf ,exotericarum         
exercitationum1 p4 #ihg4  #gg ,cardanus 
,comforte1 translated into ,englishe1   
#aegc4 ,it was the work of ,thomas      
,bedingfield1 a gentleman pensioner of  
,queen ,elizabeth4  #gh ,de ,vita       
,propria1 ch4 xxxvii4 p4 #aaf4  #gi     
,delectant me gladii parvi1 seu styli   
scriptorii1 in quos plus viginti        
coronatis aureis impendi3 multas etiam  
pecunias in varia pennarum genera1 audeo
 dicere apparatum ad scribendum ducentis
 coronatis non potuisse emi4--,de ,vita 
,propria1 ch4 xviii4 p4 #eg4  #hj ,de   
,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #ae4  #ha ,at
 ego qui1 ut dixi1 ,harpocraticus sum   
dicebam3--,summus ,pont3 decrepitus est3
 murus ruinosus1 certa pro incertis     
derelinquam8--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4   
iv4 p4 #ae4 ,it is quite possible that  
,paul ,,iii4 may have desired to have   
,cardan about him on account of his     
reputation as an astrologer1 the ,pope  
being a firm believer in the influence  
of the stars4--,vide ,ranke1 ,history of

 the ,popes i4 #aff4  #hb ,neque ego tum
 ,moroni probitatem1 nec ,pharnesiorum  
splendorem intelligebam4--,de ,vita     
,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #ae4  #hc ,in      
writing of his own horoscope            
7,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4 #dfa7 he     
records that she miscarried thrice1     
brought forth three living children1 and
 lived with him fifteen years4 ,he      
dismisses his marriage as follows3 ,duxi
 uxorem inexpectato1 a quo tempore multa
 adversa concomitata sunt4--,de ,vita   
,propria1 ch4 xli4 p4 #adi4 ,but in ,de 
,rerum ,subtilitate1 p4 #cge1 he records
 his grief at her death3--,itaque cum a 
luctu dolor et vigilia invadere soleant1
 ut mihi anno vertente in morte uxoris  
,luci ,bandaren quanquam institutis     
philosophi munitus essem1 repugnante    
tamen natura1 memorque vinculi          
cojugalis1 suspiriis ac lachrymis et    
inedia quinque dierum1 a periculo me    
vindicavi4     ,,chapter ,v   ,,at this 
point it may not be inopportune to make 
a break in the record of ,cardan's life 

and work1 and to treat in retrospect of 
that portion of his time which he spent 
in the composition of his treatises on  
,arithmetic and ,algebra4 ,ever since   
#aece he had been working intermittently
 at one or other of these1 but it would 
have been impossible to deal coherently 
and effectively with the growth and     
completion of these two books--really   
the most important of all he left behind
 him--while chronicling the goings and  
comings of a life so adventurous as that
 of the author4  ,the prime object of   
,cardan's ambition was eminence as a    
physician4 ,but1 during the long years  
of waiting1 while the action of the     
,milanese doctors kept him outside the  
bounds of their ,college1 and even after
 this had been opened to him without    
inducing ailing mortals to call for his 
services1 he would now and again fall   
into a transport of rage against his    
persecutors1 and of contempt for the    
public which refused to recognize him as
 a master of his art1 and cast aside his

 medical books for months at a time1    
devoting himself diligently to          
,mathematics1 the field of learning     
which1 next to ,medicine1 attracted him 
most powerfully4 ,his father ,fazio was 
a geometrician of repute and a student  
of applied mathematics1 and1 though his 
first desire was to make his son a      
jurisconsult1 he gave ,jerome in early  
youth a fairly good grounding in        
arithmetic and geometry1 deeming        
probably that such training would not   
prove a bad discipline for an intellect 
destined to attack those formidable     
tomes within which lurked the mysteries 
of the ,canon and ,civil ,law4          
,mathematical learning has given to     
,cardan his surest title to immortality1
 and at the outset of his career he     
found in mathematics rather than in     
medicine the first support in the       
arduous battle he had to wage with      
fortune4 ,his appointment to the ,plat  
lectureship at ,milan has already been  
noted4 ,in the discharge of his new     

duties he was bound1 according to the   
terms of the endowment of the ,plat     
lecturer1 to teach the sciences of      
geometry1 arithmetic1 and astronomy1 and
 he began his course upon the lines laid
 down by the founder4 ,few listeners    
came1 however1 and at this juncture     
,cardan took a step which serves to show
 how real was his devotion to the cause 
of true learning1 and how lightly he    
thought of an additional burden upon his
 own back1 if this cause could be helped
 forward thereby4 ,keenly as he enjoyed 
his mathematical work1 he laid a part of
 it aside when he perceived that the    
benches before him were empty1 and1 by  
way of making his lectures more         
attractive1 he occasionally substituted 
geography for geometry1 and architecture
 for arithmetic4 ,the necessary research
 and the preparation of these lectures  
led naturally to the accumulation of a  
large mass of notes1 and as these       
increased under his hand ,jerome began  
to consider whether it might not be     

worth his while to use them in the      
composition of one or more volumes4 ,in 
#aece he delivered as ,plat lecturer his
 address1 the ,encomium ,geometri1 which
 he followed up shortly after by the    
publication of a work1 ,quindecim ,libri
 ,nov ,geometri4 ,but the most          
profitable labour of these years was    
that which produced his first important 
book1 ,the ,practice of ,arithmetic and 
,simple ,mensuration1 which was         
published in #aeci1 a venture which     
brought to the author a reward of ten   
crowns4#hd ,it was a well-planned and   
well-arranged manual1 giving proof of   
the wide erudition and sense of         
proportion possessed by the author4     
,besides dealing with ,arithmetic as    
understood by the modern school-boy1 it 
discusses certain astronomical          
operations1 multiplication by memory1   
the mysteries of the ,roman and         
,ecclesiastical ,calendars1 and gives   
rules for the solution of any problem   
arising from the terms of the same4 ,it 

treats of partnership in agriculture1   
the ,mezzadria system still prevalent in
 ,tuscany and in other parts of ,italy1 
of the value of money1 of the strange   
properties of certain numbers1 and gives
 the first simple rules of ,algebra to  
serve as stepping-stones to the higher  
mathematics4 ,it ends with information  
as to house-rent1 letters of credit and 
exchange1 tables of interest1 games of  
chance1 mensuration1 and weights and    
measures4 ,in an appendix ,cardan       
examines critically the work of ,fra    
,luca ,pacioli da ,borgo1 an earlier    
writer on the subject1 and points out   
numerous errors in the same4 ,the book  
from beginning to end shows signs of    
careful study and compilation1 and the  
fame which it brought to its author was 
well deserved4  ,cardan appended to the 
,arithmetic a printed notice which may  
be regarded as an early essay in        
advertising4 ,he was fully convinced    
that his works were valuable and quite  
worth the sums of money he asked for    

them2 the world was blind1 perhaps      
wilfully1 to their merits1 therefore he 
now determined that it should no longer 
be able to quote ignorance of the author
 as an excuse for not buying the book4  
,this appendix was a notification to the
 learned men of ,europe that the writer 
of the ,practice of ,arithmetic had in  
his press at home thirty-four other     
works in ,,ms4 which they might read    
with profit1 and that of these only two 
had been printed1 to wit the ,de ,malo  
,medendi ,usu and a tract on ,simples4  
,this advertisement had something of the
 character of a legal document1 for it  
invoked the authority of the ,emperor to
 protect the copyright of ,cardan's     
books within the ,duchy of ,milan for   
ten years1 and to prevent the           
introduction of them from abroad4  ,the 
,arithmetic proved far superior to any  
other treatise extant1 and everywhere   
won the approval of the learned4 ,it was
 from ,nuremberg that its appearance    
brought the most valuable fruits4       

,andreas ,osiander1#he a learned        
humanist and a convert to ,lutheranism1 
and ,johannes ,petreius1 an eminent     
printer1 were evidently impressed by the
 terms of ,cardan's advertisement1 for  
they wrote to him and offered in        
combination to edit and print any of the
 books awaiting publication in his study
 at ,milan4 ,the result of this offer   
was the reprinting of ,de ,malo         
,medendi1 and subsequently of the tract 
on ,judicial ,astrology1 and of the     
treatise ,de ,consolatione2 the ,book of
 the ,great ,art1 the treatises ,de     
,sapientia and ,de ,immortalitate       
,animorum were published in the first   
instance by these same patrons from the 
,nuremberg press4  ,but ,cardan1 while  
he was hard at work on his ,arithmetic1 
had not forgotten a certain report which
 had caused no slight stir in the world 
of ,mathematics some three years before 
the issue of his book on ,arithmetic1 an
 episode which may be most fittingly    
told in his own words4 ,at this time#hf 

it happened that there came to ,milan a 
certain ,brescian named ,giovanni       
,colla1 a man of tall stature1 and very 
thin1 pale1 swarthy1 and hollow-eyed4   
,he was of gentle manners1 slow in gait1
 sparing of his words1 full of talent1  
and skilled in mathematics4 ,his        
business was to bring word to me that   
there had been recently discovered two  
new rules in ,algebra for the solution  
of problems dealing with cubes and      
numbers4 ,i asked him who had found them
 out1 whereupon he told me the name of  
the discoverer was ,scipio ,ferreo of   
,bologna4 ',and who else knows these    
rules8' ,i said4 ,he answered1 ',niccolo
 ,tartaglia and ,antonio ,maria ,fiore4'
 ,and indeed some time later ,tartaglia1
 when he came to ,milan1 explained them 
to me1 though unwillingly2 and          
afterwards ,i myself1 when working with 
,ludovico ,ferrari1#hg made a thorough  
study of the rules aforesaid4 ,we       
devised certain others1 heretofore      
unnoticed1 after we had made trial of   

these new rules1 and out of this        
material ,i put together my ,book of the
 ,great ,art4#hh  ,before dealing with  
the events which led to the composition 
of the famous work above-named1 it may  
be permitted to take a rapid survey of  
the condition of ,algebra at the time   
when ,cardan sat down to write4 ,up to  
the beginning of the sixteenth century  
the knowledge of ,algebra in ,italy1    
originally derived from ,greek and      
,arabic sources1 had made very little   
progress1 and the science had been      
developed no farther than to provide for
 the solution of equations of the first 
or second degree4#hi ,in the preface to 
the ,liber ,artis ,magn ,cardan         
writes3--,this art takes its origin from
 a certain ,mahomet1 the son of ,moses1 
an ,arabian1 a fact to which ,leonard   
the ,pisan bears ample testimony4 ,he   
left behind him four rules1 with his    
demonstrations of the same1 which ,i    
duly ascribe to him in their proper     
place4 ,after a long interval of time1  

some student1 whose identity is         
uncertain1 deduced from the original    
four rules three others1 which ,luca    
,paciolus put with the original ones    
into his book4 ,then three more were    
discovered from the original rules1 also
 by some one unknown1 but these         
attracted very little notice though they
 were far more useful than the others1  
seeing that they taught how to arrive at
 the value of the cubus and the numerus 
and of the cubus quadratus4#ij ,but in  
recent times ,scipio ,ferreo of ,bologna
 discovered the rule of the cubus and   
the res equal to the numerus 7x#c  pxq71
 truly a beautiful and admirable        
discovery4 ,for this ,algebraic art     
outdoes all other subtlety of man1 and  
outshines the clearest exposition mortal
 wit can achieve3 a heavenly gift       
indeed1 and a test of the powers of a   
man's mind4 ,so excellent is it in      
itself that whosoever shall get         
possession thereof1 will be assured that
 no problem exists too difficult for him

 to disentangle4 ,as a rival of ,ferreo1
 ,niccolo ,tartaglia of ,brescia1 my    
friend1 at that time when he engaged in 
a contest with ,antonio ,maria ,fiore1  
the pupil of ,ferreo1 made out this same
 rule to help secure the victory1 and   
this rule he imparted to me after ,i had
 diligently besought him thereanent4 ,i1
 indeed1 had been deceived by the words 
of ,luca ,paciolus1 who denied that     
there could be any general rule besides 
these which he had published1 so ,i was 
not moved to seek that which ,i         
despaired of finding2 but1 having made  
myself master of ,tartaglia's method of 
demonstration1 ,i understood how many   
other results might be attained2 and1   
having taken fresh courage1 ,i worked   
these out1 partly by myself and partly  
by the aid of ,ludovico ,ferrari1 a     
former pupil of mine4 ,now all the      
discoveries made by the men aforesaid   
are here marked with their names4 ,those
 unsigned were found out by me2 and the 
demonstrations are all mine1 except     

three discovered by ,mahomet and two by 
,ludovico4#ia  ,this is ,cardan's       
account of the scheme and origin of his 
book1 and the succeeding pages will be  
mainly an amplification thereof4 ,the   
earliest work on ,algebra used in ,italy
 was a translation of the ,,ms4 treatise
 of ,mahommed ben ,musa of ,corasan1 and
 next in order is a ,,ms4 written by a  
certain ,leonardo da ,pisa in #abjb4    
,leonardo was a trader1 who had learned 
the art during his voyages to ,barbary1 
and his treatise and that of ,mahommed  
were the sole literature on the subject 
up to the year #adid1 when ,fra ,luca   
,pacioli da ,borgo#ib brought out his   
volume treating of ,arithmetic and      
,algebra as well4 ,this was the first   
printed work on the subject4  ,after the
 invention of printing the interest in  
,algebra grew rapidly4 ,from the time of
 ,leonardo to that of ,fra ,luca it had 
remained stationary4 ,the important fact
 that the resolution of all the cases of
 a problem may be comprehended in a     

simple formula1 which may be obtained   
from the solution of one of its cases   
merely by a change of the signs1 was not
 known1 but in #aeje the ,scipio ,ferreo
 alluded to by ,cardan1 a ,bolognese    
professor1 discovered the rule for the  
solution of one case of a compound cubic
 equation4 ,this was the discovery that 
,giovanni ,colla announced when he went 
to ,milan in #aecf4  ,cardan was then   
working hard at his ,arithmetic--which  
dealt also with elementary ,algebra--and
 he was naturally anxious to collect in 
its pages every item of fresh knowledge 
in the sphere of mathematics which might
 have been discovered since the         
publication of the last treatise4 ,the  
fact that ,algebra as a science had made
 such scant progress for so many years1 
gave to this new process1 about which   
,giovanni ,colla was talking1 an        
extraordinary interest in the sight of  
all mathematical students2 wherefore    
when ,cardan heard the report that      
,antonio ,maria ,fiore1 ,ferreo's pupil1

 had been entrusted by his master with  
the secret of this new process1 and was 
about to hold a public disputation at   
,venice with ,niccolo ,tartaglia1 a     
mathematician of considerable repute1 he
 fancied that possibly there would be   
game about well worth the hunting4      
,fiore had already challenged divers    
opponents of less weight in the other   
towns of ,italy1 but now that he        
ventured to attack the well-known       
,brescian student1 mathematicians began 
to anticipate an encounter of more than 
common interest4 ,according to the      
custom of the time1 a wager was laid on 
the result of the contest1 and it was   
settled as a preliminary that each one  
of the competitors should ask of the    
other thirty questions4 ,for several    
weeks before the time fixed for the     
contest ,tartaglia studied hard2 and    
such good use did he make of his time   
that1 when the day of the encounter     
came1 he not only fathomed the formula  
upon which ,fiore's hopes were based1   

but1 over and beyond this1 elaborated   
two other cases of his own which neither
 ,fiore nor his master ,ferreo had ever 
dreamt of4  ,the case which ,ferreo had 
solved by some unknown process was the  
equation x#c  px  q1 and the new forms  
of cubic equation which ,tartaglia      
elaborated were as follows3 x#c  px#b   
q3 and x#c-px#b  q4 ,before the date of 
the meeting1 ,tartaglia was assured that
 the victory would be his1 and ,fiore   
was probably just as confident4 ,fiore  
put his questions1 all of which hinged  
upon the rule of ,ferreo which          
,tartaglia had already mastered1 and    
these questions his opponent answered   
without difficulty2 but when the turn of
 the other side came1 ,tartaglia        
completely puzzled the unfortunate      
,fiore1 who managed indeed to solve one 
of ,tartaglia's questions1 but not till 
after all his own had been answered4 ,by
 this triumph the fame of ,tartaglia    
spread far and wide1 and ,jerome        
,cardan1 in consequence of the rumours  

of the ,brescian's extraordinary skill1 
became more anxious than ever to become 
a sharer in the wonderful secret by     
means of which he had won his victory4  
,cardan was still engaged in working up 
his lecture notes on ,arithmetic into   
the ,treatise when this contest took    
place2 but it was not till four years   
later1 in #aeci1 that he took any steps 
towards the prosecution of his design4  
,if he knew anything of ,tartaglia's    
character1 and it is reasonable to      
suppose that he did1 he would naturally 
hesitate to make any personal appeal to 
him1 and trust to chance to give him an 
opportunity of gaining possession of the
 knowledge aforesaid1 rather than seek  
it at the fountain-head4 ,tartaglia was 
of very humble birth1 and according to  
report almost entirely self-educated4   
,through a physical injury which he met 
with in childhood his speech was        
affected2 and1 according to the common  
,italian usage1 a nickname#ic which     
pointed to this infirmity was given to  

him4 ,the blow on the head1 dealt to him
 by some ,french soldier at the sack of 
,brescia in #aeab1 may have made him a  
stutterer1 but it assuredly did not     
muddle his wits2 nevertheless1 as the   
result of this knock1 or for some other 
cause1 he grew up into a churlish1      
uncouth1 and ill-mannered man1 and1 if  
the report given of him by              
,papadopoli#id at the end of his history
 be worthy of credit1 one not to be     
entirely trusted as an autobiographer in
 the account he himself gives of his    
early days in the preface to one of his 
works4 ,papadopoli's notice of him      
states that he was in no sense the      
self-taught scholar he represented      
himself to be1 but that he was indebted 
for some portion at least of his        
training to the beneficence of a        
gentleman named ,balbisono1#ie who took 
him to ,padua to study4 ,from the       
passage quoted below he seems to have   
failed to win the goodwill of the       
,brescians1 and to have found ,venice a 

city more to his taste4 ,it is probable 
that the contest with ,fiore took place 
after his final withdrawal from his     
birthplace to ,venice4  ,in #aecg       
,tartaglia published a treatise on      
,artillery1 but he gave no sign of      
making public to the world his          
discoveries in ,algebra4 ,cardan waited 
on1 but the morose ,brescian would not  
speak1 and at last he determined to make
 a request through a certain ,messer    
,juan ,antonio1 a bookseller1 that1 in  
the interests of learning1 he might be  
made a sharer of ,tartaglia's secret4   
,tartaglia has given a version of this  
part of the transaction2 and1 according 
to what is there set down1 ,cardan's    
request1 even when recorded in          
,tartaglia's own words1 does not appear 
an unreasonable one1 for up to this time
 ,tartaglia had never announced that he 
had any intention of publishing his     
discoveries as part of a separate work  
on ,mathematics4 ,there was indeed a    
good reason why he should refrain from  

doing this in the fact that he could    
only speak and write ,italian1 and that 
in the ,brescian dialect1 being entirely
 ignorant of ,latin1 the only tongue    
which the writer of a mathematical work 
could use with any hope of success4     
,tartaglia's record of his conversation 
with ,messer ,juan ,antonio1 the        
emissary employed by ,cardan1 and of all
 the subsequent details of the          
controversy1 is preserved in his        
principal work1 ,quesiti et ,inventioni 
,diverse de ,nicolo ,tartalea           
,brisciano1#if a record which furnishes 
abundant and striking instance of his   
jealous and suspicious temper4 ,much of 
it is given in the form of dialogue1 the
 terms of which are perhaps a little too
 precise to carry conviction of its     
entire sincerity and spontaneity4 ,it   
was probably written just after the     
final cause of quarrel in #aede1 and its
 main object seems to be to set the     
author right in the sight of the world1 
and to exhibit ,cardan as a meddlesome  

fellow not to be trusted1 and one       
ignorant of the very elements of the art
 he professed to teach4#ig  ,the inquiry
 begins with a courteously worded       
request from ,messer ,juan ,antonio     
7speaking on behalf of ,messer          
,hieronimo ,cardano71 that ,messer      
,niccolo would make known to his        
principal the rule by means of which he 
had made such short work of ,antonio    
,fiore's thirty questions4 ,it had been 
told to ,messer ,hieronimo that ,fiore's
 thirty questions had led up to a case  
of the cosa and the cubus equal to the  
numerus1 and that ,messer ,niccolo had  
discovered a general rule for such case4
 ,messer ,hieronimo now especially      
desired to be taught this rule4 ,if the 
inventor should be willing to let this  
rule be published1 it should be         
published as his own discovery2 but1 if 
he were not disposed to let the same be 
made known to the world1 it should be   
kept a profound secret4 ,to this request
 ,tartaglia replied that1 if at any time

 he might publish his rule1 he would    
give it to the world in a work of his   
own under his own name1 whereupon ,juan 
,antonio moderated his demand1 and      
begged to be furnished merely with a    
copy of the thirty questions preferred  
by ,fiore1 and ,tartaglia's solutions of
 the same2 but ,messer ,niccolo was too 
wary a bird to be taken with such a lure
 as this4 ,to grant so much1 he replied1
 would be to tell everything1 inasmuch  
as ,cardan could easily find out the    
rule1 if he should be furnished with a  
single question and its solution4 ,next 
,juan ,antonio handed to ,tartaglia     
eight algebraical questions which had   
been confided to him by ,cardan1 and    
asked for answers to them2 but          
,tartaglia1 having glanced at them1     
declared that they were not framed by   
,cardan at all1 but by ,giovanni ,colla4
 ,colla1 he declared1 had sent him one  
of these questions for solution some two
 years ago4 ,another1 he 7,tartaglia7   
had given to ,colla1 together with a    

solution thereof4 ,juan ,antonio replied
 by way of contradiction--somewhat      
lamely--that the questions had been     
handed over to him by ,cardan and no one
 else1 wishing to maintain1 apparently1 
that no one else could possibly have    
been concerned in them1 whereupon       
,tartaglia replied that1 supposing the  
questions had been given by ,cardan to  
,juan ,antonio his messenger1 ,cardan   
must have got the questions from ,colla1
 and have sent them on to him           
7,tartaglia7 for solution because he    
could not arrive at the meaning of them 
himself4 ,he waved aside ,juan          
,antonio's perfectly irrelevant and     
fatuous protests--that ,cardan would not
 in any case have sent these questions  
if they had been framed by another      
person1 or if he had been unable to     
solve them4 ,tartaglia1 on the other    
hand1 declared that ,cardan certainly   
did not comprehend them4 ,if he did not 
know the rule by which ,fiore's         
questions had been answered 7that of the

 cosa and the cubus equal to the        
numerus71 how could he solve these      
questions which he now sent1 seeing that
 certain of them involved operations    
much more complicated than that of the  
rule above written8 ,if he understood   
the questions which he now sent for     
solution1 he could not want to be taught
 this rule4 ,then ,juan ,antonio        
moderated his demand still farther1 and 
said he would be satisfied with a copy  
of the questions which ,fiore had put to
 ,tartaglia1 adding that the favour     
would be much greater if ,tartaglia's   
own questions were also given4 ,he      
probably felt that it would be mere     
waste of breath to beg again for        
,tartaglia's answers4 ,the end of the   
matter was that ,tartaglia handed over  
to the messenger the questions which    
,fiore had propounded in the ,venetian  
contest1 and authorized ,juan ,antonio  
to get a copy of his own from the notary
 who had drawn up the terms of the      
disputation with ,fiore4 ,the date of   

this communication is ,january #b1      
#aeci1 and on ,february #ab ,cardan     
writes a long letter to ,tartaglia1     
complaining in somewhat testy spirit of 
the reception given to his request4 ,he 
is aggrieved that ,tartaglia should have
 sent him nothing but the questions put 
to him by ,fiore1 thirty in number      
indeed1 but only one in substance1 and  
that he should have dared to hint that  
those which he 7,cardan7 had sent for   
solution were not his own1 but the      
property of ,giovanni ,colla4 ,cardan   
had found ,colla to be a conceited fool1
 and had dragged the conceit out of     
him--a process which he was now about to
 repeat for the benefit of ,messer      
,niccolo ,tartaglia4 ,the letter goes on
 to contradict all ,tartaglia's         
assertions by arguments which do not    
seem entirely convincing1 and the case  
is not made better by the abusive       
passages interpolated here and there1   
and by the demonstration of certain     
errors in ,tartaglia's book on          

,artillery4 ,in short a more injudicious
 letter could not have been written by  
any man hoping to get a favour done to  
him by the person addressed4  ,in the   
special matter of the problems which he 
sent to ,tartaglia by the bookseller    
,juan ,antonio1 ,cardan made a beginning
 of that tricky and crooked course which
 he followed too persistently all       
through this particular business4 ,in   
his letter he maintains with a show of  
indignation that he had long known these
 questions1 had known them in fact      
before ,colla knew how to count ten1    
implying by these words that he knew how
 to solve them1 while in reality all he 
knew about them was the fact that they  
existed4 ,tartaglia in his answer is not
 to be moved from his belief1 and tells 
,cardan flatly that he is still         
convinced ,giovanni ,colla took the     
questions to ,milan1 where he found no  
one able to solve them1 not even ,messer
 ,hieronimo ,cardano1 and that the      
mathematician last-named sent them on by

 the bookseller for solution1 as has    
been already related4  ,this letter of  
,tartaglia's bears the date of ,february
 #ac1 #aeci1 and after reading it and   
digesting its contents1 ,cardan seems to
 have come to the conclusion that he was
 not working in the right way to get    
possession of this secret which he felt 
he must needs master1 if he wanted his  
forthcoming book to mark a new epoch in 
this ,history of ,mathematics1 and that 
a change of tactics was necessary4      
,alfonso d',avalos1 ,cardan's friend and
 patron1 was at this time the ,governor 
of ,milan4 ,d',avalos was a man of      
science1 as well as a soldier1 and      
,cardan had already sent to him a copy  
of ,tartaglia's treatise on ,artillery1 
deeming that a work of this kind would  
not fail to interest him4 ,in his first 
letter to ,tartaglia he mentions this   
fact1 while picking holes in the        
writer's theories concerning transmitted
 force and views on gravitation4 ,this  
mention of the name of ,d',avalos1 the  

master of many legions and of many      
cannons as well1 to a man who had       
written a ,treatise on the management of
 ,artillery1 and devised certain engines
 and instruments for the management of  
the same1 was indeed a clever cast1 and 
the fly was tempting enough to attract  
even so shy a fish as ,niccolo          
,tartaglia4 ,in his reply to ,jerome's  
scolding letter of ,february #ab1 #aeci1
 ,tartaglia concludes with a description
 of the instruments which he was        
perfecting3 a square to regulate the    
discharge of cannon1 and to level and   
determine every elevation2 and another  
instrument for the investigation of     
distances upon a plane surface4 ,he ends
 with a request that ,cardan will accept
 four copies of the engines aforesaid1  
two for himself and two for the         
,marchese d',avalos4  ,the tone of this 
letter shows that ,cardan had at least  
begun to tame the bear1 who now seemed  
disposed to dance ad libitum to the     
pleasant music of words suggesting      

introductions to the governor1 and      
possible patronage of these engines for 
the working of artillery4 ,cardan's     
reply of ,march #ai1 #aeci1 is          
friendly--too friendly indeed--and the  
wonder is that ,tartaglia's suspicions  
were not aroused by its almost sugary   
politeness4 ,it begins with an attempt  
to soften down the asperities of their  
former correspondence1 some abuse of    
,giovanni ,colla1 and an apology for the
 rough words of his last epistle4       
,cardan then shows how their            
misunderstanding arose chiefly from a   
blunder made by ,juan ,antonio in       
delivering the message1 and invites     
,tartaglia to come and visit him in his 
own house in ,milan1 so that they might 
deliberate together on mathematical     
questions2 but the true significance of 
the letter appears in the closing lines4
 ,i told the ,marchese of the           
instruments which you had sent him1 and 
he showed himself greatly pleased with  
all you had done4 ,and he commanded me  

to write to you forthwith in pressing   
terms1 and to tell you that1 on the     
receipt of my letter1 you should come to
 ,milan without fail1 for he desires to 
speak with you4 ,and ,i1 too1 exhort you
 to come at once without further        
deliberation1 seeing that this said     
,marchese is wonted to reward all men of
 worth in such noble and magnanimous and
 liberal fashion that none of them ever 
goes away dissatisfied4  ,the receipt of
 this letter seems to have disquieted   
,tartaglia somewhat2 for he has added a 
note to it1 in which he says that       
,cardan has placed him in a position of 
embarrassment4 ,he had evidently wished 
for an introduction to ,d',avalos1 but  
now it was offered to him it seemed a   
burden rather than a benefit4 ,he       
disliked the notion of going to ,milan2 
yet1 if he did not go1 the ,marchese    
d',avalos might take offence4 ,but in   
the end he decided to undertake the     
journey2 and1 as ,d',avalos happened    
then to be absent from ,milan on a visit

 to his country villa at ,vigevano1 he  
stayed for three days in ,cardan's      
house4 ,as a recorder of conversations  
,tartaglia seems to have had something  
of ,boswell's gift4 ,he gives an        
abstract of an eventful dialogue with   
his host on ,march #be1 #aeci1 which    
,cardan begins by a gentle reproach     
anent his guest's reticence in the      
matter of the rule of the cosa and the  
cubus equal to the numerus4 ,tartaglia's
 reply to this complaint seems          
reasonable enough 7it must be borne in  
mind that he is his own reporter71 and  
certainly helps to absolve him from the 
charge sometimes made against him that  
he was nothing more than a selfish      
curmudgeon who had resolved to let his  
knowledge die with him1 rather than     
share it with other mathematicians of   
whom he was jealous4 ,he told ,cardan   
plainly that he kept his rules a secret 
because1 for the present1 it suited his 
purpose to do so4 ,at this time he had  
not the leisure to elaborate farther the

 several rules in question1 being       
engaged over a translation of ,euclid   
into ,italian2 but1 when this work      
should be completed1 he proposed to     
publish a treatise on ,algebra in which 
he would disclose to the world all the  
rules he already knew1 as well as many  
others which he hoped to discover in the
 course of his present work4 ,he        
concludes3 ,this is the cause of my     
seeming discourtesy towards your        
excellency4 ,i have been all the ruder1 
perhaps1 because you write to me that   
you are preparing a book similar to     
mine1 and that you propose to publish my
 inventions1 and to give me credit for  
the same4 ,this ,i confess is not to my 
taste1 forasmuch as ,i wish to set forth
 my discoveries in my own works1 and not
 in those of others4 ,in his reply to   
this1 ,cardan points out that he had    
promised1 if ,tartaglia so desired1 that
 he would not publish the rules at all2 
but here ,messer ,niccolo's patience and
 good manners gave way1 and he told     

,messer ,hieronimo bluntly that he did  
not believe him4 ,then said ,cardan3 ,i 
swear to you by the ,sacred ,evangel1   
and by myself as a gentleman1 that ,i   
will not only abstain from publishing   
your discoveries--if you will make them 
known to me--but that ,i will promise   
and pledge my faith of a true ,christian
 to set them down for my own use in     
cypher1 so that after my death no one   
may be able to understand them4 ,if you 
will believe this promise1 believe it2  
if you will not1 let us have done with  
the matter4 ,if ,i were not disposed to 
believe such oaths as these you now     
swear1 said ,tartaglia1 ,i might as well
 be set down as a man without any faith 
at all4 ,i have determined to go        
forthwith to ,vigevano to visit the     
,signor ,marchese1 as ,i have now been  
here for three days and am weary of the 
delay1 but ,i promise when ,i return    
that ,i will show you all the rules4    
,cardan replied3 ,as you are bent on    
going to ,vigevano1 ,i will give you a  

letter of introduction to the ,marchese1
 so that he may know who you are2 but ,i
 would that1 before you start1 you show 
me the rule as you have promised4 ,i am 
willing to do this1 said ,tartaglia1 but
 ,i must tell you that1 in order to be  
able to recall at any time my system of 
working1 ,i have expressed it in rhyme2 
because1 without this precaution1 ,i    
must often have forgotten it4 ,i care   
naught that my rhymes are clumsy1 it has
 been enough for me that they have      
served to remind me of my rules4 ,these 
,i will write down with my own hand1 so 
that you may be assured that my         
discovery is given to you correctly4    
,then follow ,tartaglia's verses3       
,quando chel cubo con le cose apresso   
,se agualia  qualche numero discreto    
,trouan dui altri differenti in esso    
,dapoi terrai questo per consueto       
,ch'el lor' produtto sempre sia eguale  
,al terzo cubo delle cose neto     ,el  
residuo poi suo generale     ,delli lor 
lati cubi ben sottratti     ,varra la   

tua cosa principale4     ,in el secondo 
de cotesti atti     ,quando chel cubo   
restasse lui solo     ,tu osseruarai    
quest' altri contratti     ,del numer   
farai due tal part 'a uolo     ,che luna
 in l'altra si produca schietto     ,el 
terzo cubo delle cose in stolo          
,delle qual poi1 per commun precetto    
,torrai li lati cubi insieme gionti     
,et cotal summa sara il tuo concetto    
,et terzo poi de questi nostri conti    
,se solve col recordo se ben guardi     
,che per natura son quasi congionti     
,questi trouai1 et non con passi tardi  
,nel mille cinquecent' e quatro  trenta 
,con fondamenti ben sald'  gagliardi    
,nella citta del mar' intorno centa4    
,having handed over to his host these   
rhymes1 with the precious rules         
enshrined therein1 ,tartaglia told him  
that1 with so clear an exposition1 he   
could not fail to understand them1      
ending with a warning hint to ,cardan   
that1 if he should publish the rules1   
either in the work he had in hand1 or in

 any future one1 either under the name  
of ,tartaglia or of ,cardan1 he1 the    
author1 would put into print certain    
things which ,messer ,hieronimo would   
not find very pleasant reading4  ,after 
all ,tartaglia was destined to quit     
,milan without paying his respects to   
,d',avalos4 ,there is not a word in his 
notes which gives the reason of this    
eccentric action on his part4 ,he simply
 says that he is no longer inclined to  
go to ,vigevano1 but has made up his    
mind to return to ,venice forthwith2 and
 ,cardan1 probably1 was not displeased  
at this exhibition of petulant          
impatience on the part of his guest1 but
 was rather somewhat relieved to see    
,messer ,niccolo ride away1 now that he 
had extracted from him the coveted      
information4 ,from the beginning to the 
end of this affair ,cardan has been     
credited with an amount of subtle       
cunning which he assuredly did not      
manifest at other times when his wits   
were pitted for contest with those of   

other men4 ,it has been advanced to his 
disparagement that he walked in         
deceitful ways from the very beginning2 
that he dangled before ,tartaglia's eyes
 the prospect of gain and preferment    
simply for the purpose of enticing him  
to ,milan1 where he deemed he might use 
more efficaciously his arguments for the
 accomplishment of the purpose which was
 really in his mind2 that he had no     
intention of advancing ,tartaglia's     
fortunes when he suggested the          
introduction to ,d',avalos1 but that the
 ,governor of ,milan was brought into   
the business merely that he might be    
used as a potent ally in the attack upon
 ,tartaglia's obstinate silence4        
,whether this may have been his line of 
action or not1 the issue shows that he  
was fully able to fight his battle      
alone1 and that his powers of persuasion
 and hard swearing were adequate when   
occasion arose for their exercise4 ,it  
is quite possible that ,tartaglia1 when 
he began to reflect over what he had    

done by writing out and handing over to 
,cardan his mnemonic rhymes1 fell into  
an access of suspicious anger--at       
,cardan for his wheedling persistency1  
and at himself for yielding thereto--and
 packed himself off in a rage with the  
determination to have done with ,messer 
,hieronimo and all his works4 ,certainly
 his carriage towards ,cardan in the    
weeks ensuing1 as exhibited in his      
correspondence1 does not picture him in 
an amiable temper4 ,on ,april #i ,jerome
 wrote to him in a very friendly strain1
 expressing regret that his guest should
 have left ,milan without seeing        
,d',avalos1 and fear lest he might have 
prejudiced his fortunes by taking such a
 step4 ,he then goes on to describe to  
,tartaglia the progress he is making in 
his work with the ,practice of          
,arithmetic1 and to ask him for help in 
solving one of the cases in ,algebra1   
the rule for which was indeed contained 
in ,tartaglia's verses1 but expressed   
somewhat obscurely1 for which reason    

,cardan had missed its meaning4#ih ,in  
his reply1 ,tartaglia ignores ,jerome's 
courtesies altogether1 and tells him    
that what he especially desires at the  
present moment is a sight of that volume
 on the ,practice of ,arithmetic1 for1  
says he1 if ,i do not see it soon1 ,i   
shall begin to suspect that this work of
 yours will probably make manifest some 
breach of faith2 in other words1 that it
 will contain as interpolations certain 
of the rules ,i taught you4 ,niccolo    
then goes on to explain the difficulty  
which had puzzled ,cardan1 using terms  
which showed plainly that he had as poor
 an opinion of his correspondent's wit  
as of his veracity4  ,cardan was an     
irascible man1 and it is a high tribute 
to his powers of restraint that he      
managed to keep his temper under the    
uncouth insults of such a letter as the 
foregoing4 ,the more clearly            
,tartaglia's jealous1 suspicious nature 
displays itself1 the greater seems the  
wonder that a man of such a disposition 

should ever have disclosed such a       
secret4 ,he did not believe ,cardan when
 he promised that he would not publish  
the rules in question without his 7the  
discoverer's7 consent--why then did he  
believe him when he swore by the        
,gospel8 ,the age was one in which the  
binding force of an oath was not        
regarded as an obligation of any        
particular sanctity if circumstances    
should arise which made the violation of
 the oath more convenient than its      
observance4 ,however1 the time was not  
yet come for ,jerome to begin to quibble
 with his conscience4 ,on ,may #ab1     
#aeci1 he wrote another letter to       
,tartaglia1 also in a very friendly     
tone1 reproaching him gently for his    
suspicions1 and sending a copy of the   
,practice of ,arithmetic to show him    
that they were groundless4 ,he protested
 that ,tartaglia might search from      
beginning to end without finding any    
trace of his jealously-guarded rules1   
inasmuch as1 beyond correcting a few    

errors1 the writer had only carried     
,algebra to the point where ,fra ,luca  
had left it4 ,tartaglia searched1 and   
though he could not put his finger on   
any spot which showed that ,messer      
,hieronimo had broken his oath1 he found
 what must have been to him as a        
precious jewel1 to wit a mistake in     
reckoning1 which he reported to ,cardan 
in these words3  ,in this process your  
excellency has made such a gross mistake
 that ,i am amazed thereat1 forasmuch as
 any man with half an eye must have seen
 it--indeed1 if you had not gone on to  
repeat it in divers examples1 ,i should 
have set it down to a mistake of the    
printer4 ,after pointing out to ,cardan 
the blunders aforesaid1 he concludes3   
,the whole of this work of yours is     
ridiculous and inaccurate1 a performance
 which makes me tremble for your good   
name4#ii  ,every succeeding page of     
,tartaglia's notes shows more and more  
clearly that he was smarting under a    
sense of his own folly in having        

divulged his secret4 ,night and day he  
brooded over his excess of confidence1  
and as time went by he let his          
suspicions of ,cardan grow into savage  
resentment4 ,his ears were open to every
 rumour which might pass from one       
class-room to another4 ,on ,july #aj a  
letter came to him from one ,maphio of  
,bergamo1 a former pupil1 telling how   
,cardan was about to publish certain new
 mathematical rules in a book on        
,algebra1 and hinting that in all       
probability these rules would prove to  
be ,tartaglia's1 whereupon he at once   
jumped to the conclusion that ,maphio's 
gossip was the truth1 and that this book
 would make public the secret which     
,cardan had sworn to keep4 ,he left many
 of ,cardan's letters unanswered2 but at
 last he seems to have found too strong 
the temptation to say something         
disagreeable2 so1 in answer to a letter 
from ,cardan containing a request for   
help in solving an equation which had   
baffled his skill1 ,tartaglia wrote     

telling ,cardan that he had bungled in  
his application of the rule1 and that he
 himself was now very sorry he had ever 
confided the rule aforesaid to such a   
man4 ,he ends with further abuse of     
,cardan's ,practice of ,arithmetic1     
which he declares to be merely a        
confused farrago of other men's         
knowledge1#ajj and with a remark which  
he probably intended to be a crowning   
insult4 ,i well remember when ,i was at 
your house in ,milan1 that you told me  
you had never tried to discover the rule
 of the cosa and the cubus equal to the 
numerus which was found out by me1      
because ,fra ,luca had declared it to be
 impossible2#aja as if to say that1 if  
you had set yourself to the task you    
could have accomplished it1 a thing     
which sets me off laughing when ,i call 
to mind the fact that it is now two     
months since ,i informed you of the     
blunders you made in the extraction of  
the cube root1 which process is one of  
the first to be taught to students who  

are beginning ,algebra4 ,wherefore1 if  
after the lapse of all this time you    
have not been able to find a remedy to  
set right this your mistake 7which would
 have been an easy matter enough71 just 
consider whether in any case your powers
 could have been equal to the discovery 
of the rule aforesaid4#ajb  ,in this    
quarrel ,messer ,giovanni ,colla had    
appeared as the herald of the storm1    
when he carried to ,milan in #aecf      
tidings of the discovery of the new rule
 which had put ,cardan on the alert1 and
 now1 as the crisis approached1 he again
 came upon the scene1 figuring as       
unconscious and indirect cause of the   
final catastrophe4 ,on ,january #e1     
#aedj1 ,cardan wrote to ,tartaglia1     
telling him that ,colla had once more   
appeared in ,milan1 and was boasting    
that he had found out certain new rules 
in ,algebra4 ,he went on to suggest to  
his correspondent that they should unite
 their forces in an attempt to fathom   
this asserted discovery of ,colla's1 but

 to this letter ,tartaglia vouchsafed no
 reply4 ,in his diary it stands with a  
superadded note1 in which he remarks    
that he thinks as badly of ,cardan as of
 ,colla1 and that1 as far as he is      
concerned1 they may both of them go     
whithersoever they will4#ajc  ,colla    
propounded divers questions to the      
,algebraists of ,milan1 and amongst them
 was one involving the equation x#d     
#fx#b  #cf  #fjx1 one which he probably 
found in some ,arabian treatise4 ,cardan
 tried all his ingenuity over this      
combination without success1 but his    
brilliant pupil1 ,ludovico ,ferrari1    
worked to better purpose1 and succeeded 
at last in solving it by adding to each 
side of the equation1 arranged in a     
certain fashion1 some quadratic and     
simple quantities of which the square   
root could be extracted4#ajd ,cardan    
seems to have been baffled by the fact  
that the equation aforesaid could not be
 solved by the recently-discovered      
rules1 because it produced a            

bi-quadratic4 ,this difficulty ,ferrari 
overcame1 and1 pursuing the subject1 he 
discovered a general rule for the       
solution of all bi-quadratics by means  
of a cubic equation4 ,cardan's          
subsequent demonstration of this process
 is one of the masterpieces of the ,book
 of the ,great ,art4 ,it is an example  
of the use of assuming a new            
indeterminate quantity to introduce into
 an equation1 thus anticipating by a    
considerable space of time ,descartes1  
who subsequently made use of a like     
assumption in a like case4  ,how far    
this discovery of ,ferrari's covered the
 rules given by ,tartaglia to ,cardan1  
and how far it relieved ,cardan of the  
obligation of secresy1 is a problem     
fitted for the consideration of the     
mathematician and the casuist           
severally4#aje ,an apologist of ,cardan 
might affirm that he cannot be held to  
have acted in bad faith in publishing   
the result of ,ferrari's discovery4 ,if 
this discovery included and even went   

beyond ,tartaglia's1 so much the worse  
for ,tartaglia4 ,the lesser discovery   
7,tartaglia's7 ,cardan never divulged   
before ,ferrari unravelled ,giovanni    
,colla's puzzle2 but it was inevitable  
that it must be made known to the world 
as a part of the greater discovery      
7,ferrari's7 which ,cardan was in no way
 bound to keep a secret4 ,the case might
 be said to run on all fours with that  
where a man confides a secret to a      
friend under a promise of silence1 which
 promise the friend keeps religiously1  
until one day he finds that the secret1 
and even more than the secret1 is common
 talk of the market-place4 ,is the      
obligation of silence1 with which he was
 bound originally1 still to lie upon the
 friend1 even when he may have sworn to 
observe it by the ,holy ,evangel and the
 honour of a gentleman2 and is the fact 
that great renown and profit would come 
to him by publishing the secret to be   
held as an additional reason for keeping
 silence1 or as a justification for     

speech8 ,in forming a judgment after a  
lapse of three and a half centuries as  
to ,cardan's action1 while having regard
 both to the sanctity of an oath at the 
time in question1 and to the altered    
state of the case between him and       
,tartaglia consequent on ,ludovico      
,ferrari's discovery1 an hypothesis not 
overstrained in the direction of charity
 may be advanced to the effect that     
,cardan might well have deemed he was   
justified in revealing to the world the 
rules which ,tartaglia had taught him1  
considering that these isolated rules   
had been developed by his own study and 
,ferrari's into a principle by which it 
would be possible to work a complete    
revolution in the science of ,algebra4  
,in any case1 six years were allowed to 
elapse before ,cardan1 by publishing    
,tartaglia's rules in the ,book of the  
,great ,art1 did the deed which1 in the 
eyes of many1 branded him as a liar and 
dishonest1 and drove ,tartaglia almost  
wild with rage4 ,that his offence did   

not meet with universal reprobation is  
shown by negative testimony in the      
,judicium de ,cardano1 by ,gabriel      
,naud4#ajf ,in the course of his essay  
,naud lets it be seen how thoroughly he 
dislikes the character of the man about 
whom he writes4 ,no evil disposition    
attributed to ,cardan by himself or by  
his enemies is left unnoticed1 and a    
lengthy catalogue of his offences is set
 down1 but this list does not contain   
the particular sin of broken faith in   
the matter of ,tartaglia's rules4 ,on   
the contrary1 after abusing and         
ridiculing a large portion of his work1 
,naud breaks out into almost rhapsodical
 eulogy about ,cardan's contributions to
 ,mathematical science4 ,quis negabit   
librum de ,proportionibus dignum esse1  
qui cum pulcherrimis antiquorum inventis
 conferatur8 ,quis in ,arithmetica non  
stupet1 eum tot difficultates superasse1
 quibus explicandis ,villafrancus1      
,lucas de ,burgo1 ,stifelius1 ,tartalea1
 vix ac ne vix quidem pares esse        

potuissent8 ,it seems hard to believe1  
after reading elsewhere the bitter      
assaults of ,naud1#ajg that he would    
have neglected so tempting an           
opportunity of darkening the shadows1 if
 he himself had felt the slightest      
offence1 or if public opinion in the    
learned world was in any perceptible    
degree scandalized by the disclosure    
made by the publication of the ,book of 
the ,great ,art4  ,this book was        
published at ,nuremberg in #aede1 and in
 its preface and dedication ,cardan     
fully acknowledges his obligations to   
,tartaglia and ,ferrari1 with respect to
 the rules lately discussed1 and gives a
 catalogue of the former students of the
 ,art1 and attributes to each his       
particular contribution to the mass of  
knowledge which he here presents to the 
world4 ,leonardo da ,pisa1#ajh ,fra     
,luca da ,borgo1 and ,scipio ,ferreo all
 receive due credit for their work1 and 
then ,cardan goes on to speak of my     
friend ,niccolo ,tartaglia of ,brescia1 

who1 in his contest with ,antonio ,maria
 ,fiore1 the pupil of ,ferreo1          
elaborated this rule to assure him of   
victory1 a rule which he made known to  
me in answer to my many prayers4 ,he    
goes on to acknowledge other obligations
 to ,tartaglia3#aji how the ,brescian   
had first taught him that algebraical   
discovery could be most effectively     
advanced by geometrical demonstration1  
and how he himself had followed this    
counsel1 and had been careful to give   
the demonstration aforesaid for every   
rule he laid down4  ,the ,book of the   
,great ,art was not published till six  
years after ,cardan had become the      
sharer of ,tartaglia's secret1 which had
 thus had ample time to germinate and   
bear fruit in the fertile brain upon    
which it was cast4 ,it is almost certain
 that the treatise as a whole--leaving  
out of account the special question of  
the solution of cubic equations--must   
have gained enormously in completeness  
and lucidity from the fresh knowledge   

revealed to the writer thereof by       
,tartaglia's reluctant disclosure1 and1 
over and beyond this1 it must be borne  
in mind that ,cardan had been working   
for several years at ,giovanni ,colla's 
questions in conjunction with ,ferrari1 
an algebraist as famous as ,tartaglia or
 himself4 ,the opening chapters of the  
book show that ,cardan was well         
acquainted with the chief properties of 
the roots of equations of all sorts4 ,he
 lays it down that all square numbers   
have two different kinds of root1 one   
positive and one negative1#aaj vera and 
ficta3 thus the root of #i is either #c4
 or-#c4 ,he shows that when a case has  
all its roots1 or when none are         
impossible1 the number of its positive  
roots is the same as the number of      
changes in the signs of the terms when  
they are all brought to one side4 ,in   
the case of x#c  #c;bx  #b;c1 he        
demonstrates his first resolution of a  
cubic equation1 and gives his own       
version of his dealings with ,tartaglia4

 ,his chief obligation to the ,brescian 
was the information how to solve the    
three cases which follow1 i4e4 x#c  bx  
c4 x#c  bx  c4 and x#c;cbx1 and this he 
freely acknowledges1 and furthermore    
admits the great service of the system  
of geometrical demonstration which      
,tartaglia had first suggested to him1  
and which he always employed hereafter4 
,he claims originality for all processes
 in the book not ascribed to others1    
asserting that all the demonstrations of
 existing rules were his own except     
three which had been left by ,mahommed  
ben ,musa1 and two invented by ,ludovico
 ,ferrari4  ,with this vantage ground   
beneath his feet ,cardan raised the     
study of ,algebra to a point it had     
never reached before1 and climbed       
himself to a height of fame to which    
,medicine had not yet brought him4 ,his 
name as a mathematician was known       
throughout ,europe1 and the success of  
his book was remarkable4 ,in the ,de    
,libris ,propriis there is a passage    

which indicates that he himself was not 
unconscious of the renown he had won1 or
 disposed to underrate the value of his 
contribution to mathematical science4   
,and even if ,i were to claim this art  
7,algebra7 as my own invention1 ,i      
should perhaps be speaking only the     
truth1 though ,nicomachus1 ,ptolemus1   
,paciolus1 ,boetius1 have written much  
thereon4 ,for men like these never came 
near to discover one-hundredth part of  
the things discovered by me4 ,but with  
regard to this matter--as with divers   
others--,i leave judgment to be given by
 those who shall come after me4         
,nevertheless ,i am constrained to call 
this work of mine a perfect one1 seeing 
that it well-nigh transcends the bounds 
of human perception4#aaa  ,,footnotes3  
#hd ,it was published at ,milan by      
,bernardo ,caluschio1 with a            
dedication--dated #aecg--to ,francesco  
,gaddi1 a descendant of the famous      
family of ,florence4 ,this man was      
,prior of the ,augustinian ,canons in   

,milan1 and a great personage1 but ill  
fortune seems to have overtaken him in  
his latter days4 ,cardan writes 7,opera1
 tom4 i4 p4 #ajg73--qui cum mihi amicus 
esset dum floreret1 ,rexque cognomine ob
 potentiam appellaretur1 conjectus in   
carcerem1 miser vitam ibi1 ne dicam     
crudeliter1 finivit3 nam per quindecim  
dies in profundissima gorgyne fuit1 ut  
vivus sepeliretur4  #he ,there is a     
reference to ,osiander in ,de           
,subtilitate1 p4 #ebc4 ,cardan gives a  
full account of his relations with      
,osiander and ,petreius in ,opera1 tom4 
i4 p4 #fg4  #hf ,november #aecf4  #hg   
,ferrari was one of ,cardan's most      
distinguished pupils4 ,ludovicus        
,ferrarius ,bononiensis qui             
,mathematicas et ,mediolani et in patria
 sua professus est1 et singularis in    
illis eruditionis4--,de ,vita ,propria1 
ch4 xxxv4 p4 #aaa4 ,there is a short    
memoir of ,ferrari in ,opera1 tom4 ix4  
#hh ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #ff4  #hi ,fra   
,luca's book1 ,summa de ,arithmetica    

,geometria ,proportioni                 
,proportionalita1 extends as far as the 
solution of quadratic equations1 of     
which only the positive roots were used4
 ,at this time letters were rarely used 
to express known quantities4  #ij ,the  
early writers on ,algebra used numerus  
for the absolute or known term1 res or  
cosa for the first power1 quadratum for 
the second1 and cubus for the third4    
,the signs  and-first appear in the work
 of ,stifelius1 a ,german writer1 who   
published a book of ,arithmetic in      
#aedd4 ,robert ,recorde in his          
,whetstone of ,wit seems first to have  
used the sign of equality 4 ,vieta in   
,france first applied letters as general
 symbols of quantity1 though the earlier
 algebraists used them occasionally1    
chiefly as abbreviations4 ,aristotle    
also used them in the ,physics4--,libri4
 ,hist4 des ,sciences ,mathmatiques4 i4 
#ajd4  #ia ,opera1 tom4 iv4 p4 #bbb4    
#ib ,in the conclusion of the ,treatise 
on ,arithmetic1 ,cardan points out      

certain errors in the work of ,fra      
,luca4 ,fra ,luca was a pupil of ,piero 
della ,francesca1 who was highly skilled
 in ,geometry1 and who1 according to    
,vasari1 first applied perspective to   
the drawing of the human form4  #ic     
,tartaglia1 i4e4 the stutterer4  #id    
,papadopoli1 ,hist4 ,gymn4 ,pata4 7,ven4
 #agbd74  #ie ,balbisonem post relatam  
jurisprudenti lauream redeuntem ,brixiam
 ,nicolaus secutus est1 cpitque ex      
,mathematicis gloriam sibi ac divitias  
parare1 que paupertatis impatiens1 ac   
fortun melioris cupidus1 quam dum ,brixi
 tuetur1 homo moros1 et inurban         
rusticitatis prope omnium civium odia   
sibi conciliavit4 ,quamobrem alibi      
vivere coactus1 varias ,itali urbes     
incoluit1 ac ,ferrari1 ,parm1           
,mediolani1 ,rom1 ,genu1 arithmeticam1  
geometricam1 ceteraque qu ad ,mathesim  
pertinent1 docuit2 depugnavitque        
scriptis accerrimis cum ,cardano ac sibi
 ex illis qusivit nomen et gloriam4     
,tandem domicilium posuit ,venetiis1 ubi

 non a ,senatoribus modo1 ut mos        
,venetus habet eruditorum hominum       
studiosissimus1 maximi habitus est1 at  
etiam a variis ,magnatum ac ,principum  
legatis prmiis ac muneribus auctus      
sortem1 quam tamdiu expetierat visus    
sibi est conciliasse4 ,ergo ratus se    
majorem1 quam ut a civibus suis         
contemneretur1 ,brixiam rediit1 ubi spe 
privati stipendii ,euclidis elementa    
explanare coepit2 sed qu illum olim a   
civitate sua austeritas1 rustica1       
acerba1 morosa1 depulerat1 eadem illum  
in eum apud omnes contemptum1 et odium  
iterum dejicit1 ut exinde horrendus ac  
detestabilis omnibus fugere1 atque      
iterum ,venetias confugere compulsus    
fuerit4 ,ibi persenex                   
decessit4--,papadopoli1 ,hist4 ,gymn4   
,pata41 ii4 p4 #baj4  #if ,this work is 
the chief authority for the facts which 
follow4 ,the edition referred to is that
 of ,venice1 #aedf4 ,there is also a    
full account of the same in ,cossali1   
,origine dell' ,algebra 7,parma1 #agii74

 vol4 ii4 p4 #if4  #ig ,quesiti et      
,inventioni1 p4 #aae4  #ih ,cardan      
writes3 ,vi supplico per l'amor che mi  
portati1 et per l'amicitia ch' tra noi1 
che spero durara fin che viveremo1 che  
mi mandati sciolta questa questione4 #a 
cubo piu #c4 cose egual  #aj4 ,cardan   
had mistaken 7#a_/c b7#c for #a_/c b#c1 
or the cube of #a_/c of the co-efficient
 for #a_/c of the cube of the           
co-efficient4--,quesiti et ,inventioni  
p4 #abd4  #ii ,quesiti et ,inventioni1  
p4 #abe4  #ajj ,non ha datta fora tal   
opera come cose composto da sua testa ma
 come cose ellette raccolte e copiate de
 diverse libri a penna4--,quesiti et    
,inventioni1 p4 #abg4  #aja ,cardan     
repeats the remark in the first chapter 
of the ,liber ,artis ,magn 7,opera1 tom4
 iv4 p4 #bbb74 ,deceptus enim ego verbis
 ,luc ,paccioli1 qui ultra sua capitula1
 generale ullum aliud esse posse negat  
7quanquam tot jam antea rebus a me      
inventis1 sub manibus esset7 desperabam 
tamen invenire1 quod qurere non audebam4

 ,perhaps he wrote them down as an      
apology or a defence against the storm  
which he anticipated as soon as         
,tartaglia should have seen the new     
,algebra4  #ajb ,subsequently ,tartaglia
 wrote very bitterly against ,cardan1 as
 the latter mentions in ,de ,libris     
,propriis4 ,nam etsi ,nicolaus ,tartalea
 libris materna lingua editis nos       
calumniatur1 impudenti tamen ac stultiti
 su non aliud testimonium quras1 quam   
ipsos illius libros1 in quibus nominatim
 splendidiorem unumquemque e civibus    
suis proscindit3 ade ut nemo dubitet    
insanisse hominem aliquo                
infortunio4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #hj4    
#ajc ,quesiti et ,inventioni1 p4 #abi4  
#ajd ,montucla1 ,histoire de ,math4 i4  
#eif1 gives a full account of ,ferrari's
 process4  #aje ,in the ,de ,vita       
,propria1 ,cardan dismisses the matter  
briefly3 ,ex hoc ad artem magnam1 quam  
collegi1 dum ,jo4 ,colla certaret       
nobiscum1 et ,tartalea1  quo primum     
acceperam capitulum1 qui maluit mulum   

habere1 et superiorem1 quam amicum et   
beneficio devinctum1 cum alterius       
fuisset inventum4--ch4 xlv4 p4 #age4    
#ajf ,prefixed to the ,de ,vita         
,propria4  #ajg ,in a question of broken
 faith1 ,cardan laid himself open       
especially to attack by reason of his   
constant self-glorification in the      
matter of veracity4  #ajh ,leonardo knew
 that quadratic equations might have two
 positive roots1 and ,cardan pursued    
this farther by the discovery that they 
might also have negative roots4  #aji   
,caput xxviii4 ,de capitulo generali    
cubi et rerum qualium numero1 ,magistri 
,nicolai ,tartagli1 ,brixiensis--,hoc   
capitulum habui  prefato viro ante      
considerationem demonstrationum secundi 
libri super ,euclidem1 et quatio hc     
cadit in ,symbol3 ,rx4 cu v binomii ex  
genere binomii secundi et qunti m4      
,symbol3 ,rx4 cuba universali recisi    
ejusdem binomii4--,opera1 tom4 iv4 p4   
#cda4  #aaj ,montucla1 who as a         
historian of ,mathematics has a strong  

bias against ,cardan1 gives him credit  
for the discovery of the fict radices1  
but on the other hand he attributes to  
,vieta ,cardan's discovery of the method
 of changing a complete cubic equation  
into one wanting the second term4--,ed4 
#agbi1 p4 #eie4  #aaa ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4
 #ff4     ,,chapter ,,vi   ,,it has been
 noted that ,cardan quitted ,pavia at   
the end of #aedd on account of the      
bankruptcy of the ,university1 and that 
in #aedf a generous offer was made to   
him on condition of his entering the    
service of ,pope ,paul ,,iii42 an offer 
which after some hesitation he          
determined to refuse4 ,in the autumn of 
this same year he resumed his teaching  
at ,pavia1 a fact which sanctions the   
assumption that this luckless seat of   
learning must have been once more in    
funds4 ,in the year following1 in #aedg1
 there came to him another offer of     
employment accompanied by terms still   
more munificent than the ,pope's1       
conveyed through ,vesalius#aab and the  

ambassador of the ,king of ,denmark4    
,the emolument was to be a salary of    
three hundred gold crowns per annum of  
the ,hungarian currency1 and in addition
 to these six hundred more to be paid   
out of the tax on skins of price4 ,this 
last-named money differed in value by   
about an eighth from the royal coinage1 
and would be somewhat slower in coming  
in4 ,also the security for its payment  
was not so solid1 and would in a measure
 be subject to risk4 ,to this was       
farther added maintenance for myself and
 five servants and three horses4 ,this  
offer ,i did not accept because the     
country was very cold and damp1 and the 
people well-nigh barbarians2 moreover   
the rites and doctrines of religion were
 quite foreign to those of the ,roman   
,church4#aac  ,cardan was now forty-six 
years of age1 a mathematician of        
,european fame1 and the holder of an    
honourable post at an ancient           
university1 which he might have         
exchanged for other employment quite as 

dignified and far more lucrative4 ,in   
dealing with a character as bizarre as  
his1 it would be as a rule unprofitable 
to search deeply for motives of action1 
but in this instance it is no difficult 
matter to detect upon the surface       
several causes which may have swayed him
 in this decision to remain at ,pavia4  
,however firmly he may have set himself 
to win fame as a physician1 he was in no
 way disposed to put aside those        
mathematical studies in which he had    
already made so distinguished a name1   
nor to abandon his astrology and        
chiromancy and discursive reading of all
 kinds4 ,at ,pavia he would find leisure
 for all these1 and would in addition be
 able to make good any arrears of       
medical and magical knowledge into which
 he might have fallen during the years  
so largely devoted to the production of 
the ,book of the ,great ,art4 ,moreover1
 the time in question was one of the    
prime epochs in the history of the      
healing art4 ,a new light had just      

arisen in ,vesalius1 who had recently   
published his book1 ,corporis ,humani   
,fabrica1 and was lecturing in divers   
universities on the new method of       
,anatomy1 the actual dissection of the  
human body4 ,he went to ,pavia in the   
course of his travels and left traces of
 his visit in the form of a revived and 
re-organized school of ,anatomy4 ,this  
fact alone would have been a powerful   
attraction to ,cardan1 ever greedy as he
 was of new knowledge1 but there was    
another reason which probably swayed him
 more strongly still1 to wit1 the care  
of his eldest son's education and       
training4 ,gian ,battista ,cardano was  
now in his fourteenth year1 and1        
according to the usages of the time1 old
 enough to make a beginning of his      
training in ,medicine1 the profession he
 was destined to follow4 ,it is not     
recorded whether or not he chose this   
calling for himself2 but1 taking into   
account the deep and tender affection   
,jerome always manifested towards his   

eldest son1 it is not likely that undue 
compulsion was used in the matter4 ,the 
youth1 according to his father's        
description1 strongly favoured in person
 his grandfather ,fazio4#aad ,he had    
come into the world at a time when his  
parents' fortunes were at their lowest  
ebb1 during those terrible months spent 
at ,gallarate1#aae and in his           
adolescence he bore divers physical     
evidences of the ill nurture--it would  
be unjust to call it neglect--which he  
had received4 ,at one time he was indeed
 put in charge of a good nurse1 but he  
had to be withdrawn from her care almost
 immediately through her husband's      
jealousy1 and he was next sent to a     
slattern1 who fed him with old milk1 and
 not enough of that2 or more often with 
chewed bread4 ,his body was swollen and 
unhealthy1 he suffered greatly from an  
attack of fever1 which ultimately left  
him deaf in one ear4 ,he gave early     
evidence of a fine taste in music1 an   
inheritance from his father1 and was1   

according to ,cardan's showing1 upright 
and honest in his carriage1 gifted with 
talents which must1 under happier       
circumstances1 have placed him in the   
first rank of men of learning1 and in   
every respect a youth of the fairest    
promise4 ,the father records that he    
himself1 though well furnished by       
experience in the art of medicine1 was  
now and again worsted by his son in     
disputation1 and alludes in words of    
pathetic regret to divers problems1 too 
deep for his own powers of solution1    
which ,gian ,battista would assuredly   
have mastered in the course of time4 ,he
 does not forget to notice certain of   
the young man's failings2 for he remarks
 that he was temperate of speech1 except
 when he was angered1 and then he would 
pour forth such a torrent of words that 
he scarce seemed in his right mind4     
,cardan professes to have discerned a   
cause for these failings1 and the       
calamities flowing therefrom1 in the    
fact that ,gian ,battista had the third 

and fourth toes of his right foot united
 by a membrane2 he declares that1 if he 
had known of this in time1 he would have
 counteracted the evil by dividing the  
toes4#aaf ,gian ,battista eventually    
gained the baccalaureat in his          
twenty-second year1 and two years after 
became a member of the ,college4  ,the  
life which ,cardan planned to lead at   
,pavia was unquestionably a full one4   
,he had several young men under his care
 as pupils besides his son1 amongst them
 being a kinsman of his1 ,gasparo       
,cardano1 a youth of sterling virtue and
 a useful coadjutor in times to come4   
,he was at this time engaged on his most
 important works in ,medicine and       
,physical ,science4 ,he worked hard at  
his profession1 practising occasionally 
and reading voraciously all books       
bearing on his studies4 ,he wrote and   
published several small works during the
 four years--from #aedg to #aeea--of his
 ,professorship at ,pavia2 the most     
noteworthy of which were the ,book of   

,precepts for the guidance of his       
children1 and some ,treatises on the    
,preservation of ,health4 ,he also wrote
 a book on ,physiognomy1 or as he called
 it ,metoposcopy1 an abstract of which  
appears as a chapter in ,de ,utilitate  
7lib4 iii4 c4 #aj71 but the major part  
of his time must have been consumed in  
collecting and reducing to form the huge
 mass of facts out of which his two     
great works1 ,de ,subtilitate and ,de   
,varietate ,rerum1 were built up4  ,a   
mere abstract of the contents of these  
wonderful books would fill many pages1  
and prove as uninteresting and          
unsuggestive as abstracts must always   
be2 and a commentary upon the same1     
honestly executed1 would make a heavy   
draft on the working life-time of an    
industrious student4 ,in reference to   
each book the author has left a         
statement of the reasons which impelled 
him to undertake his task1 the most     
cogent of which were certain dreams4#aag
 ,soon after he had begun to write the  

,de ,astrorum ,judiciis he dreamt one   
night that his soul1 freed from his     
body1 was ranging the vault of heaven   
near to the moon1 and the soul of his   
father was there likewise4 ,but he could
 not see this spirit1 which spake to him
 saying1 ,behold1 ,i am given to you as 
a comrade4 ,the spirit of the father    
then went on to tell the son how1 after 
various stages of probation1 he would   
attain the highest heaven1 and in the   
terms of this discourse ,cardan         
professed to discern the scheme of his  
more important works4  ,the ,de         
,subtilitate represents ,cardan's       
original conception of a treatise       
dealing with the ,cosmos1 but during the
 course of its preparation a vast mass  
of subsidiary and contingent knowledge  
accumulated in his note-books1 and      
rendered necessary the publication of a 
supplementary work1 the ,de             
,varietate1#aah which1 by the time it   
was finished1 had grown to a bulk       
exceeding that of the original treatise4

 ,the seminal ideas which germinated and
 produced such a vast harvest of printed
 words1 were substantially the same     
which had possessed the brains of       
,paracelsus and ,agrippa4 ,cardan       
postulates in the beginning a certain   
sympathy between the celestial bodies   
and our own1 not merely general1 but    
distributive1 the sun being in harmony  
with the heart1 and the moon with the   
animal humours4 ,he considers that all  
organized bodies are animated1 so that  
what we call the ,spirit of ,nature is  
present everywhere4 ,beyond this        
everything is ruled by the properties of
 numbers4#aai ,heat and moisture are the
 only real qualities in ,nature1 the    
first being the formal1 and the second  
the material1 cause of all things2 these
 conceptions he gleaned probably from   
some criticisms of ,aristotle on the    
archaic doctrines of ,heraclitus and    
,thales as to the origin of the         
universe4  ,it is no marvel that a      
writer1 gifted with so bizarre and      

imaginative a temper1 so restless and   
greedy of knowledge1 sitting down to    
work with such a projection before him1 
should have produced the richest1 and at
 the same time the most chaotic1        
collection of the facts of ,natural     
,philosophy that had yet issued from the
 press4 ,the erudition and the industry 
displayed in the gathering together of  
these vast masses of information1 and in
 their verification by experiment1 are  
indeed amazing2 and1 in turning over his
 pages1 it is impossible to stifle      
regret that ,cardan's confused method   
and incoherent system should have       
rendered his work comparatively useless 
for the spread of true knowledge1 and   
qualified it only for a place among the 
labores ineptiarum4  ,cardan begins with
 a definition of ,subtilty4 ,by subtilty
 ,i mean a certain faculty of the mind  
by which certain phenomena1 discernible 
by the senses and comprehensible by the 
intellect1 may be understood1 albeit    
with difficulty4 ,subtilty1 as he       

understood it1 possesses a threefold    
character3 substance1 accident1 and     
manifestation4 ,with regard to the      
senses he admits but four to the first  
rank3 touch1 sight1 smell1 and hearing2 
the claims of taste1 he affirms1 are    
open to contention4 ,he then passes on  
to discuss the properties of matter3    
fire1 moisture1 cold1 dryness1 and      
vacuum4 ,the last-named furnishes him   
with a text for a discourse on a        
wonderful lamp which he invented by     
thinking out the principle of the       
vacuum4 ,this digression on the very    
threshold of the work is a sample of    
what the reader may expect to encounter 
all through the twenty-one books of the 
,de ,subtilitate and the seventeen of   
the ,de ,varietate4 ,regardless of the  
claims of continuity1 he jumps from     
principle to practice without the       
slightest warning4 ,intermingled with   
dissertations on abstract causes and the
 hidden forces of ,nature are to be     
found descriptions of taps and pumps and

 syphons1 and of the water-screw of     
,archimedes1 the re-invention of which  
caused poor ,galeazzo ,rosso1 ,fazio's  
blacksmith friend1 to go mad for joy4   
,there are diagrams of furnaces1 of     
machinery for raising sunken ships1 and 
of the common steelyard4 ,cardan finds  
no problem of the universe too recondite
 to essay1 and in like manner he sets   
down information as to the most trivial 
details of every-day economy3 how to    
kill mice1 why dogs bay the moon1 how to
 make vinegar1 why a donkey is stupid1  
why flint and steel produce fire1 how to
 make the hands white1 how to tell good 
mushrooms from bad1 and how to mark     
household linen4 ,he treats of the      
elements1 ,earth1 ,air1 and ,water1     
excluding ,fire1 because it produces    
nothing material2 of the heavens and    
light3 metals1 stones1 plants1 and      
animals4 ,marvellous stories abound1 and
 the most whimsical theories are        
advanced to account for the working of  
,nature4 ,he tells how he once saw a man

 from ,porto ,maurizio1 pallid1 with    
little hair on his face1 and fat in     
person1 who had in his breasts milk     
enough to suckle a child4 ,he was a     
soldier1 and this strange property      
caused him no slight inconvenience4     
,sages1 he affirms1 on account of their 
studious lives1 are little prone to     
sexual passion4 ,with them the vital    
power is carried from the heart to a    
region remote from the genitals1 i4e4 to
 the brain1 and for this reason such men
 as a rule beget children weak and      
unlike themselves4 ,diet has a valid    
effect on character1 as the ,germans1   
who subsist chiefly on the milk of wild 
cows1 are fierce and bold and brutal4   
,again1 the ,corsicans1 who eat young   
dogs1 wild as well as domestic1 are     
notably fierce1 cruel1 treacherous1     
fearless1 nimble1 and strong1 following 
thus the nature of dogs4 ,he argues at  
length to show that man is neither an   
animal nor a plant1 but something       
between the two4 ,a man is no more an   

animal than an animal is a plant4 ,the  
animal has the anima sensitiva which the
 plant lacks1 and man transcends the    
animal through the gift of the anima    
intellectiva1 which1 as ,aristotle      
testifies1 differs from the sensitiva4  
,some maintain that man and the animals 
must be alike in nature and spirit1     
because it is possible for man to catch 
certain diseases from animals4 ,but     
animals take certain properties from    
plants1 and no one thinks of calling an 
animal a plant4 ,man's nature is        
threefold3 the ,divine1 which neither   
deceives nor is deceived2 the ,human1   
which deceives1 but is not deceived2 the
 ,brutish1 which does not deceive1 but  
is deceived4 ,dissertations on the      
various sciences1 the senses1 the soul  
and intellect1 things marvellous1 demons
 and angels1 occupy the rest of the     
chapters of the ,de ,subtilitate4  ,at  
the end of the last book of ,de         
,varietate1 ,cardan gives a table       
showing the books of the two works      

arranged in parallel columns so as to   
exhibit the relation they bear to each  
other4 ,a comparison of the treatment   
accorded to any particular branch of    
,natural ,philosophy in the ,de         
,subtilitate with that given in the ,de 
,varietate1 will show that in the       
last-named work ,cardan used his most   
discursive and anecdotic method4        
,mechanics are chiefly dealt with in the
 ,de ,subtilitate1 and all through this 
treatise he set himself to observe in a 
certain degree the laws of proportion1  
and kept more or less to the point with 
which he was dealing1 a system of       
treatment which left him with a vast    
heap of materials on his hands1 even    
after he had built up the heavy tome of 
the ,de ,subtilitate4 ,perhaps when he  
began his work upon the fresh volume he 
found this ingens acervus too           
intractable and heterogeneous to be     
susceptible of symmetrical arrangement1 
and was forced to let it remain in      
confusion4 ,few men would sit down with 

a light heart to frame a well-ordered   
treatise out of the dbris of a heap of  
note-books1 and it would be unjust to   
censure ,cardan's literary performance  
because he failed in this task4         
,probably no other man living in his day
 would have achieved a better result4   
,it is certain that he expended a vast  
amount of labour in attempting to reduce
 his collected mass of facts even to the
 imperfect form it wears in the ,de     
,varietate ,rerum4#abj  ,considering    
that this book covers to a great extent 
the same ground as its predecessor1     
,cardan must be credited with           
considerable ingenuity of treatment in  
presenting his supplementary work       
without an undue amount of repetition4  
,in the ,de ,varietate he always        
contrives to bring forward some fresh   
fact or fancy to illustrate whatever    
section of the universe he may have     
under treatment1 even though this       
section may have been already dealt with
 in the ,de ,subtilitate4 ,the          

characteristic most strongly marked in  
the later book is the increased         
eagerness with which he plunges into the
 investigation of certain forces1 which 
he professes to appreciate as lying     
beyond ,nature1 and incapable of        
scientific verification in the modern   
sense1 and the fabled manifestations of 
the same4 ,he loses no opportunity of   
trying to peer behind the curtain1 and  
of seeking--honestly enough--to         
formulate those various pseudo-sciences1
 politely called occult1 which have now 
fallen into ridicule and disrepute with 
all except the charlatan and the dupe1  
who are always with us4 ,where he       
occupies in the ,de ,subtilitate one    
page in considering those things which  
lie outside ,nature--demons1 ghosts1    
incantations1 succubi1 incubi1          
divinations1 and such like--he spends   
ten in the ,de ,varietate over kindred  
subjects4 ,there is a wonderful         
story#aba told by his father of a ghost 
or demon which he saw in his youth while

 he was a scholar in the house of       
,giovanni ,resta at ,pavia4 ,he searches
 the pages of ,hector ,boethius1        
,nicolaus ,donis1 ,rugerus1 ,petrus     
,toletus1 ,leo ,africanus1 and other    
chroniclers of the marvellous1 for tales
 of witchcraft1 prodigies1 and monstrous
 men and beasts1 and devotes a whole    
chapter to chiromancy1#abb a subject    
with which he had occupied his plenteous
 leisure when he was waiting for        
patients at ,sacco4 ,the diagram of the 
human hand given by him does not differ 
greatly from that of the contemporary   
hand-books of the ,art1 and the leading 
lines are just the same4 ,the heavenly  
bodies are as potent here as in         
,horoscopy4 ,the thumb is given to      
,mars1 the index finger to ,jupiter1 the
 middle finger to ,saturn1 the ring     
finger to the ,sun1 and the little      
finger to ,venus4 ,each finger-joint has
 its name1 the lowest being called the  
procondyle1 the middle the condyle1 and 
the upper the metacondyle4 ,he passes   

briefly over as lines of little import1 
the via combusta and the ,cingulus      
,orionis1 but lays some stress on the   
character of the nails and the knitting 
together of the hand1 declaring that    
hands which can be bent easily backward 
denote effeminacy or a rapacious spirit4
 ,he teaches that lines are most        
abundant in the hands of children1 on   
account of the tenderness of the skin1  
and of old men on account of the        
dryness1 a statement which might suggest
 the theory that lines come into        
existence through the opening and       
closing of the hand4 ,but the adoption  
of this view would have proved more     
disastrous to chiromancy than ridicule  
or serious criticism2 so he straightway 
finds an explanation for this fact in   
the postulate that lines in young       
people's hands speak as to the future1  
and in old men's as to the past4 ,later 
he goes on to affirm that lines in the  
hand cannot be treated as mere wrinkles 
arising from the folding of the skin1   

unless we are prepared to admit that    
wrinkled people are more humorous than  
others1 alluding no doubt to the lines  
in the face caused by laughter1 a       
proposition which does not seem         
altogether convincing or consequential1 
unless we also postulate that all       
humorous men laugh at every joke4 ,there
 is a line in the hand which he calls   
the linea jecoraria1 and the triangle   
formed by this and the linea vit and the
 linea cerebri1 rules the disposition of
 the subject1 due consideration being   
given to the acuteness or obtuseness of 
the angles of this triangle4 ,cardan    
seems to have based his treatise on one 
written by a certain ,ruffus ,ephesius1 
and it is without doubt one of the      
dullest portions of his work4#abc  ,it  
is almost certain that ,cardan purposed 
to let the ,de ,varietate come forth    
from the press immediately after the ,de
 ,subtilitate1 but before the ,,ms4 was 
ready1 it came to pass that he was      
called to make that memorable journey to

 ,scotland in order to find a remedy for
 the ailment which was troubling the    
,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews1 a journey 
which has given to ,britons a special   
interest in his life and work4 ,in      
dealing with the ,cosmos in the ,de     
,subtilitate he had indeed made brief   
mention of ,britain2 but1 writing then1 
he had no personal relations with either
 ,england or ,scotland1 or the people   
thereof2 and1 but for his subsequent    
visit1 he would not have been able to   
set down in the pages of his second book
 so many interesting and suggestive     
notes of what he had seen and heard1 and
 his ideas of the politics of the time4 
,again1 if he had not been urged by the 
desire all men feel to read what others 
may have to say about places they have  
visited1 it is not likely that he would 
have searched the volumes of ,hector    
,boethius and other early writers for   
legends and stories of our island4      
,writing of ,britain#abd in the ,de     
,subtilitate he had praised its delicate

 wool and its freedom from poisonous    
beasts3 a land where the wolf had been  
exterminated1 and where the sheep might 
roam unvexed by any beast more          
formidable than the fox4 ,the inordinate
 breeding of rooks seems even in those  
days#abe to have led to a war of        
extermination against them1 carried on  
upon a system akin to that which was    
waged against the sparrow in the memory 
of men yet living4 ,but besides this    
one1 he records1 in the ,de             
,subtilitate1 few facts concerning      
,britain4 ,he quotes the instances of   
,duns ,scotus and ,suisset in support of
 the view that the barbarians are equal 
to the ,italians in intellect1#abf and  
he likewise notices the use of a        
fertilizing earth--presumably marl--in  
agriculture1#abg and the longevity of   
the people1 some of whom have reached   
their hundred and twentieth year4#abh   
,the first notice of us in the ,de      
,varietate is in praise of our forestry1
 forasmuch as he remarked that the plane

 tree1 which is almost unknown in ,italy
 through neglect1 thrives well in       
,scotland1 he himself having seen       
specimens over thirty feet high growing 
in the garden of the ,augustinian       
convent near ,edinburgh4 ,the lack of   
fruit in ,england he attributes rather  
to the violence of the wind than to the 
cold2 but1 in spite of our cruel skies1 
he was able to eat ripe plums in        
,september1 in a district close to the  
,scottish border4 ,he bewails the       
absence of olives and nuts1 and         
recommends the erection of garden-walls 
in order to help on the cultivation of  
the more delicate fruits4  ,in a        
conversation with the ,archbishop of    
,st4 ,andrews he was told that the ,king
 of ,scots ruled over one hundred and   
sixty-one islands1 that the people of   
the ,shetland ,islands lived for the    
most part on fish prepared by freezing  
or sun-drying or fire1 and had no other 
wealth than the skins of beasts4 ,cardan
 pictures the ,shetlanders of that time 

as leading an ideal life1 unvexed by    
discord1 war1 or ambition1 labouring in 
the summer for the needs of winter1     
worshipping ,christ1 visited only once a
 year by a priest from ,orkney1 who came
 over to baptize the children born      
within the last twelve months1 and was  
remunerated by a tenth of the catch of  
fish4 ,he speaks of the men of ,orkney  
as a very lively1 robust1 and           
open-hearted crew1 furnished with heads 
strong enough to defy drunkenness1 even 
after swallowing draughts of the most   
potent wine4 ,the land swarms with      
birds1 and the sheep bring forth two or 
even three lambs at a time4 ,the horses 
are a mean breed1 and resemble asses    
both as to their size and their         
patience4 ,some one told him of a fish1 
often seen round about the islands1 as  
big or even bigger than a horse1 with a 
hide of marvellous toughness1 and useful
 for the abundance of oil yielded by its
 carcase4 ,he attributes the bodily     
strength of these northerners to the    

absence of four deleterious             
influences--drunkenness1 care1 heat1 and
 dry air4 ,cardan seems to have been    
astonished at the wealth of precious    
stones he found in ,scotland--dark blue 
stones1 diamonds1 and                   
carbuncles#abi--maxime juxta academiam  
,glaguensis oppidi in ,gludisdalia      
regione1 and he casts about to explain  
how it is that ,england produces nothing
 of the kind1 but only silver and lead4 
,he solves the question by laying down  
an axiom that the harder the            
environment1 the harder the stone       
produced4 ,the mountains of ,scotland   
are both higher and presumably harder   
than those of ,england1 hence the       
carbuncles4  ,he was evidently          
fascinated with the wealth of local     
legend and story which haunted the misty
 regions he visited4 ,in dealing with   
demons and familiar spirits he cites the
 authority of ,merlin1 whose fame is    
still great in ,england1 and tells a    
story of a young woman living in the    

country of ,mar4#acj ,this damsel was of
 noble family and very fair in person1  
but she displayed a great unwillingness 
to enter the marriage state4 ,one day it
 was discovered that she was pregnant1  
and when the parents went to make       
inquisition for the seducer1 the girl   
confessed that1 both by day and night1 a
 young man of surpassing beauty used to 
come and lie with her4 ,who he was and  
whence he came she knew not4 ,they1     
though they gave little credit to her   
words1 were informed by her handmaid1   
some three days afterwards1 that the    
young man was once more with her2       
wherefore1 having broken open the door1 
they entered1 bearing lights and        
torches1 and beheld1 lying in their     
daughter's arms1 a monster1 fearsome and
 dreadful beyond human belief4 ,all the 
neighbours ran quickly to behold the    
grisly sight1 and amongst them a good   
priest1 well acquainted with pagan      
rites4 ,when he had come anear1 and had 
said some verses of the ,gospel of      

,saint ,john1 the fiend vanished with a 
terrible noise1 bearing away the roof of
 the chamber1 and leaving the bed in    
flames4 ,in three days' time the girl   
gave birth to a monstrous child1 more   
hideous than anything heretofore seen in
 ,scotland1 wherefore the nurses1 to    
keep off disgrace from the family1      
caused it to be burnt on a pile of wood4
 ,there is another story of a youth     
living about fourteen miles from        
,aberdeen1 who was visited every night  
by a demon lady of wonderful loveliness1
 though he bolted and locked his        
chamber-door2 but by fasting and praying
 and keeping his thoughts fixed on holy 
things he rid himself at last of the    
unclean spirit4#aca ,he quotes from     
,boethius the whole story of            
,macbeth1#acb and tells how ,duffus rex 
languished and wasted under the malefic 
arts of certain witches who made an     
image of the king in wax and1 by using  
various incantations1 let the same melt 
slowly away before the fire4 ,the       

unhappy king came near to die1 but1 as  
soon as these nefarious practices were  
discovered1 the image was destroyed1    
whereupon the king was restored to      
health4#acc  ,when ,cardan received the 
first letter from ,scotland the         
manuscript of the ,de ,varietate must   
have been ready or nearly ready for the 
printer2 but1 for some reason or other1 
he determined to postpone the           
publication of the work until he should 
have finished with the ,archbishop1 and 
took his manuscript with him when he set
 forth on his travels4 ,in #aeej there  
came another break in ,cardan's life as 
,professor at ,pavia1 the reason being  
the usual one of dearth of funds4#acd   
,in #aeea he went back for a short time1
 but the storms of war were rising on   
all sides1 and the luckless city of     
,pavia was in the very centre of the    
disturbance4 ,the ,french once more     
crossed the ,alps1 pillaging and        
devastating the country1 their          
ostensible mission being the vindication

 of the rights of ,ottavio ,farnese to  
the ,duchy of ,parma4 ,ottavio had      
quarrelled with ,pope ,julius ,,iii41   
who called upon the ,emperor for        
assistance4 ,war was declared1 and      
,charles set to work to annex ,parma and
 ,piacenza as well to the ,milanese4    
,cardan withdrew to ,milan at the end of
 the year4 ,gian ,battista had now      
completed his medical course1 so there  
was now no reason why he should continue
 to live permanently at ,pavia4         
,moreover at this juncture he seems to  
have been strongly moved to augment the 
fame which he had already won in        
,mathematics and ,medicine by some great
 literary achievement1 and he worked    
diligently with this object in view4#ace
  ,at the beginning of ,november #aeea1 
a letter came to him from               
,cassanate1#acf a ,franco-,spanish      
physician1 who was at that time in      
attendance upon the ,archbishop of ,st4 
,andrews1 requesting him to make the    
journey to ,paris1 and there to meet the

 ,archbishop1 who was suffering from an 
affection of the lungs4 ,the fame of    
,cardan as a physician had spread as far
 as ,scotland1 and the ,archbishop had  
set his heart on consulting him4        
,cassanate's letter is of prodigious    
length4 ,after a diffuse exordium he    
proceeds to praise in somewhat fulsome  
terms the ,de ,libris ,propriis and the 
treatises ,de ,sapientia#acg and ,de    
,consolatione1 which had been given to  
him by a friend when he was studying at 
,toulouse in #aedi4 ,he had just read   
the ,de ,subtilitate1 and was inflamed  
with desire to become acquainted with   
everything which ,cardan had ever       
written4 ,but what struck ,cassanate    
more than anything was a passage in the 
,de ,sapientia on a medical question1   
which he extracts and incorporates in   
his epistle4 ,cardan writes there3 ,but 
if my profession itself will not give me
 a living1 nor open out an avenue to    
some other career1 ,i must needs set my 
brains to work1 to find therein         

something unknown hitherto1 for the     
charm of novelty is unfailing1 something
 which would prove of the highest       
utility in a particular case4 ,in       
,milan1 while ,i was fighting the battle
 against hostile prejudice1 and was     
unable to earn enough to pay my way 7so 
much harder is the lot of manifest than 
of hidden merit1 and no man is honoured 
as a prophet in his own country71 ,i    
brought to light much fresh knowledge1  
and worked my hardest at my art1 for    
outside my art there was naught to be   
done4 ,at last ,i discovered a cure for 
phthisis1 which is also known as        
,phthoe1 a disease for many centuries   
deemed incurable1 and ,i healed many who
 are alive to this day as easily as ,i  
have cured the ,gallicus morbus4 ,i also
 discovered a cure for intercutaneous   
water in many who still survive4 ,but in
 the matter of invention1 ,reason will  
be the leader1 but ,experiment the      
,master1 the stimulating cause of work  
in others4 ,if in any experiment there  

should seem to be an element of danger1 
let it be performed gently1 and little  
by little4#ach ,it is not wonderful that
 the ,archbishop1 who doubtless heard   
all about ,cardan's asserted cure of    
phthisis from ,cassanate1 should have   
been eager to submit his asthma to      
,cardan's skill4 ,after acknowledging   
the deep debt of gratitude which he1 in 
common with the whole human race1 owed  
to ,cardan in respect to the two        
discoveries aforesaid1 ,cassanate comes 
to the business in hand1 to wit1 the    
,archbishop's asthma4 ,not content with 
giving a most minute description of the 
symptoms1 he furnishes ,cardan also with
 a theory of the operations of the      
distemper4 ,he writes3 ,the disease at  
first took the form of a distillation   
from the brain into the lungs1          
accompanied with hoarseness1 which1 with
 the help of the physician in           
attendance1 was cured for a time1 but   
the temperature of the brain continued  
unfavourable1 being too cold and too    

moist1 so that certain unhealthy humours
 were collected in the head and there   
remained1 because the brain could       
neither assimilate its own nutriment1   
nor disperse the humours which arose    
from below1 being weakened through its  
nutriment of pituitous blood4 ,after an 
attack of this nature it always happened
 that1 whenever the body was filled with
 any particular matter1 which1 in the   
form of substance1 or vapour1 or        
quality1 might invade the brain1 a fresh
 attack would certainly arise1 in the   
form of a fresh flow of the same humour 
down to the lungs4 ,moreover these      
attacks were found to agree almost      
exactly with the conjunctions and       
oppositions of the moon4#aci  ,cassanate
 goes on to say that his patient had    
proved somewhat intractable1 refusing   
occasionally to have anything to do with
 his medical attendants1 and that real  
danger was impending owing to the flow  
of humour having become chronic4        
,fortunately this humour was not acrid  

or salt2 if it were1 phthisis must at   
once supervene4 ,but the ,archbishop's  
lungs were becoming more and more       
clogged with phlegm1 and a stronger     
effort of coughing was necessary to     
clear them4 ,latterly much of the thick 
phlegm had adhered to the lungs1 and    
consequently the difficulty of breathing
 was great4 ,cassanate declares that he 
had been able to do no more than to keep
 the ,archbishop alive1 and he fears no 
one would be able to work a complete    
cure1 seeing that the air of ,scotland  
is so moist and salt1 and that the      
,archbishop is almost worried to death  
by the affairs of ,state4 ,he next urges
 ,cardan to consent to meet the         
,archbishop in ,paris1 a city in which  
learning of all sorts flourishes        
exceedingly1 the nurse of many great    
philosophers1 and one in which ,cardan  
would assuredly meet the honour and     
reverence which is his due4 ,the        
,archbishop's offer was indeed          
magnificent in its terms4 ,funds would  

be provided generous enough to allow the
 physician to travel post the whole of  
the journey1 and the goodwill of all the
 rulers of the states en route would be 
enlisted in his favour4 ,cassanate      
finishes by fixing the end of ,january  
#aeeb as a convenient date for the      
rendezvous in ,paris1 and1 as time and  
place accorded with ,cardan's wishes1 he
 wrote to ,cassanate accepting the      
offer4  ,the ,archbishop of ,st4        
,andrews was ,john ,hamilton1 the       
illegitimate brother of ,james1 ,earl of
 ,arran1 who had been chosen ,regent of 
the kingdom after the death of ,james   
,v4 at ,flodden1 and the bar sinister1  
in this case as in many others1 was the 
ensign of a courage and talent and      
resource in which the lawful offspring  
was conspicuously wanting4 ,any student 
taking a cursory glance at the epoch of 
violence and complicated intrigue which 
marked the infancy of ,mary of          
,scotland1 may well be astonished that a
 man so weak and vain and incompetent as

 ,james ,hamilton--albeit his footing   
was made more secure by his position as 
the ,queen's heir-presumptive--should   
have held possession of his high        
dignities so long as he did4            
,alternately the tool of ,france and of 
,england1 he would one day cause his    
great rival ,cardinal ,beatoun to be    
proclaimed an enemy of his country1 and 
the next would meet him amicably and    
adopt his policy4 ,after becoming the   
partisan of ,henry ,,viii4 and the foe  
of ,rome1 he finally put the            
coping-stone to his inconsistencies by  
becoming a convert to ,catholicism in   
#aedc4 ,but in spite of his indolence   
and weakness1 he was still ,regent of   
,scotland1 when his brother1 the        
,archbishop1 was seized with that attack
 of periodic asthma which threatened to 
change vitally the course of ,scottish  
politics4 ,a very slight study of       
contemporary records will show that     
,arran had been largely1 if not         
entirely1 indebted to the distinguished 

talents and to the ambition of his      
brother for his continued tenure of the 
chief power of the ,state4 ,if          
confirmation of this view be needed1 it 
will be found in the fact that1 as soon 
as the ,archbishop was confined to a    
sick-room1 ,mary of ,guise1 the ,queen  
,mother1 supported by her brothers in   
,france and by the ,catholic party at   
home1 began to undermine the ,regent's  
position by intrigue1 and ultimately1   
partly by coaxing1 partly by threats1   
won from him a promise to surrender his 
power into her hands4  ,in the meantime 
,cardan was waiting for further         
intelligence and directions as to his   
journey4 ,the end of ,january had been  
fixed as the date of the meeting at     
,paris1 and it was not until the middle 
of ,february that any further tidings   
came to him4 ,then he received a letter 
from ,cassanate and a remittance to     
cover the expenses of his journey4#adj  
,he set out at once on ,february #bb1   
undaunted by the prospect of a winter   

crossing of the ,simplon1 and1 having   
travelled by way of ,sion and ,geneva1  
arrived at ,lyons on ,march #ac4 ,in    
,cassanate's first letter ,paris had    
been named as the place of meeting2 but1
 as a concession to ,cardan's           
convenience1 ,lyons was added as an     
alternative1 in case he should find it  
impossible to spare time for a longer   
journey4 ,cardan accordingly halted at  
,lyons1 but neither ,archbishop nor     
physician was there to meet him4 ,after 
he had waited for more than a month1    
,cassanate appeared alone1 and brought  
with him a heavy purse of money for the 
cost of the long journey to ,scotland1  
which he now begged ,cardan to          
undertake1 and a letter from the        
,archbishop himself1 who wrote word     
that1 though he had fully determined in 
the first instance to repair to ,paris1 
or even to ,lyons1 to meet ,cardan1 he  
found himself at present mastered by the
 turn of circumstances1 and compelled to
 stay at home4 ,he promised ,cardan a   

generous reward1 and a reception of a   
nature to convince him that the ,scots  
are not such ,scythians as they might   
perchance be deemed in ,milan4#ada      
,cardan's temper was evidently upset by 
this turn of affairs1 and his suspicions
 aroused2 for he sets down his belief   
that patient and physician had from the 
first worked with the intention of      
dragging him all the way to ,scotland1  
but that they had waited till he was    
across the ,alps before showing their   
hand1 fearing lest if the word ,scotland
 should have been used at the outset1 he
 would never have moved from ,milan4#adb
 ,in describing his journey he          
writes3--,i tarried in ,lyons forty-six 
days1 seeing nothing of the ,archbishop1
 nor of the physician whom ,i expected1 
nevertheless ,i gained more than ,i     
spent4 ,i met there ,ludovico ,birago1 a
 gentleman of ,milan1 and commander of  
the ,king's foot-soldiers1 and with him 
,i contracted a close friendship1 so    
much so that1 had ,i been minded to take

 service under ,brissac1 the ,king's    
lieutenant1 ,i might have enjoyed a     
salary of one thousand crowns a year4   
,shortly afterwards ,guglielmo          
,cassanate1 the ,archbishop's physician1
 arrived in ,lyons and brought with him 
three hundred other golden crowns1 which
 he handed to me1 in order that ,i might
 make the journey with him to ,scotland1
 offering in addition to pay the cost of
 travel1 and promising me divers gifts  
in addition4 ,thus1 making part of our  
journey down the ,loire1 ,i arrived at  
,paris4 ,while ,i was there ,i met      
,orontius2 but he for some reason or    
other refused to visit me4 ,under the   
escort of ,magnienus#adc ,i inspected   
the treasury of the ,french ,kings1 and 
the ,church of ,saint ,denis4 ,i saw    
likewise something there1 not so famous1
 but more interesting to my mind1 and   
this was the horn of a unicorn1 whole   
and uninjured4 ,after this we met the   
,king's physicians1 and we all dined    
together1 but ,i declined to hold forth 

to them during dinner1 because before we
 sat down they were urgent that ,i      
should begin a discussion4 ,i next set  
forth on my journey1 my relations with  
,pharnelius and ,silvius1 and another of
 the ,king's physicians1#add whom ,i    
left behind1 being of a most friendly   
nature1 and travelled to ,boulogne in   
,france1 where1 by the command of the   
,governor of ,sarepont1 an escort of    
fourteen armed horsemen and twenty      
foot-soldiers was assigned to me1 and so
 to ,calais4 ,i saw the tower of ,csar  
still standing4 ,then having crossed the
 narrow sea ,i went to ,london1 and at  
last met the ,archbishop at ,edinburgh  
on the twenty-ninth of ,june4 ,i        
remained there till the thirteenth of   
,september4 ,i received as a reward four
 hundred more gold crowns2 a chain of   
gold worth a hundred and twenty crowns1 
a noble horse1 and many other gifts1 in 
order that no one of those who were with
 me should return empty-handed4#ade     
,the ,archbishop's illness might in     

itself have supplied a reason for his   
inability to travel abroad and meet     
,cardan as he had agreed to do2 but the 
real cause of his change of plan was    
doubtless the condition of public       
affairs in ,scotland at the beginning of
 #aeeb4 ,in the interval of time between
 ,cassanate's first letter to ,cardan   
and the end of #aeea1 the ,regent had   
half promised to surrender his office   
into the hands of the ,guise party in   
,scotland1 wherefore it was no wonder   
that the ,primate1 recognizing how grave
 was the danger which threatened the    
source of his power1 should have        
resolved that1 sick or sound1 his proper
 place was at the ,scottish ,court4     
,,footnotes3  #aab ,vesalius had        
certainly lectured on anatomy at ,pavia1
 but it would appear that ,cardan did   
not know him personally1 seeing that he 
writes in ,de ,libris ,propriis 7,opera1
 tom4 i4 p4 #ach73 ,brasavolum 444      
nunquam vidi1 ut neque ,vesalium        
quamquam intimum mihi amicum4  #aac ,de 

,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxxii4 p4 #ii4  #aad
 ,in describing ,fazio1 ,jerome writes3 
,erat ,euclidis operum studiosus1 et    
humeris incurvis3 et filius meus natu   
major ore1 oculis1 incessu1 humeris1    
illi simillimus4--,de ,vita ,propria1   
ch4 iii4 p4 #h4 ,in the same chapter    
,fazio is described as ,blsus in        
loquendo2 variorum studiorum amator3    
ruber1 oculis albis et quibus noctu     
videret4  #aae ,at uxor mea imaginabatur
 assidue se videre calvariam patris1 qui
 erat absens dum utero gereret ,jo3     
,baptistam4--,paralipomenon1 lib4 iii4  
c4 #ba4  #aaf ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #hcb4  
#aag ,post ex geminatis somniis1 scripsi
 libros de ,subtilitate quos impressos  
auxi et denuo superauctos tertio excudi 
curavi4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xlv4 p4
 #age4  #aah ,libros de ,rerum varietate
 anno ,,mdlviii edidi3 erant enim       
reliqui librorum de subtilitate4--,de   
,vita ,propria1 p4 #agf4 ,reversus in   
patriam1 perfeci libros ,,xvii de ,rerum
 varietate quos jampridem               

inchoaveram4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #aaj4  
,he had collected much material during  
his life at ,gallarate4  #aai           
,aristotle1 ,metaphysics1 book ,i4 ch4  
v41 contains an examination of the      
,pythagorean doctrine which maintains   
,number to be the ,substance of all     
things3--,greek3 all' auto to apeiron   
kai auto to hen ousian einai toutn n    
katgorountai4  #abj ,sed nullus major   
labor quam libri de ,rerum ,varietate   
quem cum spius mutassem1 demum traductis
 quibuscunque insignioribus rebus in    
libros de ,subtilitate1 ita illum       
exhausi1 ut totus denuo conscribendus   
fuerit atque ex integro                 
restituendus4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #gd4  
,he seems to have utilized the services 
of ,ludovico ,ferrari in compiling this 
work4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fd4  #aba ,de
 ,varietate1 p4 #ffa4  #abb ,book ,,xv4 
ch4 lxxix4  #abc ,he gives one example  
of his skill as a palmist in the ,de    
,vita ,propria3 ,memini me dum essem    
adolescens1 persuasum fuisse cuidam     

,joanni ,stephano ,biffo1 quod essem    
,chiromanticus1 et tamen nil minus3     
rogat ille1 ut prdicam ei aliquid de    
vita2 dixi delusum esse a sociis1 urget1
 veniam peto si quicquam gravius        
prdixero3 dixi periculum imminere brevi 
de suspendio1 intra hebdomadam capitur1 
admovetur tormentis3 pertinaciter       
delictum negat1 nihilominus tandem post 
sex menses laqueo vitam finivit4--ch4   
xlii4 p4 #aef4  #abd ,ergo nunc         
,britannia inclyta vellere est4 ,nec    
mirum cum nullu animal venenatu mittat1 
im nec infestum prter vulpem1 olim et   
lupum3 nunc vero exterminatis etiam     
lupis1 tut pecus vagat4 ,rore coeli     
sitim sedant greges1 ab omni alio potu  
arcentur1 quod aqu ibi ovibus sint      
exitiales3 quia tamen in pabulo humido  
vermes multi abundant1 cornicu adeo     
multitudo crevit1 ut ob frugum damna    
nuper publico consilio illas perdentibus
 proposita prmia sint3 ubi enim pabulum1
 ibi animalia sunt qu eo vescuntur1     
atque immodic tunc multiplicantur cum   

ubique abundaverit4 ,caret tamen ut     
dixi1 serpentibus1 tribus ex causis3 nam
 pauci possunt generari ob frigus       
immensum4--,de ,subtilitate1 p4 #bih4   
#abe neas ,sylvius in describing his    
visit to ,britain a century earlier says
 that rooks had been recently           
introduced1 and that the trees on which 
they roosted and built belonged to the  
,king's ,exchequer4  #abf ,ejusdem insul
 accola fuit ,ioannes1 ut dixi1 ,suisset
 ,richard ,swineshead cognometo         
,calculator2 in cujus solius unius      
argumenti solutione1 quod contra        
experimentu est de actione mutua tota   
laboravit posteritas2 quem senem        
admodum1 nec inventa sua dum legeret    
intelligentem1 flevisse referunt4 ,ex   
quo haud dubium esse reor1 quod etiam in
 libro de animi immortalite scripsi1    
barbaros ingenio nobis haud esse        
inferiores3 quandoquidem sub ,brum clo  
divisa toto orbe ,britannia duos tam    
clari ingenii viros emiserit4--,de      
,subtilitate1 p4 #ddd4  #abg ,ibid41 p4 

#adb4  #abh p4 #cfi4  #abi ,the fame of 
,scots as judges of precious stones had 
spread to ,italy before ,cardan's time4 
,in the ,novellino of ,masuccio1 which  
was first printed in #adgf1 there is a  
passage in the tenth novel of the first 
part1 in which a rogue passes as        
grandissimo cognoscitore of gems because
 he had spent much time in ,scotland4   
#acj ,de ,varietate1 p4 #fcf4  #aca ,de 
,varietate1 p4 #fcg4  #acb ,ibid41 p4   
#fcg4  #acc ,ibid41 p4 #efe4  #acd      
,peracto ,l anno quod stipendium non    
remuneraretur mansi ,mediolani4--,de    
,vita ,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #ae4  #ace   
,about this time he wrote the ,liber    
,decem ,problematum1 and the treatise   
,delle ,burle ,calde1 one of his few    
works written in ,italian4--,opera1 tom4
 i4 p4 #aji4  #acf ,cassanate's letter  
is given in full 7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4    
#hi74  #acg ,the quotation from the ,de 
,sapientia differs somewhat from the    
original passage which stands on p4 #egh
 of the same volume4  #ach ,opera1 tom4 

i4 p4 #hi4  #aci ,in a subsequent       
interview with ,cardan1 ,cassanate      
modifies this statement4--,opera1 tom4  
ix4 p4 #abd4  #adj ,accepique antequam  
discederem aureos coronatos ,gallicos   
#ejj et ,m4,c4,c4 in reditu4--,de ,vita 
,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #af4  #ada         
,difficillimis causis victus venire non 
potui4 ,the ,archbishop's letter is     
given in ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #acg4  #adb 
,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4 #dfi4  #adc   
,he mentions this personage in ,de      
,varietate1 p4 #fgb3 ,johannes ,manienus
 medicus1 vir egregius et mathematicaram
 studiosus4 ,he was physician to the    
monks of ,saint ,denis4  #add ,the      
reception given to ,cardan in ,paris was
 a very friendly one4 ,orontius was a   
mechanician and mathematician2 and      
jealousy of ,cardan's great repute may  
have kept him away from the dinner1 but 
the physicians were most hospitable4    
,pharnelius ,fernel was ,professor of   
,medicine at the ,university1 and       
physician to the ,court4 ,sylvius was an

 old man of a jocular nature1 but as an 
anatomist bitterly opposed to the novel 
methods of ,vesalius1 who was one of    
,cardan's heroes4 ,with this possibility
 of quarrelling over the merits of      
,vesalius1 it speaks well for the temper
 of the doctors that they parted on good
 terms4 ,ranconet1 another ,parisian who
 welcomed ,cardan heartily1 was one of  
the ,presidents of the ,parliament of   
,paris4 ,he seems to have been a man of 
worth and distinguished attainments1 and
 ,cardan gives an interesting account of
 him in ,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4 #dbc4 
#ade ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxix4 p4   
#ge4 ,cardan refers more than once to   
the generosity of the ,archbishop4 ,he  
computes 7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #ic7 that  
his visit must have cost ,hamilton four 
talents of gold2 that is to say1 two    
thousand golden crowns4     ,,chapter   
,,vii   ,,cardan1 as he has himself     
related1 arrived at ,edinburgh on ,june 
#bi1 #aeeb4 ,the coming of such a man at
 such a time must have been an event of 

extraordinary interest4 ,in ,england the
 ,italy of the ,renaissance had been in 
a measure realized by men of learning   
and intellect through the reports of the
 numerous scholars--,john ,tiptoft1     
,earl of ,worcester1 ,henry ,parker1    
,lord ,morley1 ,howard ,earl of ,surrey1
 and ,sir ,thomas ,wyat1 may be taken as
 examples--who had wandered thither and 
come back with a stock of histories     
setting forth the beauty and charm1 and 
also the terror and wickedness1 of that 
wonderful land4 ,some echoes of this    
legend had doubtless drifted down to    
,scotland1 and possibly still more may  
have been wafted over from ,france4     
,ascham had taken up his parable in the 
,schoolmaster1 describing the devilish  
sins and corruptions of ,italy1 and now 
the good people of ,edinburgh were to be
 given the sight of a man coming thence1
 one who was fabled to have gathered    
together more knowledge1 both of this   
world and of that other hidden one which
 was to them just as real1 than any     

mortal man alive4 ,under these          
circumstances it is not surprising that 
,cardan should have been regarded rather
 as a magician than as a doctor1 and in 
the ,scotichronicon#adf it is recorded  
that the ,primate was cured of a        
lingering asthma by the incantations of 
an astrologer named ,cardan1 from       
,milan4 ,cardan in his narrative speaks 
of ,edinburgh as the place where he met 
his patient1 and does not mention any   
other place of sojourn1 but the record  
just quoted goes on to say that he abode
 with the ,primate for eleven weeks at  
his country residence at ,monimail1 near
 ,cupar1 ,fife1 where there is a well   
called to this day ,cardan's ,well4     
,cardan1 as it has been noticed already1
 refused to commit himself to any       
opinion as to the character of the      
,archbishop's distemper over the        
dinner-table where he and ,cassanate had
 been entertained by the ,french ,king's
 physicians4 ,cassanate had set forth   
his views in full as to the nature of   

the asthma which had to be dealt with in
 his letter to ,cardan1 and it is highly
 probable that he would again bring     
forward these views in the hearing of   
the ,paris doctors4 ,it is certain that 
some of the ,french physicians had1     
previous to this1 prescribed a course of
 treatment for the ,archbishop1 probably
 without seeing him1 and that the course
 was being tried when ,cardan arrived in
 ,edinburgh4#adg ,for the first six     
weeks of his stay he watched the case1  
and let the treatment aforesaid go      
on--whether it differed from that which 
,cassanate recommended or not there is  
no evidence to show4 ,but no good result
 came of it4 ,the ,archbishop wasted in 
body and became fretful and disturbed in
 mind1 and1 at last1 ,cardan was obliged
 to let his opinion of the case be      
known2 and1 as this was entirely hostile
 to the treatment which was being       
pursued1 the inevitable quarrel between 
the doctors burst forth with great      
violence4 ,the ,archbishop was irate    

with his ordinary medical attendant1    
probably the physician who was left in  
charge during ,cassanate's absence--and 
this man retaliated upon ,cardan for    
having thus stirred up strife4 ,cardan's
 position was certainly a very uneasy   
one4 ,the other physicians were full of 
jealousy and malice1 and the ,archbishop
 began to accuse him of dilatory conduct
 of the case1 redoubling his complaints 
as soon as he found himself getting     
better under the altered treatment4 ,so 
weary did ,cardan become of this        
bickering that he begged leave to depart
 at once1 but this proposition the      
,primate took in very ill part4         
,cassanate in his first diagnosis had   
traced the ,archbishop's illness to an  
excess of coldness and humidity in the  
brain4 ,now ,cardan1 on the other hand1 
maintained that the brain was too hot4  
,he found ,cassanate's treatment too    
closely fettered by his theory as to the
 causes of periodic asthma1 but he did  
not venture to exhibit his own course of

 treatment till after he had gained some
 knowledge of the ,archbishop's temper  
and habits4 ,he came to the conclusion  
that his patient was overwrought with   
the cares of ,state1 that he ate too    
freely1 that he did not sleep enough1   
and that he was of a temper somewhat    
choleric4 ,cardan set forth this view of
 the case in a voluminous document1     
founding the course of treatment he     
proposed to pursue upon the aphorisms of
 ,galen4 ,he altogether rejected        
,cassanate's view as to the retention of
 the noxious humours in the head4 ,the  
,archbishop had the ruddy complexion of 
a man in good health1 a condition which 
could scarcely co-exist with the loading
 of the brain with matter which would   
certainly putrify if retained for any   
long time4 ,cardan maintained that the  
serous humour descended into the lungs1 
not by the passages1 but by soaking     
through the membranes as through        
linen4#adh ,after describing the origin 
and the mode of descent of this humour1 

he goes on to search for an auxiliary   
cause of the mischief1 and this he finds
 in the imperfect digestive powers of   
the stomach and liver4 ,if the cause lay
 entirely in the brain1 how was it that 
all the cerebral functions were not     
vitiated8 ,in fine1 the source of the   
disease lay1 not in the weakness of the 
brain1 but in an access of heat1 caused 
possibly by exposure to the sun1 by     
which the matter of the brain had become
 so rarefied that it showed unhealthy   
activity in absorbing moisture from the 
other parts4 ,this heat1 therefore1 must
 be reduced4  ,to accomplish this end   
three lines of treatment must be        
followed4 ,first1 a proper course of    
diet2 second1 drugs2 and third1 certain 
manual operations4 ,as to diet1 the     
,archbishop was ordered to take nothing 
but light and cooling food1 two to four 
pints of asses' milk in the early       
morning1 drawn from an ass fed on       
cooling herbs1 and to use all such foods
 as had a fattening tendency2 tortoise  

or turtle-soup1#adi distilled snails1   
barley-water and chicken-broth1 and     
divers other rich edibles4 ,the purging 
of the brain was a serious business2 it 
was to be compassed by an application to
 the coronal suture of an ointment made 
of ,greek pitch1 ship's tar1 white      
mustard1 euphorbium1 and honey of       
anathardus3 the compound to be          
sharpened1 if necessary1 by the addition
 of blister fly1 or rendered less       
searching by leaving out the euphorbium 
and mustard4 ,cardan adds1 that1 by the 
use of this persuasive application1 he  
had sometimes brought out two pints of  
water in twenty-four hours4 ,the use of 
the shower-bath and plentiful rubbing   
with dry cloths was also recommended4   
,the purging of the body was largely a  
question of diet4 ,to prevent generation
 of moisture1 perfumes were to be used2 
the patient was to sleep on raw silk and
 not upon feathers1 and to let an hour  
and a half come between supper and      
bed-time4 ,sleep1 after all1 was the    

great thing to be sought4 ,the          
,archbishop was counselled to sleep from
 seven to ten hours1 and to subtract    
time from his studies and his business  
and add the same to sleep4#aej          
,cardan's treatment1 which seems to have
 been suggested as much by the man of   
common-sense as by the physician1 soon  
began to tell favourably upon the       
,archbishop4 ,he remained for           
thirty-five days in charge of his       
patient1 during which time the distemper
 lost its virulence and the patient     
gained flesh4 ,in the meantime the fame 
of his skill had spread abroad1 and     
well-nigh the whole nobility of         
,scotland flocked to consult him1#aea   
and they paid him so liberally that on  
one day he made nineteen golden crowns4 
,but when winter began to draw near1    
,cardan felt that it was time to move   
southward4 ,he feared the cold2 he      
longed to get back to his sons1 and he  
was greatly troubled by the continued   
ill-behaviour of one of the servants he 

had brought with him--maledicus1        
invidus1 avarissimus1 ,dei contemptor2  
but he found his patient very loth to   
let him depart4 ,the ,archbishop        
declared that his illness was alleviated
 but not cured1 and only gave way       
unwillingly when ,cardan brought forward
 arguments to show what dangers and     
inconveniences he would incur through a 
longer stay4 ,cardan had originally     
settled to return by way of ,paris1 but 
letters which he received from his young
 kinsman1 ,gasparo ,cardano1 and from   
,ranconet1 led him to change his plans4 
,the country was in a state of anarchy1 
the roads being infested with thieves1  
and ,gasparo himself had the bad fortune
 to be taken by a gang of ruffians4 ,in 
consequence of these things ,cardan     
determined to return by way of ,flanders
 and the ,empire4  ,it was not in reason
 that ,cardan would quit ,scotland and  
resign the care of his patient without  
taking the stars into his counsel as to 
the future4 ,he cast the ,archbishop's  

horoscope1 and published it in the      
,geniturarum ,exempla4 ,it was not a    
successful feat4 ,in his forty-eighth   
year1 i4e4 in #aefj1 the astrologer     
declared that ,hamilton would be in     
danger of poison and of suffering from  
an affection of the heart4 ,but the time
 of the greatest peril seemed to lie    
between ,july #cj and ,september #ba1   
#aeed4 ,the stars gave no warning of the
 tragic fate which befell ,archbishop   
,hamilton in the not very distant       
future4 ,for the succeeding six years he
 governed the ,church in ,scotland with 
prudence and leniency1 but in #aeeh he  
began a persecution of the reformers    
which kindled a religious strife1 highly
 embarrassing to the ,catholic party    
then holding the reins of power4 ,his   
cruelties were borne in mind by the     
reformers when they got the upper hand4 
,in #aefc he was imprisoned for saying  
mass4 ,in #aefh ,mary1 after her escape 
from ,loch ,leven1 gave the chief       
direction of her affairs into the hands 

of the ,archbishop1 who was the bitter  
foe of the ,regent ,murray4 ,murray     
having defeated the ,queen's forces at  
,langside1 ,hamilton took refuge in     
,dumbarton ,castle1 which was surprised 
and captured in #aega1 when the         
,archbishop was taken to ,stirling and  
hanged4 ,in the words of the ,diurnal of
 ,occurrants3 as the bell struck six    
hours at even1 he was hangit at the     
mercat cross of ,stirling upon a        
jebat4#aeb ,his enemies would not let   
him rest even there1 for the next day1  
fixed to the tree1 were found the       
following verses3      ,cresce diu1     
felix arbor1 semperque vireto           
,frondibus ut nobis talia poma feras4   
,to return to ,cardan4 ,having at last  
won from his patient leave to depart1 he
 set forth laden with rich gifts4 ,in   
,scotland1 ,cardan found the most       
generous paymasters he had ever met4 ,in
 recording the niggard treatment which  
he subsequently experienced at the hands
 of ,brissac1 the ,french ,viceroy1 he  

contrasts it with the liberal rewards   
granted to him in what must then have   
been the poorest of the ,european       
kingdoms2#aec and in the ,preface of the
 ,de ,astrorum ,judiciis 7,basel1 #aeed7
 he writes in sympathetic and grateful  
terms of the kind usage he had met in   
the ,north4#aed ,it must have been a    
severe disappointment to him that he was
 unable to revisit ,paris on his way    
home1 for letters from his friend       
,ranconet told him that a great number  
of illustrious men had proposed to      
repair to ,paris for the sake of meeting
 him2 and many of the nobles of ,france 
were anxious to consult him             
professionally1 one of them offering a  
fee of a thousand gold crowns4 ,but     
,cardan was so terrified by the report  
given by ,gasparo of the state of       
,france1 that he made up his mind he    
would on no account touch its frontiers 
on his homeward journey4  ,before he    
quitted ,scotland there had come to him 
letters from the ,english ,court        

entreating him to tarry there some days 
on his way home to ,italy1 and give his 
opinion on the health of ,edward ,,vi41 
who was then slowly recovering from an  
attack of smallpox and measles4 ,the    
young ,king's recovery was more apparent
 than real1 for he was1 in fact1 slowly 
sinking under the constitutional        
derangement which killed him a few      
months later4 ,cardan could hardly      
refuse to comply with this request1 nor 
is there any evidence to show that he   
made this visit to ,london unwillingly4 
,but he soon found out that those about 
the ,court were anxious to hear from him
 something more than a statement of his 
opinion as to ,edward's health4 ,they   
wanted1 before all else1 to learn what  
the stars had to say as to the probable 
duration of the sovereign's life4       
,during his stay in ,scotland ,cardan   
would certainly have gained some        
intelligence of the existing state of   
affairs at the ,english ,court2 how in  
the struggle for the custody of the     

regal power1 the ,lord ,high ,admiral   
and the ,lord ,protector1 the ,king's   
uncles1 had lost their heads2 and how   
the ,duke of ,northumberland1 the son of
 ,dudley1 the infamous minion of ,henry 
,,vii4 and the destroyer of the         
ill-fated ,seymours1 had now gathered   
all the powers and dignities of the     
kingdom into his own hands1 and was     
waiting impatiently for the death of    
,edward1 an event which would enable him
 to control yet more completely the     
supreme power1 through the puppet queen 
whom he had ready at hand to place upon 
the throne4 ,an ,italian of the         
sixteenth century1 steeped in the       
traditions of the bloody and insidious  
state-craft of ,milan and the ,lombard  
cities1 ,cardan would naturally shrink  
from committing himself to any such     
perilous utterance3 all the more for the
 reason that he had already formed an   
estimate of the ,english as a fierce and
 cruel people4 ,with his character as a 
magician to maintain he could scarcely  

keep entire silence1 so he wrote down   
for the satisfaction of his             
interrogators a horoscope3 a mere       
perfunctory piece of work1 as we learn  
afterwards4 ,he begins by reciting the  
extraordinary nature of the ,king's     
birth1 repeating the legend that his    
mother was delivered of him by surgical 
aid1 and only lived a few hours         
afterwards2 and declares that1 in his   
opinion1 it would have been better had  
this boy never been born at all4        
,nevertheless1 seeing that he had come  
into this world and been duly trained   
and educated1 it would be well for      
mankind were he to live long1 for all   
the graces waited upon him4 ,boy as he  
was1 he was skilled in divers tongues1  
,latin1 ,english1 and ,french1 and not  
unversed in ,greek1 ,italian1 and       
,spanish2 he had likewise knowledge of  
dialectics1 natural philosophy1 and     
music4 ,his culture is the reflection of
 our mortal nature2 his gravity that of 
kingly majesty1 and his disposition is  

worthy of so illustrious a prince4      
,speaking generally1 it was indeed a    
strange experience to realize that this 
boy of so great talent and promise was  
being educated in the knowledge of the  
affairs of men4 ,i have not set forth   
his accomplishments1 tricked out with   
rhetoric so as to exceed the truth2 of  
which1 in sooth1 my relation falls      
short4 ,cardan next draws a figure of   
,edward's horoscope1 and devotes several
 pages to the customary jargon of       
astrologers2 and1 under the heading ,de 
animi qualitatibus1 says3 ,there was    
something portentous about this boy4 ,he
 had learnt1 as ,i heard1 seven         
languages1 and certainly he knew        
thoroughly his own1 ,french1 and ,latin4
 ,he was skilled in ,dialectic1 and     
eager to be instructed in all subjects4 
,when ,i met him1 he was in his         
fifteenth year1 and he asked me         
7speaking ,latin no less perfectly and  
fluently than myself71 ',what is        
contained in those rare books of yours1 

,de rerum varietate8' for ,i had        
dedicated these manuscripts to his      
name4#aee ,whereupon ,i began by        
pointing out to him what ,i had written 
in the opening chapter on the cause of  
the comets which others had sought so   
long in vain4 ,he was curious to hear   
more of this cause1 so ,i went on to    
tell him that it was the collected light
 of the wandering stars4 ',then1' said  
he1 'how is it1 since the stars are set 
going by various impulses1 that this    
light is not scattered1 or carried along
 with the stars in their courses8' ,i   
replied3 ',it does indeed move with     
them1 but at a speed vastly greater on  
account of the difference of our point  
of view2 as1 for instance1 when the     
prism is cast upon the wall by the sun  
and the crystal1 then the least motion  
of the crystal will shift the position  
of the reflection to a great distance4' 
,the ,king said3 ',but how can this be  
done when no subjectum is provided8 for 
in the case you quote the wall is the   

subjectum to the reflection4' ,i        
replied3 ',it is a similar effect to    
that which we observe in the ,milky     
,way1 and in the reflection of light    
when many candles are lighted in a mass2
 these always produce a certain clear   
and lucent medium4 ,itaque ex ungue     
leonem4'  ,this youth was the great hope
 of good and learned men everywhere1 by 
reason of his frankness and the         
gentleness of his manners4 ,he began to 
take an interest in the ,arts before he 
understood them1 and to understand them 
before he had full occasion to use them4
 ,the production of such a personality  
was an effort of humanity2 and1 should  
he be snatched away before his time1 not
 only ,england1 but all the world must  
mourn his loss4  ,when he was required  
to show the gravity of a king1 he would 
appear to be an old man4 ,he played upon
 the lyre2 he took interest in public   
affairs2 and was of a kingly mind1      
following thus the example of his       
father1 who1 while he was over-careful  

to do right1 managed to exhibit himself 
to the world in an evil light4 ,but the 
son was free from any suspicion of such 
a charge1 and his intelligence was      
brought to maturity by the study of     
philosophy4  ,cardan next makes an      
attempt to gauge the duration of the    
,king's life1 and when it is considered 
that he was a skilled physician1 and    
,edward a sickly boy1 fast sinking into 
a decline1 it is to be feared that he   
let sincerity give way to prudence when 
he proclaimed that1 in his fifty-sixth  
year the ,king would be troubled with   
divers illnesses4 ,speaking generally of
 the whole duration of his life he will 
be found to be steadfast1 firm1 severe1 
chaste1 intelligent1 an observer of     
righteousness1 patient under trouble1   
mindful both of injuries and benefits1  
one demanding reverence and seeking his 
own4 ,he would lust as a man1 but would 
suffer the curse of impotence4 ,he would
 be wise beyond measure1 and thereby win
 the admiration of the world2 very      

prudent and high-minded2 fortunate1 and 
indeed a second ,solomon4  ,edward ,,vi4
 died on ,july #f1 #aeec1 about six     
months after ,cardan had returned to    
,milan2 and1 before the publication of  
the ,geniturarum ,exempla in #aeed1 the 
author added to the ,king's horoscope a 
supplementary note1 explaining his      
conduct thereanent and shedding some    
light upon the tortuous and sinister    
intrigues which at that time engaged the
 ingenuity of the leaders about the     
,english ,court4 ,now that he was safe  
from the consequences of giving offence1
 he wrote in terms much less guarded as 
to the state of ,english affairs4 ,it   
must be admitted that his calculations  
as to the ,king's length of days1       
published after death1 have no special  
value as calculations2 but his          
impressions of the probable drift of    
events in ,england are interesting as   
the view of a foreigner upon ,english   
politics1 and moreover they exhibit in  
strong light the sinister designs of    

,northumberland4 ,cardan records his    
belief that1 in the fourth month of his 
fifteenth year1 the ,king had been in   
peril of his life from the plottings of 
those immediately about him4 ,on one    
occasion a particular disposition of the
 sun and ,mars denoted that he was in   
danger of plots woven by a wicked       
minister1 nay1 there were threatenings  
even of poison4#aef ,he does not shrink 
from affirming that this unfortunate boy
 met his death by the treachery of those
 about him4 ,as an apology for the      
horoscope he drew when he was in        
,england1 he lays down the principle    
that it is inexpedient to give opinions 
as to the duration of life in dealing   
with the horoscopes of those in feeble  
health1 unless you shall beforehand     
consult all the directions and processes
 and ingresses of the ruling planets1   
and if ,i had not made this reservation 
in the prognostic ,i gave to the        
,english courtiers1 they might justly   
have found fault with me4  ,he next     

remarks that he had spent much time in  
framing this horoscope--albeit it was   
imperfect--according to his usual       
practice1 and that if he had gone on    
somewhat farther1 and consulted the     
direction of the sun and moon1 the      
danger of death in which the ,king stood
 would straightway have manifested      
itself4 ,if he had still been           
distrustful as to the directions        
aforesaid1 and had gone on to observe   
the processes and ingresses1 the danger 
would have been made clear1 but even    
then he would not have dared to predict 
an early death to one in such high      
position3 he feared the treacheries and 
tumults and the transfer of power which 
must ensue1 and drew a picture of all   
the evils which might befall himself1   
evils which he was in no mood to face4  
,where should he look for protection    
amongst a strange people1 who had little
 mercy upon one another and would have  
still less for him1 a foreigner1 with   
their ruler a mere boy1 who could       

protect neither himself nor his guest8  
,it might easily come about that his    
return to ,italy would be hindered2 and1
 supposing the crisis to come to the    
most favourable issue1 what would he get
 in return for all this danger and      
anxiety8 ,he calls to mind the cases of 
two soothsayers who were foolish enough 
to predict the deaths of princes1       
,ascletarion1 and a certain priest1 who 
foretold the deaths of ,domitian and    
,galeazzo ,sforza2 and describes their  
fate1 which was one he did not desire to
 call down upon himself4 ,although his  
forecast as to ,edward's future was     
incomplete and unsatisfactory1 he       
foresaw what was coming upon the kingdom
 from the fact that all the powers      
thereof1 the strong places1 the         
treasury1 the legislature1 and the      
fleet1 were gathered into the hands of  
one man 7,northumberland74 ,and this    
man1 forsooth1 was one whose father#aeg 
the ,king's father had beheaded2 one who
 had plunged into confusion all the     

affairs of the realm2 seeing that he had
 brought to the scaffold1 one after the 
other1 the two maternal uncles of the   
,king4 ,wherefore he was driven on both 
by his evil disposition and by his dread
 of the future to conspire against his  
sovereign's life4 ,now in such a season 
as this1 when all men held their tongues
 for fear 7for he brought to trial      
whomsoever he would71 when he had gained
 over the greater part of the nobles to 
his side by dividing amongst them the   
spoil of the ,church2 when he1 the most 
bitter foe of the ,king's title and     
dignity1 had so contrived that his own  
will was supreme in the business of the 
,state1 ,i became weary of the whole    
affair2 and1 being filled with pity for 
the young ,king1 proved to be a better  
prophet on the score of my inborn       
common-sense1 than through my skill in  
,astrology4 ,i took my departure        
straightway1 conscious of some evil     
hovering anigh1 and full of tears4#aeh  
,the above is ,cardan's view of the     

machinations of the statesmen in high   
places in the ,english ,court during the
 last months of ,edward's life4 ,judged 
by the subsequent action of             
,northumberland it is in the main       
correct2 and1 taking into consideration 
his associations and environment during 
his stay in ,london1 this view bears    
evident traces of independent judgment4 
,sir ,john ,cheke1 the ,king's former   
preceptor1 and afterwards ,professor of 
,greek at ,cambridge1 had received him  
with all the courtesy due to a          
fellow-scholar1 and probably introduced 
him at ,court4 ,cheke was a ,chamberlain
 of the ,exchequer1 and just about this 
time was appointed ,clerk to the ,privy 
,council1 wherefore he must have been   
fully acquainted with the aims and      
methods of the opposing factions about  
the ,court4 ,his fellow-clerk1 ,cecil1  
was openly opposed to ,northumberland's 
designs1 and prudently advanced a plea  
of ill health to excuse his absence from
 his duties3 but ,cheke at this time was

 an avowed partisan of the ,duke1 and of
 the policy which professed to secure   
the ascendency of the anti-,papal party4
 ,cardan1 living in daily intercourse   
with ,cheke1 might reasonably have taken
 up the point of view of his kind and   
genial friend2 but no1--he evidently    
rated ,northumberland1 from beginning to
 end1 as a knave and a traitor1 and a   
murderer at least in will4  ,when he    
quitted ,england in the autumn of #aeeb 
,cardan did not shake himself entirely  
free from ,english associations4 ,in an 
ill-starred moment he determined to take
 back to ,italy with him an ,english    
boy4#aei ,he was windbound for several  
days at ,dover1 and the man with whom he
 lodged seems to have offered to let him
 take his son1 named ,william1 aged     
twelve years1 back to ,italy4 ,cardan   
was pleased with the boy's manner and   
appearance1 and at once consented2 but  
the adventure proved a disastrous one4  
,the boy and his new protector could not
 exchange a word1 and only managed to   

make each other understand by signs1 and
 that very imperfectly4 ,the boy was    
resolute to go on while ,cardan wanted  
to be rid of him2 but his conscience    
would not allow him to send him home    
unless he should1 of his own free will1 
ask to be sent1 and by way of giving    
,william a distaste for the life he had 
chosen1 he records that he often beat   
him cruelly on the slightest pretext4   
,but the boy was not to be shaken off4  
,he persisted in following his venture  
to the end1 and arrived in ,cardan's    
train at ,milan1 where he was allowed to
 go his own way4 ,the only care for his 
training ,cardan took was to have him   
taught music4 ,he chides the unhappy boy
 for his indifference to learning and   
for his love of the company of other    
youths4 ,what with his literary work and
 the family troubles which so soon fell 
upon him1 ,cardan's hands were certainly
 full2 but1 all allowance being made1 it
 is difficult to find a valid excuse for
 this neglect on his part4 ,william grew

 up to be a young man1 and was finally  
apprenticed to a tailor at ,pavia1 but  
his knavish master set him to work as a 
vinedresser1 suspecting that ,cardan    
cared little what happened so long as   
the young man was kept out of his sight4
 ,william seems to have been a merry1   
good-tempered fellow2 but his life was a
 short one1 for he took fever1 and died 
in his twenty-second year4#afj  ,besides
 chronicling this strange and somewhat  
pathetic incident1 ,cardan sets down in 
the ,dialogus de ,morte his general     
impressions of the ,english people4     
,alluding to the fear of death1 he      
remarks that the ,english1 so far as he 
has observed1 were scarcely at all      
affected by it1 and he commends their   
wisdom1 seeing that death is the last   
ill we have to suffer1 and is1 moreover1
 inevitable4 ,and if an ,englishman     
views his own death with composure1 he  
is even less disturbed over that of a   
friend or kinsman3 he will look forward 
to re-union in a future state of        

immortality4 ,people like these1 who    
stand up thus readily to face death and 
mourn not over their nearest ones1      
surely deserve sympathy1 and this boy   
7,william7 was sprung from the same     
race4 ,in stature the ,english resemble 
,italians1 they are fairer in           
complexion1 less ruddy1 and broad in the
 chest4 ,there are some very tall men   
amongst them3 they are gentle in manner 
and friendly to travellers1 but easily  
angered1 and in this case are much to be
 dreaded4 ,they are brave in battle1 but
 wanting in caution2 great eaters and   
drinkers1 but in this respect the       
,germans exceed them1 and they are prone
 rather than prompt to lust4 ,some      
amongst them are distinguished in       
talent1 and of these ,scotus and        
,suisset#afa may be given as examples4  
,they dress like ,italians1 and are     
always fain to declare that they are    
more nearly allied to us than to any    
others1 wherefore they try specially to 
imitate us in habit and manners as      

closely as they can4 ,they are          
trustworthy1 freehanded1 and ambitious2 
but in speaking of bravery1 nothing can 
be more marvellous than the conduct of  
the ,highland ,scots1 who are wont to   
take with them1 when they are led to    
execution1 one playing upon the pipes1  
who1 as often as not1 is condemned      
likewise1 and thus he leads the train   
dancing to death4 ,like as the ,english 
were to ,italians in other respects1    
,cardan was struck with the difference  
between the two nations as soon as the  
islanders opened their mouths to speak4 
,he could not understand a single word1 
but stood amazed1 deeming them to be    
,italians who had lost their wits4 ,the 
tongue is curved upon the palate2 they  
turn about their words in the mouth1 and
 make a hissing sound with their teeth4 
,he then goes on to say that all the    
time of his absence his mind was full of
 thoughts of his own people in ,italy1  
wherefore he sought leave to return at  
once4  ,,footnotes3  #adf               

,scotichronicon1 vol4 i4 p4 #bhf ed4 ,g4
 ,f4 ,s4 ,gordon1 ,glasgow1 #ahfg4      
,naud1 in his ,apologie pour les grands 
hommes souponnez de ,magie1 writes3     
,ceux qui recherchoiant les             
,mathmatiques et les ,sciences les moins
 communes toient souponnez d'tre        
enchanteurs et ,magiciens4--p4 #ae4     
#adg ,curam agebat ,medicus ex          
constituto ,medicorum                   
,lutetianorum4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 
xl4 p4 #acg4 ,cardan makes no direct    
mention of any other physician in       
,scotland besides ,cassanate2 but the   
,archbishop would certainly have a body 
physician in attendance during          
,cassanate's absence4  #adh ,per totam  
tunicam sicut in linteis4--,opera1 tom4 
ix4 p4 #abh4  #adi ,accipe testudinem   
maximam et illam incoque in aqua1 donec 
dissolvatur1 deinde abjectis corticibus 
accipiantur caro1 et ossa et viscera    
omnia mundata4--,opera1 tom4 ix4 p4     
#adj4  #aej ,another piece of advice    
runs as follows3 ,de venere certe non   

est bona1 neque utilis1 ubi tamen       
contingat necessitas1 debet uti ea inter
 duos somnos1 scilicet post mediam      
noctem1 et melius est exercere eam ter  
in sex diebus pro exemplo ut singulis   
duobus diebus semel1 quam bis in una    
die1 etiam quod staret per decem        
dies4--,opera1 tom4 ix4 p4 #ace4  #aea  
,interim autem concurrebant multi1 imo  
pen tota nobilitas4--,opera1 tom4 l4 p4 
#ic4  #aeb ,scotichronicon1 vol4 i4 p4  
#bcd4 ,larrey in his ,history of        
,england seems to have given currency to
 the legend that ,cardan foretold the   
,archbishop's death4 ,s'il en faut      
croire ce que l',histoire nous dit de ce
 fameux ,astrologe1 il donna une        
terrible preuve de sa science           
l',archevque qu'il avoit gueri1 lorsque 
prenait cong de lire1 il lui tint ce    
discours3 ',qu'il avoit bien pu le      
guerir de sa maladie2 mais qu'il n'toit 
pas en son pouvoir de changer sa        
destine1 ni d'empcher qu'il ne ft       
pendu4'--,larrey1 ,hist4 d',angleterre1 

vol4 ii4 p4 #gaa4  #aec ,de ,vita       
,propria1 ch4 xxxii4 p4 #aja4  #aed     
,scoticu nomen antea horruera1 eorum    
exemplo qui prius coeperunt odisse quam 
cognoscere4 ,nunc cum ipsa gens per se  
humanissima sit atque supra             
existimationem civilis1 tu tamen tantum 
illi addis ornamenti1 ut longe nomine   
tuo jam nobilior evadat4--,de ,astrorum 
,judiciis1 p4 #c4  #aee ,cardan         
evidently carried the ,,ms4 with him1   
for he writes 7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #gb73 
,hoc fuit quod ,regi ,angli ,edoardo    
sexto admodum adolescenti dum redirem a 
,scotia ostendi4  #aef ,cumque ibi esset
 nodus etia venenum1 quod utina         
abfuerit4--,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4    
#daa4  #aeg ,edmund ,dudley1 the        
infamous minister of ,henry ,,vii4  #aeh
 ,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4 #dab4  #aei  
,in the prologue to ,dialogus de ,morte1
 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fgc1 he gives a    
full account of this transaction4 ,of   
the boy himself he writes3 hospes       
ostendit mihi filium nomine ,guglielmum1

 tatis annorum duodecim1 probum1        
scitulum1 et parentibus obsequentem4    
,avus paternus nomine ,gregorius adhuc  
vivebat1 et erat ,ligur3 pater          
,laurentius1 familia nobili ,cataneorum4
  #afj ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #aai4 ,cardan 
here calls him ,gulielmus ,lataneus     
,anglus adolescens mihi charissimus4 ,in
 the ,de ,morte1 however1 he speaks of  
him as ex familia ,cataneorum 7see last 
page74  #afa ,cardan writes 7,de        
,subtilitate1 p4 #ddd7 that ,suisset    
,richard ,swineshead1 who lived about   
#acej1 was known as the ,calculator2 but
 ,kstner ,gesch4 der ,math4 ,i4 #ej     
maintains that the title ,calculator    
should be applied to the book rather    
than to the author1 and hints that this 
misapprehension on ,cardan's part shows 
that he knew of ,suisset only by        
hearsay4 ,the title of the copy of      
,suisset in the ,british ,museum stands 
,subtilissimi ,doctoris ,anglici        
,suiset4 ,calculationes ,liber1 ,padue  
#adhe4 ,brunet gives one1 ,opus aureum  

calculationum1 ,pavia1 #adih4           
,,chapter ,,viii   ,,cardan travelled   
southward by way of the ,low ,countries4
 ,he stayed some days at ,antwerp1 and  
during his visit he was pressed urgently
 to remain in the city and practise his 
art4 ,a less pleasant experience was a  
fall into a ditch when he was coming out
 of a goldsmith's shop4 ,he was cut and 
bruised about the left ear1 but the     
damage was only skin-deep4 ,he went on  
by ,brussels and ,cologne to ,basel1    
where he once more tarried several days4
 ,he had a narrow escape here of falling
 into danger1 for1 had he not been      
forewarned by ,guglielmo ,gratarolo1 a  
friend1 he would have taken up his      
quarters in a house infected by the     
plague4 ,he was received as a guest by  
,carlo ,affaidato1 a learned astronomer 
and physicist1 who1 on the day of       
departure1 made him accept a valuable   
mule1 worth a hundred crowns4 ,another  
generous offer of a similar kind was    
made to him shortly afterwards by a     

,genoese gentleman of the family of     
,ezzolino1 who fell in with him         
accidentally on the road4 ,this was the 
gift of a very fine horse 7of the sort  
which the ,english call ,obinum71 but1  
greatly as ,cardan desired to have the  
horse1 his sense of propriety kept him  
back from accepting this gift4#afb  ,he 
went next to ,besanon1 where he was     
received by ,franciscus ,bonvalutus1 a  
scholar of some note1 and then by ,berne
 to ,zurich4 ,he must have crossed the  
,alps by the ,splugen ,pass1 as ,chur is
 named in his itinerary1 and he also    
describes his voyage down the ,lake of  
,como on the way to ,milan1 where he    
arrived on ,january #c1 #aeec4 ,cardan  
was a famous physician when he set out  
on his northward journey2 but now on his
 return he stood firmly placed by the   
events of the last few months at the    
head of his profession4 ,writing of the 
material results of his mission to      
,scotland1 he declares that he is       
ashamed to set down the terms upon which

 he was paid1 so lavishly was he        
rewarded for his services4 ,the offers  
made to him by so many exalted          
personages to secure his permanent and  
exclusive attention would indeed have   
turned the heads of most men4 ,there was
 the offer from the ,king of ,denmark2  
another1 in #aeeb1 from the ,king of    
,france at a salary of thirteen hundred 
crowns a year2 and yet another made by  
the agents of ,charles ,v41 who was then
 engaged in his disastrous attack upon  
,metz4 ,all of them he refused3 he had  
no inclination to share the perils of   
the leaguer of ,metz1 and his sense of  
loyalty forbad him to join himself to   
the power which was at that time warring
 against his sovereign4 ,he speaks also 
of another offer made to him by the     
,queen of ,scotland of a generous salary
 if he would settle in ,scotland2 but   
the country was too remote for his      
taste4 ,there is no authority for this  
offer except the ,de ,vita ,propria1 and
 it is there set down in terms which    

render it somewhat difficult to identify
 the ,queen aforesaid4#afc  ,as soon as 
he entered ,milan1 ,ferrante ,gonzaga1  
the ,governor1 desired to secure his    
services as physician to the ,duke of   
,mantua1 his brother1 offering him      
thirty thousand gold crowns as          
honorarium2 but1 in spite of the        
,governor's persuasions and threats1 he 
would not accept the office4 ,when the  
news had come to ,paris that ,cardan was
 about to quit ,britain1 forty of the   
most illustrious scientists of ,france  
repaired to ,paris in order to hear him 
expound the art of ,medicine2 but the   
disturbed state of the country deterred 
him from setting foot in ,france4 ,he   
refers to a letter from his friend      
,ranconet as a testimony of the worship 
that was paid to him1 and goes on to say
 that1 in his journeying through ,france
 and ,germany1 he fared much as ,plato  
fared at the ,olympic games4  ,in a     
passage which ,cardan wrote shortly     
after his return from ,britain1 he lets 

it be seen that he was not ill-satisfied
 with the figure he then made in the    
world4 ,he writes--,therefore1 since all
 those with whom ,i am intimate think   
well of me for my truth and probity1 ,i 
can let my envious rivals indulge       
themselves as they list in the shameful 
habit of evil-speaking4 ,with regard to 
folly1 if ,i now utter1 or ever have    
uttered1 foolish words1 let those who   
accuse me show their evidence4 ,i1 who  
was born poor1 with a weakly body1 in an
 age vexed almost incessantly by wars   
and tumults1 helped on by no family     
influence1 but forced to contend against
 the bitter opposition of the ,college  
at ,milan1 contrived to overcome all the
 plots woven against me1 and open       
violence as well4 ,all the honours which
 a physician can possess ,i either      
enjoy1 or have refused when they were   
offered to me4 ,i have raised the       
fortunes of my family1 and have lived a 
blameless life4 ,i am well known to all 
men of worship1 and to the whole of     

,europe4 ,what ,i have written has been 
lauded2 in sooth1 ,i have written of so 
many things and at such length1 that a  
man could scarcely read my works if he  
spent his life therewith4 ,i have taken 
good care of my domestic affairs1 and by
 common consent ,i have come off victor 
in every contest ,i have tried4 ,i have 
refused always to flatter the great2 and
 over and beyond this ,i have often set 
myself in active opposition to them4 ,my
 name will be found scattered about the 
pages of many writers4 ,i shall deem my 
life long enough if ,i come in perfect  
health to the age of fifty-six4 ,i have 
been most fortunate as the discoverer of
 many and important contributions to    
knowledge1 as well as in the practice of
 my art and in the results attained2 so 
much so that if my fame in the first    
instance has raised up envy against me1 
it has prevailed finally1 and           
extinguished all ill-feeling4#afd       
,these words were written before the    
publication of the ,geniturarum ,exempla

 in #aeed4 ,cardan's life for the six   
years which followed was busy and       
prosperous1 but on the whole uneventful4
 ,the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews wrote
 to him according to promise at the end 
of two years to give an account of the  
results of his treatment4 ,his letter is
 worthy of remark as showing that he1   
the person most interested1 was well    
satisfied with ,cardan's skill as a     
physician4 ,michael1 the ,archbishop's  
chief chamberlain1 was the bearer       
thereof1 and as ,hamilton speaks of him 
as epistolam vivam1 it is probable that 
he bore likewise certain verbal messages
 which could be more safely carried thus
 than in writing4 ,a sentence in the ,de
 ,vita ,propria1#afe mixed up with the  
account of ,hamilton's cure1 seems to   
refer to this embassy1 and to suggest   
that ,michael was authorized to promise 
,cardan a liberal salary if he would    
accept permanent office in the          
,primate's household4 ,moreover1        
,hamilton writes somewhat querulously   

about ,cassanate's absence abroad on a  
visit to his family1 a fact which would 
make him all the more eager to secure   
,cardan's services4 ,his letter runs as 
follows--,two of your most welcome      
letters1 written some months ago1 ,i    
received by the hand of an ,english     
merchant2 others came by the care of the
 ,lord ,bishop of ,dunkeld1 together    
with the ,indian balsam4 ,the last were 
from ,scoto1 who sent at the same time  
your most scholarly comments on that    
difficult work of ,ptolemy4#aff ,to all 
that you have written to me ,i have     
replied fully in three or four letters  
of my own1 but ,i know not whether1 out 
of all ,i have written1 any letter of   
mine has reached you4 ,but now ,i have  
directed that a servant of mine1 who is 
known to you1 and who is travelling to  
,rome1 shall wait upon you and salute   
you in my name1 and bear to you my      
gratitude1 not only for the various     
gifts ,i have received from you1 but    
likewise because my health is well-nigh 

restored1 the ailment which vexed me is 
driven away1 my strength increased1 and 
my life renewed4 ,wherefore ,i rate     
myself debtor for all these benefits1 as
 well as this very body of mine4 ,for1  
from the time when ,i began to take     
these medicines of yours1 selected and  
compounded with so great skill1 my      
complaint has afflicted me less         
frequently and severely2 indeed1 now1 as
 a rule1 ,i am not troubled therewith   
more than once a month2 sometimes ,i    
escape for two months4#afg  ,in the     
following year 7#aeee7 ,cardan's        
daughter ,chiara1 who seems to have been
 a virtuous and well-conducted girl1 was
 married to ,bartolomeo ,sacco1 a young 
,milanese gentleman of good family1 a   
match which proved to be fortunate4     
,cardan had now reached that summit of  
fame against which the shafts of        
jealousy will always be directed4 ,the  
literary manners of the age certainly   
lacked urbanity1 and of all living      
controversialists there was none more   

truculent than ,julius ,csar ,scaliger1 
who had begun his career as a man of    
letters by a fierce assault upon        
,erasmus with regard to his             
,ciceronianus1 a leading case amongst   
the quarrels of authors4 ,erasmus he had
 attacked for venturing to throw doubts 
upon the suitability of ,cicero's ,latin
 as a vehicle of modern thought2 this   
quarrel was over a question of form2 and
 now ,scaliger went a step farther1 and1
 albeit he knew little of the subject in
 hand1 published a book of ,esoteric    
,exercitations to show that the ,de     
,subtilitate of ,cardan was nothing but 
a tissue of nonsense4#afh ,the book was 
written with all the heavy-handed       
brutality he was accustomed to use1 but 
it did no hurt to ,cardan's reputation1 
and1 irritable as he was by nature1 it  
failed to provoke him to make an        
immediate rejoinder1 a delay which was  
the cause of one of the most diverting  
incidents in the whole range of literary
 warfare4  ,scaliger sat in his study1  

eagerly expecting a reply1 but ,cardan  
took no notice of the attack4 ,then one 
day some tale-bearer1 moved either by   
the spirit of tittle-tattle or the love 
of mischief1 brought to ,julius ,csar   
the news that ,jerome ,cardan had sunk  
under his tremendous battery of abuse1  
and was dead4 ,it is but bare charity to
 assume that ,scaliger was touched by   
some stings of regret when he heard what
 had been the fatal result of his       
onslaught2 still there can be little    
doubt that his mind was filled with a   
certain satisfaction when he reflected  
that he was in sooth a terrible         
assailant1 and that his fist was heavier
 than any other man's4 ,in any case1 he 
felt that it behoved him to make some   
sign1 wherefore he sat down and penned a
 funeral oration over his supposed      
victim1 which is worth giving at        
length4#afi  ,at this season1 when fate 
has dealt with me in a fashion so       
wretched and untoward that it has       
connected my name with a cruel public   

calamity1 when a literary essay of mine1
 well known to the world1 and undertaken
 at the call of duty1 has ensued in dire
 misfortune1 it seems to me that ,i am  
bound to bequeath to posterity a        
testimony that1 sharp as may have been  
the vexation brought upon ,jerome       
,cardan by my trifling censures1 the    
grief which now afflicts me on account  
of his death is ten times sharper4 ,for1
 even if ,cardan living should have been
 a terror to me1 ,i1 who am but a single
 unit in the republic of letters1 ought 
to have postponed my own and singular   
convenience to the common good1 seeing  
how excellent were the merits of this   
man1 in every sort of learning4 ,for now
 the republic is bereft of a great and  
incomparable scholar1 and must needs    
suffer a loss which1 peradventure1 none 
of the centuries to come will repair4   
,what though ,i am a person of small    
account1 ,i could count upon him as a   
supporter1 a judge1 and 7immortal gods7 
even a laudator of my lucubrations2 for 

he was so greatly impressed by their    
weighty merits1 that he deemed he would 
best defend himself by avoiding all     
comment on the same1 despairing of his  
own strength1 and knowing not how great 
his powers really were4 ,in this respect
 he was so skilful a master1 that he    
could assuredly have fathomed the depths
 of every method and every device used  
against him1 and would thereby have made
 his castigation of myself to serve as  
an augmentation of his own fame4 ,he1 in
 sooth1 was a man of such quality that1 
if he had deemed it a thing demanded of 
him by equity1 he would never have      
hesitated to point out to other students
 the truth of those words which ,i had  
written against him as an accusation1   
while1 on the other hand1 this same     
constancy of mind would have made him   
adhere to the opinions he might have put
 forth in the first instance1 so far as 
these opinions were capable of proof4   
,i1 when ,i addressed my ,exercitations 
to him during his life--to him whom ,i  

knew by common report to be the most    
ingenious and learned of mortal men--was
 in good hope that ,i might issue from  
this conflict a conqueror2 and is there 
living a man blind enough not to        
perceive that what ,i looked for was    
hard-earned credit1 which ,i should     
certainly have won by finding my views  
confirmed by ,cardan living1 and not for
 inglorious peace brought about by his  
death8 ,and indeed ,i might have been   
suffered to have share in the bounty and
 kindliness of this illustrious man1    
whom ,i have always heard described as a
 shrewd antagonist and one full of      
confidence in his own high position1 for
 it was an easy task to win from him the
 ordinary rights of friendship by any   
trifling letter1 seeing that he was the 
most courteous of mankind4 ,it is       
scarcely likely that ,i1 weary as ,i    
was1 one who in fighting had long been  
used to perils of all sorts1 should thus
 cast aside my courage2 that ,i1 worn   
out by incessant controversies and      

consumed by the daily wear and tear of  
writing1 should care for an inglorious  
match with so distinguished an          
antagonist2 or that ,i should have set  
my heart upon winning a bare victory in 
the midst of all this dust and tumult4  
,for not only was the result which has  
ensued unlooked for in the nature of    
things and in the opinion of all men    
qualified to judge in such a case2 it   
was also the last thing ,i could have   
desired to happen1 for the sake of my   
good name4 ,my judgment has ever been   
that all men 7for in sooth all of us    
are1 so to speak1 little less than      
nothing7 may so lose their heads in     
controversy that they may actually fight
 against their own interests4 ,and if   
such a mischance as this may happen to  
any man of eminence--as has been my     
case1 and the case of divers others ,i  
could recall--it shall not be written   
down in the list of his errors1 unless  
in aftertimes he shall seek to justify  
the same4 ,it is necessary to advance   

roughness in the place of refinement1   
and stubborn tenacity for steadfastness4
 ,no man can be pronounced guilty of    
offence on the score of some hasty word 
or other which may escape his lips2 such
 a charge should rather be made when he 
defends himself by unworthy methods4    
,therefore if ,cardan during his life1  
being well advised in the matter1 should
 have kept silent over my attempts to   
correct him1 what could have brought me 
greater credit than this8 ,he would have
 bowed to my opinion in seemly fashion1 
and would have taken my censures as     
those of a father or a preceptor4 ,but  
supposing that he had ventured to engage
 in a sharper controversy with me over  
this question1 is there any one living  
who would fail to see that he might have
 gone near to lose his wits on account  
of the mental agitation which had       
afflicted him in the past8 ,but as soon 
as his superhuman intellect had         
thoroughly grasped the question1 it     
seemed to him that he must needs be     

called upon to bear what was            
intolerable4 ,he could not pluck up     
courage enough to bear it by living1 so 
he bore it by dying4 ,moreover1 what he 
might well have borne1 he could not     
bring himself to bear1 to wit that he   
and ,i should come to an agreement and  
should formulate certain well-balanced  
decisions for the common good4 ,for this
 reason ,i lament deeply my share in    
this affair1 ,i who had most obvious    
reasons for engaging in this conflict1  
and the clearest ones for inventing a   
story as to the victory ,i hoped to     
gain2 reasons which a man of sober      
temper could never anticipate1 which a  
brave man would never desire4  ,cardan's
 fame has its surest foundation in the  
praise of his adversaries4 ,i lament    
greatly this misfortune of our republic3
 the causes of which the parliament of  
lettered men may estimate by its        
particular rules1 but it cannot rate    
this calamity in relation to the        
excellences of this illustrious         

personality4 ,for in a man of learning  
three properties ought to stand out     
pre-eminently--a spotless and gentle    
rule of life2 manifold and varied       
learning2 and consummate talent joined  
to the shrewdest capacity for forming a 
judgment4 ,these three points ,cardan   
attained so completely that he seemed to
 have been made entirely for himself1   
and at the same time to have been the   
only mortal made for mankind at large4  
,no one could be more courteous to his  
inferiors or more ready to discuss the  
scheme of the universe with any man of  
mark with whom he might chance to       
foregather4 ,he was a man of kingly     
courtesy1 of sympathetic loftiness of   
mind1 one fitted for all places1 for all
 occasions1 for all men and for all     
fortunes4 ,in reference to learning     
itself1 ,i beg you to look around upon  
the accomplished circle of the learned  
now living on the earth1 in this most   
fortunate age of ours2 here the         
combination of individual talent shows  

us a crowd of illustrious men1 but each 
one of these displays himself as        
occupied with some special portion of   
,philosophy4 ,but ,cardan1 in addition  
to his profound knowledge of the secrets
 of ,god and ,nature1 was a consummate  
master of the humaner letters1 and was  
wont to expound the same with such      
eloquence that those who listened to him
 would have been justified in affirming 
that he could have studied nothing else 
all his life4 ,a great man indeed6      
,great if he could lay claim to no other
 excellence than this2 and forsooth1    
when we come to consider the quickness  
of his wit1 his fiery energy in         
everything he undertook1 whether of the 
least or the greatest moment1 his       
laborious diligence and unconquerable   
steadfastness1 ,i affirm that the man   
who shall venture to compare himself    
with ,cardan may well be regarded as one
 lacking in all due modesty4 ,i forsooth
 feel no hostility towards one whose    
path never crossed mine1 nor envy of one

 whose shadow never touched mine2 the   
numerous and weighty questions dealt    
with in his monumental work urged me on 
to undertake the task of gaining some   
knowledge of the same4 ,after the       
completion of the ,commentaries on      
,subtlety1 he published as a kind of    
appendix to these that most learned work
 the ,de ,rerum ,varietate4 ,and in this
 case1 before news was brought to me of 
his death1 ,i followed my customary     
practice1 and in the course of three    
days compiled an ,excursus in short     
chapters4 ,when ,i heard that he was    
dead ,i brought them together into one  
little book1 in order that ,i also might
 lend a hand in this great work of his1 
and this thing ,i did after a fashion   
which he himself would have approved1   
supposing that at some time or other he 
might have held discourse with me1 or   
with some other yet more learned man1   
concerning his affairs4#agj  ,it is a   
matter of regret that this cry of       
peccavi was not published till all the  

chief literary contemporaries of        
,scaliger were in their graves4 ,as it  
did not appear till #afba1 the men of   
his own time were not able to enjoy the 
shout of laughter over his discomfiture 
which would surely have gone up from    
,paris and ,strasburg and ,basel and    
,zurich4 ,estienne and ,gessner would   
hardly have felt acute sorrow at a flout
 put upon ,julius ,csar ,scaliger4      
,crooked-tempered as he was1 ,cardan1   
compared with ,scaliger1 was as a rose  
to a thistle1 but there were reasons    
altogether unconnected with the         
personalities of the disputants which   
swayed the balance to ,cardan's         
advantage4 ,the greater part of         
,scaliger's criticism was worthless1 and
 the opinion of learned ,europe weighed 
overwhelmingly on ,cardan's side4       
,thuanus1#aga who assuredly did not love
 him1 and ,naud1 who positively disliked
 him1 subsequently gave testimony in his
 favour4 ,he did not follow the example 
of ,erasmus1 and let ,scaliger's abuse  

go by in silence1 but he took the next  
wisest course4 ,he published a short and
 dignified reply1 ,actio prima in       
,calumniatorem1 in which1 from          
title-page to colophon1 ,scaliger's name
 never once occurs4 ,the gist of the    
book may best be understood by quoting  
an extract from the criticism of ,cardan
 by ,naud prefixed to the ,de ,vita     
,propria4 ,he writes3 ,this proposition 
of mine will best be comprehended by the
 man who shall set to work to compare   
,cardan with ,julius ,csar ,scaliger1   
his rival1 and a man endowed with an    
intellect almost superhuman4 ,for       
,scaliger1 although he came upon the    
stage with greater pomp and display1 and
 brought with him a mind filled with    
daring speculation1 and adequate to the 
highest flights1 kept closely behind the
 lattices of the humaner letters and of 
medical philosophy1 leaving to ,cardan  
full liberty to occupy whatever ground  
of argument he might find most          
advantageous in any other of the fields 

of learning4 ,moreover1 if any one shall
 give daily study to these celebrated   
,exercitations1 he will find therein    
nothing to show that ,cardan is branded 
by any mark of shame which may not be   
removed with the slightest trouble1 if  
the task be undertaken in a spirit of   
justice4 ,for1 in the first place1 who  
can maintain that ,scaliger was         
justified in publishing his             
,exercitations three years after the    
issue of the second edition of the      
,libri de ,subtilitate1 without ever    
having taken the trouble to read this   
edition1 and without exempting from     
censure the errors which ,cardan had    
diligently expunged from his book in the
 course of his latest revision1 lest he 
7,scaliger7 should find that all the    
mighty labour expended over his         
criticisms had been spent in vain8      
,besides1 who does not know that        
,cardan1 in his ,actio prima in         
,calumniatorem1 blunted the point of all
 his assailant's weapons1 swept away all

 his objections1 and broke in pieces all
 his accusations1 in such wise that the 
very reason of their existence ceased to
 be8 ,cardan1 in sooth1 was a true man1 
and held all humanity as akin to him4   
,there is small reason why we should    
marvel that he erred now and again2 it  
is a marvel much greater that he should 
only have gone astray so seldom and in  
things of such trifling moment4 ,indeed 
,i will dare to affirm1 and back my     
opinion with a pledge1 that the errors  
which ,scaliger left behind him in these
 ,exercitations were more in number than
 those which he so wantonly laid to     
,cardan's charge1 having sweated nine   
years over the task4 ,and this he did   
not so much in the interests of true    
erudition as with the desire of coming  
to blows with all those whom he         
recognized as the chiefs of learning4   
,during the whole dispute ,cardan kept  
his temper admirably4 ,scaliger was a   
physician of repute2 and it is not      
improbable that the spectacle of        

,cardan's triumphal progress back to    
,milan from the ,north may have aroused 
his jealousy and stimulated him to make 
his ill-judged attack4 ,but even on the 
ground of medical science he was no     
match for ,cardan1 while in mathematics 
and philosophy he was immeasurably      
inferior4 ,cardan felt probably that the
 attack was nothing more than the       
buzzing of a gadfly1 and that in any    
case it would make for his own advantage
 and credit1 wherefore he saw no reason 
why he should disquiet himself2 indeed  
his attitude of dignified indifference  
was admirably calculated to win for him 
the approval of the learned world by the
 contrast it furnished to the raging    
fury of his adversary4#agb  ,after the  
heavy labour of editing and issuing to  
the world the ,de ,rerum ,varietate1 and
 of re-editing the first issue of the   
,de ,subtilitate1 ,cardan might well    
have given himself a term of rest1 but  
to a man of his temper1 idleness1 or    
even a relaxation of the strain1 is     

usually irksome4 ,the ,de ,varietate was
 first printed at ,basel in #aeec1 and1 
as soon as it was out of the press1 it  
brought a trouble--not indeed a very    
serious one--upon the author4 ,the      
printer1 ,petrus of ,basel 7who must not
 be confused with ,petreius of          
,nuremberg7 took it upon him to add to  
,chapter ,,lxxx of the work some        
disparaging remarks about the ,dominican
 brotherhoods1 making ,cardan           
responsible for the assertion that they 
were rapacious wolves who hunted down   
reputed witches and despisers of ,god1  
not because of their offences1 but      
because they chanced to be the          
possessors of much wealth4 ,cardan      
remonstrated at once--he always made it 
his practice to keep free from all      
theological wrangling1--but ,petrus     
treated the whole question with         
ridicule1#agc and it does not seem that 
,cardan could have had any very strong  
feeling in the matter1 for the obnoxious
 passage is retained in the editions of 

#aeef and #aeeg4 ,the religious         
authorities were however fully justified
 in assuming that the presence of such a
 passage in the pages of a book so      
widely popular as the ,de ,varietate    
would necessarily prove a cause of      
scandal1 and give cause to the enemy to 
blaspheme4 ,for ,reginald ,scot1 in the 
eighth chapter of ,discoverie of        
,witchcraft1 alludes to the passage in  
question in the following terms3        
,cardanus writeth that the cause of such
 credulitie consisteth in three points3 
to wit in the imagination of the        
melancholike1 in the constancie of them 
that are corrupt therewith1 and in the  
deceipt of the ,judges2 who being       
inquisitors themselves against heretikes
 and witches1 did both accuse and       
condemne them1 having for their labour  
the spoile of their goods4 ,so as these 
inquisitors added many fables hereunto1 
least they should seeme to have doone   
injurie to the poore wretches1 in       
condemning and executing them for none  

offense4 ,but sithens 7said he7 the     
springing up of ,luther's sect1 these   
priests have tended more diligentlie    
upon the execution of them2 bicause more
 wealth is to be caught from them2      
insomuch as now they deale so looselie  
with witches 7through distrust of       
gaines7 that all is seene to be malice1 
follie1 or avarice that hath beene      
practised against them4 ,and whosoever  
shall search into this cause1 or read   
the cheefe writers hereupon1 shall find 
his words true4  ,in #aeed ,cardan      
published also with ,petrus of ,basel   
the ,ptolemi de astrorum judiciis with  
the ,geniturarum ,exempla1 bound in one 
volume1 but he seems to have written    
nothing but a book of fables for the    
young1 concerning which he subsequently 
remarks that1 in his opinion1 grown men 
might read the same with advantage4 ,it 
is a matter of regret that this work    
should have disappeared1 for it would   
have been interesting to note how far   
,cardan's intellect1 acute and          

many-sided as it was1 was capable of    
dealing with the literature of allegory 
and imagination4 ,he has set down one   
fact concerning it1 to wit that it      
contained multa de futuris arcana4 ,the 
next year he produced only a few medical
 trifles1 but in #aeeg he brought out   
two other scientific works which he     
characterizes as admirable--one the ,ars
 parva curandi1 and the other a treatise
 ,de ,urinis4 ,in the same year he      
published the book which1 in forming a  
judgment of him as a man and a writer1  
is perhaps as valuable as the ,de ,vita 
,propria and the ,de ,utilitate1 to wit 
the ,de ,libriis ,propriis4 ,this work  
exists in three forms3 the first1 a     
short treatise1 cui titulus est         
ephemerus1 is dedicated to ,hieronymum  
,cardanum medicum1 affinem suum1 and has
 the date of #aedc4 ,the second has the 
date of #aeed1 and1 according to ,naud1 
was first published apud ,gulielmum     
,rovillium sub scuto ,veneto1 ,lugduni1 
#aeeg4 ,the third was begun in #aefj1agd

 and contains comments written in       
subsequent years4 ,the first is of      
slight interest1 the second is a sort of
 register of his works1 amplified from  
year to year1 while the third has more  
the form of a treatise1 and presents    
with some degree of symmetry the crude  
materials contained in the first4       
,having finished with his writings up to
 the year #aefd1 ,cardan lapses into a  
philosophizing strain1 and opens his    
discourse with the ominous words1 ,sed  
jam ad institutum revertamur1 dque ipso 
vit human genere aliquo dicamus4 ,he    
begins with a disquisition on the       
worthlessness of life1 and repeats      
somewhat tediously the story of his     
visit to ,scotland4 ,he gives a synopsis
 of all the sciences he had ever        
studied--,theology1 ,dialectics1        
,arithmetic1 ,music1 ,optics1           
,astronomy1 ,astrology1 ,geometry1      
,chiromancy1 ,agriculture1 ,medicine1   
passing on to treat of ,magic1 portents 
and warnings1 and of his own experience 

of the same at the crucial moments of   
his life4 ,he ends by a reference to an 
incident already chronicled in the ,de  
,vita ,propria1#age how he escaped death
 or injury from a falling mass of       
masonry by crossing the street in       
obedience to an impulse he could not    
explain1 and speculates why ,god1 who   
was able to save him on this occasion   
with so little trouble1 should have let 
him rush on and court the overwhelming  
stroke which ultimately laid him low4   
,,footnotes3  #afb ,de ,vita ,propria1  
ch4 xxxii4 p4 #ajj4  #afc ,de ,vita     
,propria1 ch4 iv4 p4 #af3 cum ,scotorum 
,regina cujus levirum curaveram4 ,cardan
 had probably prescribed for a brother  
of the ,duc de ,longueville1 the first  
husband of ,mary of ,guise1 during his  
sojourn in ,paris4  #afd ,geniturarum   
,exempla1 p4 #dei4  #afe ,de ,vita      
,propria1 ch4 xl4 p4 #acg4  #aff        
,commentaria in ,ptolemi de ,astrorum   
,judiciis 7,basil1 #aeed74 ,he wrote    
these notes while going down the ,loire 

in company with ,cassanate on his way   
from ,lyons to ,paris in #aeeb4--;,de   
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xlv4 p4 #age4  ,he  
gives an interesting account 7,opera1   
tom4 i4 p4 #aaj7 as to how the book     
first came under his notice4 ,the day   
before he quitted ,lyons with           
,cassanate1 a school-master came to ask 
for advice1 which ,cardan gave gratis4  
,then the patient1 knowing perhaps the  
physician's taste for the marvellous1   
related how there was a certain boy in  
the place who could see spirits by      
looking into an earthen vessel1 but     
,cardan was little impressed by what he 
saw1 and began to talk with the         
school-master about ,archimedes4 ,the   
school-master brought out a work of the 
,greek philosopher with which was bound 
up the ,ptolemi ,libri de ,judiciis4    
,cardan fastened upon it at once1 and   
wanted to buy it1 but the school-master 
insisted that he should take it as a    
gift4 ,he declares that his             
,commentaries thereupon are the most    

perfect of all his writings4 ,the book  
contains his famous ,nativity of        
,christ4 ,a remark in ,de ,libris       
,propriis 7cf4 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fg7  
indicates that there was an earlier     
edition of ,ptolemy1 printed at ,milan  
at ,cardan's own cost1 because when he  
saw the numerous mistakes made by       
,ottaviano ,scoto in printing the ,de   
,malo ,medendi and the ,de              
,consolatione1 he determined to go to   
another printer4  #afg ,opera1 tom4 i4  
p4 #ic4  #afh ,cardan notices the attack
 in these words--,his diebus quidam     
conscripserat adversus nostrum de       
,subtilitate librum1 ,opus ingens4      
,adversus quem ego ,apologiam           
scripsi4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #aag4      
,scaliger absurdly calls his work the   
fifteenth book of ,exercitations1 and   
wished the world to believe that he had 
written1 though not printed1 the        
fourteen others4  #afi ,it was not      
printed until many years after the      
deaths of both disputants1 and appeared 

for the first time in a volume of       
,scaliger's letters and speeches        
published at ,toulouse in #afba1 and it 
was afterwards affixed to the ,de ,vita 
,propria4  #agj ,si ,scaliger avoit eu  
un peu moins de dmangeaison de contre   
dire1 il auroit acquis plus de gloire1  
qu'il n'a fait dans ce combat3 mais1 ce 
que les ,grecs ont apell ,greek3 ametria
 ts antholks1 une passion excessive de  
prendre le contrepied des autres1 a fait
 grand tort  ,scaliger4 ,c'est par ce   
principe qu'il a soutenu que le         
perroquet est une trs laide bte4 ,si    
,cardan l'et dit1 ,scaliger lui et oppos
 ce qu'on trouve dans les anciens ,potes
 touchant la beaut de cet oiseau4       
,vossius a fait une ,critique trs       
judicieuse de cette humeur contrariante 
de ,scaliger1 et a marqu en mme temps en
 quoi ces deux ,antagonistes toient     
suprieurs et infrieures1 l'un           
l'autre4--7,scaliger1 in ,exercitat41   
#bdf47 ,quia ,cardanus psittacum        
commendarat a colorum varietate ac      

prterea fulgore1 quod et ,appuleius     
facit in secundo ,floridorum1 contra    
contendit esse deformem1 non modo ob    
foeditatem rostri1 ac crurum1 et lingu1 
sed etiam quia sit coloris fusci ac     
cinericii1 qui tristis4 ,quid faciamus  
summo ,viro8 ,si ,cardanus ea dixisset1 
provocasset ad judicia potarum1 atque   
adeo omnium hominum4 ,nunc quia pulchri 
dixit coloris1 ille deformis contendit4 
,hoc contradictionis studium1 quod      
ubique in hisce exercitationibus se     
prodit1 sophista dignius est1 quamque   
philosopho4--,bayle3 ,article ,cardan4  
7,sir ,thomas ,browne1 in one of his    
,commonplace ,books1 observes--,if      
,cardan saith a parrot is a beautiful   
bird1 ,scaliger will set his wits on    
work to prove it a deformed animal47    
,naud 7,apologie1 ch4 xiii47 says that  
of the great men of modern times        
,scaliger and ,cardan each claimed the  
possession of a guardian spirit1 and    
hints that ,scaliger may have been moved
 to make this claim in order not to be  

outdone by his great antagonist4 ,it    
should1 however1 be remembered that     
,cardan did not seriously assert this   
belief till long after his controversy  
with ,scaliger4 ,naud sums up thus3 ,d'o
 l'on peut juger asseurement1 que lui et
 ,scaliger n'ont point eu d'autre ,genie
 que la grande doctrine qu'ils s'toient 
acquis par leurs veilles1 par leurs     
travaux1 et par l'exprience qu'ils      
avoient des choses sur lesquelles venant
  lever leur jugement ils jugeoint      
pertinemment de toutes matires1 et ne   
laissoient rien chapper qui ne leur fust
 conneu et manifeste4  #aga ,thuanus1 ad
 ,annum ,,mdlxxvi1 part of the ,appendix
 to the ,de ,vita ,propria4  #agb       
,cardan does not seem to have harboured 
animosity against ,scaliger4 ,in the ,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xlviii4 p4 #aih1 he
 writes3 ,julius ,csar ,scaliger plures 
mihi titulos ascribit1 quam ego mihi    
concedi postulassem1 appellans ingenium 
profundissimum1 felicissimum1 et        
incomparabile4  #agc ,quid tua interest 

quod quatuor verba adjecerim8 an hoc    
tantum crimen est6 quid facerem absens  
absenti8 ,cardan writes on in meditative
 strain3 ,coeterum cum non ignorem      
maculatos fuisse codices ,b4 ,hieronimi1
 atque aliorum patrum nostrorum1 ab his 
qui aliter sentiebant1 erroremque suum  
auctoritate viri tegere voluerunt3 ut ne
 quis in nostris operibus hallucinetur  
vel ab aliis decipiatur1 sciant omnes me
 nullibi ,theologum agere1 nec velle in 
alienam messem falcem ponere4--,opera1  
tom4 i4 p4 #aab4  ,johannes ,wierus1 one
 of the first rationalists on the       
subject of witchcraft1 has quoted       
largely from ,chapter ,,lxxx of ,de     
,varietate in his book ,de ,prstigiis   
,dmonum1 in urging his case against the 
orthodox view4  #agd ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 
#if4 ,annus hic est ,salutis millesimus 
quingentesimus ac sexagesimus4  #age ,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxx4 p4 #gh4       
,,chapter ,,ix   ,,the year #aeee may be
 held to mark the point of time at which
 ,cardan reached the highest point of   

his fortunes4 ,after a long and bitter  
struggle with an adverse world he had   
come out a conqueror1 and his rise to   
fame and opulence1 if somewhat slow1 had
 been steady and secure4 ,he longed for 
wealth1 not that he might figure as a   
rich man1 but so that he might win the  
golden independence which permits a     
student to prosecute the task which     
seems to subserve the highest purposes  
of true learning1 and frees him from the
 irksome battle for daily bread4 ,he    
loved1 indeed1 to spend money over      
beautiful things1 and there are few more
 attractive touches in the picture he   
draws of himself than the confession of 
his passion for costly penholders1 gems1
 rare books1 vessels of brass and       
silver1 and painted spheres4#agf ,in    
this brief season of ease and security1 
there were no flaming portents in the   
sky to foretell the cruel stroke of evil
 fortune which was destined so soon to  
fall upon him4  ,cardan has left a very 
pathetic sketch of his own miserable    

boyhood in the strangely ordered home in
 ,milan1 with his callous1 tyrannical   
father1 his quick-tempered mother1 and  
the superadded torment of his ,aunt     
,margaret's presence4 ,fazio ,cardano   
was a man of rigorous sobriety1 and he  
seems moreover to have atoned for his   
early irregularities by the practice of 
that austere piety which ,jerome notices
 more than once as a characteristic of  
his old age4#agg ,the discipline was    
hard1 and the life unlovely1 but the    
home was at least decent and orderly1   
and no opportunities or provocations to 
loose manners or ill doing existed      
therein4 ,in ,cardan's own case it is to
 be feared that1 after ,lucia's death1  
the affairs of his household fell into  
dire confusion1 in spite of the presence
 of his mother-in-law1 ,thadea1 who had 
come to him as housekeeper--her husband1
 ,altobello1 having died soon after the 
marriage of his daughter with ,cardan4  
,he was an ardent lover of music1 and1  
as a consequence1 his house would be    

constantly filled with singing men and  
boys1 a tribe of somewhat sinister      
reputation4#agh ,then1 when he was not  
engaged with music1 he would be gambling
 in some fashion or other4 ,after       
lamenting the vast amount of time he has
 wasted over the game of chess1 he goes 
on3 ,but the play with the dice1 an evil
 far more noxious1 found its way into my
 house2 and1 after my sons had learned  
to play the same1 my doors always stood 
open to dicers4 ,i can find no excuse   
for this practice except the trivial    
one1 that1 what ,i did1 ,i did in the   
hope of relieving the poverty of my     
children4#agi ,in a home of this sort1  
ruled by a father who was assuredly more
 careful of his work in the study and   
class-room than of his duties as        
paterfamilias1 it is not wonderful that 
the two young men1 ,gian ,battista and  
,aldo1 should grow up into worthless    
profligates4 ,it has been recorded how  
,cardan1 during a journey to ,genoa1    
wrote a ,book of ,precepts for his      

children1#ahj a task the memory of which
 afterwards wrung from him a cry of     
despair4 ,there never was compiled a    
more admirable collection of maxims2    
but1 excellent as they were1 it was not 
enough to write them down on paper2 and 
the young men1 if ever they took the    
trouble to read them1 must have smiled  
as they called to mind the difference   
between their father's practices and the
 precepts he had composed for their     
guidance4 ,furthermore1 he had written  
at length1 in the ,de ,consolatione1 on 
the folly which parents for the most    
part display in the education of their  
children4 ,they show their affection in 
such foolish wise1 that it would be     
nearer the mark to say they hate1 rather
 than love1 their offspring4 ,they bring
 them up not to follow virtue1 but to   
occupy themselves with all manner of    
hurtful things2 not to learning1 but to 
riot2 not to the worship of ,god1 but to
 foster in them the desire to drain the 
cup of lustful pleasure2 not for the    

life eternal1 but to the enticements of 
lechery4#aha  ,at this time ,gian       
,battista had gained the doctorate of   
medicine at ,pavia1 and had made his    
contribution to medical knowledge by the
 publication of an insignificant tract1 
,de cibis foetidis non edendis4 ,cardan 
was evidently full of hope for his elder
 son's career1 but ,aldo seems to have  
been a trouble from the first4 ,yet1 in 
casting ,aldo's horoscope 7probably at  
the time of his birth7 ,cardan predicts 
for him a flourishing future4#ahb ,never
 was there made a worse essay in        
prophecy4 ,aldo's childhood had been a  
sickly one4 ,he had well-nigh died of   
convulsions1 and later on he had been   
troubled with dysentery1 abscesses of   
the brain1 and a fever which lasted six 
months4 ,moreover1 he could not walk    
till he was three years old4 ,with a    
weakly body1 his nature seems to have   
put forth all sorts of untoward growths4
 ,there is a story which ,naud brings   
forward as part of his indictment       

against ,cardan1 that the father being  
irritated beyond endurance by some ill  
conduct of his younger son during       
supper1 cut off his ear by way of       
punishment4 ,it was a most barbarous    
act2 one going far beyond the range of  
any tradition of the early patria       
potestas1 which may have yet lingered in
 ,italy2 and scarcely calculated to     
bring about reformation in the youth    
thus punished4 ,in any case1 ,aldo went 
on from bad to worse2 at one time his   
father found it necessary to place him  
under restraint1 and the last record of 
him is that one in ,cardan's testament1 
by which he was disinherited4  ,gian    
,battista's failings were doubtless     
grave and numerous1 but he had at least 
sufficient industry to qualify himself  
as a physician4 ,he was certainly his   
father's favourite child1 and on this   
account the eulogies written of him in  
those dark hours when ,cardan's reason  
was reeling under the accumulated blows 
of private grief and public disgrace1   

must be accepted with caution4 ,there is
 no evidence to show he was in intellect
 anything like the budding genius his   
father deemed him2 as to conduct and    
manner of life1 his carriage was exactly
 what the majority of youths1 brought up
 in a similar fashion1 would have       
adopted4 ,there must have been something
 in the young man's humours which from  
the first made his father apprehensive  
as to the future1 for ,cardan soon came 
to see that an early marriage would be  
the surest safeguard for ,gian          
,battista's future4 ,with his mind bent 
on this scheme1 he pointed out to his   
son various damsels of suitable station1
 any one of whom he would be ready to   
welcome into his family1 but ,gian      
,battista always found some excuse for  
declining matrimony4 ,he declared that  
he was too closely engaged with his     
work2 and1 over and beyond this1 it     
would not be seemly to bring home a     
bride into a house like their own1 full 
of young men1 for ,cardan1 as usual1 had

 several pupils living with him4 ,it was
 at the end of #aeeg that the first     
forebodings of misfortune appeared4 ,to 
,cardan1 according to custom1 they came 
in the form of a portent1 for he records
 how he lay awake at midnight on        
,december #bj1 and was suddenly         
conscious that his bed was shaking4 ,he 
at once attributed this to a shock of an
 earthquake1 and in the morning he      
demanded of the servant1 ,simone ,sosia1
 who occupied the truckle bed in the    
room1 whether he had felt the same4     
,simone replied that he had1 whereupon  
,cardan1 as soon as he arose1 went to   
the piazza and asked of divers persons  
he met there1 whether they had also been
 disturbed1 but no one had felt anything
 of the shock he alluded to4 ,he went   
home1 and while the family were at      
table1 a messenger1 sent1 as he         
afterwards records1 by a certain woman  
of the town1#ahc entered the room1 and  
told him that his son was going to be   
married immediately after breakfast4    

,cardan asked who the bride might be1   
but the messenger said he knew not1 and 
departed4 ,it is not quite clear whether
 ,gian ,battista was present or not1 but
 as soon as ever the messenger had      
departed1 ,cardan let loose an indignant
 outburst over his son's misconduct1    
reproaching him with undutiful secresy1 
and setting forth how he had introduced 
to him four young ladies of good family1
 of whom two were certainly enamoured of
 him4 ,any one of the four would have   
been acceptable as a daughter-in-law1   
but he declared that now he would insist
 upon having full information as to the 
antecedents of any other bride his son  
might have selected1 before admitting   
her to the shelter of his roof4 ,over   
and over again had he counselled ,gian  
,battista that he must on no account    
marry in haste1 or without his advice1  
or without making sure that his income  
would be sufficient to support the      
responsibilities of the married state2  
rather than this should happen1 he would

 willingly allow the young man to keep a
 mistress in the house for the sake of  
offspring1 for he desired beyond all    
else to rear grandchildren from ,gian   
,battista1 because he nursed the belief 
that1 as the son resembled his          
grandfather ,fazio1 so the son's        
children would resemble their           
grandfather--himself4 ,when he was      
questioned1 ,gian ,battista declared he 
knew nothing about the report1 and was  
fully as astonished as his father2 but  
two days later ,gian ,battista's own    
servant came to the house1 and announced
 that his master had been married that  
same morning1#ahd but that he knew not  
the name of the bride4 ,cardan now      
ascertained that ,gian ,battista's      
disinclination for matrimony had arisen 
from the fact that he had been amusing  
himself with a girl who was nothing else
 than an attractive and finely-dressed  
harlot1 named ,brandonia ,seroni1 the   
last woman in all ,milan whom he could  
with decency receive into his house4    

,and the pitiful story was not yet      
complete4 ,in marrying her the foolish  
youth had burdened himself with her     
mother1 two or more sisters1 and three  
brothers1 the last-named being rough    
fellows without any calling but that of 
common soldiers4 ,the character of the  
girl herself may be judged by the answer
 given by her father ,evangelista       
,seroni to ,cardan during the subsequent
 trial4 ,when ,seroni was asked whether 
he had given his daughter as a virgin in
 marriage1 he answered frankly in the   
negative4  ,cardan at once made up his  
mind to shut his door upon the          
newly-married pair2 but the             
unconquerable tenderness he felt for    
,gian ,battista urged him on to send to 
the young man all the ready money he had
 saved4 ,after two years of married     
life1 two children1 a boy and a girl1   
were born3 husband and wife alike were  
in ill health1 and every day brought its
 domestic quarrel4 ,in the meantime     
sinister whispers were heard1 set going 

in the first instance by the mother and 
sister of ,brandonia1 that ,gian        
,battista was the father neither of the 
first nor of the second child4 ,they    
even went so far as to designate the men
 to whom they rightly belonged1 and     
contrived that this rumour should come  
to the ears of the injured husband4 ,the
 consequence of their malignant         
tale-bearing was a quarrel more violent 
than ever1 and the rise of a resolution 
in ,gian ,battista's mind to rid himself
 at all hazard of the accursed burden he
 had bound upon his shoulders4  ,until  
the end of #aeei ,cardan continued to   
live in ,milan1 vexed no doubt by the   
ever-present spectacle of the wretched  
case into which his beloved son had     
fallen4 ,he records how the young wife1 
unknown to her husband1 handed over to  
her father the wedding-ring which he    
7,cardan7 had given to his son1 along   
with a piece of silken stuff1 in order  
to pledge them for money4 ,this outrage1
 joined to the certain conviction that  

his wife was false to him1 proved a     
provocation beyond the limits of ,gian  
,battista's patience1 and finally       
incited him to make a criminal attempt  
upon ,brandonia's life4 ,hitherto he had
 been earnest enough in his desire to   
rid himself of his wife so long as she  
raged against him2 but1 on the          
restoration of peace1 his anger against 
her would vanish4 ,now he had lost all  
patience2 he laid his plans advisedly1  
and set to work to execute them by      
enlisting the cooperation of the servant
 who had been with him ever since his   
marriage1 and by taking to live with him
 in his own house ,seroni1 his wife1 and
 son and daughter4#ahe ,it cannot be    
said that the would-be murderer         
displayed at this juncture any of the   
traditional ,italian craft in setting   
about his deadly task4 ,the day before  
the attempt was made he took out of pawn
 the goods which ,evangelista ,seroni   
had pledged1 and promised his servant a 
gift of clothes and money if he would   

compass the death of ,brandonia1 who was
 still ailing from the effects of her   
second confinement4 ,to this suggestion 
the servant1 who had also warned ,gian  
,battista of his wife's misconduct1 at  
once assented4  ,but even on the very   
day when he had fully determined to make
 his essay in murder he vacillated again
 and again1 and it seemed likely that   
,brandonia would once more be reprieved4
 ,when he entered her bed-chamber1 full 
of his resolve to strike for freedom1 he
 found her lying gravely ill with an    
attack of fever1 shivering violently1   
and cold at the extremities4 ,his anger 
forthwith vanished1 and his hand was    
stayed2 but as if urged on by ruthless  
fate1 the mother-in-law1 and the sister1
 and ,brandonia herself1 ill as she was1
 attacked ,gian ,battista with the      
foulest abuse and reproaches2 this was  
the last straw4 ,he went out and sought 
his servant1 and told the fellow at once
 to make a cake and put a poison        
therein4 ,the date of this fatal action 

was some day early in #aefj4  ,on       
,october #a1 #aeei1 ,cardan had left    
,milan1 and gone back to ,pavia to      
resume his work as professor1 taking    
,aldo with him4 ,he threw himself into  
the discharge of his office and the life
 of the city with his customary ardour4 
,over and above his work of teaching he 
completed his treatise ,de ,secretis1   
and likewise found time to hold a long  
disputation on the decisions of ,galen  
with ,andrea ,camutio1 one of the most  
illustrious physicians of the age4      
,concerning this episode he writes3 ,in 
disputation ,i showed myself so keen of 
wit that all men marvelled at the       
instances ,i brought forward1 but for a 
long time no one ventured to put me to  
the proof4 ,thus ,i escaped the trouble 
of any such undertaking until two       
accidents both unforeseen involved me   
therein4 ,at ,pavia1 ,branda ,porro1 my 
whilom teacher in ,philosophy1          
interrupted me one day when ,i was      
disputing with ,camutio#ahf on some     

matter of ,philosophy1 for1 as ,i have  
said before1 my colleagues were wont to 
lead me on to argue in philosophy       
because they were well assured that it  
would be vain to try to get the better  
of me in ,medicine4 ,now ,branda began  
by advancing ,aristotle as an authority1
 whereupon ,i1 when he brought out his  
citation1 said1 ',take care1 you have   
left out the non which should stand     
after album4' ,then ,branda contradicted
 me1 and ,i1 spitting out the phlegm    
with which ,i am often troubled1 told   
him quietly that he was in the wrong4   
,he sent for the ,codex in great rage1  
and when it was brought ,i asked that it
 might be given to me4 ,i then read out 
the words just as they stood2 but he1 as
 if he suspected that ,i was reading    
falsely1 snatched the volume out of my  
hands1 and declared that ,i was puting a
 cheat upon my hearers4 ,when he came to
 the word in dispute he held his tongue 
forthwith1 and all the others looked at 
me in amazement4#ahg  ,it is certain    

that ,cardan was still vexed in mind by 
the trouble he had left behind him at   
,milan4 ,if he had not forgiven ,gian   
,battista1 he was full of kindly thought
 of him4 ,he sent him from ,pavia a new 
silk cloak1 such as physicians wear1 so 
that he might make a better show in his 
calling1 and doubtless continued his    
supplies of money4 ,just a week before  
the quarrel last recorded1 ,aldo1       
against his father's wish1 left ,pavia  
and returned to ,milan4 ,cardan used    
every argument he could bring forward to
 keep his younger son with him1 but in  
vain2 and1 as he was unwilling to put   
constraint upon him1 ,aldo departed4    
,cardan says that he was within an ace  
of going with him1 for the ,university  
was then in vacation3 then the crowning 
catastrophe might have been averted1 but
 the same fate which was driving on the 
son to destruction1 kept the father at  
,pavia4 ,thus it happened that ,aldo was
 an inmate of his brother's house when  
the poisoned cake was made4 ,cardan has 

written down a detailed account of the  
perpetration of this squalid tragedy1   
and no clearer presentation can be given
 than the one which his own words       
supply4  ,he writes3 ,thus my son and   
the servant went together to make the   
cake1 and the servant put therein       
secretly some of the poison which had   
been given him4 ,after the cake had been
 made1 a small piece was given to my    
son's wife1 who was very ill at the     
time1 but her stomach rejected it at    
once4 ,her mother ate some of it1 and   
likewise vomited after taking it4       
,though ,gian ,battista saw what        
happened he did not believe that the    
cake was really poisoned1 for two       
reasons4 ,first1 because he had not1 in 
truth1 ordered that the poison should be
 mixed therewith2 and second1 because   
his brother-in-law 7,bartolomeo ,sacco7 
had said to him1 before the cake was    
finished1 ',see that you make it big    
enough1 for ,i also am minded to taste  
it4' ,next he gave some to his          

father-in-law1 who straightway vomited1 
and complained of a pricking of the     
tongue4 ,he warned my son2 but he1 still
 holding that the cake was harmless1 ate
 thereof somewhat greedily2 and1 after  
having been sick1 had to lie by for some
 time4 ,on the second day after this    
,gian ,battista1 and his brother1 and   
the servant as well were taken in hold3 
and on the ,sunday following ,i1 having 
been informed of what had happened1 went
 to ,milan in great anxiety as to what  
,i should do4  ,the news which had been 
brought to ,cardan at ,pavia told him1  
over and beyond what is written above1  
that his son's wife was dead1 poisoned  
as every one believed through having    
eaten the cake1 which had caused nausea 
and pain to every one else who had      
tasted it4#ahh ,the catastrophe was     
accompanied by the usual portents4 ,some
 weeks previous to the attempt ,gian    
,battista had chanced to walk out to the
 ,porta ,tonsa1 clad in the smart silk  
gown which his father had recently given

 him1 and as he was passing a butcher's 
shop1 a certain pig1 one of a drove     
which was there1 rose up out of the mud 
and attacked the young physician and    
befouled his gown4 ,the butcher and his 
men1 to whom the thing seemed           
portentous1 drove off the hog with      
staves1 but this they could only do     
after the beast had wearied itself1 and 
after ,gian ,battista had gone away4    
,again1 at the beginning of ,february   
following1 while ,cardan was in         
residence as a ,professor at ,pavia1 he 
chanced to look at the palm of his hand1
 and there1 at the root of the third    
finger of the right hand1 he beheld a   
mark like a bloody sword4 ,that same    
evening a messenger arrived from ,milan 
with the news of his son's arrest1 and a
 letter from his son-in-law1 begging him
 to come at once4 ,the mark on his hand 
grew and grew for fifty-three days1     
gradually mounting up the finger1 until 
the last fatal day1 when it extended to 
the tip of the finger1 and shone bright 

like fiery blood4 ,the morning after    
,gian ,battista's execution the mark had
 almost vanished1 and in a day or two no
 sign of it remained4  ,cardan hurried  
to ,milan to hear from ,bartolomeo      
,sacco1 his son-in-law1 the full extent 
of the calamity4 ,probably there were   
few people in the city who did not      
regard ,gian ,battista as a worthless   
fellow1 whose death would be a gain to  
the ,state and a very light loss to his 
immediate friends1 but ,cardan was not  
of this mind4 ,he turned his back upon  
his professional engagements at ,pavia1 
and threw himself1 heart and soul1 into 
the fight for his son's life4 ,he could 
not make up his mind as to ,gian        
,battista's recent conduct2 if he ate of
 the cake1 he surely could not have put 
in poison himself1 or directed others to
 do so2 if1 on the other hand1 he had   
poisoned the cake1 ,cardan feared       
greatly that1 in the simplicity of his  
nature1 he would assuredly let his      
accusers know what he had done4 ,and his

 mind was greatly upset by the prodigies
 of which he had recently had           
experience4 ,for some reason or other he
 did not visit the accused in prison1 or
 give him any advice as to what course  
he should follow1 a piece of neglect    
which he cites as a reproach against    
himself afterwards2 but certain         
associates of ,gian ,battista1 and his  
fellow-captives as well1 urged him to   
assert his innocence1 a course which    
,cardan recognized as the only safe one4
 ,at the first examination the accused  
followed this counsel2 at the second he 
began to waver when the servant deposed 
that his master had given him a certain 
powder to mix with ,brandonia's food in 
order to increase her flow of milk2 and1
 later on1 when confronted with the man 
from whom he had received the poison1 he
 confessed all2 and1 simpleton as he    
was1 admitted that for two months past  
his mind had been set upon the deed1 and
 that on two previous occasions he had  
attempted to administer to her the      

noxious drug against the advice of his  
servant4 ,from the first ,cardan had    
placed his hopes of deliverance in the  
intervention of the ,milanese ,governor1
 the ,duca di ,sessa1 who had not long  
ago consulted him as physician1#ahi but 
the ,duke refused to interfere4 ,the    
intervention of an executive officer in 
the procedure of a ,court of ,justice   
was no rare occurrence at that period1  
and ,cardan was deeply disappointed at  
the squeamishness or indolence of his   
whilom patient4 ,he records afterwards  
how the ,duke met his full share of the 
calamities which fell upon all those who
 were concerned in ,gian ,battista's    
condemnation2#aij and in the ,dialogus  
,tetim1 a work which he wrote           
immediately after the trial1 he bewails 
afresh the inaction of this excellent   
ruler and the consequent loss of his    
son4#aia  ,for twenty days and more1    
while ,gian ,battista lay in prison1    
,cardan1 almost mad with apprehension   
and suspense1 spent his time studying in

 the library at ,milan4 ,sitting there  
one day1 he heard a warning voice which 
told him that the thing he most feared  
had indeed come to pass4 ,he felt that  
his heart was broken1 and1 springing up1
 he rushed out into the court1 where he 
met certain of the ,palavicini1 the     
friends with whom he was staying1 and   
cried out1 ,alas1 alas1 he was indeed   
privy to the death of his wife1 and now 
he has confessed it all1 therefore he   
will be condemned to death and beheaded4
 ,then having caught up a garment he    
went out to the piazza1 and1 before he  
had gone half-way he met his son-in-law1
 who asked him in sorrowful tones       
whither he was going4 ,cardan answered  
that he was troubled with apprehensions 
lest ,gian ,battista should have        
confessed his crime1 whereupon          
,bartolomeo ,sacco told him that what he
 feared had indeed come to pass4 ,gian  
,battista had admitted the truth of the 
charge against him3 he was ultimately   
put on his trial before the ,senate of  

,milan1#aib the ,president of the ,court
 being one ,rigone1 a man whom ,cardan  
afterwards accused of partiality and of 
a hostile bias towards the prisoner4    
,cardan himself stood up to defend his  
son2 but with a full confession staring 
him in the face1 he was sorely puzzled  
to fix upon a line of defence4 ,this he 
perceived must of necessity be largely  
rhetorical2 and1 after he had grasped   
the entire situation1 he set to work to 
convince the ,court on two main points1 
first1 that ,gian ,battista was a youth 
of simple guileless character2 and1     
second1 there was no proof that         
,brandonia had died of poison4 ,a       
physician of good repute1 ,vincenzo     
,dinaldo1 swore that she had died of    
fever 7lipyria71 and not from the effect
 of poison2 and five others1 men of the 
highest character1 declared that she    
bore no signs of poison1 either         
externally or internally4 ,her tongue   
and extremities and her body were not   
blackened1 nor was the stomach swollen1 

nor did the hair and nails show any     
signs of falling1 nor were the tissues  
eaten away4 ,in the opening of his      
defence ,cardan attempted to discredit  
the character of ,brandonia4 ,he showed 
how great were the injuries and         
provocations which ,gian ,battista had  
received from her1 and that she was a   
dissolute wanton2 her father himself1   
when under examination1 having refused  
to say that she was a virgin when she   
left his house to be married4 ,he       
claimed justification for the husband   
who should slay his wife convicted of   
adultery2 and here1 in this case1       
,brandonia was convicted by her own     
confession4 ,he maintained that1 if     
homicide is to be committed at all1     
poison is preferable to the knife1 and  
then he went on to weave a web of       
ineffectual casuistry in support of his 
view1 which moved the ,court to pity and
 contempt4 ,he cited the ,lex ,cornelia1
 which doomed the common people to the  
arena1 and the patricians to exile1 and 

claimed the penalty last-named as the   
one fitting to the present case4#aic    
,then he proceeded to show that the     
woman had really died from natural      
causes2 for1 even granting that she had 
swallowed arsenic in the cake1 she had  
vomited at once1 and the poison would   
have no time to do its work2 moreover   
there was no proof that ,gian ,battista 
had given specific directions to anybody
 to mix poison with the ingredients of  
the cake4 ,the most he had done was to  
utter some vague words thereanent to his
 servant1 who forthwith took the matter 
into his own hands4#aid ,if ,gian       
,battista had known1 if he had merely   
been suspicious that the cake was       
poisoned1 would he have let a crumb of  
it pass his lips2 and if any large      
quantity of poison had been present1    
would he and the other persons who had  
eaten thereof have recovered so quickly8
 ,cardan next went on to argue that1    
whatever motive may have swayed ,gian   
,battista at this juncture1 it could not

 have been the deliberate intent to kill
 his wife1 because forsooth the wretched
 youth was incapable of deliberate      
action of any sort4 ,he could never keep
 in the same mood for four-and-twenty   
hours at a stretch4 ,he nursed          
alternately in his heart vengeance and  
forgiveness1 changing as discord or     
peace ruled in his house4 ,cardan showed
 what a life of misery the wretched     
youth had passed since his marriage4    
,had this life continued1 the finger of 
shame would have been pointed at him1 he
 must have lost his status as a member  
of his profession1 and have been cut off
 from the society of all decent people2 
nay1 he would most likely have died by  
the hand of one or other of his wife's  
paramours4 ,this was to show how        
powerful was the temptation to which the
 husband was exposed1 and again he sang 
the praises of poison as an instrument  
of removal2 because if effectively      
employed1 it led to no open scandal4    
,he next brought forward the simple and 

unsophisticated character of the        
accused1 and the physical afflictions   
which had vexed him all his life1 giving
 as illustrations of his son's folly the
 headlong haste with which he had rushed
 into a marriage1 his folly in giving an
 ineffectual dose1 if he really meant to
 poison his wife1 in letting his plot be
 known to his servant1 and in           
confessing4 ,lastly1 ,cardan had in     
readiness one of his favourite portents 
to lay before the ,court4 ,when         
,brandonia's brother had come into the  
house and found his father and sister   
sick through eating the cake1 he        
suspected foul play and rushed at ,gian 
,battista and at ,aldo who was also     
there1 and threatened them with his     
sword2 but before he could harm them he 
fell down in a fit1 his hand having been
 arrested by ,providence4 ,providence   
had thus shown pity to this wretched    
youth1 and now ,cardan besought the     
,senate to be equally merciful4         
,cardan's pleas were all rejected2      

indeed such issue was inevitable from   
the first1 if the ,senate of ,milan were
 not determined to abdicate the primary 
functions of a judicial tribunal4 ,gian 
,battista was condemned to death1 but a 
strange condition was annexed to the    
sentence1 to wit that his life would be 
spared1 if the prosecutors1 the ,seroni 
family1 could be induced to consent4    
,but their consent was only to be gained
 by the payment of a sum of money       
entirely beyond ,cardan's means1 their  
demand having been stimulated through   
some foolish boasting of the family     
wealth by the condemned prisoner4#aie   
,cardan was powerless to arrest the     
course of the law1 and ,gian ,battista  
was executed in prison on the night of  
,april #g1 #aefj4  ,in the whole world  
of biographic record it would be hard to
 find a figure more pathetic than that  
of ,cardan fighting for the life of his 
unworthy son4 ,no other episode of his  
career wins from the reader sympathy    
half so deep4 ,the experience of these  

terrible days certainly shook still     
further off its balance a mind not over 
steady in its calmest moments4 ,cardan  
wrote voluminously and laboriously over 
,gian ,battista's fate1 but in his      
dirges and lamentations he never lets   
fall an expression of detestation or    
regret with regard to the crime itself3 
all his soul goes out in celebrating the
 charm and worth of his son1 and in     
moaning over the ruin of mind1 body1 and
 estate which had fallen upon him       
through this cruel stroke of adverse    
fate4 ,when he sat down to write the ,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ,cardan was strongly   
possessed with the belief that all      
through his career he had been subject  
to continuous and extraordinary         
persecution at the hands of his enemies4
 ,the entire thirtieth chapter is       
devoted to the description of these     
plots and assaults4 ,in his earlier     
writings he attributes his calamities to
 evil fate and the influences of the    
stars2 his wit was indeed great1 and    

assuredly it was allied to madness1 so  
it is not impossible that these personal
 foes who dogged his steps were largely 
the creatures of an old man's           
monomaniacal fancies4 ,the persecution1 
he affirms1 began to be so bitter as to 
be almost intolerable after the         
condemnation of ,gian ,battista4        
,certain members of the ,senate         
afterwards admitted 7though ,i am sure  
they would be loth that men should hold 
them capable of such a wish7 that they  
condemned my son to death in the hope   
that ,i might be killed likewise1 or at 
least might lose my wits1 and the powers
 above can bear witness how nearly one  
of these ills befell me4 ,i would that  
you should know what these times were   
like1 and what practices were in        
fashion4 ,i am well assured that ,i     
never wrought offence to any of these   
men1 even by my shadow4 ,i took advice  
how ,i might put forward a defence of   
some kind on my son's behalf1 but what  
arguments would have prevailed with     

minds so exasperated against me as were 
theirs8#aif  ,,footnotes3  #agf ,de     
,vita ,propria1 p4 #eg4  #agg ,in ore   
illud semper ei erat3 ,omnis spiritus   
laudet ,dominum1 qui ipse est fons      
omnium virtutum4--,de ,vita ,propria1   
ch4 iii4 p4 #g4 ,reginald ,scot1 in the 
,discoverie of ,witchcraft1 says that   
the aforesaid exclamation of ,fazio was 
the ,paracelsian charm to drive away    
spirits that haunt any house4 ,there is 
a passage in ,de ,consolatione 7,opera1 
tom4 i4 p4 #fjj7 which gives ,fazio's   
view of happiness after                 
death3--,memineram patrem meum1 ,facium 
,cardanum1 cum viveret1 in ore semper   
habuisse1 se mortem optare1 quod nullum 
suavius tempus experiretur1 qua id in   
quo profundissime dormiens omnium qu in 
hac vita fiunt expers esset4  #agh      
,cardan gives his impressions of        
musicians3--,unde nostra tate neminem   
ferine musicum invenias1 qui non omni   
redundat vitiorum genere4 ,itaque       
hujusmodi musica maximo impedimento non 

solum pauperi et negotioso viro est1 sed
 etiam omnibus generaliter4 ,quin etiam 
virorum egregiorum nostr tatis neminem  
musicum agnovimus1 ,erasmum1 ,alciatum1 
,budum1 ,jasonem1 ,vesalium1 ,gesnerum4 
,at vero quod domum everterit meam1 si  
dicam1 vera fatebor meo more4 ,nam et   
pecuni non levem jacturam feci1 et quod 
majus est1 filiorum mores corrupi4 ,sunt
 enim plerique ebrii1 gulosi1 procaces1 
inconstantes1 impatientes1 stolidi1     
inertes1 omnisque libidinis genere      
coinquinati4 ,optimi quique inter illos 
stulti sunt4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cfb4  
#agi ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xiii4 p4   
#de4  #ahj ,quid profuit hc tua         
industria1 quis infelicior in filiis8   
quorum alter male periit3 alter nec regi
 potest nec regere8--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 
#aji4  #aha ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fad4    
#ahb ,in cteris erit elegans1           
splendidus1 humanus1 gravis et qui ab   
omnibus1 potentioribusque1 prsertim     
probetur4--,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4    
#dfd4  #ahc ,a scorto nuntius           

venit4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #hcc4  #ahd  
,this incident is taken from the ,de    
,utilitate1 which was written soon after
 the events chronicled4 ,the account    
given in the ,de ,vita ,propria1 written
 twenty years later1 differs in some    
details4 ,venio domum1 accurrit famulus 
admodum tristis1 nunciat ,johannem      
,baptistam duxisse uxorem ,brandoniam   
,seronam4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xli4 
p4 #adg4  #ahe ,cardan in describing    
this action of ,gian ,battista1 who was 
then determined to murder his wife1 says
 of him3 ,erat enim natura clemens      
admodum et gratus4--,de ,utilitate1 p4  
#hcd4  #ahf ,triduana illa disceptatio  
,papi cum ,camutio instituta1 publicata 
apud ,senatum3 ipse primo argumento prim
 diei siluit4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4  
xii4 p4 #cg4 ,this does not exactly     
tally with ,camutio's version4 ,with    
regard to ,cardan's assertion that his  
colleagues hesitated to meet him in     
medical discussion it may be noted that 
,camutio printed a book at ,pavia in    

#aefc1 with the following title3 ,andr  
,camutii disputationes quibus ,hieronymi
 ,cardani magni nominis viri            
conclusiones infirmantur1 ,galenus ab   
ejusdem injuria vindicatur1 ,hippocratis
 prterea aliquot loca diligentius multo 
quam unquam alias explicantur4 ,in his  
version 7,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xii4 p4
 #cg7 ,cardan inquires sarcastically3   
,habentur ejusdem imagines qudam typis  
excus in ,camutii monumentis4  #ahg ,de 
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xii4 p4 #ci4 ,the   
,third ,book of the ,theonoston 7,opera1
 tom4 ii4 p4 #djc7 is in the form of a  
disputation1 ,de animi immortalite1 with
 this same ,branda4  #ahh ,in his       
defence at the trial ,cardan affirmed   
that1 while ,brandonia was lying sick   
from eating the cake1 her mother and the
 nurse quarrelled and fought1 and       
finally fell down upon the sick woman4  
,when the fight was over ,brandonia was 
dead4 ,in ,opera1 tom4 ii4 p4 #caa      
7,theonoston1 lib4 i47 he writes3 ,obiit
 illa non veneno1 sed vi morbi atque    

,fato quo tam inclytus juvenis morte    
sua1 omnia turbare debuerat4  #ahi      
,vocatus sum enim ad ,ducem ,suessanum  
ex ,ticinensi ,academia accepique ,c4   
aureos coronatos et dona ex serico4--,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xl4 p4 #ach4  #aij 
,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xli4 p4 #aec4   
#aia ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fga4 ,he cites 
the names of former ,governors of ,milan
 and other patrons1 many of them harsh  
men1 and not one as kind and beneficent 
as the ,duca di ,sessa2 to wit ,antonio 
,leva1 ,cardinal ,caracio1 ,alfonso     
d',avalos1 ,ferrante ,gonzaga1 the      
,cardinal of ,trent1 and the ,duca      
d',alba4 ,yet the rule of his best      
friend brought him his worst misfortune4
  #aib ,there is a full account of the  
trial in an appendix to the ,de         
,utilitate ex ,adversis ,capienda       
7,basel1 #aefa74 ,it is not included in 
the edition hitherto cited4  #aic       
,laudabatur ejus benignitas a,c simul   
factum ,io4 ,petri ,solarii tabellionis1
 qui cum filium spurium convictum       

haberet de veneficio1 in duas sorores   
legitimas1 solum hreditatis consequend  
causa1 satis habuit damnasse illum ad   
triremes4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 x4 p4
 #cc4  #aid ,evasit nuper ob constantiam
 in tormentis famulus filii mei1 qui    
pretio venenum dederat domin sine causa3
 periit filius meus1 qui nec jusserat   
dari4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cci4  #aie   
,gian ,battista seems to have boasted   
about the family wealth1 and thus       
stirred up the ,seroni to demand an     
excessive and impossible sum4 ,hc et    
alia hujusmodi cum protulissem1 non     
valere1 nisi eousque1 ut decretum sit1  
si impetrare pacem potuissem vit        
parceretur4 ,sed non potuit filii       
stultitia1 qui dum jactat opes qu non   
sunt1 illi quod non erat exigunt4--,de  
,vita ,propria1 ch4 x4 p4 #cd4  #aif ,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 x4 p4 #cc4         
,,chapter ,x   ,,cardan had risen to    
high and well-deserved fame1 and this   
fact alone might account for the        
existence of jealousy and ill-feeling   

amongst certain of those whom he had    
passed in the race4 ,some men1 it is    
true1 rise to eminence without making   
more than a few enemies1 but ,cardan was
 not one of these4 ,his foes must have  
been numerous and truculent1 the assault
 they delivered must have been deadly   
and overwhelming to have brought to such
 piteous wreck fortunes which seemed to 
rest upon the solid ground of desert4   
,the public voice might accuse him of   
folly1 but assuredly not of crime2 he   
was the victim and not the culprit2 his 
skill as a physician was as great as    
ever1 but these considerations weighed  
little with the hounds who were close   
upon his traces4 ,now that the tide of  
his fortune seemed to be on the ebb they
 gathered around him4 ,he writes3 ,and  
this1 in sooth1 was the chief1 the      
culminating misfortune of my life3      
forasmuch as ,i could not with any show 
of decency be kept in my office1 nor    
could ,i be dismissed without some more 
valid excuse1 ,i could neither continue 

to reside in ,milan with safety1 nor    
could ,i depart therefrom4 ,as ,i walked
 about the city men looked askance at   
me2 and whenever ,i might be forced to  
exchange words with any one1 ,i felt    
that ,i was a disgraced man4 ,thus1     
being conscious that my company was     
unacceptable1 ,i shunned my friends4 ,i 
had no notion what ,i should do1 or     
whither ,i should go4 ,i cannot say     
whether ,i was more wretched in myself  
than ,i was odious to my fellows4#aig   
,cardan gathered a certain amount of    
consolation from meditating over the    
ills which befell all those who were    
concerned in ,gian ,battista's fate4    
,the ,senator ,falcutius1 a man of the  
highest character in other respects1    
died about four months later1 exclaiming
 with his dying breath that he was      
undone through the brutal ignorance of a
 certain man1 who had been eager for the
 death sentence4 ,one ,hala shortly     
afterwards followed ,falcutius to the   
grave1 having fallen sick with phthisis 

immediately after the trial4 ,rigone1   
the ,president of the ,court1 lost his  
wife1 and gave her burial bereft of the 
usual decencies of the last rite1 a     
thing which ,cardan says he could not   
have believed1 had he not been assured  
of the same by the testimony of many    
witnesses4 ,it was reported too1 that   
,rigone himself1 though a man of good   
reputation1 was forced to feign death in
 order to escape accusation on some     
charge or other4 ,his only son had died 
shortly before1 so it might be said with
 reason that his house was as it were   
thrown under an evil spell by the       
avenging ,furies of the youth whom he   
had sent to die in a dungeon4 ,again1   
within a few days the prosecutor        
himself1 ,evangelista ,seroni1 the man  
who was the direct cause of his         
son-in-law's death1 was thrown into     
prison1 and1 having been deprived of his
 office of debt collector1 became a     
beggar4 ,moreover1 the son whom he      
specially loved was condemned to death  

in ,sicily1 and died on the gallows4    
,public and private calamity fell upon  
the ,duca di ,sessa1#aih the ,governor  
of ,milan1 doubtless because he had     
allowed the law to take its course4     
,indeed every person great or small who 
had been concerned in ,gian ,battista's 
condemnation1 was1 by ,cardan's showing1
 overtaken by grave misfortune4  ,cardan
 still held his ,professorship at       
,pavia1 and in spite of the difficulties
 and embarrassments of his position he  
went back to resume his work of teaching
 a few days after the fatal issue of his
 son's trial and condemnation4 ,by the  
pathetic simplicity of its diction the  
following extract gives a vivid and     
piteous picture of the utter desolation 
and misery into which he was cast3 it   
shows likewise that1 after a lapse of   
fifteen years1 the memory of his shame  
and sorrow was yet green1 and that a    
powerful stimulus had been given to his 
superstitious fancies by the events     
lately chronicled4 ,in the month of     

,may1 in the year ,,mdlx1 a time when   
sleep had refused to come to me because 
of my grief for my son's death3 when ,i 
could get no relief from fasting nor    
from the flagellation ,i inflicted upon 
my legs when ,i rode abroad1 nor from   
the game of chess which ,i then played  
with ,ercole ,visconti1 a youth very    
dear to me1 and like myself troubled    
with sleeplessness1 ,i prayed ,god to   
have pity upon me1 because ,i felt that 
,i must needs die1 or lose my wits1 or  
at least give up my work as ,professor1 
unless ,i got some sleep1 and that soon4
 ,were ,i to resign my office1 ,i could 
find no other means of earning my bread3
 if ,i should go mad ,i must become a   
laughing-stock to all4 ,i must in any   
case lavish what still remained of my   
patrimony1 for at my advanced age ,i    
could not hope to find fresh employment4
 ,therefore ,i besought ,god that ,he   
would send me death1 which is the lot of
 all men4 ,i went to bed3 it was already
 late1 and1 as ,i must needs rise at    

four in the morning1 ,i should not have 
more than two hours' rest4 ,sleep1      
however1 fell upon me at once1 and      
meseemed that ,i heard a voice speaking 
to me out of the darkness4 ,i could     
discern naught1 so it was impossible to 
say what voice it was1 or who was the   
speaker4 ,it said1 ',what would you     
have8' or ',what are you grieving over8'
 and added1 ',is it that you mourn for  
your son's death8' ,i replied1 ',can you
 doubt this8' ,then the voice answered1 
',take the stone which is hanging round 
your neck and place it to your mouth1   
and so long as you hold it there you    
will not be troubled with thoughts of   
your son4' ,here ,i awoke1 and at once  
asked myself what this beryl stone could
 have to do with sleep1 but after a     
little1 when ,i found no other means of 
escape from my trouble1 ,i called to    
mind the words spoken of a certain man3 
',he hoped even beyond hope1 and it was 
accounted to him as righteousness'      
7spoken of ,abraham71 and put the stone 

in my mouth1 whereupon a thing beyond   
belief came to pass4 ,in a moment all   
remembrance of my son faded from my     
mind1 and the same thing happened when  
,i fell asleep a second time after being
 aroused4#aii  ,the record of ,cardan's 
life for the next two years is a meagre 
one4 ,his rest was constantly disturbed 
either by the machinations of his foes  
or by the dread thereof1 the evil       
last-named being probably the more      
noxious of the two4 ,as long ago as     
#aeeg he had begun the treatise ,de     
,utilitate ex ,adversis ,capienda1 a    
work giving evidence of careful         
construction1 and one which1 as a       
literary performance1 takes the first   
rank4#bjj ,this book had been put aside1
 either through pressure of other work  
or family troubles1 but now the         
circumstances in which he found himself 
seemed perfectly congenial for the      
elaboration of a subject of this nature1
 so he set to work to finish it1        
concluding with the chapter ,de ,luctu1 

which has been used largely as the      
authority for the foregoing narrative of
 ,gian ,battista's crime and death4 ,at 
this period1 when his mind was fully    
stored and his faculties adequately     
disciplined for the production of the   
best work1 he seems to have realized    
with sharp regret that the time before  
him was so short1 and that whatever     
fresh fruit of knowledge he might put   
forth would prove of very slight profit 
to him1 as author4 ,writing of his      
replies given to certain mathematical   
professors1 who had sent him problems   
for solution1 he remarks that1 although 
he may have a happy knack of dispatching
 with rapidity any work begun1 he always
 begins too late4 ,in his fifty-eighth  
year he answered one of these queries1  
involving three very difficult problems1
 within seven days2 a feat which he     
judges to be a marvel3 but what profit  
will it bring him now8 ,if he had       
written this treatise when he was thirty
 he would straightway have risen to fame

 and fortune1 in spite of his poverty1  
his rivals1 and his enemies4 ,then1 in  
ten years' space1 he would have finished
 and brought out all those books which  
were now lying unfinished around him in 
his old age2 and moreover would have won
 so great gain and glory1 that no       
farther good fortune would have remained
 for him to ask for4 ,another work which
 he had begun about the same time       
7#aeeh7 was the treatise on ,dialectic1 
illustrated by geometrical problems and 
theorems1 and likewise by the well-known
 logical catch lines ,barbara ,celarent4
 ,during the summer vacation of #aefa he
 returned to ,milan1 and began a        
,commentary on the ,anatomy of          
,mundinus1 the recognized text-book of  
the schools up to the appearance of     
,vesalius4 ,in the preface to this work 
he puts forward a vigorous plea for the 
extended use of anatomy in reaching a   
diagnosis4#bja ,he had likewise on hand 
the ,theonoston1 a set of essays on     
,moral subjects written something in the

 spirit of ,seneca2 and1 after ,gian    
,battista's death1 he wrote the dialogue
 ,tetim1 seu de ,humanis ,consiliis4 ,in
 the year following1 #aefa1 a farther   
sorrow and trouble came upon him by the 
death of the ,english youth1 ,william4  
,if he was guilty of neglect in the case
 of this young man--and by his own      
confession he was--he was certainly     
profoundly grieved at his death4 ,in the
 ,argument to the ,dialogus de ,morte he
 laments that he ever let the youth     
leave his house without sending him back
 to ,england1 and tells how he was      
cozened by ,daldo1 the crafty tailor1   
out of a premium of thirty-one gold     
crowns1 in return for which ,william was
 to be taught a trade4 ,but during the  
summer1 ,daldo1 who had a little farm in
 the country1 took the youth there and  
let him join in the village games1 and  
by degrees made him into a vinedresser4 
,but if at any time it chanced that     
,william's services were also wanted at 
the tailor's shop1 his master would     

force him to return thereto in the      
evening 7for the farm was two miles     
distant71 and sit sewing all the night4 
,besides this the boy would go dancing  
with the villagers1 and in the course of
 their merry-making he fell in love with
 a girl4 ,while ,i was living at ,milan 
he was taken with fever1 and came to me2
 but1 for various reasons1 ,i did not   
give proper attention to him1 first1    
because he himself made light of his    
ailment2 second1 because ,i knew not    
that his sickness had been brought on by
 excessive toil and exposure to the sun2
 and third1 because1 when he had been   
seized with a similar distemper on two  
or three occasions before this1 he had  
always got well within four or five     
days4 ,besides this ,i was then in      
trouble owing to the running away of my 
son ,aldo and one of my servants4 ,what 
more is there to tell8 ,four days after 
,i had ordered him to be bled1          
messengers came to me in the night and  
begged me to go and see him1 for he was 

apparently near his end4 ,he was seized 
with convulsions and lost his senses1   
but ,i battled with the disease and     
brought him round4 ,i was obliged to    
return to ,pavia to resume my teaching1 
and ,william1 when he was well enough to
 get up1 was forced to sleep in the     
workshop by his master1 who had been    
bidden to a wedding4 ,there he suffered 
so much from cold and bad food that1    
when he was setting out for ,pavia to   
seek me1 he was again taken ill4 ,his   
unfeeling master caused him to be       
removed to the poor-house1 and there he 
died the following morning from the     
violence of the distemper1 from agony of
 mind1 and from the cold he had         
suffered4 ,indeed ,i was so heavily     
stricken by mischance that meseemed ,i  
had lost another son4  ,it was partly as
 a consolation in his own grief1 and    
partly as a monument to the ill-fated   
youth1 that ,cardan wrote the ,dialogus 
de ,morte1 a work which contains little 
of interest beyond the record of        

,cardan's impressions of ,englishmen    
already quoted4 ,but it was beyond hope 
that he should find adequate solace for 
the gnawing grief and remorse which     
oppressed him in this1 or any other     
literary work4 ,he was ill looked upon  
at ,milan1 but his position at ,pavia   
seems to have been still more irksome4  
,he grew nervous as to his standing as a
 physician1 for1 with the powerful      
prejudice which had been raised against 
him both as to his public and his       
private affairs1 he felt that a single  
slip in his treatment of any particular 
case would be fatal to him4 ,in ,milan  
he did meet with a certain amount of    
gratitude from the wealthier citizens   
for the services he had wrought them2   
but in ,pavia1 his birthplace1 the      
public mind was strongly set against    
him2 indeed in #aefb he was subjected to
 so much petty persecution at the hands 
of the authorities and of his           
colleagues1 that he determined to give  
up his ,professorship at all cost4 ,he  

describes at great length one of the    
most notable intrigues against him4 ,now
 in dealing with the deadly snares woven
 against my life1 ,i will tell you of   
something strange which befell me4      
,during my ,professorship at ,pavia ,i  
was in the habit of reading in my own   
house4 ,i had in my household at that   
time a woman to do occasional work1 the 
youth ,ercole ,visconti1 two boys1 and  
another servant4 ,of the two boys1 one  
was my amanuensis and well skilled in   
music1 and the other was a lackey4 ,it  
was in #aefb that ,i made up my mind to 
resign my office of teaching and quit   
,pavia1 a resolution which the ,senate  
took in ill part1 and dealt with me as  
with a man transported with rage4 ,but  
there were two doctors of the city who  
strove with all their might to drive me 
away3 one a crafty fellow who had       
formerly been a pupil of mine2 the other
 was the teacher extraordinary in       
,medicine1 a simple-minded man1 and1 as 
,i take it1 not evil by nature2 but     

covetous and ambitious men will stop at 
nothing1 especially when the prize to be
 won is an office held in high esteem4  
,thus1 when they despaired of getting   
rid of me through the action of the     
,senate--what though ,i was petitioning 
to be relieved of my duties--they laid a
 plot to kill me1 not by the dagger for 
fear of the ,senate and of possible     
scandal1 but by malignant craft4 ,my    
opponent perceived that he could not be 
promoted to the post of principal       
teacher unless ,i should leave the      
place1 and for this reason he and his   
allies spread their nets from a         
distance4 ,in the first place1 they     
caused to be written to me1 in the name 
of my son-in-law#bjb and of my daughter 
as well1 a most vile and filthy letter  
telling how they were ashamed of their  
kinship with me2 that they were ashamed 
likewise for the sake of the ,senate1   
and of the ,college2 and that the       
authorities ought to take cognizance of 
the matter and pronounce me unworthy of 

the office of teacher and cause me to be
 removed therefrom forthwith4           
,confounded at receiving such an        
impudent and audacious reproof at the   
hands of my own kindred1 ,i knew not    
what to do or say1 or what reply ,i     
should make2 nor could ,i divine for    
what reason this unseemly and grievous  
affront had been put upon me4 ,it       
afterwards came to light that the letter
 was written in order to serve as an    
occasion for fresh attacks2 for1 before 
many days had passed1 another letter    
came to me bearing the name of one      
,fioravanti1 written in the following   
strain4 ,this man was likewise shocked  
for the sake of the city1 the college1  
and the body of professors1 seeing that 
a report had been spread abroad that ,i 
was guilty of abominable offences which 
cannot be named4 ,he would call upon a  
number of his friends to take steps to  
compel me to consider the public scandal
 ,i was causing1 and would see that the 
houses where these offences were        

committed should be pointed out4 ,when  
,i read this letter ,i was as one       
stupefied1 nor could ,i believe it was  
the work of ,fioravanti1 whom ,i had    
hitherto regarded as a man of seemly    
carriage and a friend4 ,but this letter 
and its purport remained fixed in my    
mind and prompted me to reply to my     
son-in-law2 for ,i believed no longer   
that he had aught to do with the letter 
which professed to come from him2 indeed
 ,i ought never to have harboured such a
 suspicion1 seeing that both then and   
now he has always had the most kindly   
care for me2 nor has he ever judged ill 
of me4  ,i called for my cloak at once  
and went to ,fioravanti1 whom ,i        
questioned about the letter4 ,he        
admitted that he wrote it1 whereupon ,i 
was more than ever astonished1 for ,i   
was loth to suspect him of crooked      
dealing1 much more of any premeditated  
treachery4 ,i began to reason with him1 
and to inquire where all these wonderful
 plans had been concocted1 and then he  

began to waver1 and failed to find an   
answer4 ,he could only put forward      
common report1 and the utterances of the
 ,rector of the ,gymnasium1 as the      
source of them4#bjc  ,cardan goes on to 
connect the foregoing incident1 by      
reasoning which is not very clear1 with 
what he maintained to have been a       
veritable attempt against his life4 ,the
 first act of the tragedy having come to
 an end1 the second began1 and this     
threw certain light upon the first4 ,my 
foes made it their special care that ,i1
 whom they held up as a disgrace to my  
country1 to my family1 to the ,senate1  
to the ,colleges of ,milan and ,pavia1  
to the ,council of ,professors1 and to  
the students1 should become a member of 
the ,accademia degli ,affidati1 a       
society in which were enrolled divers   
illustrious theologians1 two ,cardinals1
 and two princes1 the ,duke of ,mantua1 
and the ,marquis ,pescara4 ,when they   
perceived how loth ,i was to take this  
step they began to threaten4 ,what was  

,i to do1 broken down by the cruel fate 
of my son1 and suffering every possible 
evil8 ,finally ,i agreed1 induced by the
 promise they made me1 that1 in the     
course of a few days1 ,i should be      
relieved of my duties as ,professor2 but
 ,i did not then perceive the snare1 or 
consider how it was that they should now
 court the fellowship of one whom1 less 
than fifteen days ago1 all ranks of the 
,college had declared to be a monster   
not to be tolerated4 ,alas for faith in 
heaven1 for the barbarity of men1 for   
the hatred of false friends1 for that   
shamelessness and cruelty more fell than
 serpent's bite6 ,what more is there to 
tell8 ,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 
underneath4 ,whether this had been done 
by accident or design ,i cannot say4    
,but hereafter ,i attended as rarely as 
possible1 making excuses for my absence2

 and1 when ,i did go1 ,i went when no   
one looked for me1 and out of season1   
taking good heed of this trap the while4
 ,wherefore no evil befell me thereby1  
either because my foes deemed it unwise 
to work such wickedness in public1 or   
because they had not finally agreed to  
put their scheme in operation1 or       
because they were plotting some fresh   
evil against me4 ,another attempt was   
made a few days later1 when ,i was      
called to the ailing son of one ,piero  
,trono1 a surgeon2 they placed high over
 the door a leaden weight which might   
easily be made to fall1 pretending that 
it had been put there to hold up the    
curtain4 ,this weight did fall2 and1 had
 it struck me1 it would certainly have  
killed me3 how near ,i was to death1    
,god knows4 ,wherefore ,i began to be   
suspicious of something ,i could not    
define1 so greatly was my mind upset4   
,then a third attempt was made1 which   
was evident enough4 ,a few days later1  
when they were about to sing a new      

,mass1 the same rascally crew came to   
me1 asking me whether ,i would lend them
 the services of my two singing boys1   
for my enemies knew well enough that    
these boys acted as my cup-bearers1 and 
over and beyond this they made an       
agreement with my hired woman that she  
should give me poison4 ,they first went 
to ,ercole and tried to persuade him to 
go to the function2 and he1 suspecting  
nothing1 at first promised his help2 but
 when he heard that his fellow was to go
 likewise1 he began to smell mischief   
and said1 ',only one of us knows music4'
 ,then ,fioravanti1 a blunt fellow1 was 
so wholly set on getting them out of the
 house that he said1 ',let us have both 
of you1 for we know that the other is   
also a musician2 and1 though he may not 
be one of the best1 still he will serve 
to swell the band of choristers4' ,then 
,ercole said somewhat vaguely that he   
would ask his master4 ,he came to me1   
having fathomed and laid bare the whole 
intention of the plot1 so that1 if ,i   

had not been stark mad and stupid1 ,i   
might easily have seen through their    
design4 ,fifteen days or so had passed  
when the same men once more sought me   
out and begged me to let them have the  
two boys to help them in the performance
 of a comedy4 ,then ,ercole came to me  
and said1 ',now in sooth the riddle is  
plain to read2 they are planning to get 
all your people away from your table1 so
 that they may kill you with poison2 nor
 are they satisfied with plotting your  
death merely by tricks of this sort2    
they are determined to kill you by any  
chance which may offer4#bjd  ,how far   
these plots were real1 and how far they 
sprang from monomania it is impossible  
to say4 ,cardan's relations with his    
brother physicians had never been of the
 happiest1 and it is quite possible that
 a set may have been made in the ,pavian
 ,academy to get rid of a colleague1    
difficult to live with at the best1 and 
now cankered still more in temper by    
misfortune1 and likewise1 in a measure1 

disgraced by the same4 ,surrounded by   
annoyances such as these1 and tormented 
by the intolerable memories and         
associations of the last few years1 it  
is not wonderful that he should seek a  
way out of his troubles by a change of  
scene and occupation4  ,as early as     
#aecf ,cardan had had professional      
relations with certain members of the   
,borromeo family1 which was one of the  
most illustrious in ,milan1 and in #aefj
 ,carlo ,borromeo was appointed         
,archbishop of ,milan4 ,there is no     
record of the date when ,cardan first   
made acquaintance with this generous    
patron1 who was the nephew of the       
reigning ,pope1 ,pius ,,iv41 himself a  
,milanese1 but it is certain that       
,cardan had at an earlier date          
successfully treated the mother of the  
future ,cardinal1#bje wherefore it is   
legitimate to assume that the physician 
was persona grata to the whole family4  
,as soon as ,cardan had determined to   
withdraw from ,pavia he applied to the  

,cardinal1 who had just made a          
magnificent benefaction to ,bologna in  
the form of the ,university buildings4  
,he espoused ,cardan's interests at     
once1 and most opportunely1 for the     
protection of a powerful personage was  
almost as needful at ,bologna1 as the   
sequel shows1 as it would have been at  
,pavia4 ,it was evident that ,cardan had
 foes elsewhere than in ,pavia2 indeed  
the early stages of the negotiation1    
which went on in reference to his       
transfer to ,bologna1 suggest a doubt   
whether the change would bring him any  
advantage other than the substitution of
 one set of enemies for another4 ,he    
writes3 ,when ,i was about to be        
summoned to teach at ,bologna1 some     
persons of that place who were envious  
of my reputation sent a certain officer 
7a getter-up of petitions7 to ,pavia4   
,now this fellow1 who never once entered
 the class-room1 nor had a word with any
 one of my pupils1 wrote1 on what       
authority ,i know not1 a report in these

 words3 ',concerning ,girolamo ,cardano1
 ,i am told that he taught in this      
place1 but got no pupils1 always        
lecturing to empty benches3 that he is a
 man of evil life1 ill regarded by all1 
and little less than a fool1 repulsive  
in his manners1 and entirely unskilled  
in medicine4 ,after he had promulgated  
certain of his opinions he found no one 
in the city who would employ him1 nor   
did he practise his art4'  ,these words 
were read to the ,senate by the         
messenger on his return in the presence 
of the illustrious ,borromeo1 the       
,pope's ,legate to the city4 ,the       
,senate were upon the point of breaking 
off all further negotiations1 but while 
the man was reading his report1 some one
 present heard the words in which he    
declared that ,i did not practise       
medicine4 ',hui6' he cried1 ',i know    
that is not true1 for ,i myself have    
seen divers men of the highest          
consideration going to him for help1 and
 ,i--though ,i am not to be ranked with 

them--have often consulted him myself4' 
,then the ,legate took up the parole and
 said1 ',i too bear witness that he     
cured my own mother when she was given  
up by every one else4' ,then the first  
speaker suggested that probably the rest
 of the tale was just as worthy of      
belief as this one statement1 the       
,legate agreeing thereto2 whereupon the 
messenger aforesaid held his tongue and 
blushed for shame4 ,ultimately the      
,senate determined to appoint me        
,professor for one year1 'for1' they    
said1 'if he should prove to be the sort
 of man the officer describes1 or if his
 teaching should profit us nothing1 we  
can let him go2 but if it be otherwise1 
the contract may be ratified4' ,with    
regard to the salary1 over which a      
dispute had already arisen1 the ,legate 
gave his consent1 and the business came 
to an end4  ,but1 disregarding this     
settlement1 my opponents urged one of   
their number to wait upon me as a       
delegate from the ,senate1 and this man 

would fain have added to the terms      
already sanctioned by the ,senate1      
others which ,i could not possibly      
accept4 ,he offered me a smaller        
stipend1 no teaching room was assigned  
to me1 and no allowance for travelling  
expenses4 ,i refused to treat with him1 
whereupon he was forced to depart1 and  
to return to me later on with the terms 
of my engagement duly set forth4#bjf    
,it was in ,june #aefb that ,cardan     
finally resigned his position at ,pavia1
 but it was not until some months after 
this date that the final agreement with 
the ,bolognese ,senate1 lately referred 
to1 was concluded1 and in the interim he
 was forced to suffer no slight         
annoyance and persecution at the hands  
of his adversaries in ,pavia1 in        
,bologna1 and in ,milan as well4 ,just  
before he resigned his ,professorship he
 was warned by the portentous kindling  
of a fire1 seemingly dead1#bjg that     
fresh mischief was afoot1 and he at once
 determined in his mind that his foes   

had planned destruction against him     
afresh4 ,so impressed was he at this    
manifestation that he swore he would not
 leave home on the day following4 ,but  
early in the morning there came to my   
house four or five of my pupils bidding 
me to a feast1 where all the chief      
,professors of the ,gymnasium and the   
,academy proposed to be present4 ,i     
replied that ,i could not come1         
whereupon they1 knowing that it was not 
my wont to dine in the middle of the    
day1 and deeming that it was on this    
score that ,i refused to join them1     
said1 ',then for your sake we will make 
the feast a supper4' ,i answered that ,i
 could not on any account make one of   
their party1 and then they demanded to  
know the cause of my refusal4 ,i replied
 it was because of a strange event which
 had befallen me1 and of a vow ,i had   
made thereanent4 ,at this they were     
greatly astonished1 and two of them     
exchanged significant glances1 and they 
urged me again and again that ,i should 

not be so firmly set upon marring so    
illustrious a gathering by my absence1  
but ,i gave back the same answer as     
before4#bjh ,they came a second time1   
but ,cardan was not to be moved4 ,he    
records1 however1 that he did break his 
vow after all by going out after dusk to
 see a poor butcher who was seriously   
ill4  ,it is hard to detect any evidence
 of deadly intent in what seems1 by     
contemporary daylight1 to have been a   
complimentary invitation to dinner2 but 
to the old man1 possessed as he was by  
hysterical terrors1 this episode        
undoubtedly foreshadowed another assault
 against his life4 ,he finds some       
compensation1 however1 in once more     
recording the fact that all these       
disturbers of his peace--like the men   
who were concerned in ,gian ,battista's 
condemnation--came to a bad end4 ,his   
rival1 who had taken his place as       
,professor1 had not taught in the       
schools more than three or four times   
before he was seized with disease and   

died after three months' suffering4     
,upon him there lay only the suspicion  
of the charge1 but ,i heard afterwards  
that a friend of his was certainly privy
 to the deed of murder which they had   
resolved to work upon me by giving me a 
cup of poisoned wine at the supper4 ,in 
the same year died ,delfino1 and a      
little while after ,fioravanti4#bji  ,in
 ,july ,cardan withdrew to ,milan1      
where1 to add to his other troubles1 he 
was seized with an attack of fever4 ,he 
was now thoroughly alarmed at the look  
of his affairs4 ,many of his fears may  
have been imaginary1 but the burden of  
real trouble which he had to carry was  
one which might easily bring him to the 
ground1 and1 when once a man is down1   
the crowd has little pity or scruple in 
trampling him to death4 ,he set about to
 review his position1 and to spy out all
 possible sources of danger4 ,he writes3
 ,i called to mind all the books ,i had 
written1 and1 seeing that in them there 
were many obscure passages upon which an

 unfavourable meaning might be put by   
the malice of my enemies1 ,i wrote to   
the ,council1 submitting all my writings
 to its judgment and will and pleasure4 
,by this action ,i saved myself from    
grave danger and disgrace in the        
future4#baj ,the ,council to which      
,cardan here refers was probably the    
,congregation of the ,index appointed by
 the ,council at ,trent for the         
authoritative examination of all books  
before allowing them to be read by the  
faithful4 ,before the close of the      
,council 7#aefc7 these duties had been  
handed over to the ,pope 7,pius ,,iv471 
who published the revised and definite  
,roman ,index in #aefd4  ,,footnotes3   
#aig ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxvii4 p4  
#ga4  #aih ,quin etiam dominus ac       
,princeps alioquin generosus et humanus1
 cum ipsum ob invidiam meam et          
accusatorum multitudinem deseruisset1 et
 ipse multis modis conflictatus est     
gravibus morbis1 cde propri neptis      
conjuge suo1 litibus gravibus3 tum etiam

 subsecuta calamitas publica1           
,zotophagite insula amissa1 classe regia
 dissipata4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4    
xli4 p4 #aec4 ,the island alluded to    
must have been ,lotophagites insula1 an 
island near the ,syrtes ,minor on the   
,african coast1 and the loss of the same
 probably refers to some disaster during
 the ,imperialist wars against the      
,moors4  #aii ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4   
xliii4 p4 #afj4  #bjj ,cardan rates it  
as his best work on an ethical          
subject4--,opera1 tom i4 p4 #adf4 ,and  
on p4 #aae he writes3 ,utinam           
contigisset absolvere ante errorem      
filii2 neque enim ille errasset1 nec    
errandi causam aliquam habuisset3 nec1  
etiamsi errasset1 periisset4 ,he also   
quotes a letter full of sound and loving
 counsels which he had sent to ,gian    
,battista six months before he fell into
 the snare4  #bja ,opera1 tom4 x4 p4    
#abi4  #bjb ,bartolomeo ,sacco was      
evidently living at ,pavia at this date4
  #bjc ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxx4 p4  

#hc4  #bjd ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxx4 
p4 #hf4  #bje ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4   
xvii4 p4 #ee4  #bjf ,de ,vita ,propria1 
ch4 xvii4 p4 #ed4  #bjg ,ibid41 ch4 xxx4
 p4 #hh4 ,there is also a long account  
of this occurrence in ,opera1 tom4 x4 p4
 #dei4  #bjh ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4    
xxx4 p4 #hi4  #bji ,de ,vita ,propria1  
ch4 xxx4 p4 #ij4  #baj ,opera1 tom4 x4  
p4 #dfj4     ,,chapter ,,xi   ,,while   
,cardan was lying sick at ,milan1 a     
messenger came from ,pavia1 begging him 
to hasten thither to see his infant     
grandson1 who had been ailing when he   
left ,pavia1 and was now much worse4    
,the journey under the burning sun of   
the hottest summer known for many years 
aggravated his malady1 but he brought   
the child out of danger4 ,he caught     
erysipelas in the face1 and to this     
ailment succeeded severe trouble with   
the teeth4 ,if it had not been for the  
fact that the time of the new moon had  
been near1 he says that he must have    
submitted to blood-letting2 but after   

the new moon his health mended1 and thus
 he escaped the two-fold danger--that of
 the disease1 and that of the lancet4   
,he tells of an attempt made against his
 life by a servant for the sake of      
robbery1 an attempt which came very near
 success2 and of a severe attack of gout
 in the knee4 ,after a month's          
confinement to his house he began to    
practise ,medicine2 and1 finding        
patients in plenty1 he nourished a hope 
that ,fortune had done her worst1 and   
that he might be allowed to repair his  
shattered fortunes by the exercise of   
his calling1 but the activity of his    
adversaries--which may or may not have  
been provoked solely by malignity--was  
unsleeping4 ,he hints at further        
attempts against his good name and his  
life1 and gives at length some painful  
details of another charge made against  
him of an infamous character4 ,it is    
almost certain that his way was made all
 the harder for him from the complaints 
which he had put in print about the     

indifference of the ,duca di ,sessa to  
his interests at the time of ,gian      
,battista's trial4 ,the ,milanese       
doctors had no love for him1 and every  
petulant word he might let fall would   
almost surely be brought to the         
,governor's ears4 ,by ,cardan's own     
admission it appears that utterances of 
this sort were both frequent and acrid4 
,there was a certain physician of the   
city who wished to place his son gratis 
in ,cardan's household4 ,cardan1        
however1 refused1 whereupon the         
physician in question called attention  
to a certain book in which ,cardan had  
made some remarks to the effect that the
 friendship of the ,duca di ,sessa had  
been a fatal one to him1 inasmuch as1   
having trusted too entirely to this     
friendship for his support1 he had let  
go other interests which might have     
served him better4 ,the physician       
aforesaid made a second application to  
,cardan to receive his son1 offering    
this time to intercede with the         

,governor on his behalf4 ,this          
proposition roused the old man's anger1 
and he exclaimed that he had no need of 
such friendship or protection2 that in  
fact the interruption of their good     
understanding had come about more by his
 own act than the ,governor's1 who had  
been either unable or unwilling to save 
,gian ,battista's life4 ,the doctor     
replied1 in the presence of divers      
persons1 that ,gian ,battista had       
perished through his own foolishness3 if
 he had not confessed he would never    
have been condemned2 that the ,senate   
had condemned him and not the ,duca di  
,sessa1 and that ,cardan was now        
slandering this prince most unjustly4 ,a
 lot of busy-bodies had by this time    
been attracted by the wrangle1 and these
 heard the doctor's accusations in full1
 but gathered a very imperfect notion of
 ,cardan's reply4 ,he indignantly denied
 this charge1 and in his own account of 
the scene he affirms that he won the    
approbation of all who listened1 by the 

moderation of his bearing and speech4   
,four days after this occurrence he     
again met this physician1 who declared  
he knew for certain that a kinsman of   
the ,duca di ,sessa1 a hot-tempered man1
 had just read some slanders written by 
,cardan about the ,duke1 and had        
declared he would cut the writer in half
 and throw his remains into the jakes2  
the physician went on to say that he had
 appeased this gentleman's resentment1  
and that ,cardan had now no cause for   
fear4 ,cardan at once saw through the   
dishonesty of the fellow1 who was not   
content with bringing forward an unjust 
accusation1 but must likewise subject   
him to these calumnies and the          
consequent dangers4 ,after a bout of    
wrangling1 in which the physician sought
 vainly to win from him an              
acknowledgment of the service he had    
wrought1 the malicious fellow shouted   
out to the crowd which had gathered     
around them that ,cardan persisted in   
his infamous slanders against the       

,governor4 ,wanton as the charge was1   
,cardan felt that with his present      
unpopularity it might easily grow into a
 fatal danger4 ,might was right in      
,milan as far as he was concerned1 but  
he determined that he must make a stand 
against this pestilent fellow4 ,by good 
luck he met some friends1 to whom he    
told the adventure2 and while he was    
speaking1 the gentleman who was said to 
have threatened him1 and the slanderous 
physician as well1 joined the gathering2
 whereupon one of ,cardan's friends     
repeated the whole story to the         
gentleman2 who1 as he was quite unversed
 in letters1 was hugely diverted at     
hearing himself set down as a student1  
and told the physician that he was a    
fool1 thereby delivering ,cardan at     
least from this annoyance4  ,he had     
refused the terms which the party       
opposed to him in the ,senate at        
,bologna had sent for his acceptance1   
and was still waiting to hear whether   
they would carry out their original     

propositions4 ,it was during this time  
of suspense that he was subjected to    
strange and inexplicable treatment at   
the hands of the ,milanese ,senate1     
treatment which1 viewed by the light of 
his own report--the only one            
extant--seems very harsh and unjust4 ,he
 writes3 ,at the time when ,i was       
greatly angered by the action of the    
,bolognese agent1 four of the ,senators 
persuaded me to seek practice once more 
in ,milan1 wherefore ,i1 having altered 
my plans1 began to try to earn an honest
 living1 for ,i reckoned that the       
,senate of ,milan knew that ,i had      
rejected the offers from ,bologna1 since
 these offers were unjust in themselves1
 and put before me in unjust fashion4   
,but afterwards1 although the same      
iniquitous terms were offered to me1 ,i 
accepted them1 not indeed because ,i was
 satisfied therewith1 but because of my 
necessity1 and so that ,i might be free 
from those dangers which1 as ,i have    
before stated1 pressed upon me in those 

days4 ,the reason why ,i took this step 
was that the ,senate1 by most unexpected
 action1 removed my name from the lists 
of those licensed to teach2 nor was this
 all4 ,they warned me by a message that 
they had recently given hearing to a    
double charge against me of very grave  
offences1 and that nothing but my       
position1 and the interests of the      
,college1 kept them back from laying me 
in hold4 ,nevertheless1 influenced by   
these considerations1 they had been     
moved to reduce my punishment to that of
 exile4 ,but neither my good fortune nor
 ,god deserted me2 for on the same day  
certain things came to pass by means of 
which ,i was able1 with a single word1  
to free myself from all suspicion upon  
either charge1 and to prove my          
innocence4 ,moreover1 ,i forced them to 
admit that no mention of this affair had
 ever been made before the ,senate1     
although two graduates had informed me  
that it had been discussed4#baa  ,the   
,senate1 however1 was reluctant to      

stultify its late action1 and refused to
 restore ,cardan's name to the list of  
teachers4 ,but he was put right in the  
sight of the world by the sharp censure 
pronounced by the ,senate upon those    
busy-bodies who had ventured to speak in
 its name4 ,cardan's last days in ,milan
 were cheered with a brief gleam of good
 fortune4 ,his foes seem to have        
overshot the mark1 and to have aroused  
sympathy for the old man1 who1 whatever 
his faults1 was alike an honour to his  
country and the victim of fortune       
singularly cruel4 ,the city took him    
under its protection1 assured of his    
innocence as to the widespread charges  
against him1 and pitying his            
misfortunes4 ,his friend ,borromeo had  
probably been forwarding his interests  
at the ,papal ,court1 for he records    
that1 just at this time1 certain        
,cardinals and men of weight wrote to   
him from ,rome in kindly and flattering 
terms4 ,on ,november #af1 #aefb1 the    
messenger from the ,senate of ,bologna  

arrived at ,milan1 bearing an offer of  
slightly more liberal terms4 ,they were 
not so favourable as ,cardan wished for2
 but1 even had they been worse1 he would
 probably have closed with them4 ,in    
spite of the benevolent attitude of his 
well-wishers in ,milan1 it irked him to 
be there2 the faces in the streets1 the 
town gossip1 all tended to recall to him
 the death of his son1 so he departed at
 once to take up his duties4  ,at       
,bologna ,cardan went first to live in a
 hired house in the ,via ,gombru4 ,aldo 
was nominally a member of his household2
 but his presence must have been a      
plague rather than a comfort to his     
father1 and he took with him likewise   
his orphan grandson1 the son of ,gian   
,battista and ,brandonia1 whom he       
destined to make his heir on account of 
,aldo's ill conduct4#bab ,this young man
 seems to have been a hopeless scoundrel
 from the first4 ,the ratio in which    
fathers apportion their affection       
amongst their offspring is a very       

capricious one1 and ,cardan may have    
been fully as wide of the mark in       
chiding his younger as he was in lauding
 the talents and virtues of his elder   
son4 ,but it is certain that on several 
occasions the authorities shared        
,cardan's view of ,aldo's ill behaviour4
 ,more than once he alludes to the young
 reprobate's shameful conduct1 and the  
intolerable annoyance caused by the     
same4 ,many of the ancient rights of    
parents over their children1 which might
 to-day be deemed excessive1 were still 
operative in the cities of ,italy1 and  
,cardan readily invoked the help of them
 in trying to work reformation of a sort
 upon ,aldo1 whom he caused to be       
imprisoned more than once1 and finally  
to be banished4#bac ,the numerous       
hitches which delayed his final call to 
,bologna were probably due to the fact  
that a certain party amongst the        
teachers there were opposed to his      
appointment1 and things did not run too 
smoothly after he had taken up his      

residence in his new home4 ,it was not  
in ,cardan's nature1 however much he may
 have been cowed and broken down by     
misfortune1 to mix with men inimical to 
himself without letting them have a     
taste of his quality4 ,he records one   
skirmish which he had with ,fracantiano1
 the ,professor of the ,practice of     
,medicine1 a skirmish which1 in its     
details1 resembles so closely his       
encounter with ,branda ,porro1 at       
,pavia1 some time before1 that it       
suggests a doubt whether it ever had a  
separate existence1 and was not simply a
 variant of the ,branda legend4 ,it     
happened that he 7,fracantiano7 was     
giving an account of the passage of the 
gall into the stomach1 and was speaking 
in ,greek before the whole ,academy 7he 
was making the while an anatomical      
dissection71 when ,i cried out1 ',there 
is an ,greek3 ou wanting in that        
sentence4' ,and as he delayed making any
 correction of his error1 and ,i kept on
 repeating my remark in a low voice1 the

 students cried out1 ',let the ,codex be
 sent for4' ,fracantiano sent for it    
gladly4 ,it was brought at once1 and    
when he came to read the passage1 he    
found that what ,i had affirmed was true
 to a hair4 ,he spake not another word1 
being overwhelmed with confusion and    
astonishment4 ,moreover the students1   
who had almost compelled me to come to  
the lecture1 were even more impressed by
 what had happened4 ,but from that day  
forth my opponent avoided all meeting   
with me2 nay1 he even gave orders to his
 servants that they should warn him     
whenever they might see me approaching1 
and thus he contrived that we should    
never foregather4 ,one day when he was  
teaching ,anatomy1 the students brought 
me1 by a trick1 into the room1 whereupon
 he straightway fled1 and having        
entangled his feet in his robe1 he fell 
down headlong4 ,this accident caused no 
little confusion1 and shortly afterwards
 he left the place1 being then a man    
well advanced in years4#bad  ,he had not

 lived long in ,bologna before he was   
fated to experience another repetition  
of one of the untoward episodes of his  
past life1 to wit the fall of a house4  
,it was not his own house this time1 but
 it was sufficiently near to induce him 
to change his abode without delay4 ,next
 door to the house he had hired in the  
,via ,gombru stood a palace belonging to
 a certain ,gramigna4 ,the entire house 
fell1 and was ruined in a single night1 
and together with the house perished the
 owner thereof4 ,it was believed that   
this man had divers powerful enemies1   
and1 in order that he might secure his  
position1 he contrived to bring certain 
of his foes into his house1 having first
 made a mine of gunpowder under the     
portico1 and set a match thereto4 ,but  
for some reason or other the plot       
miscarried the night when he destined to
 carry it out4 ,gramigna went to see    
what was amiss1 and at that very moment 
the mine exploded and brought the house 
to the ground4 ,after this explosion    

,cardan moved to a house in the ,galera 
quarter1 belonging to the family of     
,ranucci2 but he did not find this      
dwelling perfect1 as he was forced to   
vacate the rooms which were most to his 
taste on account of the bad state of the
 ceilings1 the plaster of which1 more   
than once1 fell down upon his head4  ,in
 his ,paralipomena1 the last fruit off  
an old tree1 which he put together about
 this time1 there are numerous stories  
of prodigies and portents2 of doors     
which would not close1 and doors which  
opened of their own accord2 of rappings 
on the walls1 and of mysterious         
thunderings and noises during the night4
 ,he tells1 at length1 the story1       
already referred to1 of the strange     
thing which happened to him1 on the eve 
of his departure from ,pavia in #aefb1  
while he was awaiting tidings from ,rome
 as to his appointment at ,bologna4 ,i  
wore on the index finger of my right    
hand a selenite stone set in a ring1 and
 on my left a jacinth1 which ,i never   

took off my finger1 this stone being    
large and hexagonal in shape4 ,i took   
the selenite from my finger and put it  
beneath my pillow1 for ,i fancied it    
kept off sleep1 wearing still the       
jacinth because it appeared to have the 
opposite effect4 ,i slept until         
midnight1 when ,i awoke and missed the  
ring from my left hand4 ,i called       
,jacopo ,antonio1 a boy of fifteen years
 of age who acted as my servant and     
slept in a truckle bed1 and bade him    
look for my rings4 ,he found the        
selenite at once where ,i had placed it2
 but though we both of us sought closely
 for the jacinth we could not find it4  
,i was sorrowful to death on account of 
this omen1 and despair seized upon my   
soul when ,i remembered the dire        
consequences of similar signs1 all of   
which ,i had duly noted in my writings4 
,i could scarcely believe this to be a  
thing happening in the order of nature4 
,after a short delay ,i collected my    
thoughts1 and told the servant to bring 

a light from the hearth4 ,he replied    
that he would rather not do this1 that  
he was afraid of the darkness1 and that 
the fire was always extinguished in the 
evening4 ,i bade him light a candle with
 the flint1 when he told me that we had 
neither matches nor tinder nor sulphur4 
,i persisted1 and determined that a     
light should be got by one means or     
another1 for ,i knew that1 if ,i should 
go to sleep under so dire an omen1 ,i   
must needs perish4 ,so ,i ordered him to
 get a light as best he could4 ,he went 
away and raked up the ashes1 and found a
 bit of coal about the bigness of a     
cherry all alight1 and caught hold of it
 with the tongs4 ,at the same time ,i   
had little hope of getting a light1 but 
he applied it to the wick of a lamp and 
blew thereon4 ,the wick was lighted     
without any flame issuing from the live 
coal1 which thing seemed to me a further
 marvel4  ,after a search with the      
candle the ring was found on the floor  
under the middle of the bed1 but the    

marvel was not yet worked out3 the ring 
could not possibly have got into such a 
place unless it had been put there by   
hand4 ,it could not have rolled there1  
on account of its shape1 nor could it   
have fallen from the bed1 because the   
pillow was closely joined to the head of
 the bed1 round which ran a raised edge 
with no rift therein4 ,cardan concludes3
 ,i know that much may be said over this
 matter1 but nothing1 forsooth1 which   
will convince a man1 ever so little     
inclined to superstition1 that there was
 no boding sign manifested thereby1     
foretelling the ruin of my position and 
good name4 ,then1 having soothed my     
mind1 albeit ,i was well-nigh hopeless1 
,i consoled myself with the belief that 
,god still protected me4 ,after         
pondering long and anxiously over the   
possible significance of this sign he   
took a more sanguine view of the future4
 ,he next put the jacinth ring on his   
finger and bade the boy try to pull it  
off1 but he tried in vain1 so well and  

closely did the ring fit the finger4    
,from this time forth ,cardan laid aside
 this ring1 after having worn it for    
many years as a safeguard against       
lightning1 plague1 wakefulness1 and     
palpitation of the heart4#bae  ,many    
other instances of a like character     
might be given from the ,paralipomena2  
but the foregoing will suffice to show  
that the natural inclination of         
,cardan's temper towards the marvellous 
had been aggravated by his recent       
troubles4 ,also the belief that all     
men's hands were against him never      
slumbered1 but for this disposition     
there may well have been some           
justification4 ,scarcely had he settled 
in ,bologna before an intrigue was set  
in motion against him4 ,after the events
 aforesaid1 and after ,i had gone to    
teach in ,bologna1 my adversaries1 by a 
trick1 managed to deprive me of the use 
of a class-room1 that is to say they    
allotted to me an hour just about the   
time of dinner1 or they gave the        

class-room at the very same hour1 or a  
little earlier1 to another teacher4     
,when ,i perceived that the authorities 
were unwilling to accede to three       
distinct propositions which ,i made to  
them1 namely1 that this other teacher   
should begin his lecture sooner and     
leave off sooner3 or that he should     
teach alternately with me3 ,i so far got
 my own way at the next election that   
the other lecturer had to do his        
teaching elsewhere4#baf  ,it would      
appear that the intrigues1 of which     
,cardan gives so many instances1 must   
have been the work of certain           
individuals1 jealous of his fame and    
perhaps smarting under some caustic     
speech or downright insult1 rather than 
of the authorities2 the ,senate of      
,bologna showed no hostility to him1 but
 on the other hand procured for him the 
privileges of citizenship4 ,while the   
negotiations were going on at ,bologna  
for the further regulation of his       
position as a teacher1 he tells a       

strange story how1 on three or four     
different occasions1 certain men came to
 him by night1 in the name of the       
,senate and of the ,judicial officers1  
and tried to induce him to recommend    
that a certain woman1 who had been      
condemned for blasphemy1 and for        
poisoning or witchcraft as well1 should 
be pardoned1 both by the temporal and   
spiritual authorities1 bringing forward 
specially the argument that1 in the     
sight of philosophers1 such things as   
demons and spirits did not exist4 ,they 
likewise urged him to procure the       
release from prison of another woman1   
who had not yet been condemned1 because 
a certain sick man had died under the   
hands of some other doctors4 ,they      
brought also a lot of nativities for him
 to read1 as if he had been a           
soothsayer1 and not a teacher of        
medicine1 but he would have nothing to  
say to them4#bag  ,it is somewhat       
strange that ,cardan should have        
detected no trace of the snare of the   

enemy in this manoeuvre4 ,bearing in    
mind the character of the request made1 
and the fact that ,cardan was by no     
means a persona grata to the            
petitioners1 it seems highly probable   
that they might have been more anxious  
to draw from ,cardan a profession of his
 disbelief in witchcraft1 than to       
procure the enlargement of the accused  
persons whose cause they had nominally  
espoused4 ,at this period it was indeed 
dangerous to be a wizard1 but it was    
perhaps still more dangerous to pose as 
an avowed sceptic of witchcraft4 ,at the
 end of the fifteenth century the       
frequency of executions for sorcery in  
the north of ,italy had provoked a      
strong outburst of popular feeling      
against this wanton bloodshed2 but      
,spina1 writing in the interest of      
orthodox religion1 deplores that        
disbelief in the powers of ,evil and    
their manifestations1 always recognized 
by the ,church1 should have led men on  
to profess by their action any doubt as 

to the truth of witchcraft4 ,but in     
spite of the fulminations of men of this
 sort1 from this time onwards the more  
enlightened scholars of ,europe began to
 modify their opinions on the subject of
 demoniac possession1 and of witchcraft 
in general4 ,the first book in which the
 new views were enunciated was the      
treatise ,de ,prstigiis ,dmonum1 by     
,johann ,wier1 a physician of ,cleves1  
published in #aefc4 ,the step in advance
 taken by this reformer was not a       
revolutionary one4 ,he simply denied    
that witches were willing and conscious 
instruments of the malefic powers1      
asserting that what evil they wrought   
came about by reason of the delusions   
with which the evil spirits infected the
 persons said to be possessed4 ,the     
devil afflicted his victims directly1   
and then threw the suspicion of the evil
 deed upon some old woman4 ,wier's book 
was condemned and denounced by the      
clergy--he himself was a                
,protestant--but the most serious       

counterblast against it came from the   
pen of ,jean ,bodin1 the illustrious    
,french philosopher and jurist4 ,he held
 up ,wier to execration as an impious   
blasphemer1 and asserted that the       
welfare of ,christendom must needs      
suffer great injury through the         
dissemination of doctrines so detestable
 as those set forth in his book4#bah    
,seeing that such a spirit was dominant 
in the minds of men like ,bodin1 it will
 be evident that a charge of impiety or 
atheism might well follow a profession  
of disbelief1 or even scepticism1 as to 
the powers of witches or of evil        
spirits4 ,a maxim familiar as an        
utterance of ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 ,ubi 
tres medici duo athei1 was1 no doubt1 in
 common use in ,cardan's time2 and he1  
as a doctor1 would consequently be      
ill-looked upon by the champions of     
orthodoxy1 who would certainly not be   
conciliated by the fact that he was the 
friend of ,cardinal ,morone4 ,this      
learned and enlightened prelate had been

 imprisoned by the savage and fanatical 
,paul ,,iv41 on a charge of favouring   
opinions analogous to ,protestantism1   
but ,pius ,,iv41 the easy-going         
,milanese jurisconsult1 turned          
ecclesiastic1 enlarged him by one of the
 first acts of his ,papacy1 and restored
 him to the charge of the diocese of    
,modena4  ,besides enjoying at ,bologna 
the patronage of princes of the ,church 
like ,borromeo and ,morone1 ,cardan     
found there an old friend in ,ludovico  
,ferrari1 who was at this time lecturing
 on mathematics4 ,he also received into 
his house a new pupil1 a ,bolognese     
youth named ,rodolfo ,sylvestro1 who was
 destined hereafter to bring as great   
credit to his teacher's name in         
,medicine as ,ferrari had already       
brought thereto in ,mathematics4        
,rodolfo proved to be one of the most   
faithful and devoted of friends2 he     
remained at ,bologna as long as ,cardan 
continued to live there1 sharing his    
master's ill-fortune1 and ultimately    

accompanied him to ,rome in #aega4 ,he  
gives the names of two other ,bolognese 
students1 ,giulio ,pozzo and ,camillo   
,zanolino1 but of all his surviving     
pupils he rates ,sylvestro as the most  
gifted4  ,the records of ,cardan's life 
at this period are scant and            
fragmentary1 few events being chronicled
 except dreams and portents4 ,in giving 
an account of one of these              
manifestations1 which happened in       
,september #aefc1 he incidentally lets  
light upon certain changes and          
vicissitudes in his own affairs4 ,he was
 at this time living in an apartment in 
the house of the ,ranucci1 next door to 
a half-ruined palace of the ,ghislieri4 
,one night he awoke from sleep1 and     
found that the neck-band of his shirt   
had become entangled with the cord by   
which he kept his precious emerald and a
 written charm suspended round his neck4
 ,he tried to disentangle the knot1 but 
in vain1 so he left the complication as 
it was1 purposing to unravel it by      

daylight4 ,he did not fall asleep2 but1 
after lying quiet for a little1 he      
determined to attempt once more whether 
he could undo the knot1 when he found   
that everything was clear1 and the stone
 under his armpit4 ,this sign showed me 
an unhoped-for solution of certain      
weighty difficulties1 and at the same   
time proved1 as ,i have often said      
elsewhere1 that there must have been    
present something else unperceived by   
me4 ,for my affairs were in this        
condition3 my son-in-law at ,milan had  
the administration of the scant remains 
of my property1 and ,i received no rents
 therefrom for a whole year4 ,my        
literary work was lying at the          
printer's1 but it was not printed4      
,here1 at ,bologna1 ,i was forced to    
lecture without having a fixed hour     
assigned to me4 ,a crowd of enemies were
 intriguing against me4 ,my son ,aldo   
was in prison1 and of little profit to  
me4 ,but immediately after this portent 
,i learned that my two chief opponents  

were either dying or about to retire4   
,the question of the lecture-room was   
settled amicably1 so that for the next  
year ,i was able to live in quiet4      
,these two matters having come to an    
issue1 ,i will next describe what came  
to pass with regard to the others4      
,during the next ,july 7#aefd71 through 
the help of ,francesco ,alciati1#bai the
 secretary of ,pope ,pius ,,iv41 a man  
to whom ,i am indebted for almost every 
benefit ,i have received since #aefa1 ,i
 began to enjoy my own again4 ,on       
,august #bf ,i received from the printer
 my books all printed with the greatest 
care1 and by reason of the dispatch of  
this business my income was greatly     
increased4 ,the next day my chief       
opponent resigned his office1 and left  
vacant a salary of seven hundred gold   
crowns4 ,the only manifestation of      
adverse fortune left to trouble me was  
the conspiracy of the doctors against   
me1 but there were already signs that   
this would disappear before long1 and in

 sooth it came to an end after the lapse
 of another year4#bbj  ,during this     
portion of his life at ,bologna1 ,cardan
 seems to have lived comparatively      
alone1 and to have spent his weary      
leisure in brooding over his sorrows4   
,he began his long rambling epilogue to 
the ,de ,libris ,propriis1 and1 almost  
on the threshold1 pours out his sorrow  
afresh over ,gian ,battista's unhappy   
fate4 ,after affirming that ,death must 
necessarily come as a friend to those   
whose lives are wretched1 he begins to  
speculate whether1 after all1 he ought  
not to rejoice rather than mourn over   
his son's death4 ,certes he is rid of   
this miserable life of danger and       
difficulty1 vain1 sorrowful1 brief1 and 
inconstant2 these times in which the    
major part of the good things of the    
world fall to the trickster's share1 and
 all may be enjoyed by those who are    
backed up by wealth or power or favour4 
,power is good when it is in the hands  
of those who use it well1 but it is a   

great evil when murderers and poisoners 
are allowed to wield it4 ,to the        
ill-starred1 to the ungodly1 and to the 
foolish1 death is a boon1 freeing them  
from numberless dangers1 from heavy     
griefs1 from fatal troubles1 and from   
infamy2 wherefore in such cases it ought
 not to be spoken of as something merely
 good or indifferent1 but rated as the  
best of fortune4 ,shall ,i not declare  
to ,god 7for ,he willed the deed71 to   
myself1 and to my surviving family1 that
 my son's death was a thing to be       
desired1 for ,god does all justly1      
wisely1 and lovingly8 ,he lets me stand 
as an example to show others that a good
 and upright man cannot be altogether   
wretched4 ,i am poor1 infirm1 and old2  
bereaved by a cruel wrong of my         
best-loved son1 a youth of the fairest  
promise1 and left only with the faintest
 hope of any ray of future good fortune1
 or of seeing my race perpetuated after 
my death1 for my daughter1 who has been 
nine years married1 is barren4  ,at one 

time ,i was prosperous in every relation
 of life3 in my friendships1 in my      
children1 and in my health4 ,in my youth
 ,i seemed to be one raised up to       
realize the highest hopes4 ,i was       
accustomed to all the good things--nay1 
to all the luxuries of life4 ,now ,i am 
wretched1 despised1 with foes swarming  
around me2 ,i not only count myself     
miserable1 ,i feel ,i am far more       
miserable now than ,i was happy         
aforetime4 ,yet ,i neither lose my wits 
nor make any boast1 as my actions prove4
 ,i do my work as a teacher with my mind
 closely set on the matter in question1 
and for this reason ,i attract a large  
number of hearers4 ,i manage my affairs 
better than heretofore2 and1 if any man 
shall compare the book which ,i have    
lately published with those which ,i    
wrote some time ago1 he will not fail to
 perceive how vastly my intellect has   
gained in richness1 in vivacity1 and in 
purity4  ,though the note of sorrow or  
even of despair is perceptible in these 

sentences1 there is no sign that the    
virile and elastic spirit of the writer 
is broken4 ,but there are manifest signs
 of an increasing tendency towards      
mental detachment from the world which  
had used him so ill4 ,with the happiest 
of men the almost certain prospect of   
extinction at the end of a dozen years  
usually tends to foster the growth of a 
conviction that the world after all is a
 poor affair1 and that to quit it is no 
great evil4 ,how strongly therefore must
 reflections of a kindred nature have   
worked upon a man so cruelly tried as   
,cardan6  ,,footnotes3  #baa ,opera1    
tom4 x4 p4 #dfb4  #bab ,sed filius minor
 natu ade mal se gessit1 ut malim       
transire in nepotem ex primo filio4--,de
 ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxxvi4 p4 #aab4    
#bac ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxvii4 p4  
#ga4  #bad ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xii4 
p4 #dj4  #bae ,opera1 tom4 x4 p4 #dei4  
#baf ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xvii4 p4   
#ef4  #bag ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4      
xxiii4 p4 #ajd4  #bah ,this opinion     

prevailed with men of learning far into 
the next century4 ,sir ,thomas ,browne  
writes3 ,they that doubt of these1 do   
not only deny them1 but spirits2 and are
 obliquely and upon consequence a sect  
not of infidels1 but atheists4--,religio
 ,medici1 ,works1 vol4 ii4 p4 #hi4  #bai
 ,this was the ,cardinal1 the nephew of 
,andrea the great jurist1 who was also a
 good friend of ,cardan4  #bbj ,opera1  
tom4 x4 p4 #dfc4     ,,chapter ,,xii    
,,at the beginning of the year #aefe    
,cardan had a narrow escape from death  
by burning1 for his bed from some       
unknown cause caught fire twice in the  
same night while he was asleep4 ,the    
servant was disturbed by the smoke1 and 
having aroused his master1 told him what
 was amiss1 whereupon ,cardan flew into 
a violent rage1 for he deemed that the  
youth must be drunk4 ,but he soon       
perceived the danger1 and then they both
 set to work to extinguish the flames4  
,his own description of the occurrence  
is highly characteristic4 ,having put   

out the fire1 ,i settled myself again to
 sleep1 and1 while ,i was dreaming of   
alarms1 and that ,i was flying from some
 danger1 it happened that either these  
terrifying dreams1 or the fire and smoke
 again aroused me1 and1 looking around1 
,i found that the bed was once more     
alight1 and the greater part of it      
consumed4 ,the vari-coloured coverlet1  
the leather hangings1 and all the       
covering of the bed was unhurt4 ,thus   
this great alarm and danger and serious 
disturbance caused only a trifling loss2
 less than half of the bed-linen was    
burnt1 but the blankets were entirely   
consumed4 ,on the first alarm the flames
 burnt out twice or thrice with little  
smoke1 and caused scarcely any damage4  
,the second time the fire and the mishap
 forced me to rise just before dawn1 the
 fire lasting altogether about seven    
hours4  ,there was naturally a warning  
sign to be found in this accident4#bba  
,the smoke1 ,cardan said1 denoted       
disgrace2 the fire1 peril and fear2 the 

flame1 a grave and pressing danger to   
his life4 ,the smouldering fire         
signified secret plots which were to be 
put into execution against him by his   
servants while he lay in bed4 ,and the  
fact that he set fire to the bed        
himself1 denoted that he would be able  
to meet any coming danger alone and     
without assistance4 ,the indictment     
against him was foreshadowed by the fire
 and the flames and the smoke4 ,poison  
and assault were not to be feared4 ,men 
might indeed ask questions as to what   
kind of danger it could be which only   
arose from those about him1 and fell    
short of poison and violence4 ,the fire1
 he goes on to say1 signifies the       
,magistrate4 ,more than once it seemed  
to be extinct1 but it always revived4   
,danger seemed to threaten him less from
 open hostility than from the cunning   
flattery of foes1 and from              
over-confidence on his own part4 ,his   
books1 which he had lately caused to be 
printed1 appeared to be in grave peril1 

but a graver one overhung his life4 ,he 
deemed that he would quit the tribunal  
condemned by the empty scandal of the   
crowd1 suffering no slight loss1 and    
worsted chiefly through putting faith in
 false friends1 and through his own     
instability4 ,on the whole1 the loss    
would prove inconsiderable2 the danger  
moderate1 but the vexation exceedingly  
heavy4 ,these results might have sprung 
from causes other than natural ones2    
but1 on the other hand1 such things     
often come about through chance4 ,they  
might prove to be a warning to him to   
keep clear of hostile prejudice1 and to 
make friends of those in authority1 care
 being taken not to let himself become  
involved in their private affairs1 and  
not to seek too close an                
acquaintance4#bbb  ,up to this date1    
,cardan1 when he visited his patients1  
had either walked or ridden a mule4 ,in 
#aefb he began to use a carriage1 but   
this change of habit brought ill luck   
with it1 for1 in this same year1 his    

horses ran away2 he was thrown out of   
the vehicle1 and sustained an injury to 
one of the fingers of his right hand1   
and to the right arm as well4#bbc ,the  
finger soon healed1 but the damage to   
the right arm shifted itself over to the
 left side1 leaving the right arm sound4
 ,the foregoing details1 taken chiefly  
from the ,paralipomena 7,book ,,iii4 ch4
 xii471 are somewhat significant in     
respect to the serious trouble which    
came upon him soon afterwards4  ,though 
he had now secured a class-room for     
himself1 the malice of his enemies was  
not yet abated4 ,just before the end of 
his term1 certain of them went to       
,cardinal ,morone and told him that it  
would be inexpedient to allow ,cardan to
 retain his ,professorship any longer1  
seeing that scarcely any pupils went to 
listen to him4 ,the terms ,cardan used  
in describing this hostile movement     
against him1#bbd rouse a suspicion that 
there may have been some ground for the 
assertion of his adversaries2 but he    

declares that1 at any rate1 he had a    
good many pupils from the beginning of  
the session up to the time of ,lent4 ,he
 gives no clue whereby the date of this 
intrigue may be exactly ascertained1 but
 it probably happened near the end of   
his sojourn at ,bologna1 because in his 
account of it he describes likewise the 
cessation of his public teaching1 and   
makes no mention of any resumption of   
the same4 ,he declares that he was at   
last overborne by the multitude of his  
foes1 and their cunning plots4 ,under   
the pretence that1 in seeking ,cardan's 
removal1 they were really acting for his
 benefit1 they succeeded in bringing    
,cardinal ,morone round to their views4 
,cardan's final words in dealing with   
this matter help to fix the date of this
 episode as some time in #aegj4         
,speaking of his enemies1 he writes3    
,nay indeed they have given me greater  
leisure for the codification of my      
books1 they have lengthened my days1    
they have increased my fame1 and1 by    

procuring my removal from the work which
 was too laborious for me1 they secured 
for me the pleasure ,i now enjoy in the 
discovery and investigation of divers of
 the secrets of ,nature4 ,therefore ,i  
constantly tell myself that ,i do not   
hate these men1 nor deem them           
blameworthy1 because they wrought me an 
ill turn1 but because of the malignancy 
they had in their hearts4#bbe  ,it is   
almost certain that this removal of     
,cardan from his office of teacher was  
part and parcel of a carefully-devised  
plot against him1 and a prelude to more 
serious trouble in the near future4     
,early in ,april #aegj he had occasion  
to put into writing a certain medical   
opinion which was to be sent to         
,cardinal ,morone4 ,he describes the    
episode3 ,it chanced that one of the    
sheets of my manuscript fell from the   
table down upon the floor1 and then flew
 by itself up to the cornice of the     
room1 where it hung1 fixed to the       
woodwork4 ,greatly amazed1 ,i called for

 ,rodolfo1 and pointed out to him this  
marvel4 ,he did not indeed see it fly   
up1 and at that time ,i was ignorant as 
to what it might foretell1 for ,i had no
 foreboding of the many ills which were 
about to molest me4 ,but now ,i see that
 the meaning of this portent must have  
been that1 after the approaching        
shipwreck of my fortunes1 my bark would 
be sped along with a more favouring     
breeze4 ,it was during the month        
following1 unless ,i am mistaken1 that1 
when ,i was once more writing a letter  
to ,cardinal ,morone1 ,i looked for a   
certain powder-box which had been       
missing for some long time1 and1 when ,i
 lifted up a sheet of paper in order to 
powder it with dust gathered up from the
 floor of the room1 there was the       
powder-box1 hidden beneath the sheet4   
,how could it have come there on the    
level writing-desk8 ,this sign confirmed
 the hope ,i had already conceived of   
the ,cardinal's wisdom and humanity2    
that he would plead with the ,pope1 the 

best of men1 in such wise that ,i should
 find a prosperous end to my toilsome   
life4#bbf  ,the blow thus foreshadowed  
fell on ,october #f1 #aegj1 when he was 
suddenly arrested and put under         
restraint4 ,he speaks of a bond which he
 gave for eighteen hundred gold crowns2 
and says that1 while he was in hold1 all
 his estate was administered by the     
civil authorities4 ,rodolfo ,sylvestro  
was constantly with him during his      
incarceration1 and on ,january #a1      
#aega1 he was released1 just at         
nightfall1 and allowed to return to his 
own house4 ,while he was in prison in   
the month of ,october some mysterious   
knockings at the door supplied him with 
a fulfilment and explanation of the     
portents lately chronicled4 ,the        
knockings appeared furthermore to warn  
him of approaching death1 and he began  
to bewail his misery2 but1 having       
gathered courage1 he heartened himself  
to face his doom1 which could be nothing
 worse than death4 ,young men1 leaders  

of armies1 courted death in battle to   
win the favour of their sovereigns2     
wherefore he1 a decrepit old man1 might 
surely await his end with calmness4 ,he 
then wanders off into a long            
disquisition on the philosophy of       
,polybius1 and forgets entirely to set  
down further details of his             
imprisonment1 or to explain the cause   
thereof4  ,pius ,,iv4 had died at the   
end of #aefe1 and had been succeeded by 
,michele ,ghislieri1 the ,cardinal of   
,alessandria1 as ,pius ,v4 ,like his    
predecessor1 the new ,pope was a        
,milanese by birth1 but in character and
 aims the two ,popes were entirely      
different4 ,pius4 ,v4 identified himself
 completely with the work of the ,holy  
,office1 and straightway set in         
operation all its powers for the        
extirpation of the heretical opinions   
which1 on account of the easy-going     
character of the late ,pope1 had made   
much progress in ,italy1 and nowhere    
more than in ,bologna4 ,von ,ranke1 in  

the ,history of the ,popes1 gives an    
extract 7vol4 i4 p4 #ig7 from the       
compendium of the ,inquisitors1 which   
sets forth that ,bologna was in a very  
perilous state1 because there the       
heretics were especially numerous2      
amongst them was a certain ,gian        
,battista ,rotto1 who enjoyed the       
friendship and support of many persons  
of weight1 such as ,morone1 ,pole1 and  
the ,marchesa ,pescara 7,vittoria       
,colonna74 ,rotto made himself very     
active in collecting money1 which he    
distributed amongst the poor folk of    
,bologna who were heretics4  ,it will be
 remembered that in #aefb1 while he was 
waiting in ,milan for the appointment as
 ,professor at ,bologna1 ,cardan        
submitted his books to the ,congregation
 of the ,index for approval4 ,he was    
known to be a fellow-citizen and friend 
of the reigning ,pope3 the corpus of his
 work had by that time reached a        
portentous size1 wherefore it is quite  
possible that the official readers may  

have been lenient1 or cursory1 over     
their work2 but when ,pius ,v41 the     
strenuous ascetic foe of heresy1 stepped
 into the place of the indolent ,pius   
,,iv41 jurist and politician rather than
 ,churchman1 it is more than probable   
that certain amateur inquisitors at     
,bologna1 fully as anxious to work      
,cardan's ruin as to safeguard the      
faith1 may have busied themselves in    
hunting through his various works for   
passages upon which to base a charge of 
unorthodoxy4 ,such passages were not    
hard to find4 ,there was the horoscope  
of ,jesus ,christ1 which subsequently   
affronted the piety of ,de ,thou4 ,there
 was the passage already noticed in     
which he said such hard things of the   
,dominicans 7,de ,varietate ,rerum1     
#aeeg1 p4 #egb74 ,he had indeed         
disclaimed it1 but there it stood       
unexpunged in the subsequent editions of
 the book2 and1 while considering this  
detail1 it may be remarked that ,pius   
,v4 began his career as a member of the 

,dominican ,order1 the practices of     
which ,cardan had impugned4 ,in the     
first and second editions of the ,de    
,subtilitate was another passage in     
which the tenets of ,islam and the      
circumstances of the birth of ,christ   
were handled in a way which caused grave
 scandal and offence4#bbg ,this passage 
indeed was expunged in the edition of   
#aefj4 ,the ,paralipomena were not in   
print and available1 but what can be    
read in them to-day doubtless reflects  
with accuracy the attitude of ,cardan's 
mind towards religious matters in #aegj4
 ,though the ,paralipomena were locked  
in his desk1 it is almost certain that  
the spirit with which they were inspired
 would have infected ,cardan's brain1   
and prompted him to repeat in words the 
views on religion and a future state    
which he had already put on paper1 for  
he rarely let discretion interfere with 
the enunciation of any opinion he       
favoured4 ,in the ,paralipomena are many
 passages written in the spirit of      

universalism1 and treating of the divine
 principle as something which animates  
wise men alone1 wise men and            
philosophers of every age and every     
clime1 ,aristotle being the head and    
chief4 ,plato and ,socrates and the     
,seven ,sages adorn this illustrious    
circle1 which includes likewise the     
philosophers of ,chaldea and ,egypt4    
,opinions like these were no longer the 
passport to ,papal favour or even       
toleration4 ,the age of the humanist    
,popes was past1 and the ,puritan       
movement1 stimulated into life by the   
active competition of the ,reformers1   
was beginning to show its strength1 so  
that a man who spoke in terms of respect
 or reverence concerning ,averroes or   
,plato would put himself in no light    
peril4 ,thus for those of ,cardan's     
enemies who were minded to search and   
listen it must have been an easy task to
 formulate against him a charge of      
heresy1 specious enough to carry        
conviction to such a burning zealot as  

,pius ,v4 ,this ,pope1 in his new       
regulations for the maintenance of      
,church discipline1 requisitioned the   
services of physicians in the detection 
of laxity of religious practices1 or of 
unsoundness4 ,we forbid1 he says in one 
of his bulls1 every physician1 who may  
be called to the bedside of a patient1  
to visit for more than three days1      
unless he receives an attestation that  
the sick man has made fresh confession  
of his sins4#bbh ,cardan1 with his      
irritable temper1 may very likely have  
treated this regulation as an           
unwarrantable interference with his     
profession1 and have paid no attention  
to it4 ,again1 he evidently followed    
,hippocrates in rejecting the           
supernatural origin of disease2 a       
position greatly in advance of that held
 by certain of the leading physiologists
 of the time4#bbi ,thus in more ways    
than one he may have laid himself open  
to some charge of disrespect shown to   
religion or to the spiritual powers4    

,the absence of any other specific      
accusation and the circumstances of his 
incarceration1 taken in conjunction with
 the foregoing considerations1 almost   
compel the conclusion that his arrest   
and imprisonment in #aegj were brought  
about by a charge of impiety whispered  
by some envious tongue which will never 
now be identified4 ,the sanction given  
by the authorities of the ,church to his
 writings in #aefb1 operated without    
doubt to mitigate the punishment which  
fell upon him1 and suffered him1 after  
due purgation of his offences1 to enjoy 
for the residue of his days a life      
comparatively quiet and prosperous under
 the patronage of ,pius ,v4  ,though he 
was let out of prison he was not yet a  
free man4 ,for some twelve weeks longer 
he remained a prisoner in his own house1
 the bond for eighteen hundred gold     
crowns having doubtless been given on   
this account4 ,almost his last          
reflection about his life at ,bologna is
 one in which he records his            

satisfaction that all the men who       
plotted against him there met their     
death soon after their attempt1 thus    
sharing the fate of his enemies at      
,milan and ,pavia4 ,if he is to be      
believed in this matter1 the ,fates1    
though they might not shield him from   
attack1 proved themselves to be diligent
 and remorseless avengers of his wrongs4
 ,at the end of ,september he turned his
 back upon ,bologna and the cold        
hospitality it had given him1 and set   
forth on his last journey4 ,he travelled
 by easy stages1 and entered ,rome on   
,october #g1 #aega1 the day upon which  
,don ,john of ,austria annihilated the  
,turkish fleet at ,lepanto4  ,there are 
evidences in his later writings beyond  
those already cited1 that ,cardan's     
views on religion had undergone change  
during his sojourn at ,bologna4 ,it was 
the custom1 even with theologians of the
 time1 to illustrate freely from the    
classics1 wherefore the spectacle of the
 names of the great men of ,greek and   

,roman letters1 scattered thickly about 
the pages of any book1 would not prove  
or even suggest unorthodoxy4 ,cardan    
quotes ,plato or ,aristotle or ,plotinus
 twenty times for any saint in the      
,calendar4 ,he does not mention the     
,virgin more than once or twice in the  
whole of the ,de ,vita ,propria2 and1 in
 discoursing on the immortality of the  
soul1 he cites the opinion of ,avicenna1
 but makes no mention of either saint or
 father4#bcj ,the world of classic      
thought was immeasurably nearer and more
 real to ,cardan than it can be to any  
modern dweller beyond the ,alps3 to him 
there had been no solution of continuity
 between classic times and his own4     
,when he sat down to write in the       
,theonoston his meditations on the death
 of his son1 in the vain hope of reaping
 consolation therefrom1 he invoked the  
golden rule of ,plotinus1 which lays    
down that the future is foreseen and    
arranged by the gods4 ,being thus       
arranged1 it must needs be just1 for    

,god is the highest expression of       
justice4 ,against a fate thus settled   
for us we have no right to complain1    
lest we should seem to be setting       
ourselves into opposition to ,god's     
will4 ,here1 although he writes in the  
spirit of a ,christian1 the authority   
cited is that of a heathen philosopher1 
and the form of his meditations is taken
 rather from ,seneca than from father or
 schoolman4 ,the devotional bias of     
,cardan's nature seems to have been     
strengthened temporarily by the terrible
 experiences of ,gian ,battista's trial 
and death2 but in the course of his     
residence at ,bologna a marked reaction 
set in1 and the fervent religious       
outburst1 in which he sought consolation
 during his intolerable sorrow1 was     
succeeded by a calmer mood which        
regarded the necessary evils of life as 
transitory accidents1 and death as the  
one and certain end of sorrow1 and      
perhaps of consciousness as well4 ,what 
he wrote during his residence in ,rome  

he kept in manuscript2 his recent       
experience at ,bologna warned him that1 
living under the shadow of the ,vatican 
with ,pius ,v4 as the ruler thereof1 it 
behoved him to walk as an obedient son  
of the ,church4  ,cardan went first to  
live in the ,piazza di ,san ,girolamo1  
not far from the ,porto del ,popolo1 but
 subsequently he lived in a house in the
 ,via ,giulia near the church of ,santa 
,maria di ,monserrato1 where probably he
 died4 ,he had not long been settled in 
,rome before he was able to add a fresh 
supernatural experience to his already  
overburdened list4 ,in the month of     
,august #aegb he was lying awake one    
night with a lamp burning1 when suddenly
 he heard a loud noise to the right of  
the chamber1 as if a cart laden with    
planks was being unloaded4 ,he looked   
up1 and1 the door being open at the     
time1 he perceived a peasant entering   
the room4 ,just as he was on the        
threshold the intruder uttered the      
words1 ,te sin casa1 and straightway    

vanished4 ,this apparition puzzled him  
greatly1 and he alludes to it again in  
chapter xlvii4 of the ,de ,vita         
,propria4 ,ultimately he dismisses it   
with the remark that the explanation of 
such phenomena is rather the duty of    
theologians than of philosophers4  ,with
 regard to matters of religious belief  
he seems to have taken as a rule of     
conduct the remark above written1 and   
left them to the care of professional   
experts1 for very few of his recorded   
opinions throw any light upon his views 
of the dogmas and doctrines of the      
,church4 ,whatever the tenor of these   
opinions may have been1 he never        
proclaimed them definitely4 ,probably   
they interested him little1 for he was  
not the man to keep silent over a       
subject which he had greatly at heart4  
,he gave a general assent to the        
teaching of the ,church1 taking up the  
mental attitude of the vast majority of 
the learned men of his time1 and        
expected that the ,church would do all  

that was necessary for him in its own   
particular province4 ,if he regarded    
,erasmus and ,luther as disturbers of   
the faith and heretics1 he did not say  
so1 nor did he censure their activity4  
7,erasmus he praises highly in the      
opening words of the horoscope which he 
drew for him4--,gen4 ,ex41 p4 #dif47    
,but he had certainly no desire to      
emulate them or give them his support4  
,the world of letters and science was   
wide enough even for his active spirit2 
the world lying behind the veil he left 
to the exploration of those inquirers   
who might have a taste for such a       
venture4 ,still every page of his life's
 record shows how strong was his bent   
towards the supernatural2 but the phase 
of the supernatural which he chose for  
study was one which ,churchmen1 as a    
rule1 had let alone4 ,spirits wandering 
about this world were of greater moment 
to him than spirits fixed in beatitude  
or bane in the next2 and accordingly1   
whenever he finds an opportunity1 he    

discourses of apparitions1 lami1 incubi1
 succubi1 malignant and beneficent      
genii1 and the methods of invoking them4
 ,now that old age was pressing heavily 
upon him and he began to yearn for      
support1 he sought consolation not in   
the ecstatic vision of the fervent      
,catholic1 but in fostering the belief  
that he was in sooth under the          
protection of some guardian spirit like 
that which had attended his father and  
divers of the sages of old4 ,although he
 had in his earlier days treated his    
father's belief with a certain degree of
 respect and credence1#bca there is no  
evidence that he was possessed with the 
notion that any such supernatural       
guardian attended his own footsteps at  
the time when he put together the ,de   
,varietate2 indeed it would seem that   
his belief was exactly the opposite4 ,he
 writes as follows3 ,it is first of all 
necessary to know that there is one     
,god1 the ,author of all good1 by whose 
power all things were made1 and in whose

 name all good things are brought to    
pass2 also1 that if a man shall err he  
need not be guilty of sin4 ,that there  
is no other to whom we owe anything or  
whom we are bound to worship or serve4  
,if we keep these sayings with a pure   
mind we shall be kept pure ourselves and
 free from sin4 ,what a demon may be ,i 
know not1 these beings ,i neither       
recognize nor love4 ,i worship one ,god1
 and ,him alone ,i serve4 ,and in truth 
these things ought not to be published  
in the hearing of unlearned folk2 for1  
if once this belief in spirits be taken 
up1 it may easily come to pass that they
 who apply themselves to such arts will 
attribute ,god's work to the devil4#bcb 
,and in another place3 ,i of a truth    
know of no spirit or genius which       
attends me2 but should one come to me1  
after being warned of the same in       
dreams1 if it should be given to me by  
,god1 ,i will still reverence ,god      
alone2 to ,him alone will ,i give       
thanks1 for any benefit which may befall

 me1 as the bountiful source and        
principle of all good4 ,and1 in sooth1  
the spirit may rest untroubled if ,i    
repay my debt to our common ,master4 ,i 
know full well that ,he has given to me1
 for my good genius1 reason1 patience in
 trouble1 a good disposition1 a         
disregard of money and dignities1 which 
gifts ,i use to the full1 and deem them 
better and greater possessions than the 
,demon of ,socrates4#bcc  ,about the    
,demon of ,socrates ,cardan has much to 
say in the ,de ,varietate4 ,he never    
even hints a doubt as to the veracity   
and sincerity of ,socrates4 ,he is quite
 sure that ,socrates was fully persuaded
 of the reality of his attendant genius1
 and favours the view that this belief  
may have been well founded4 ,he takes an
 agnostic position1#bcd confining his   
positive statement to an assertion of   
his own inability to realize the        
presence of any ghostly minister        
attendant upon himself4 ,in the ,de     
,subtilitate he tells an experience of  

his own by way of suggesting that some  
of the demons spoken of by the retailers
 of marvels might be figments of the    
brain4 ,in #aeej ,cardan was called in  
to see a certain woman who had long been
 troubled with an obscure disease of the
 bladder4 ,every known remedy was tried 
in vain1 when one day a certain         
,josephus ,niger1#bce a distinguished   
,greek scholar1 went to see the patient4
 ,niger1 according to ,cardan's account1
 was quite ignorant of medicine1 but he 
was reputed to be a skilled master of   
magic arts4 ,the woman had a son1 a boy 
about ten years old1 and ,josephus      
having handed him a three-cornered      
crystal1 which he had with him1 bade the
 youth secretly to look into it1 and    
then declare1 in his mother's hearing1  
that he could see in the crystal three  
very terrible demons going on foot4     
,then1 after ,josephus had whispered    
certain other words in the boy's ear1   
the boy went on to say that he beheld   
another demon1 vastly bigger than the   

first1 riding on horseback and bearing  
in his hand a three-tined fork4 ,this   
monster overthrew the other demons1 and 
led them away captive1 bound with chains
 to his saddlebow4 ,after listening to  
these words the woman rapidly got well1 
and ,cardan1 in commenting on the event1
 declares that she must have been cured 
either by the agency of the demons or by
 the force of the imagination1 inasmuch 
as it would be difficult1 if not        
impossible1 to invent any other reason  
of her recovery4#bcf ,in another passage
 of the ,de ,subtilitate he displays    
judicious reserve in writing of ,demons 
in general4#bcg  ,during those terrible 
days1 when his son had just died a      
felon's death1 and when he himself was  
haunted by the real dangers which beset 
him1 and almost maddened by the signs   
and tokens which seemed to tell of      
others to come1 the belief which ,fazio 
his father had nourished easily found a 
lodgment in his shaken and bewildered   
brain4 ,in the ,dialogus de ,humanis    

,consiliis1 one of the speakers tells of
 a certain man who is clearly meant to  
be ,cardan himself4 ,the speaker goes on
 to say that he is sure this man is     
attended by a genius1 which manifested  
itself to him somewhat late in his life4
 ,aforetime1 indeed1 it had been wont to
 convey to him warnings in dreams and by
 certain noises4 ,what greater proof of 
his power could there be than the cure  
of this man1 without the use of drugs1  
of an intestinal rupture on the right   
side8 ,if indeed it had not fared with  
him thus1 after his son's death1 he     
would at once have passed out of this   
life1 whereby many and great evils might
 have come to pass4 ,he was freed also  
from another troublesome ailment4 ,in   
sooth1 so many and so mighty are the    
wonderful things which had befallen him1
 that ,i1 who am very intimate with him 
7and he himself thinks the same71 am    
constrained to believe that he is       
attended by a genius1 great and powerful
 and rare1 and that he is not the master

 of his own actions4 ,what he would     
have1 he has not2 and what he has1 he   
would not have chosen1 or even wished   
for4 ,this thing causes him much        
trouble1 but he submits when he reflects
 that all things are ,god's handiwork4  
,the speaker ends by saying that he     
never heard of any others thus attended1
 save this man1 and his father before   
him1 and ,socrates4#bch  ,but it is in  
chapter xlvii4 of the ,de ,vita         
,propria1 which must have been written  
shortly before his death1 that he lets  
the reader see most plainly how strong  
was the hold which this belief in a     
guardian spirit of his own had taken    
upon him4 ,it is an admitted truth1 he  
writes1 that attendant spirits have     
protected certain men1 to wit1          
,socrates1 ,plotinus1 ,synesius1 ,dion1 
,flavius ,josephus1 and myself4 ,all of 
these have enjoyed prosperous lives     
except ,socrates and me1 and ,i1 as ,i  
have said before1 was at one time       
offered many and favourable             

opportunities for the achievement of    
happiness4 ,but ,c4 ,csar the dictator1 
,cicero1 ,antony1 ,brutus1 and ,cassius 
were also attended by mighty spirits1   
albeit malignant4 ,for a long time ,i   
have been persuaded that ,i too had one1
 but by what method it gave me          
intelligence as to events about to      
happen1 ,i could not exactly ascertain  
until ,i reached the seventy-fourth year
 of my age1 the season when ,i began to 
write this record of my life4 ,i now    
perceive that when ,i was in ,milan in  
#aeeg1 when my genius perceived what was
 hanging over me--how that my son on    
that same evening had promised to marry 
,brandonia ,seroni1 and that he would   
complete the nuptials the following     
day--it produced in me that palpitation 
of the heart of which ,i have already   
made mention1 a weakness known to my    
genius alone1 a manifestation which     
served to simulate a trembling of the   
bed4  ,cardan writes at length to show  
that the mysterious knocking which he   

and ,rodolfo ,sylvestro had heard during
 his imprisonment at ,bologna1 the      
peasant who entered his bed-chamber     
saying ,te sin casa1 and divers other   
manifestations1 going back as far as    
#aeca--;croaking of ravens1 barking of  
dogs1 and the ignition of               
fire-wood--must all have been brought   
about by the working of this powerful   
spirit4 ,in #aegj there happened to him 
one of his everyday experiences of the  
presence of supernatural powers4 ,in the
 middle of the night he was conscious of
 some presence walking about the room4  
,it sat down beside him1 and at the same
 time a loud noise arose from a chest   
which stood near4 ,this phenomenon1 he  
admits1 might well have been the figment
 of a brain overburdened with thought2  
but suddenly his memory flies back to an
 experience of his twentieth year1 upon 
which he proceeds to build a story1 wild
 and fanciful even for his powers of    
imagination4 ,what man was it1 he asks1 
who sold me that copy of ,apuleius when 

,i was in my twentieth year1 and        
forthwith went away8 ,i indeed1 at that 
time1 had made only one essay in the    
literary arena1 and had no knowledge of 
the ,latin tongue2 but in spite of this1
 and because the book had a gilded      
cover1 ,i was imprudent enough to buy   
it4 ,the very next day ,i found myself  
just as well versed in ,latin as ,i am  
now4 ,moreover1 almost at the same time 
,i acquired knowledge of ,greek and     
,spanish and ,french1 sufficient for    
reading books written in these          
languages4  ,cardan was by this time    
completely possessed by the belief in   
his attendant genius1 and the flash of  
memory which recalled the purchase of   
some book or other in his youth1        
suggested likewise the attribution of   
certain mystic powers to this guardian  
genius1 and conjured up some fanciful   
explanation as to the way these powers  
had been exercised upon himself2 he1 the
 person most closely concerned1 being   
entirely unconscious of their operation 

at the time when they first affected    
him4 ,this recorded belief in a gift of 
tongues is one of the most convincing   
bits of evidence to be gleaned from     
,cardan's writings of the insanity which
 undoubtedly afflicted him1 at least    
periodically1 at this crisis of his     
life4  ,,footnotes3  #bba ,he mentions  
this matter briefly in the ,de ,vita    
,propria3 ,bis arsisset lectus1 prdixi  
me non permansurum ,bononi1 et prima    
vice restiti1 secunda non potui4--ch4   
xli4 p4 #aea4 ,a fuller account of it is
 in ,opera1 tom4 x4 p4 #dfd4  #bbb      
,opera1 tom4 x4 p4 #dfd4  #bbc ,de ,vita
 ,propria1 ch4 xxx4 p4 #hj4 ,he seems to
 have had many untoward experiences in  
driving4 ,he tells of another mishap    
7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #dgb7 in ,june      
#aegj2 how a fellow1 some tipstaff of   
the courts1 jumped into his carriage and
 frightened the mares ,cardan was       
driving1 jeering at them likewise       
because they were rather bare of flesh4 
#bbd ,demum sub conductionis fine1 voces

 sparserunt1 et maxime apud ,moronum    
,cardinalem1 me exiguo auditorio        
profiteri1 quod quanquam non omnino     
verum esset1 quinimo ab initio ,academi 
multos1 et usque ad dies jejunii haberem
 auditores4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4    
xvii4 p4 #ef4  #bbe ,de ,vita ,propria1 
ch4 xvii4 p4 #eg4  #bbf ,de ,vita       
,propria1 ch4 xliii4 p4 #afc4  #bbg     
,alii multis diebus abstinent cibo1 alii
 igne uruntur1 ac ferro secantur1 nullum
 doloris vestigium preferentes2 multi   
sunt vocem e pectore mittentes1 qui olim
 engastrimuthi dicebantur2 hoc autem    
maxime eis contingit cum orgia qudam    
exercent1 atque circumferuntur in orbem4
 ,qu tria ut verissima sunt et naturali 
ratione mira tamen constant1 cujus      
superius mentionem fecimus1 ita illud   
confictum nasci pueros e mulieribus     
absque concubitu4--,de ,subtilitate1 p4 
#cec4  #bbh ,ranke1 ,history of the     
,popes1 vol4 i4 p4 #bdf4  #bbi ,mr4     
,stephen ,paget in his life of ,ambroise
 ,par1 the great contemporary ,french   

surgeon1 gives an interesting account of
 ,par's beliefs on the divine cause of  
the plague1 p4 #bfi4  #bcj ,de ,vita    
,propria1 ch4 xxii4 p4 #fc4  #bca ,multa
 de dmonibus narrabat1 qu quam vera     
essent nescio4--,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cdh4
  #bcb ,de ,varietate1 p4 #cea4  #bcc   
,ibid41 p4 #feh4  #bcd ,in his counsel  
to his children1 he writes3 ,do not     
believe that you hear demons speak to   
you1 or that you behold the dead4 ,seek 
not to learn the truth of these things1 
for they are amongst the things which   
are hidden from us4  #bce ,cardan       
alludes to ,niger in ,de ,varietate1 p4 
#fda3 ,referebat aliquando ,josephus    
,niger harum rerum maxim peritus1 dmonem
 pueris se sub forma ,christi           
ostendisse1 petiisseque ut adoraretur4  
#bcf ,de ,subtilitate1 p4 #ecj4  #bcg   
,nolim ego ad trutinam hc sectari1 velut
 ,porphyrius1 ,psellus1 ,plotinus1      
,proclus1 ,jamblicus1 qui copiose de his
 qu non videre1 velut historiam nat rei 
scripserunt4--,de ,subtilitate1 p4 #edj4

  #bch ,opera1 tom4 i4 #fgb4            
,,chapter ,,xiii   ,,after the          
accusation brought against him at ,milan
 in #aefb1 ,cardan had been prohibited  
from teaching or lecturing in that city1
 and similar disabilities had followed  
his recent imprisonment at ,bologna4 ,at
 ,rome no duties of this kind awaited   
him1 so he had full time to follow his  
physician's calling after taking up his 
residence there4 ,he records the cure of
 a noble matron1 ,clementina ,massa1 and
 of ,cesare ,buontempo1 a jurisconsult1 
both of whom had been suffering for     
nearly two years4 ,the circumstances of 
his retirement from ,bologna would not  
affect his reputation as a physician1   
and he seems to have had in ,rome as    
many or even more patients than he cared
 to treat2 and in writing in general    
terms concerning his successes as a     
healer1 he says3 ,in all1 ,i restored to
 health more than a hundred patients1   
given up as incurable in ,milan1 in     
,bologna1 and in ,rome4 ,of all the     

friends ,cardan had in this closing     
period of his life1 none was more useful
 or benevolent than ,cardinal ,alciati1 
who1 although he had been secretary to  
,pius ,,iv41 contrived to retain the    
favour of his successor4 ,this piece of 
good fortune ,alciati owed to the       
protection of ,carlo ,borromeo1 who had 
been his pupil at ,pavia1 and had       
procured for him from ,pius ,,iv4 a     
bishopric1 a cardinal's hat1 and the    
secretaryship of ,dataria4 ,another of  
,cardan's powerful friends was the      
,prince of ,matellica1 of whom he speaks
 in terms of praise inflated enough to  
be ridiculous1 were it not for the      
accompanying note of pathos4 ,after     
celebrating the almost divine character 
of this nobleman1 his munificence and   
his superhuman abilities1 he goes on3   
,what could there be in me to win the   
kindly notice of such a patron8         
,certainly ,i had done him no service1  
nor could he hope ,i should ever do him 
any in the future1 ,i1 an old man1 an   

outcast of fortune1 and prostrated by   
calamity4 ,in sooth1 there was naught   
about me to attract him2 if indeed he   
found any merit in me1 it must have been
 my uprightness4  ,powerful friends are 
never superfluous1 and ,cardan seems to 
have needed them in ,rome as much as in 
,bologna4 ,in #aegc he again hints at   
plots against his life1 but almost      
immediately after recording his         
suspicions he goes on to suggest that   
his danger had arisen chiefly from his  
ignorance of the streets of ,rome1 and  
from the uncouth manners of the         
populace4 ,many physicians1 more        
cautious than myself1 and better versed 
in the customs of the place1 have come  
by their death from similar cause4 ,the 
danger1 whatever its nature1 seems to   
have threatened him as a member of the  
practising faculty at ,rome rather than 
as the persecuted ex-teacher of ,pavia  
and ,bologna4 ,rodolfo ,sylvestro was   
not the only one of his former          
associates near him in his old age1 for 

he notes that ,simone ,sosia1 who had   
been his famulus at ,pavia in #aefb1 was
 still in his service at ,rome4  ,in    
reviewing the machinations of his       
enemies to bring about his dismissal    
from the ,professorship at ,bologna1    
,cardan indulges in the reflection that 
these men unwillingly did him good      
service1 that is1 they procured him     
leisure which he might use in the       
completion of his unfinished works1 and 
in the construction of fresh monuments  
which he proposed to build up out of the
 vast store of material accumulated in  
his industrious brain4 ,the literary    
record of his life in ,rome shows that  
this was no vain saying4 ,he was at work
 on the later chapters of the ,de ,vita 
,propria up to the last weeks of his    
life2 and1 scattered about these1 there 
are records of his work of correction   
and revising4 ,while telling of the     
books he has lately been engaged with1  
he wanders off in the same sentence to  
talk of the dream which urged him to    

write the ,de ,subtilitate1 and of the  
execution of the ,commentarii in        
,ptolomum1 during his voyage down the   
,loire4 ,in #aegc he seems to have found
 the mass of undigested work more than  
he could bear to behold2 for1 after     
making extracts of such matter as he    
deemed worth keeping1 he consigned to   
the flames no less than a hundred and   
twenty of his manuscripts4#bci ,before  
leaving ,bologna he had put into shape  
the ,proxenata1 a lengthy collection of 
hints1 maxims1 and reflections as to    
everyday life2 he had re-edited the     
,liber ,artis ,magn1 and had added      
thereto the treatise ,de                
,proportionibus1 and the ,regula ,aliza4
 ,he also took in hand two books on     
,geometry1 and one on ,music1 and this  
last he completed in #aegd4 ,on         
,november #af1 #aegd1 he records that he
 is at that moment writing an           
explanation of the more abstruse works  
of ,hippocrates1 but that he is yet far 
from the end of his task4  ,in the ,de  

,libris ,propriis he gives a list of all
 his published works1 and likewise a    
table of the same arranged in the order 
in which they ought to be read4 ,he     
apologizes for the imperfect state in   
which some of them are left1 and        
declares that the sight of his          
unfinished tasks never fails to awaken  
in his breast a bitter sense of         
resentment over that loss which he had  
never ceased to mourn4 ,at one time ,i  
hoped1 he writes1 that these works would
 be corrected by my son1 but this favour
 you see has been denied to me4 ,the    
desire of my enemies was not to make an 
end of him1 but of me2 not by gentle    
means1 in sooth1 but by cruel open      
murder2 to let me fall in the very blood
 of my son4 ,it is somewhat remarkable  
that in this matter ,cardan was destined
 to suffer a disappointment similar to  
that which he himself brought upon his  
own father by refusing to qualify       
himself to become the commentator on    
,archbishop ,peckham's ,perspectiva4 ,he

 next gives the names of all those who  
had commended him in their works1 and   
finds a special cause for gratification 
in the fact that1 out of the long list  
set down1 only four or five were known  
to him personally1 and these not        
intimately4 ,there is1 however1 another 
short list of censors2 and of these he  
affirms that a certain ,brodeus alone is
 worthy of respect4 ,of ,buteon1 who    
criticized the treatise on ,arithmetic1 
he says3 ,est plane stultus et elleboro 
indiget4 ,tartaglia's name is there1 and
 he1 according to ,cardan1 was forced to
 eat his words2 but he was ashamed to do
 what he promised1 and unwilling to blot
 out what he had written4 ,he went on in
 his wrong-headed course1 living upon   
the labour of other men like a greedy   
crow1 a manifest robber of other men's  
wealth of study2 so impudent that he    
published as his own1 in the ,italian   
tongue1 that invention for the raising  
of sunken ships which ,i had made known 
four years before4 ,this he did1        

understanding the subject only          
imperfectly1 and making no mention of my
 name4 ,but men of real learning also   
attacked me3 ,rondeletius1 and ,julius  
,scaliger2 and ,fuchsius1 in the proem  
of his book1 says that my work ,medicin 
,contradictiones should be avoided like 
deadly poison4 ,julius ,scaliger has    
been fully answered in the ,apologia in 
the ,books on ,subtlety4#bdj  ,there is 
a passage from ,de ,thou's ,history of  
his ,own ,times1 affixed to all editions
 of the ,de ,vita ,propria1#bda in which
 is given a contemporary sketch of      
,cardan during his residence at ,rome4  
,his whole life1 ,de ,thou writes1 has  
been as strange as his present manners1 
and he1 in sooth1 out of singleness of  
mind or frankness1 has written about    
himself certain statements1 the like of 
which have never before been heard of a 
man of letters1 and these ,i do not feel
 bound to unfold to any one1 let him be 
ever so curious4 ,i1 myself1 happening  
to be in ,rome a few years before his   

death1 often spoke to him and observed  
him with astonishment as he took his    
walks about the city clad in strange    
garb4 ,when ,i considered the many      
writings of this famous man1 ,i could   
perceive in him nothing to justify his  
great renown4 ,wherefore ,i am all the  
more inclined to turn to that very acute
 criticism of ,julius ,csar ,scaliger1  
who exercised his extraordinary genius  
in making a special examination of the  
treatise ,de ,subtilitate ,rerum4 ,he1  
having carefully noted everywhere the   
unequal powers of this writer1 decided  
that he was one who1 in certain         
subjects1 knew more than a man could    
know1 while in others he seemed more    
simple than a child4 ,in the science of 
,arithmetic he worked hard and made many
 discoveries2 but he was subject to     
strange and excessive aberration of     
mind1 and was guilty of the most        
impudent blasphemy1 in that he was      
minded to subject to the artificial laws
 of the stars the ,ruler of the stars   

,himself1 for this thing he did in the  
horoscope of our ,saviour which he drew4
  ,another witness of his life in ,rome 
is ,franois d',amboise1 a young ,french 
nobleman1 who was engaged on his book   
,de ,symbolis ,heroicis4 ,he says that  
he saw ,cardan1 who was living in a     
spacious house1 on the walls of which1  
in place of elegant paintings or        
vari-coloured tapestries1 were written  
the words1 ,tempus mea possessio4  ,in  
his later writings there are farther    
indications that he was wont to conjure 
up omens and portents chiefly at those  
times when he was in danger and mental  
distress4 ,in the case which is given   
below1 the omen showed itself in a      
season of trouble1 but ,cardan1 in      
describing it later1 treats it as if he 
were a modern scientist4 ,the           
distressing memories of the imprisonment
 had faded1 and writing in ease and     
security at ,rome he begins to          
rationalize4 ,in the dialogue between   
himself and his father1 written shortly 

before his death1 ,fazio calls his son's
 attention to certain of the omens and  
portents already noticed2 and1 after    
discussing these1 ,jerome goes on to    
tell for the first time of another      
boding event which1 as he affirms1      
distressed him even more than the loss  
of his office and the prohibition to    
publish his books4 ,on the day of his   
incarceration1 on two different         
occasions1 he met a cow being driven to 
the slaughter-house1 with much shouting 
and beating with sticks and barking of  
dogs4 ,the explanation of this event    
which he puts in ,fazio's mouth is      
entirely conceived in the spirit of     
rationalism4 ,what was there to wonder  
at8 ,there was a butcher's shop in the  
street1 and animals going to slaughter  
would naturally be met there4 ,why      
should a man fear to meet a cow8 ,if it 
had been a bull there might have been   
something in it4 ,then with regard to   
the shaking of a window-casement2 this  
might easily have been occasioned by the

 flight of a bird4#bdb ,he was certainly
 less inclined to put faith in the      
warnings of the stars and in the lines  
of his hand4 ,his line of life was very 
short and irregular1 intersected and    
bifurcated1 while the rest of the lines 
were little thicker than hairs4 ,in his 
horoscope was a certain malefic         
influence which threatened that his life
 would be cut short before his          
forty-fifth year4 ,but1 he writes in the
 year before his death1 here ,i am1     
living at the age of seventy-five4#bdc  
,the one supernatural idea which seems  
to have deepened with old age and       
remained undisturbed to the end was his 
belief in his attendant genius4 ,in what
 he wrote during his last years his mood
 was almost entirely introspective1     
contemplative1 and didactic1 yet here   
and there he introduces a sentence which
 lets in a little light from his way of 
life and personal affairs1 and helps to 
show how he occupied himself1 and what  
his humour was4 ,he tells how one day1  

in #aegf1 he was writing about the      
fennel plant in his treatise ,de ,tuenda
 ,sanitate1 a plant which he praised    
highly because it pleased his palate4   
,but shortly afterwards1 when he was    
walking one day in the ,roman vegetable 
market1 an old man1 shabbily dressed1   
met him and dissuaded him from the use  
of the plant aforesaid1 saying3 ,in     
,galen's opinion you may as readily meet
 your death thereby as by eating        
hemlock4 ,i answered that ,i knew well  
enough the difference between hemlock   
and fennel1 but the old man said1 ',take
 care1 ,i know what ,i am saying1' and  
went on murmuring something about       
,galen4 ,whereupon ,i went home and     
found in ,galen a passage ,i had not    
hitherto noticed1 and1 having changed my
 former views1 ,i added many fresh      
excerpts to my treatise4  ,although his 
faith may have been shaken in the       
ability of the stars to govern his own  
fortunes1 he records a case in which he 
himself filled the post of vates1 and   

which came to a sudden and terrible     
issue4 ,cardan was present at a         
supper-party1 and in the course of      
conversation let fall the remark1 ,i    
should like to say something1 were ,i   
not afraid that my words would disturb  
the company1 to which one of the guests 
replied1 ,you mean that you would       
prophesy death to one of us here        
present4 ,cardan replied1 ,yes1 within  
the present year1 and in the next       
sentence he tells how on the first day  
of ,december in that same year a certain
 young man1 named ,virgilius1 who had   
been present at the gathering aforesaid1
 died1 and he sets down this event as a 
fulfilment of his prophecy4  ,but in the
 same chapter he lets the reader into   
the secret of his system of prophecy1   
and displays it as simply an affair of  
common-sense1 one recommended by        
,aristotle as the only trustworthy      
method of divining future events4       
,cardan writes3 ,i used to inquire what 
might be the exact nature of the        

business in hand1 and began by making   
myself acquainted with the character of 
the locality1 the ways of the people1   
and the quality of the chief actors4 ,i 
unfolded a vast number of historical    
instances1 leading events and secret    
transactions as well1 and then1 when ,i 
had confirmed the facts set forth by my 
method of art1 ,i gave my judgment      
thereupon4#bdd  ,in his latter years    
,cardan must have been in easy          
circumstances4 ,the pension from the    
,pope--no mention is made of its        
amount--and the fees he received from   
his patients allowed him to keep a      
carriage2 and writing in his            
seventy-fifth year1 he says that no fees
 would tempt him to join any            
consultation unless he should be well   
assured what sort of men he was expected
 to meet4#bde  ,in the ,norma ,vit      
,consarcinata#bdf he relates how in     
,april #aegf there were two inmates of  
the ,xenodochium at ,rome1 ,troilus and 
,dominicus4 ,it seemed that ,troilus    

exercised some strange and malefic      
influence over his companion1 who was   
taken with fever4 ,he got well of this1 
but only to fall into a dropsy1 which   
despatched him in a week4 ,shortly      
before his death1 at the seventh hour1  
he cried out to two ,spaniards who were 
standing by the bed that he had suffered
 such great torture from the working of 
,troilus1 and that he was dying         
therefrom4 ,therefore1 he cried1 in your
 presence ,i summon him with my dying   
words to appear before ,god's tribunal1 
that he may give an account of all the  
evil he has wrought against me4 ,on the 
following day there came a messenger    
from ,corneto1 a few miles from ,rome1  
saying that ,troilus1 who was sojourning
 there1 had fallen sick4 ,the physician 
inquired at what hour1 and the messenger
 said it was at seven o'clock1 a day or 
two ago4 ,he lay ill some days1 an      
unfavourable case1 but not a desperate  
one1 and one night shortly afterwards at
 seven o'clock1 the top of the mosquito 

curtains fell1 and he died at exactly   
the same hour as ,dominicus4  ,he tells 
another long story of an adventure which
 befell him in ,may #aegf4 ,one day he  
was driving in his carriage in the      
,forum1 when he remembered that he      
wanted to see a certain jeweller who    
lived in a narrow alley close by4       
,wherefore he told his coachman1 a      
stupid fellow1 to go to the ,campo      
,altoviti1 and await him there4 ,the    
coachman drove off apparently           
understanding the order2 but1 instead of
 going to the place designated1 went    
somewhere else2 so ,cardan1 when he set 
about to find his carriage1 sought in   
vain4 ,he had a notion that the man had 
gone to a spot near the citadel1 so he  
walked thither1 encumbered with the     
thick garments he had put on as         
necessary for riding in the carriage4   
,just then he met a friend of his1      
,vincenzio1 a ,bolognese musician1 who  
remarked that ,cardan was not in his    
carriage as usual4 ,the old man went on 

towards the citadel1 but saw nothing of 
the carriage2 and now he began to be    
seriously troubled1 for there was naught
 else to be done but to go back over the
 bridge1 and he was wearied with long   
fasting and his heavy clothes4 ,he might
 indeed have asked for the loan of a    
carriage from the ,governor of the      
castle2 but he was unwilling to do this1
 so having commended himself to ,god1 he
 resolved to use all his patience and   
prudence in finding his way back4 ,he   
set out1 and when he had crossed the    
bridge1 he entered the banking-house of 
the ,altoviti to inquire as to the      
alteration in the rate of exchange on   
,naples1 and there sat down to rest4    
,while the banker was giving him this   
information1 the ,governor entered the  
place1 whereupon ,cardan went out and   
there he found his carriage1 the driver 
having been informed by ,vincenzio1 whom
 he had met1 of the mistake he had made4
 ,cardan got into the carriage1 and     
while he was wondering whether or not he

 had better go home and break his fast1 
he found three raisins in his pocket1   
and thus made a fortunate ending of all 
his difficulties4  ,all this reads like 
a commonplace chapter of accidents2 but 
the events recorded did not present     
themselves to ,cardan in this guise4 ,he
 sits down to moralize over the         
succession of momentary events3 his     
meeting with ,vincenzio2 ,vincenzio's   
meeting with the driver1 and directions 
given to the man to drive to the        
money-changers'2 the presence of the    
,governor1 his exit from the bank1 his  
consequent meeting with the carriage1   
and his discovery of the raisins1 seven 
occurrences in all1 any one of which1 if
 it had happened a little sooner or a   
little later1 would have brought about  
great inconvenience1 or even worse4 ,he 
does not deny that other men may not now
 and then encounter like experiences1   
but the experiences of other men were   
not fraught with such momentous crises1 
nor did they foreshadow so many or grave

 dangers4  ,the chronicling of this     
episode and the fanciful coincidence of 
the deaths of ,dominicus and ,troilus   
may be taken as evidence that his       
idiosyncrasies were becoming aggravated 
by the decay of his faculties4 ,writing 
on ,october #a1 #aegf1 he makes mention 
of the various testaments he had already
 made1 and goes on to say that he had   
resolved to make a new and final        
disposition of his goods4 ,he would fain
 have let his property descend to his   
immediate offspring1 but with a son like
 ,aldo this was impossible1 so he left  
all to ,gian ,battista's son1 who would 
now be a youth about eighteen years of  
age1 ,aldo getting nothing4 ,he desired1
 for reasons best known to himself1 that
 all his descendants should remain in   
curatela as long as possible1 and that  
all his property should be held on      
trust2 if the issue of his body should  
fail1 then the succession should pass in
 perpetuity to his kinsfolk on the      
father's side4 ,he desired that his     

works should be corrected and printed1  
and that1 if heirs failed entirely1 his 
house at ,bologna should pass to the    
,university1 and be styled1 after his   
family1 ,collegium ,cardanorum4  ,there 
is no authentic record of the exact date
 of ,cardan's death4 ,de ,thou1 in      
writing the record of #aegf1 says that  
if ,cardan's life had been prolonged by 
three days he would have completed his  
seventy-fifth year4 ,as ,cardan's       
birthday was ,september #bd1 #aeja1 this
 would fix his death on ,september #ba1 
#aegf4 ,the exact figures given by ,de  
,thou are3 eodem1 quo prdixerat1 anno et
 die1 videlicet ,,xi4 ,kalend4 ,,viii41 
and he adds by way of information that a
 belief was current at the time that    
,cardan1 who had foretold how he would  
die on this day and in this year1 had   
abstained from food for some days       
previous to his death in order to make  
the fatal day square with the prophecy4 
,but the details which ,cardan himself  
has set down concerning the last few    

weeks of his life are inconsistent with 
the facts chronicled by ,de ,thou4 ,in  
the ,de ,vita ,propria1 chapter xxxvi41 
,cardan records how on ,october #a1     
#aegf1 he set to work to make his last  
will and testament1 wherefore if credit 
is to be given to his version rather    
than to that of ,de ,thou1 he was alive 
and active some days after the date of  
his death as fixed by the chronicler4   
,in cases where the record of an event  
of his early life given in the ,de ,vita
 ,propria differs from an account of the
 same in some contemporary writing1 the 
testimony of the ,de ,vita ,propria may 
justly be put aside2 but in this        
instance he was writing of something    
which could only have happened a few    
days past1 and the balance of           
probability is that he was right and ,de
 ,thou wrong4 ,bayle notices this       
discrepancy1 and in the same paragraph  
taxes ,de ,thou with a mistake of which 
he is innocent4 ,he states that ,de     
,thou placed the date of ,cardan's death

 in #aege1 whereas the excerpt cited    
above runs3 ,thuanus ad annum           
,,mdlxxvi41 p4 #acf1 lib4 lxii4 tom4 #d4
 ,rom magni nominis sive ,mathematicus1 
sive ,medicus ,hieronymus ,cardanus     
,mediol4 natus hoc anno itidem obiit4   
,no mention is made of the disease to   
which ,cardan finally succumbed4 ,had   
his frame not been of the strongest and 
most wiry1 it must have gone to pieces  
long before through the havoc wrought by
 the severe and continuous series of    
ailments with which it was afflicted2 so
 it seems permissible to assume that he 
died of natural decay4 ,his body was    
interred in the church of ,sant ,andrea 
at ,rome1 and was subsequently          
transferred to ,milan to be deposited   
finally under the stone which covered   
the bones of his father in the church of
 ,san ,marco4 ,this tomb1 which ,jerome 
had erected after ,fazio's death1 bore  
the following inscription3              
,,facio  ,,cardano                      
#a4;,c4        ,mors fuit id quod vixi3 

vitam mors dedit ipsa1       ,mens terna
 manet1 gloria tuta quies4    ,obiit    
anno ,,mdxxiv4 ,,iv4 ,kalend4 ,sept4    
anno tatis ,,lxxx4   ,hieronymus        
,cardanus ,medicus ,parenti posterisque 
,v4,p4#bdg  ,,footnotes3  #bci ,qua     
causa permotus sim ad scribendum1       
superius intellexisse te existimo1      
quippe somnio monitus1 inde bis1 terque1
 ac quater1 ac pluries1 ut alias        
testatus sum2 sed et desiderio          
perpetuandi nominis4 ,bis autem magnam  
copiam ac numerum eorum perdidi2 primum 
circa ,,xxxvii annum1 cum circiter ,,ix4
 libros exussi1 quod vanos ac nullius   
utilitatis futuros esse intelligerem2   
anno autem ,,mdlxxiii alios ,,cxx       
libros1 cum jam calamitas illa cessasset
 cremavi4--,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xlv4 
pp4 #agd1 #age4  #bdj ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4
 #abb4  #bda ,de ,vita ,propria1 p4     
#bcb4  #bdb ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fci4 ,in
 the ,de ,varietate he says that natural
 causes may in most cases be found for  
seeming marvels4 ,ecce auditur strepitus

 in domo1 potest esse mus1 felis1       
ericius1 aut quod tigna subsidant       
blatta4--p4 #fbd4  #bdc ,de ,vita       
,propria1 ch4 xli4 p4 #aeb4  #bdd ,de   
,vita ,propria1 chapter xlii41 passim4  
#bde ,ibid41 p4 #ff4  #bdf ,opera1 tom4 
i4 p4 #cci4  #bdg ,tomasinus1 ,gymnasium
 ,patavinum4     ,,chapter ,,xiv   ,,the
 estimates hitherto made concerning     
,cardan's character appear to have been 
influenced too completely1 one way or   
the other1 by the judgment pronounced   
upon him by ,gabriel ,naud1 and prefixed
 to all editions of the ,de ,vita       
,propria4 ,some writers have been       
disposed to treat ,naud as a hide-bound 
pedant1 insensible to the charm of      
genius1 and the last man who ought to be
 trusted as the valuator of a nature so 
richly gifted1 original1 and erratic as 
was ,cardan's4 ,such critics are content
 to regard as black anything which ,naud
 calls white and vice vers4 ,others     
accept him as a witness entirely        
trustworthy1 and adopt as a true        

description of ,cardan the paragraphs   
made up of uncomplimentary              
adjectives--applied by ,cardan to       
himself--which ,naud has transferred    
from the ,de ,vita ,propria and the     
,geniturarum ,exempla to his ,judicium  
de ,cardano4  ,it may be conceded at    
once that the impression received from a
 perusal of this criticism is in the    
main an unfavourable one of ,cardan as a
 man1 although ,naud shows himself no   
niggard of praise when he deals with    
,cardan's achievements in ,medicine and 
,mathematics4 ,but in appraising the    
qualifications of ,naud to act as a     
judge in this case1 it will be necessary
 to bear in mind the fact that he was in
 his day a leading exponent of liberal  
opinions1 the author of a treatise      
exposing the mummeries and sham         
mysteries of the ,rosicrucians1 and of  
an ,apologie pour les ,grands ,hommes   
souponnez de ,magie1 and a disbeliever  
in supernatural manifestations of every 
kind4 ,with a mind thus attuned it is no

 matter of surprise that ,naud should   
have been led to speak somewhat severely
 when called upon to give judgment on a 
man saturated as ,cardan was with the   
belief in sorcery1 witches1 and         
attendant demons4  ,if ,naud indeed set 
to work with the intention of drawing a 
figure of ,cardan which should stand out
 a sinister apparition in the eyes of   
posterity1 his task was an easy one4    
,all he had to do was to place ,jerome  
,cardan himself in the witness-box4     
,reference to the passages already      
quoted will show that1 in the whole     
corpus of autobiographic literature1    
there does not exist a volume in which  
the work of self-dissection has been so 
ruthlessly and completely undertaken and
 executed as in ,cardan's memoirs4 ,it  
has all the vices of an old man's book2 
it is garrulous1 vain-glorious1 and full
 of needless repetition2 but1 whatever  
portion of his life may be under        
consideration1 the author never shrinks 
from holding up to the world's gaze the 

result of his searches in the deepest   
abysses of his conscience4              
,autobiographers1 as a rule1 do not feel
 themselves subject to a responsibility 
so deep as this4 ,memory turns back to  
the contemplation of certain springs of 
action1 certain achievements in the     
past1 making a judicious selection from 
these1 and excerpting only such as      
promise to furnish the possible reader  
with a pleasing impression of the       
personality of the subject4 ,with       
material of this sort at hand1 the      
autobiographer sets to work to construct
 a fair and gracious monument1 being    
easily persuaded that it would be a     
barbarous act to mar its symmetry by the
 introduction of loathly and misshapen  
blocks like those which ,cardan1 had he 
been the artist1 would have chosen first
 of all4  ,naud1 after he has recorded  
the fact that1 from his first essay in  
letters1 he had been a zealous and      
appreciative student of ,cardan's works1
 sets down ,cardan's picture of himself1

 taken from his own ,horoscope in the   
,geniturarum ,exempla1 nugacem1         
religionis contemptorem1 injuri illat   
memorem1 invidum1 tristem1 insidiatorem1
 proditorem1 magum1 incantatorem1       
frequentibus calamitatibus obnoxium1    
suorum osore1 turpi libidini deditum1   
solitarium1 inamoenum1 austerum1 spont  
etiam divinantem1 zelotypum1 lascivum1  
obscoenum1 maledicum1 obsequiosum1 senum
 conversatione se delectantem1 varium1  
ancipitem1 impuru1 et dolis mulierum    
obnoxium1 calumniatorem1 et omnino      
incognitum propter natur et morum       
repugnantiam1 etiam his cum quibus      
assidue versor4 ,the critic at once goes
 on to state that in his opinion this   
description1 drawn by the person who    
ought to know best1 is1 in the main1 a  
correct one4 ,what better account could 
you expect1 he asks1 of a man who put   
faith in dreams and portents and        
auguries2 who believed fully in the     
utterances of crazy beldames1 who saw   
ghosts1 and who believed he was attended

 by a familiar demon8 ,then follows a   
catalogue of moral offences and defects 
of character1 all taken from ,cardan's  
own confessions1 and a pronunciation by 
,naud that the man who says he never    
lies1 must be of all liars the greatest2
 the charge of mendacity being driven   
home by references to ,cardan's alleged 
miraculous comprehension of the classic 
tongues in a single night1 and his      
pretended knowledge of a cure for       
phthisis4 ,there is no need to follow   
,naud farther in his diatribe against   
the faults and imperfections1 real and  
apparent1 of ,cardan's character2 these 
must be visible enough to the most      
cursory student4 ,passages like these   
arouse the suspicion that ,naud knew    
books better than men1 that at any rate 
he did not realize that men are to be   
found1 and not seldom1 who take pleasure
 in magnifying their foibles into       
gigantic follies1 and their peccadilloes
 into atrocious crimes2 while the rarity
 is to come across one who will set down

 these details with the                 
circumstantiality used by ,cardan4      
,there is one defect in the ,de ,vita   
,propria--an artistic one--which ,naud  
does not notice1 namely1 that in his    
narrative of his early days ,cardan     
often over-reaches himself4 ,his show of
 extreme accuracy destroys the          
perspective of the story1 and1 in his   
anxiety to be minute over the sequence  
of his childish ailments1 the most      
trivial details of his uneasy dreams1   
and the cuffs he got from his father and
 his ,aunt ,margaret1 he confuses the   
reader with multitudinous particulars   
and ceases to be dramatic4 ,but the     
hallucinations which he nourished about 
himself were not all the outcome of     
senility4 ,in the ,de ,varietate1 the   
work upon which he spent the greatest   
care1 and the product moreover of his   
golden prime1 he gives an account of    
four marvellous properties with which he
 was gifted4#bdh ,the first of these was
 the power to pass1 whenever the whim   

seized him1 from sense into a kind of   
ecstasy4 ,while he was in this state he 
could hear but faintly the sound of     
voices1 and could not distinguish spoken
 words4 ,whether he would be sensitive  
to any great pain he could not say1 but 
twitchings and the sharpest attacks of  
gout affected him not4 ,when he fell    
into this state he felt a certain       
separation about the heart1 as if his   
soul were departing from that region and
 taking possession of his whole body1 a 
door being opened for the passage of the
 same4 ,the sensation would begin in the
 cerebellum1 and thence would be        
diffused along the spine4 ,the one thing
 of which he was fully conscious1 was   
that he had passed out of himself4 ,the 
second property was that1 when he would1
 he could conjure up any images he liked
 before his eyes1 real ,greek3 eidla1   
and not at all to be compared with the  
blurred processions of phantoms which he
 was wont to see when he was a child4   
,at the time when he wrote1 perhaps by  

reason of his busy life1 he no longer   
saw them whensoever he would1 nor so    
perfectly expressed1 nor for so long at 
a time4 ,these images constantly gave   
place one to another1 and he would      
behold groves1 and animals1 and orbs1   
and whatever he was fain to see4 ,this  
property he attributed to the force of  
his imaginative power1 and his clearness
 of vision4 ,the third property was that
 he never failed to be warned in dreams 
of things about to happen to him2 and   
the fourth was that premonitory signs of
 coming events would display themselves 
in the form of spots on his nails4 ,the 
signs of evil were black or livid1 and  
appeared on the middle finger2 white    
spots on the same nail portending good  
fortune4 ,honours were indicated on the 
thumb1 riches on the fore-finger1       
matters relating to his studies and of  
grave import on the third finger1 and   
minor affairs on the little finger4  ,in
 putting together the record of his     
life1 ,cardan eschewed the narrative    

form and followed a method of his own4  
,he collected the details of his        
qualities1 habits1 and adventures in    
separate chapters2 his birth and        
lineage1 his physical stature1 his diet1
 his rule of life1 his imperfections1   
his poverty1 the misfortunes of his     
sons1 his masters and pupils1 his       
travels1 his experiences of things      
beyond nature1 his cures1 the           
persecutions of his foes1 and divers    
other categories being grouped together 
to make up the ,de ,vita ,propria1      
which1 though it is the most interesting
 book he has left behind him1 is        
certainly the most clumsy and chaotic   
from a literary point of view4 ,the     
chapters for the most part begin with   
his early years1 and end with some      
detail as to his life in ,rome1 each one
 being a categorical survey of a certain
 side of his life2 but remarks as to his
 personal peculiarities are scattered   
about from beginning to end4 ,he tells  
how he could always see the moon in     

broad daylight2#bdi of his passion for  
wandering about the city by night       
carrying arms forbidden by the law2 of  
his practice of self-torture1 beating   
his legs with a switch1 twisting his    
fingers1 pinching his flesh1 and biting 
his left arm2 and of going about within 
doors with naked legs2 how at one time  
he was possessed with the desire1       
heroica passio1 of suicide2 of his habit
 of filling his house with pets of all  
sorts--kids1 lambs1 hares1 rabbits1 and 
storks4 ,the chapter in which he records
 all the maladies which afflicted him1  
puts upon the reader's credulity a      
burden almost as heavy as is the        
catalogue given by another philosopher  
of the number of authors he mastered    
before his twelfth year4 ,two attacks of
 the plague1 agues1 tertian and         
quotidian1 malignant ulcers1 hernia1    
hmorrhoids1 varicose veins1 palpitation 
of the heart1 gout1 indigestion1 the    
itch1 and foulness of skin4 ,relief in  
the second attack of plague came from a 

sweat so copious that it soaked the bed 
and ran in streams down to the floor2   
and1 in a case of continuous fever1 from
 voiding a hundred and twenty ounces of 
urine4 ,as a boy he was a sleep-walker1 
and he never became warm below the knees
 till he had been in bed six hours1 a   
circumstance which led his mother to    
predict that his time on earth would be 
brief4  ,cardan lived an abstemious     
life4 ,he broke his fast on             
bread-and-water and a few grapes4 ,he   
sometimes dined off bread1 the yolk of  
an egg1 and a little wine1 and would    
take for supper a mess of beetroot and  
rice and a chicory salad4 ,the catalogue
 of his favourite dishes seems to       
exhaust every known edible1 and it will 
suffice to remark that he was specially 
inclined to sound and well-stewed wild  
boar1 the wings of young cockerels and  
the livers of pullets1 oysters1 mussels1
 fresh-water crayfish because his mother
 ate greedily thereof when she was      
pregnant with him2 but of all dishes he 

rates the best a carp from three pounds 
weight to seven1 taken from a good      
feeding-ground4 ,he praises all sweet   
fruit1 oil1 olives1 and finds in rue an 
antidote to poison4 ,ten o'clock was his
 hour for going to bed1 and he allowed  
himself eight hours' sleep4 ,when       
wakeful he would walk about the room and
 repeat the multiplication table4 ,as a 
further remedy for sleeplessness he     
would reduce his food by half1 and would
 anoint his thighs1 the soles of his    
feet1 the neck1 the elbows1 the carpal  
bones1 the temples1 the jugulars1 the   
region of the heart and of the liver1   
and the upper lip with ointment of      
poplars1 or the fat of bear1 or the oil 
of water-lilies4  ,these few extracts   
will show that an intelligible narrative
 could scarcely be produced by the      
methods ,cardan used4 ,the book is a    
collection of facts1 classified as a    
scientific writer would arrange the     
sections and subsections of his subject4
 ,in gathering together and grouping the

 leading points of his life1 a method   
somewhat similar to his own will        
suffice1 but there will be no need to   
descend to a subdivision so minute as   
his own4 ,a task of this sort is never  
an easy one1 and in this instance the   
difficulties are increased by the       
diffuse and complicated nature of the   
subject matter2 and because1 owing to   
,cardan's wayward mental habit1 there is
 no saying in what corner of the ten    
large folios which contain his writings 
some pregnant and characteristic        
sentence1 picturing effectively some    
aspect of his nature or perhaps         
exhibiting the man at a glance1 may not 
be hidden away4  ,it must not be        
inferred1 because ,cardan himself and   
his critics after him1 have laid such   
great stress upon his vices and         
imperfections1 that he was devoid of    
virtues4 ,the most striking and         
remarkable of his merits was his        
industry1 but even in this particular   
instance1 where his excellence is most  

clearly manifest1 he is constantly      
lamenting his waste of time and         
idleness4 ,again and again he mourns    
over the precious hours he has spent    
over chess and dice and games of chance4
 ,in his counsels to his children1 he   
compares a gambler to a sink of all the 
vices1 and in writing of his early life 
at ,sacco he describes himself as an    
idle profligate1 and tells how he       
entirely neglected his profession4 ,if  
indeed such monstrous cantles were cut  
out of his time through idleness he     
must1 though his life proved a long one1
 have possessed extraordinary power of  
rapid production2 for the huge mass of  
his published work1 without taking any  
account of the many manuscripts he      
burned from time to time1 would1 in the 
case of most men1 represent the         
ceaseless labour of a long life4 ,and   
the corpus is not great by reason of    
haste or want of finish4 ,he has        
recorded more than once how it was ever 
his habit to let his work be polished to

 the utmost before putting it in type4  
,the citations with which his pages     
bristle proclaim him to be a reader     
almost as voracious and catholic as     
,burton2 and ,naud1 with the            
watchfulness of the hostile critic in   
his heart and the bookworm's knowledge  
in his brain1 would have been ready and 
able to convict him of quoting authors  
he had not read1 if the least handle for
 this charge should have been given1 but
 no accusation of the kind is preferred4
 ,the story of his life shows him to be 
full of rough candour and honesty1 and  
unlikely to descend to subterfuge1 while
 his great love of reading and his      
accurate retentive memory would make    
easy for him a task which ordinary      
mortals might well regard as hopeless4  
,those critics who pass judgment on     
,cardan1 taken solely as a ,physician or
 as a ,mathematician1 will give a       
presentment more fallacious than        
imperfect generalizations usually       
furnish1 for in ,cardan's case the man1 

taken as a whole1 was incomparably      
greater than the sum of his parts4 ,naud
 remarks that a man who knows a little  
of everything1 and that little          
imperfectly1 deserves small respect as a
 citizen of the republic of letters1 but
 ,cardan did not belong to this         
category1 as ,julius ,csar ,scaliger    
found to his cost4 ,he was not like the 
bookmen of the revival of               
learning--,poliziano1 ,valla1 or        
,alberti may stand as examples--who     
after putting on the armour of the      
learned language and saturating         
themselves with the liter humaniores1   
made excursions into some domain of     
science for the sake of recreation4     
,cardan might rather be compared with   
,varro or ,theophrastus in classic1 and 
with ,erasmus1 ,pico1 ,grotius1 or      
,casaubon in modern times4 ,on this     
point ,naud indulges in something       
approaching panegyric4 ,he              
writes--,investigation will show us that
 many excelled him in the humanities or 

in ,theology1 some even in ,mathematics1
 some in ,medicine and in the knowledge 
of ,philosophy1 some in ,oriental       
tongues and in either side of           
,jurisprudence1 but where shall we find 
any one who had mastered so many        
sciences by himself1 who had plumbed so 
deeply the abysses of learning and had  
written such ample commentaries on the  
subjects he studied8 ,assuredly in      
,philosophy1 in ,metaphysics1 in        
,history1 in ,politics1 in ,morals1 as  
well as in the more abstruse fields of  
learning1 nothing that was worth        
consideration escaped his notice4  ,the 
foregoing eulogy from the pen of an     
adverse critic gives eloquent testimony 
to ,cardan's industry and the           
catholicity of his knowledge4 ,as to his
 industry1 the record of his literary   
production1 chronicled incidentally in  
the course of the preceding pages1 will 
be evidence enough1 seeing that1 from   
the time when he commenced author1      
scarcely a year went by when he did not 

print a volume of some sort or other2 to
 say nothing of the production of those 
multitudinous unpublished ,,mss41 of    
which some went to build up the pile he 
burnt in his latter years in ,rome1     
while others1 perhaps1 are still        
mouldering in the presses of university 
or city libraries of ,italy4 ,frequent  
reference has been made to the more     
noteworthy of his works4 ,books like the
 ,de ,vita ,propria1 the ,de ,libris    
,propriis1 the ,de ,utilitate ex        
,adversis ,capienda1 the ,geniturarum   
,exempla1 the ,theonoston1 the ,consilia
 ,medica1 the dialogues ,tetim and ,de  
,morte1 have necessarily been drawn upon
 for biographical facts4 ,the ,de       
,subtilitate and the ,de ,varietate     
,rerum2 the ,liber ,artis ,magn1 the    
,practica ,arithmetic1 have been noticed
 as the most enduring portions of his   
legacy to posterity2 wherefore1 before  
saying the final word as to his literary
 achievement1 it may not be superfluous 
to give a brief glance at those of his  

books which1 although of minor          
importance to those already cited1      
engaged considerable attention in the   
lifetime of the writer4  ,the work upon 
which ,cardan founded his chief hope of 
immortality was his ,commentary on      
,hippocrates4 ,in bulk it ranks first   
easily1 filling as it does one of the   
large folios of the edition of #affc4   
,curiously enough1 in addition to a     
permanent place in the annals of        
medicine1 ,cardan anticipated for this  
forgotten mass of type a general and    
immediate popularity2 wider than any    
which his technical works could possibly
 enjoy1 seeing that it dealt with the   
preservation of health1 the greatest    
mortal blessing1 and must on this       
account be of interest to all men4 ,it  
will be enough to remark of these       
commentaries that no portion of         
,cardan's work yields less information  
as to the author's life and personality2
 to dilate upon them1 ever so           
superficially1 from a scientific point  

of view1 would be waste of time and     
paper4 ,another of his works1 which he  
rated highly1 was his treatise on       
,music4 ,it was begun during his tenure 
of office at ,pavia1 circa #aedg1 and he
 was still at work upon it two years    
before his death4#bej ,it is not        
difficult to realize1 even at this      
interval of time1 that this book at the 
date of its publication must have been  
welcomed by all musical students as a   
valuable contribution to the literature 
of their subject4 ,it is strongly marked
 by ,cardan's particular touch1 that    
formative faculty by which he almost    
always succeeded in stimulating fresh   
interest in the reader1 and exhibiting  
fresh aspects of whatever subject he    
might be treating4 ,this work begins by 
laying down at length the general rules 
and principles of the art1 and then goes
 on to treat of ancient music in all its
 forms2 of music as ,cardan knew and    
enjoyed it2 of the system of            
counterpoint and composition1 and of the

 construction of musical instruments4   
,the ,commentary on ,ptolemi de         
,astrorum ,judiciis1 the writing of     
which beguiled the tedium of his voyage 
down the ,loire on his journey to ,paris
 in #aeeb1 is a book upon which he spent
 great care1 and is certainly worthy of 
notice4 ,cardan's gratitude to          
,archbishop ,hamilton for the liberal   
treatment and gracious reception he had 
recently encountered in ,scotland1      
prompted him to dedicate this volume to 
his late patient4 ,he writes in the     
preface how he had expected to find the 
,scots a pack of barbarians1 but their  
country1 he affirms1 is cultivated and  
humanized beyond belief1--and you       
yourself reflect such splendour upon    
your nation that now1 by the very lustre
 of your name1 it must needs appear to  
the world more noble and illustrious    
than at any time heretofore4 ,what need 
is there for me to speak of the school  
founded by you at ,st4 ,andrews1 of     
sedition quelled1 of your country       

delivered1 of the authority of your     
brother the ,regent vindicated8 ,these  
are merely the indications of your      
power1 and not the source thereof4 ,in  
the preface he also writes at length1   
concerning the horoscope of ,christ1#bea
 in a strain of apology1 as if he       
scented already the scandal which the   
publication of this injudicious         
performance was destined to raise4 ,in  
estimating the influence of comets he   
sets down several instances which had   
evidently been brought to his notice    
during his sojourn in ,scotland3 how in 
#aafe1 within fourteen days of the      
appearance of a great comet1 ,malcolm   
,,iv41 known on account of his          
continence as the virgin king1 fell sick
 and died4 ,again1 in #abad two comets1 
one preceding and the other following   
the sun1 appeared as fore-runners of the
 death of ,king ,william after a reign  
of forty-nine years4 ,perhaps the most  
interesting of his comments on          
,ptolemy's text are those which estimate

 the power of the stellar influences on 
the human frame1 an aspect of the       
question which1 by reason of his        
knowledge of medicine and surgery1 would
 naturally engage his more serious      
attention4 ,he tells of the birth of a  
monstrous child--a most loathsome       
malformation--at ,middleton ,stoney1    
near ,oxford1 during his stay in        
,england1#beb and gives many other      
instances of the disastrous effects of  
untoward conjunction of the planets upon
 infants born under the influence of the
 same4 ,he accuses monks and nuns of    
detestable vices in the plainest words1 
words which were probably read by the   
emissaries of the spiritual authority   
when the charge of impiety was being got
 up against him4 ,in the ,geniturarum   
,exempla the horoscopes of ,edward      
,,vi41 ,archbishop ,hamilton1 and       
,cardan himself have been already       
noticed2 that of ,sir ,john ,cheke comes
 next in interest to these1 and1 it must
 be admitted1 is no more trustworthy4   

,it declares that ,cheke would attain   
the age of sixty-one years1 that he     
would be most fortunate in gathering    
wealth and friends around him1 that he  
would die finally of lingering disease1 
and involve many in misfortune by his   
death--a faulty guess1 indeed1 as to the
 future of a man who died at            
forty-three1 borne down by the weight of
 his misfortunes1 neglected and         
forgotten by his former adherents1      
stripped of his wealth and covered with 
shame1 in that he had abjured his faith 
to save a life which was so little worth
 preserving4  ,naud does not neglect to 
censure ,cardan for his maladroit       
attempts to read the future4 ,he        
writes3--,this matter1 forsooth1 gave a 
ready handle to ,cardan's rivals1 and   
especially to those who were sworn foes 
of astrology2 so that they were able to 
jibe at him freely because1 neither in  
his own horoscope1 nor in that of his   
son ,giovanni ,battista1 nor in that of 
,aymer ,ranconet1 nor in that of ,edward

 ,,vi41 king of ,england1 nor in any    
other of the schemes that he drew1 did  
he rightly foresee any of the events    
which followed4 ,he did not divine that 
he himself was doomed to imprisonment1  
his son to the halter1 ,ranconet to a   
violent death1 and ,edward to a brief   
term of life1 but predicted for each one
 of these some future directly          
contrary4#bec  ,the treatise ,de        
,consolatione1 probably the best known  
of ,cardan's ethical works1 was first   
published at ,venice in #aedb by        
,girolamo ,scoto1 but it failed at first
 to please the public taste4 ,it was not
 until #aedd1 when it was re-issued     
bound up with the ,de ,sapientia and the
 first version of the ,de ,libris       
,propriis from the press of ,petreius at
 ,nuremberg1 that it met with any       
success4 ,perhaps the sober tone and    
didactic method of this treatise        
appealed more readily to the mood of the
 ,german than of the ,italian reader4   
,from internal evidence it is obvious   

that ,cardan was urged to write it by   
the desire of making known to the world 
the bitter experience of his early      
literary and professional struggles4 ,in
 the opening paragraph he lets it be    
seen that he intends to follow a        
,ciceronian model1 and records his      
regret that the lament of ,cicero over  
his daughter's death should have        
perished in the barbarian wars4 ,the    
original title of the book was ,the     
,accuser1 to wit1 something which might 
censure the vain passions and erring    
tendencies of mankind1 at post mutato   
nomine1 et in tres libellos diviso1 de  
,consolatione eum inscripsimus1 quod    
longe magis infelices consolatione1 quam
 fortunati reprehensione1 indigere      
viderentur4 ,the subsequent success of  
the book was probably due to this change
 of name1 though the author himself     
preferred to have discovered a special  
reason for its early failure4#bed ,the  
plan of the treatise is the same as that
 of a dozen others of the same nature3  

an effort to persuade men in evil case  
that they may find relief by regarding  
the misfortunes they suffer as          
transitory accidents in no way affecting
 the chief end of life1 and by seeking  
happiness alone in trafficking with the 
riches of the mind4  ,it is doubtful    
whether any of the books written with   
this object have ever served their      
purpose1 save in the case of their      
originators4 ,cardan may have found the 
burden of his failure and poverty grow  
lighter as he set down his woes on      
paper1 but the rest of the world must   
have read the book for some other reason
 than the hope of consolation4 ,read    
to-day in ,bedingfield's quaint         
,english1 the book is full of charm and 
interest4 ,it is filled with apt        
illustration from ,greek philosophy and 
from ,holy ,writ as well1 and lighted up
 by spaces of lively wit4 ,it was       
accepted by the public taste for reasons
 akin to those which would secure       
popularity for a clever volume of essays

 at the present time1 and was translated
 into more than one foreign language1   
,bedingfield's translation being        
published some thirty years after its   
first appearance4  ,the ,de ,sapientia1 
with which it is generally classed1 is  
of far less interest4 ,it is a series of
 ethical discourses1 lengthy and        
discursive1 which must have seemed dull 
enough to contemporary students3 to read
 it through now would be a task almost  
impossible4 ,it is only remembered      
because ,cardan has inserted therein1   
somewhat incongruously1 that account of 
his asserted cures of phthisis which    
,cassanate quoted when he wrote to      
,cardan about ,archbishop ,hamilton's   
asthma1 and which were afterwards seized
 upon by hostile critics as evidence of 
his disregard of truth4  ,another of his
 minor works highly characteristic of   
the author is the ,somniorum            
,synesiorum1 a collection of all the    
remarkable dreams he ever dreamt1 many  
of which have been already noticed4 ,to 

judge from what specimens of his        
epistles are extant1 ,cardan seems to   
have been a good letter-writer4 ,one of 
the most noteworthy is that which he    
addressed to ,gian ,battista after his  
marriage4 ,it shows ,cardan to have been
 a loving father and a master of sapient
 exhortation1 while the son's fate gives
 melancholy testimony of the futility of
 good counsel unaided by direction and  
example4 ,he tells of his grief at      
seeing the evil case into which his son 
had fallen1 vexed by poverty1 disgrace1 
and loss of health1 how he would gladly 
even now receive the prodigal into his  
house 7he says nothing about the wife71 
did he not fear that such a step would  
lead to his own ruin rather than to his 
son's restoration4 ,after showing that  
any fresh misfortune to himself must    
needs cut away the last hope for ,gian  
,battista1 he sketches out a line of    
conduct for the ill-starred youth which 
he declared1 if rightly pursued1 might  
re-establish his fortunes4  ,he begins  

by advising his son to read and lay to  
heart the contents of the ,de           
,consolatione and the ,de ,utilitate1   
and then1 somewhat more to the purpose1 
promises him half his earnings of the   
present and the coming year4 ,beyond    
this ,gian ,battista should have half   
the salary of any office which his      
father might get for himself1 and half  
of the piece of silk which he had       
received from the ,venetian ,ambassador1
 supposing that the young man should not
 be able to get a like piece for himself
 from the same source4  ,he next cites  
the ,de ,consolatione to demonstrate the
 futility of lamentation over misfortune
 past or present1 or indeed over any    
decree of fate4 ,he bids ,gian ,battista
 reflect that he is human not a brute1 a
 man not a woman1 a ,christian not a    
,moslem or ,jew1 an ,italian not a      
barbarian1 sprung from a worthy city and
 family1 and from a father whose name by
 itself will prove a title to fame4 ,his
 only real troubles are a weak body and 

infirm health--one a gift of heredity1  
the other aggravated by dissolute       
habits4 ,it may be a vain thing for men 
to congratulate themselves over their   
happiness1 but it is vainer for them to 
cry out for solace over past calamity4  
,contempt of money is foolish1 but      
contempt of ,god is ten times worse4    
,cardan concludes this part of his      
letter by reciting two maxims given him 
by his father--one1 to have daily       
remembrance of ,god and of ,his vast    
bounty1 the other1 to pursue with the   
utmost diligence any task taken in hand4
  ,cardan then treats the scapegrace to 
a string of maxims from the ,de         
,utilitate1 maxims which a model son    
might have read1 but which ,gian        
,battista would certainly put aside     
unnoticed1 and finishes with some       
serviceable practical counsel3 ,keep    
your mind calm1 go early to bed1 for    
ours is a hot-blooded race and          
predisposed to suffer from stone4 ,take 
nine hours' sleep1 rise at six and visit

 your patients1 being careful to use no 
speech unconnected with the case before 
you4 ,avoid heating your body to        
perspiration2 go forth on horseback1    
come back on foot2 and on your return   
put on warm clothes4 ,drink little1     
break your fast on bread1 dried fish1   
and meat1 and then give four hours to   
study1 for studies bring pleasure1      
relief from care1 and mental riches2    
they are the foundations of renown1 and 
enable a man to do his duty with credit4
 ,see your patients again2 and1 before  
you sup1 take exercise in the woods and 
fields adjacent4 ,should you become     
over-heated or wet with rain1 cast off  
and dry your damp clothes1 and don dry  
ones4 ,sup heartily1 and go to bed at   
eight2 and when1 by the brevity of the  
night1 this is not convenient1 take a   
corresponding rest during the day4      
,abstain from summer fruit1 from black  
wine1 from vain overflow of talk1 from  
falsehood and gaming1 from trusting a   
woman or over-indulging her1 for she is 

a foolish animal and full of deceit4    
,over-fondness towards a woman will     
surely bring evil upon you4 ,bleed and  
purge yourself as little as possible2   
learn by experience of other men's      
faults and misfortunes2 live frugally2  
bear yourself suavely to all men2 and   
let study be your main end4 ,all this   
and more have ,i set forth in the books 
,i have named4 ,trust neither promises  
nor hopes1 for these may be vain and    
delusive2 and reckon your own only that 
which you hold in your hand4 ,farewell4 
,from the fact that ,cardan took part in
 an unofficial medical conference in    
,paris1 that he afterwards superseded   
,cassanate as the ,archbishop of ,st4   
,andrews' physician1 and did not find   
himself with a dozen or so quarrels on  
his hands1 it may be assumed that he was
 laudably free from the jealousy        
attributed by tradition to his          
profession4 ,this instance becomes all  
the more noteworthy when his natural    
irascibility1 and the character of the  

learned controversy of the times comes  
to be considered4 ,he does not spare his
 censure in remarking on the too        
frequent quarrels of men of letters1#bee
 albeit these quarrels must have lent no
 little gaiety to the literary world4   
,no one who reads the account of ,gian  
,battista's fate can doubt the sincerity
 of ,cardan's remorse for that neglect  
of the boy's youthful training which    
helped to bring him to ruin1 and the    
care which he bestowed upon his grandson
 ,fazio proved that his regret was not  
of that sort which exhales itself in    
empty words4 ,the zeal with which he    
threw himself into the struggle for his 
son's life1 and his readiness to strip  
himself of his last coin as the fight   
went on1 show that he was capable of    
warm-hearted affection1 and afraid of no
 sacrifice in the cause of duty4  ,the  
brutal candour which ,cardan used in    
probing the weaknesses of his own nature
 and in displaying them to the world1 he
 used likewise in his dealings with     

others4 ,if he detected ,branda ,porro  
or ,camutio in a blunder he would inform
 them they were blockheads without      
hesitation1 and plume himself afterwards
 on the score of his blunt honesty4     
,veracity was not a common virtue in    
those days1 but ,cardan laid claim to it
 with a display of insistence which was 
not1 perhaps1 in the best taste4 ,over  
and over again he writes that he never  
told a lie2#bef a contention which seems
 to have roused especially the bile of  
,naud1 and to have spurred him on to    
make his somewhat clumsy assault on     
,cardan's veracity4#beg ,his citation of
 the case of the stranger who came with 
the volume of ,apuleius for sale1 and of
 the miraculous gift of classic tongues1
 has already been referred to2 but these
 may surely be attributed to an         
exaggerated activity of that particular 
side of ,cardan's imagination which was 
specially prone to seize upon some      
figment of the brain1 and some          
imperfectly apprehended sensation of the

 optic nerve1 and fashion from these    
materials a tale of marvel4 ,delusions  
of this sort were common in reputed     
witches1 as ,reginald ,scot             
writes--,they learne strange toongs with
 small industrie 7as ,aristotle and     
others affirme74#beh ,the other charge  
preferred by ,naud as to the pretended  
cure of consumption1 and the consequent 
quibbling and tergiversation1 is a more 
valid one4 ,it has been noted how       
,cardan1 previous to his journey to     
,scotland1 had posed as the discoverer  
of a cure for this malady4 ,in the list 
of his cures successfully treated he    
includes several in which he restored   
patients suffering from blood-spitting1 
fever1 and extreme emaciation to sound  
health1 the most noteworthy of these    
being that of ,girolamo ,tiboldo1 a     
sea-captain4 ,when the sick man had     
risen from his bed and had become fat   
and healthy1 ,cardan deemed that the    
occasion justified a certain amount of  
self-gratulation1 but the physicians1   

out of envy1 declared that ,tiboldo had 
never suffered from true phthisis4 ,in  
his account of the case ,cardan says    
that he1 and the physicians as well1    
were indeed untruthful over the matter1 
his own falsehood having been the result
 of over-sanguine hope1 and theirs the  
outcome of spiteful envy4 ,tiboldo died 
after all of chest disease1 but not till
 five years later1 and then from a chill
 caught through sitting in wet          
garments4#bei ,the term consumption has 
always been applied somewhat loosely1   
and ,cardan probably would have been    
allowed the benefit of this usage if he 
had not1 in an excess of candour1 set   
down the workings of his mind and       
conscience with regard to this matter4  
,writing of his treatment of ,archbishop
 ,hamilton1 he says3 ,and in truth ,i   
cured scarcely any patients of phthisic 
disease1 though ,i did find a remedy for
 many who were suffering from similar   
maladies1 wherefore that boast of mine1 
that proclamation of merit to which ,i  

had no right1 worked no small profit to 
me1 a man very little given to lying4   
,for the people about the ,archbishop1  
urged on by these and other             
considerations1 persuaded him that he   
had no chance of regaining his health   
except by putting himself under my care1
 and that he should fly to me as his    
last hope4#bfj ,it has already been     
noted that ,cardan's claim to some past 
knowledge in the successful treatment of
 chest diseases had weight with the     
,archbishop and ,cassanate1 and the     
result of his visit surely proved that  
their confidence was not ill-placed2 his
 boasting may have been a trifle        
excessive1 but it was based on hope     
rather than achievement2 and if proof   
can be adduced that it was not prompted 
by any greed of illegitimate fame or    
profit1 it may justly be ranked as a    
weakness rather than as a serious       
offence4 ,to these two instances of     
falsehood ,naud adds a third1 to wit1   
,cardan's claim to the guidance of a    

familiar spirit4 ,he refuses to let this
 rank as a delusion2 and1 urged no doubt
 by righteous indignation against the   
ills springing from kindred             
superstitions1 he writes down as a liar 
rather than a dupe the man who1 after   
mastering the whole world of science1   
could profess such folly4  ,considering 
the catholicity of ,cardan's            
achievements1 and the eager spirit of   
inquiry he displayed in fields of       
learning remote from his own particular 
one1 it is worthy of notice that he did 
not allow this discursive humour1 which 
is not seldom a token of instability1 to
 hold him back from pursuing the supreme
 aim of his life1 that is1 eminence in  
the art of ,medicine4 ,in his youth the 
threats and persuasions of his father   
could not induce him to take up         
,jurisprudence with an assured income   
and abandon ,medicine4 ,at ,sacco1 at   
,gallarate1 and afterwards in ,milan he 
was forced by the necessity of          
bread-winning to use his pen in all     

sorts of minor subjects that had no real
 fascination for him1 but all his       
leisure was devoted to the acquisition  
of ,medical knowledge4 ,prudence as well
 as inclination had a share in directing
 his energies into this channel1 for a  
report1 for which no doubt there was    
some warrant1 was spread abroad that    
what skill he had lay entirely in the   
knowledge of ,astrology2 and1 as this   
rumour operated greatly to his          
prejudice1#bfa he resolved to perfect   
himself in ,medicine and free his       
reputation from this aspersion4 ,he had 
quarrelled violently with the physicians
 over the case of ,count ,borromeo's    
child which died1 and with ,borromeo    
himself1 and1 almost immediately after  
this1 he published his book1 ,de        
,astrorum ,judiciis1 a step which tended
 to identify him yet more closely with  
,astrology1 and to raise a cry against  
him in ,milan1 which he declares to be  
the most scandal-mongering city in the  
,universe4 ,but it is clear that in this

 instance scandal was not far wrong1 and
 that ,cardan himself was right in      
purging himself of the quasi science he 
ought never to have taken up4           
,medicine1 when ,cardan began his       
studies1 was beginning to feel the      
effects of the revival of ,greek        
learning4 ,with the restored knowledge  
of the language of ,greece there arose a
 desire to investigate the storehouses  
of science1 as well as those of         
literature1 and the extravagant         
assumption of the dogmatists1 and the   
eccentricities of the ,arabic school    
gave additional cogency to the cry for  
more light4 ,the sects which ,galen had 
endeavoured to unite sprang into new    
activity within a century after his     
death4 ,the ,arabian physicians1 acute  
and curious as they were1 had exercised 
but a very transient influence upon the 
real progress of the art1 the chief     
cause of their non-success being their  
adhesion to arbitrary and empirical     
tradition4 ,at the end of the fifteenth 

century1 ,leonicinus1 a professor at    
,ferrara1 recalled the allegiance of his
 pupils to the authority of ,hippocrates
 by the ability and eloquence of his    
teaching2 and1 by his translation of    
,galen's works into ,latin1 he helped   
still farther to confirm the ascendency 
of the fathers of ,medicine4 ,the       
,arabians1 sprung from the ,east1 the   
storehouse of drugs and simples1 and    
skilled in ,chemistry1 were the founders
 of the ,pharmacopoeia1#bfb but with    
this exception they did nothing to      
advance ,medicine beyond the point where
 the ,greeks had left it4 ,the treatises
 of ,haly1 ,avicenna1 and ,maimonides   
were little better than faint           
transcriptions of the writings of the   
great forerunners4 ,their teaching was  
random and spasmodic1 whereas the system
 of ,hippocrates was conceived in the   
spirit of ,greek philosophy1 moving on  
by select experience1 always observant  
and cautious1 and ascending by slow and 
certain steps to the generalities of    

,theory4 ,indeed the science of         
,medicine in the hands of ,hippocrates  
and his school seems1 more than any     
other1 to have presented to the world a 
rudimentary essay1 a faint foreshadowing
 of the great fabric of inductive       
process1 subsequently formulated by the 
genius of ,bacon4 ,at various epochs    
,medicine had been specially stimulated 
by the vivifying spirit of ,greek       
science2 in the ,roman school in the    
days of ,celsus1 and in the ,arabian    
teaching likewise4 ,fuller              
acknowledgment of the authority of      
,greek ,medicine came with the          
,renaissance1#bfc but even this long    
step in advance did not immediately     
liberate the art from bondage4 ,a new   
generation of professors arose who added
 fresh material to the storehouses1     
already overflowing1 of pedantic        
erudition1 and showed the utmost        
contempt for any fruit of other men's   
labour which might not square exactly   
with the utterances of the founders4    

,this attitude rendered these professors
 of ,medicine the legitimate objects of 
ridicule1 as soon as the leaven of the  
revival began to work1 and the darts of 
satire still fly1 now and then1 at the  
same quarry4 ,paracelsus1 disfigured as 
his teaching was by mysticism1 the arts 
of the charlatan1 and by his ignorant   
repudiation of the service of ,anatomy1 
struck the first damaging blows at this 
illegitimate ascendency1 by the frequent
 success of his empirical treatment1 by 
the contempt he heaped upon the         
scholastic authorities1 and by the      
boldness with which he assailed every   
thesis which they maintained4 ,men of   
more sober intellect and weighty        
learning soon followed in his track4    
,fernelius1 one of the physicians       
,cardan met in ,paris1 boldly rejected  
what he could not approve by experience 
in the writings of ,hippocrates and     
,galen1 and stood forth as the advocate 
for free inquiry1 and ,joubert of       
,montpelier1 ,argentier of ,turin1 and  

,botal of ,asti subsequently took a     
similar course4  ,when ,cardan went to  
study at ,pavia in #aeai this tradition 
was unshaken4 ,it was not until the     
advent of ,vesalius that the doom of the
 ancient system was sounded4 ,then1 when
 ,anatomy sprang to the front as the    
potent ally of ,medicine1 the science of
 healing entered upon a fresh stage1 but
 this new force did not make itself felt
 soon enough to seduce ,cardan from the 
altars of the ancients to the worship of
 new gods4 ,as long as he lived he was a
 follower of the great masters1 though  
at the same time his admiration of the  
teaching of ,vesalius was enthusiastic  
and profound4 ,his love of truth and    
sound learning forbade him to give      
unreflecting adhesion to the precepts of
 any man1 however eminent1 and when he  
found that ,galen was a careless        
commentator on ,hippocrates1#bfd and    
failed to elucidate the difficulties    
with which he professed to deal1 he did 
not spare his censure4#bfe ,in the ,de  

,subtilitate he speaks of him as        
,verbosus et studio contradicendi tdulus
 ut alterum vix ferre queas1 in reliquo 
gravis jactura artium posita sit1 quam  
nostr tatis viri restituere conati      
sunt4#bff ,but as ,galen's name is      
quoted as an authority on almost every  
page of the ,consilia ,medica1 it may be
 assumed that ,cardan's faith in his    
primary theories was unshaken4 ,in his  
,commentaries on ,hippocrates1 ,galen   
professes a profound respect for his    
master1 but the two great men must be   
regarded as the leaders of rival        
schools2 indeed it could hardly be      
otherwise1 seeing how vast was the mass 
of knowledge which ,galen added to the  
art during his lifetime4  ,hippocrates1 
by denying the supernatural origin of   
disease1 by his method of diagnosis1 by 
the importance he attached to air and   
diet1 by his discriminating use of      
drugs1 and by the simplicity of his     
system generally1 had placed ,medicine  
on a rational basis4 ,in the six hundred

 years' space which elapsed before the  
appearance of ,galen1 ,medicine was     
broken up into many rival schools4 ,the 
,dogmatici and the ,empirici for many   
years wrangled undisturbed1 but shortly 
after the ,christian era the ,methodici 
entered the field1 to be followed later 
on by the ,eclectici and a troop of     
other sects1 whose wranglings1 and whose
 very names1 are now forgotten4 ,in his 
,history of ,medicine1 ,dr4 ,bostock    
gives a sketch of the attitude of ,galen
 towards the rival schools4 ,in his     
general principles he may be considered 
as belonging to the ,dogmatic sect1 for 
his method was to reduce all his        
knowledge1 as acquired by the           
observation of facts1 to general        
theoretical principles4 ,these          
principles he indeed professed to deduce
 from experience and observation1#bfg   
and we have abundant proofs of his      
diligence in collecting experience and  
his accuracy in making observations2 but
 still1 in a certain sense at least1 he 

regards individual facts and the details
 of experience as of little value1      
unconnected with the principles which he
 laid down as the basis of all medical  
reasoning4 ,in this fundamental point1  
therefore1 the method pursued by ,galen 
appears to have been directly the       
reverse of that which we now consider as
 the correct method of scientific       
investigation2 and yet1 such is the     
force of actual genius1 that in most    
instances he attained the ultimate      
object in view1 although by an indirect 
path4 ,he was an admirer of             
,hippocrates1 and always speaks of him  
with the most profound respect1         
professing to act upon his principles1  
and to do little more than expound his  
doctrines and support them by new facts 
and observations4 ,yet in reality we    
have few writers whose works1 both as to
 substance and manner1 are more         
different from each other than those of 
,hippocrates and ,galen1 the simplicity 
of the former being strongly contrasted 

with the abstruseness and refinement of 
the latter4  ,the antagonism between    
these two great men was not perhaps more
 marked than might have been expected1  
considering that an interval of six     
hundred years lay between them4 ,however
 loyal he may have been to his master1  
,galen1 with his keen1 catholic1 and    
subtle intellect1 was bound to fall     
under the sway of ,alexandrian influence
 while he studied in ,alexandria as the 
pupil of ,heraclianus4 ,the methods of  
the contemporary school of philosophy   
fascinated him2 and1 in his endeavour to
 bring ,medicine out of the chaotic     
welter in which he found it1 he         
attempted--unhappily for the future of  
science--to use the hyper-idealistic    
,platonism then dominant in ,alexandria1
 rather than the gradual and orderly    
induction of ,hippocrates1 as a bond of 
union between professional and          
scientific medicine2 a false step for   
which not even his great services to    
anatomy and physiology can altogether   

atone4 ,yet most likely it was this same
 error1 an error which practically led  
to the enslavement of ,medicine till the
 seventeenth century1 which caused      
,cardan to regard him1 and not          
,hippocrates1 as his master4 ,the       
vastness and catholicity of ,galen's    
scheme of ,medicine must have been      
peculiarly attractive to a man of       
,cardan's temper2 and that ,galen       
attempted to reconcile the incongruous  
in the teleological system which he     
devised1 would not have been rated as a 
fault by his ,milanese disciple4  ,galen
 taught as a cardinal truth the doctrine
 of the ,hippocratic elements1 heat1    
cold1 moisture1 and dryness1 and a      
glance at the ,consilium which ,cardan  
wrote out on ,archbishop ,hamilton's    
illness1 will show how completely he was
 under the sway of this same teaching4  
,the genius of ,hippocrates was perhaps 
too sober and orderly to win his entire 
sympathy2 the encyclopdic knowledge1 the
 literary grace1 and the more daring    

flights of ,galen's intellect attracted 
him much more strongly4 ,hippocrates    
scoffed at charms and amulets1 while    
,galen commended them1 and is said to   
have invented the anodyne necklace which
 was long known and worn in ,england4   
,there is no need to specify which of   
the masters ,cardan would swear by in   
this matter4 ,the choice which ,cardan  
made1 albeit it was exactly what might  
have been anticipated1 was in every     
respect an unfortunate one4 ,he put     
himself under a master whose teaching   
could have no other effect than to      
accentuate the failings of the pupil1   
whereas had he let his mind come under  
the more regular discipline of          
,hippocrates' method1 it is almost      
certain that the mass of his work1 now  
shut in dusty folios which stand        
undisturbed on the shelves for decade   
after decade1 would have been           
immeasurably more fruitful of good4     
,with all his industry in collecting1   
and his care in verifying1 his medical  

work remains a heap of material1 and    
nothing more valuable4 ,learning and    
science would have profited much had he 
put himself under the standard of the   
,father of ,medicine1 and still more if 
fate had sent him into being at some    
period after the world of letters had   
learned to realize the capabilities of  
the inductive system of ,philosophy4    
,it may readily be conceded that ,cardan
 during his career turned to good       
account the medical knowledge which he  
had gathered from the best attainable   
sources1 and that he was on the whole   
the most skilful physician of his age4  
,he likewise foreshadowed the system of 
deaf mute instruction4 ,a certain       
,georgius ,agricola1 a physician of     
,heidelberg who died in #adhe1 makes    
mention of a deaf mute who had learnt to
 read and write1 but this statement was 
received with incredulity4 ,cardan1     
taking a more philosophic view1 declared
 that people thus afflicted might easily
 be taught to hear by reading1 and to   

speak by writing2 writing was associated
 with speech1 and speech with thought1  
but written characters and ideas might  
be connected without the intervention of
 sounds4#bfh ,this view1 put forward    
with all the authority of ,cardan's     
name1 would certainly rouse fresh       
interest in the question1 and1 whether  
stimulated by his words or not1 an      
attempt to teach deaf mutes was made by 
,pedro de ,ponce1 a ,spanish ,dominican1
 about #aefj4 ,but it would not be      
permissible to claim for ,cardan any    
share in the epoch-making discoveries in
 ,medicine4 ,galen as an experimental   
physiologist had brought diagnosis to a 
level unattained before4 ,his methods   
had been abandoned by his successors1   
and practice had in consequence suffered
 deterioration1 but ,cardan1 studying   
under the revived ,galenism1 called into
 life by the teaching of ,vesalius1 went
 to deal with his cures under conditions
 more favourable than those offered by  
any previous period of the world's      

history4 ,his cure of ,archbishop       
,hamilton's asthma1 over which          
,cassanate and the other doctors had    
failed1 was due to a more careful       
diagnosis and a more judicious          
application of existing rules1 rather   
than to the working of any new          
discoveries of his own4 ,viewed as a    
soldier in the service of ,hygeia1 how  
transient and slender is the fame of    
,cardan compared with that of ,linacre1 
,vesalius1 or ,harvey6 ,were his claims 
to immortality to rest entirely on his  
contribution to ,medicine1 his name     
would have gone down to oblivion along  
with that of ,cavenago1 ,camutio1 ,della
 ,croce1 and the multitude of jealous   
rivals who1 according to his account1   
were ever plotting his downfall4 ,but it
 was rescued from this fate by his      
excellence as a mathematician1 by the   
interest clinging to his personality1 by
 the enormous range of his learning1 by 
his picturesque reputation as a dreamer 
of dreams1 and a searcher into the      

secrets of the hidden world4 ,in an age 
when books were few and ill-composed1   
his works became widely popular2        
because1 although he dealt with abstruse
 subjects1 he wrote--as even ,naud      
admits--in a passably good style1 and   
handled his subject with a lightness of 
touch which was then very rare4 ,this   
was the reason why men went on reading  
him long after his works had ceased to  
have any scientific value2 which induced
 writers like ,burton and ,sir ,thomas  
,browne to embroider their pages freely 
with quotations from his works1 and thus
 make his name familiar to many who have
 never handled a single one of his      
volumes4  ,it is somewhat strange to    
find running through the complex web of 
,cardan's character a well-defined      
thread of worldly wisdom and            
common-sense2 to find that a man1       
described by almost every one who has   
dealt with his character as a credulous 
simpleton1 one with disordered wits1 or 
a down-right madman1 should1 when       

occasion demanded1 prove himself to be a
 sharp man of business4 ,when ,fazio    
died he left his son with a number of   
unsettled law-suits on hand1 concerning 
which he writes3 ,from my father's death
 until ,i was forty-six1 that is to say 
for a space of twenty-three years1 ,i   
was almost continually involved in      
law-suits4 ,first with ,alessandro      
,castillione1 surnamed ,gatico1 with    
respect to certain plantations1 and     
afterwards with his kinsfolk4 ,next with
 the ,counts of ,barbiani1 next with the
 college1 next with the heirs of        
,dominico de ,tortis1 who had held me in
 his arms when ,i was baptized4 ,out of 
all these suits ,i came victorious4 ,it 
was indeed a matter for surprise that ,i
 should have got the better of          
,alessandro ,castillione1 seeing that   
his uncle sat as judge4 ,moreover1 he   
had already got a decision against me1 a
 decision which1 as the jurisconsults   
declared1 helped my case as the trial   
went on1 and ,i was able to force him to

 pay me all the money which was in      
dispute4 ,a like good fortune attended  
me while my claims were considered by   
the heads of the ,milanese ,college1 and
 finally rejected by several votes4     
,then afterwards1 when they had decided 
to admit me1 and when they tried to     
subject me to certain rules which placed
 me on a footing inferior to their own1 
,i compelled them to grant me full      
membership4 ,in the case of the         
,barbiani1 after long litigation and    
many angry words and much trouble1 ,i   
came to terms with them2 and1 having    
received the sum of money covenanted by 
agreement1 ,i was entirely freed from   
vexation of the law4#bfi ,writing       
generally of his monetary dealings1     
,cardan says3 ,whenever ,i may have     
incurred a loss1 ,i have never been     
content merely to retrieve the same1 ,i 
have always contrived to seize upon     
something extra4#bgj ,or again3 ,if at  
any time ,i have lost twenty crowns1 ,i 
have never rested until ,i have         

succeeded in getting back these and     
twenty more in addition4#bga  ,cardan   
left in his ,dicta ,familiaria and      
,prceptorum ad filios ,libellus a long  
list of aphorisms and counsels1 many of 
which give evidence of keen insight and 
busy observation of mankind1 while some 
are distinguished by a touch of humour  
rare in his other writings4 ,he bids his
 children to be careful how they offend 
princes1 and1 offence being given1 never
 to flatter themselves that it has been 
pardoned2 to live joyfully as long as   
they can1 for men are for the most part 
worn out by care2 never to take a wife  
from a witless stock or one tainted with
 hereditary disease2 to refrain from    
deliberating when the mind is disturbed2
 to learn how to be worsted and suffer  
loss2 and to trust a school-master to   
teach children1 but not to feed them4   
,one of the dicta is a gem of quaint    
wisdom4 ,before you begin to wash your  
face1 see that you have a towel handy to
 dry the same4 ,if all the instances of 

prodigies1 portents1 visions1 and       
mysterious warnings which ,cardan has   
left on record were set down in order1 a
 perusal of this catalogue would        
justify1 if it did not compel1 the      
belief that he was little better than a 
credulous fool1 and raise doubts whether
 such a man could have written such     
orderly and coherent works as the       
treatise on ,arithmetic1 or the book of 
the ,great ,art4 ,but ,cardan was beyond
 all else a man of moods1 and it would  
be unfair to figure as his normal mental
 condition those periods of overwrought 
nervousness and the hallucinations they 
brought with them4 ,in his old age the  
nearness of the inevitable stroke1 and  
the severance of all earthly ties1 led  
him to discipline his mind into a calmer
 mood1 but early and late during his    
season of work his nature was singularly
 sensitive to the wearing assaults of   
cares and calamities4 ,in crises of this
 kind his mind would be brought into so 
morbid a condition1 that it would fall  

entirely under the sway of any single   
idea then dominant2 such idea would     
master him entirely1 or even haunt him  
like one of those unclean spectres he   
describes with such gusto in the ,de    
,varietate4 ,what he may have uttered   
when these moods were upon him must not 
be taken seriously2 these are the       
moments to which the major part of his  
experiences of things supra naturam may 
be referred4 ,but there are numerous    
instances in which he describes         
marvellous phenomena with philosophic   
calm1 and examines them in the true     
spirit of scepticism4 ,in his account of
 the trembling of the bed on which he   
lay the night before he heard of ,gian  
,battista's marriage1 he goes on to say 
that a few nights after the first       
manifestation1 he was once more         
conscious of a strange movement2 and1   
having put his hand to his breast1 found
 that his heart was palpitating         
violently because he had been lying on  
his left side4 ,then he remembered that 

a similar physical trouble had          
accompanied the first trembling of the  
bed1 and admits that this manifestation 
may be referred to a natural cause1 i4e4
 the palpitation4 ,he tells also how he 
found amongst his father's papers a     
record of a cure of the gout by a prayer
 offered to the ,virgin at eight in the 
morning on the first of ,april1 and how 
he duly put up the prayer and was cured 
of the gout1 but he adds3 ,sed in hoc1  
auxiliis etiam artis usus sum4#bgb      
,again with regard to the episode of the
 ignition of his bed twice in the same  
night1 without visible cause1 he says   
that this portent may have come about by
 some supernatural working2 but that1 on
 the other hand1 it may have been the   
result of mere chance4 ,he tells another
 story of an experience which befell him
 when he was in ,belgium4#bgc ,he was   
aroused early in the morning by the     
noise made outside his door by a dog    
catching fleas4 ,having got out of bed  
to see to this1 he heard the sound as of

 a key being softly put into the lock4  
,he told this fact to the servants1 who 
at once took up the tale1 and persuaded 
themselves that they had heard many     
noises of the same kind1 and others     
vastly more wonderful2 in short1 the    
whole house was swarming with           
apparitions4 ,the next night the noise  
was repeated1 and a second observation  
laid bare the real cause thereof4 ,the  
scratching of the dog had caused the    
bolt to fall into the socket1 and this  
produced the noise which had disquieted 
him4 ,he writes in conclusion3 ,thus    
many events which seem to defy all      
explanation have really come to pass by 
accident1 or in the course of nature4   
,out of such manifestations as these the
 unlettered1 the superstitious1 the     
timorous1 and the over-hasty make for   
themselves miracles4#bgd ,again1 after  
telling a strange story of a boy who    
beheld the image of a thief in the neck 
of a phial1 and of some incantations of 
,josephus ,niger1 he concludes3         

,nevertheless ,i am of opinion that all 
these things were fables1 and that no   
one could have had any real knowledge   
thereof1 seeing that they were nothing  
else than vain triflings4#bge  ,in a    
nature so complex and many-sided as     
,cardan's1 strange resemblances may be  
sought for and discovered1 and it       
certainly is an unexpected revelation to
 find a mental attitude common to       
,cardan1 a man tied and bound by        
authority and the traditions of         
antiquity1 and such a daring assailant  
of the schools and of ,aristotle as     
,doctor ,joseph ,glanvil4 ,the          
conclusions of ,cardan as to certain    
obscure phenomena recently cited show   
that1 in matters lying beyond sensual   
cognition1 he kept an open mind4 ,in    
summing up the case of the woman said to
 have been cured by the incantations of 
,josephus ,niger1 he says that she must 
have been cured either by the power of  
the imagination1 or by the agency of the
 demons4 ,here he anticipates the       

arguments which ,glanvil sets forth in  
,sadducismus ,triumphatus4 ,writing on  
the belief in witchcraft ,glanvil says1 
,we have the attestation of thousands of
 eye and ear witnesses1 and these not of
 the easily-deceivable vulgar only1 but 
of wise and grave discerners2 and that  
when no interest could oblige them to   
agree together in a common ,lye4 ,i say1
 we have the light of all these         
circumstances to confirm us in the      
belief of things done by persons of     
despicable power and knowledge1 beyond  
the reach of ,art and ordinary ,nature4 
,standing public ,records have been kept
 of these well-attested ,relations1 and 
,epochas made of those unwonted events4 
,laws in many ,nations have been enacted
 against those vile practices2 those    
amongst the ,jews and our own are       
notorious2 such cases have often been   
determined near us by wise and reverend 
,judges1 upon clear and convictive      
,evidence2 and thousands of our own     
,nation have suffered death for their   

vile compacts with ,apostate spirits4   
,all these ,i might largely prove in    
their particular instances1 but that    
'tis not needful since these did deny   
the being of ,witches1 so it was not out
 of ignorance of these heads of         
,argument1 of which probably they have  
heard a thousand times2 but from an     
apprehension that such a belief is      
absurd1 and the things impossible4 ,and 
upon these presumptions they condemn all
 demonstrations of this nature1 and are 
hardened against conviction4 ,and ,i    
think those that can believe all        
,histories and ,romances2 ,that all the 
wiser would have agreed together to     
juggle mankind into a common belief of  
ungrounded fables1 that the sound senses
 of multitudes together may deceive     
them1 and ,laws are built upon          
,chimeras2 ,that the greatest and wisest
 ,judges have been ,murderers1 and the  
sagest persons ,fools1 or designing     
,impostors2 ,i say those that can       
believe this heap of absurdities1 are   

either more credulous than those whose  
credulity they reprehend2 or else have  
some extraordinary evidence of their    
perswasion1 viz43 ,that it is absurd and
 impossible that there should be a      
,witch or ,apparition4#bgf ,cardan's    
argument in the case of the sick woman1 
that it would be difficult if not       
impossible to invent cause for her cure1
 other than the power of imagination or 
,demoniac agency1 if less emphatic and  
lengthy than ,glanvil's1 certainly runs 
upon parallel lines therewith1 and      
suggests1 if it does not proclaim1 the  
existence of such a thing as the        
credulity of unbelief2 in other words   
that those who were disposed to brush   
aside the alternative causes of the cure
 as set down by him1 and search for     
others1 and put faith in them1 would be 
fully as credulous as those who held the
 belief which he recorded as his own4   
,,footnotes3  #bdh ,de ,varietate1 p4   
#cad4  #bdi ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4     
xxxvii4 p4 #aae4  #bej ,musicam1 sed    

hanc anno post ,,vi4 scilicet ,,mdlxxiv4
 correxi et transcribi curavi4--,de     
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xlv4 p4 #agf4  #bea 
,this is on p4 #afd4  #beb ,page #bff4  
#bec ,judicium de ,cardano4  #bed ,page 
#eg4  #bee ,ita nostra tate1 lapsi sunt 
clarissimi alioqui viri in hoc genere4  
,budus adversus ,erasmum1 ,fuchsius     
adversus ,cornarium1 ,silvius adversus  
,vesalium1 ,nizolius adversus           
,maioragium3 non tam credo justis       
contentionum causis1 quam vanitate      
quadam et spe augend opinionis in       
hominibus4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #ace4    
#bef ,he writes in this strain in ,de   
,vita ,propria1 ch4 xiv4 p4 #di1 in ,de 
,varietate ,rerum1 p4 #fbf1 and in      
,geniturarum ,exempla1 p4 #dca4  #beg   
,on the subject of dissimulation ,cardan
 writes3 ,assuevi vultum in contrarium  
semper efformare2 ideo simulare possum1 
dissimulare nescio4--,de ,vita ,propria1
 ch4 xiii4 p4 #db4 ,again in ,libellus  
,prceptorum ad filios 7,opera1 tom4 i4  
p4 #dha71 ,nolite unquam mentiri1 sed   

circumvenire circumvenite84  #beh       
,discoverie of ,witchcraft1 ch4 xi4     
#bei ,donato ,lanza1 the druggist1 who  
had been his first introducer to        
,sfondrato1 was equally perverse4 ,after
 ,cardan had cured him of phthisis1 he  
jumped out of a window to avoid arrest1 
and fell into a fish-pond1 and died of  
the cold he took4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4   
#hc4  #bfj ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #acf4     
#bfa ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 x4 p4 #cb4 
#bfb ,the ,materia ,medica of ,mesua1   
dating from the eleventh century1 was   
used by the ,london ,college of         
,physicians in framing their            
,pharmacopoeia in #afah4  #bfc ,in #addc
 a copy of ,celsus was found at ,milan2 
,paulus gineta was discovered a little  
later4  #bfd ,opera1 tom4 ix4 p4 #a4    
#bfe ,de ,immortalitate ,animorum       
7,lyons1 #aede71 p4 #gc4 ,de ,varietate1
 p4 #gg4 ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #ace4  #bff 
,de ,subtilitate1 p4 #dde4  #bfg        
,galen's great complaint against the    
,peripatetics or ,aristotelians1 was    

that while they discoursed about        
,anatomy they could not dissect4 ,he met
 an argument with a dissection or an    
experiment4 ,come and see for           
yourselves1 was his constant            
cry4--,harveian ,oration1 ,dr4 ,j4,f4   
,payne1 #ahif4  #bfh ,opera1 tom4 x4 p4 
#dfb4  #bfi ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4     
xxviii4 p4 #gc4  #bgj ,ibid41 ch4 xxiii4
 p4 #fd4  #bga ,de ,utilitate1 p4 #cji4 
,he also writes at length in the        
,proxenata on ,domestic                 
,economy4--,chapter xxxvii4 et seq4     
,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #cgg4  #bgb ,de ,vita
 ,propria1 ch4 xxxvii4 p4 #aah4  #bgc   
,de ,varietate1 p4 #ehi4  #bgd ,de      
,varietate1 p4 #ehi4  #bge ,ibid41 p4   
#fdj4  #bgf ,sadducismus ,triumphatus   
7,ed4 #afhb71 p4 #d4     ,,chapter ,,xv 
,,when dealing with ,cardan's sudden    
incarceration in #aegj1 in the chronicle
 of his life1 it was assumed that his   
offence must have been some spoken or   
written words upon which a charge of    
impiety might have been fastened4       

,leaving out of consideration the fiery 
zeal of the reigning ,pope ,pius ,v41 it
 is hard to determine what plea could   
have been found for a serious charge of 
this nature4 ,cardan's work had indeed  
passed the ecclesiastical censors in    
#aefb2 but in the estimation of ,pius   
,v4 the smallest lapse from the letter  
of orthodoxy would have seemed grave    
enough to send to prison1 and perhaps to
 death1 a man as deeply penetrated with 
the spirit of religion as ,cardan       
assuredly was4 ,one of his chief reasons
 for refusing the ,king of ,denmark's   
generous offer was the necessity        
involved of having to live amongst a    
people hostile to the ,catholic         
religion2 and1 in writing of his visit  
to the ,english ,court1 he declares that
 he was unwilling to recognize the title
 of ,king ,edward ,,vi41 inasmuch as by 
so doing he might seem to prejudice the 
rights of the ,pope4#bgg ,in spite of   
this positive testimony1 and the absence
 of any utterances of manifest heresy1  

divers writers in the succeeding century
 classed him with the unbelievers4 ,dr4 
,samuel ,parker in his ,tractatus de    
,deo1 published in #afgh1 includes him  
amongst the atheistical philosophers2   
but a perusal of the ,doctor's remarks  
leaves the reader unconvinced as to the 
justice of such a charge4 ,the term     
,atheism1 however1 was at this time used
 in the very loosest sense1 and was even
 applied to disbelievers in the         
apostolical succession4#bgh ,dr4 ,parker
 writes1 ,another cause which acted1    
together with the natural disposition of
 ,cardan1 to produce that odd mixture of
 folly and wisdom in him1 was his habit 
of continual thinking by which the bile 
was absorbed and burnt up2 he suffered  
neither eating1 pleasure1 nor pain to   
interrupt the course of his thoughts4   
,he was well acquainted with the        
writings of all the ancients--nor did he
 just skim over the heads and contents  
of books as some do who ought not to be 
called learned men1 but skilful         

bookmongers4 ,every author that ,cardan 
read 7and he read nearly all7 he became 
intimately acquainted with1 so that if  
any one disputing with him1 quoted the  
authority of the ancients1 and made any 
the least slip or mistake1 he would     
instantly set them right4 ,dr4 ,parker  
is as greatly amazed at the mass of work
 he produced1 as at his powers of       
accumulation1 and maintains that ,cardan
 believed he was endowed with a faculty 
which he calls reprsentatio1 through    
which he was able to apprehend things   
without study1 by means of an interior  
light shining within him4 ,from which   
you may learn the fact that he had      
studied with such enduring obstinacy    
that he began to persuade himself that  
the visions which appeared before him in
 these fits and transports of the mind1 
were the genuine inspirations of the    
,deity4 ,this is evidently ,dr4         
,parker's explanation of the attendant  
demon1 and he ends by declaring that    
,cardan was rather fanatic than infidel4

  ,mention has been made of the list of 
his vices and imperfections which       
,cardan wrote down with his own hand4   
,out of such a heap of self-accusation  
it would have been an easy task for some
 meddlesome enemy to gather up a        
plentiful selection of isolated facts   
which by artful combination might be so 
arranged as to justify a formal charge  
of impiety4 ,the most definite of these 
charges were made by ,martin del        
,rio1#bgi who declares that ,cardan once
 wrote a book on the ,mortality of the  
,soul which he was wont to exhibit to   
his intimate friends4 ,he did not think 
it prudent to print this work1 but wrote
 another1 taking a more orthodox view1  
called ,de ,immortalitate ,animorum4    
,another assailant1 ,theophile ,raynaud1
 asserts that certain passages in this  
book suggest1 if they do not prove1 that
 ,cardan did not set down his real      
opinions on the subject in hand4        
,raynaud ends by forbidding the faithful
 to read any of ,cardan's books1 and    

describes him as ,homo nullius          
religionis ac fidei1 et inter           
clancularios atheos secundi ordinis vo  
suo facile princeps4 ,of all ,cardan's  
books the ,de ,immortalitate ,animorum  
is the one in which materials for a     
charge of impiety might most easily be  
found4 ,it was put together at a time   
when he had had very little practice in 
the ,greek tongue1 and it is possible   
that many of his conclusions may be     
drawn from premises only imperfectly    
apprehended4 ,scaliger in his           
,exercitations seizes upon one          
passage#bhj which1 according to his     
rendering1 implied that ,cardan reckoned
 the intelligence of men and beasts to  
be the same in essence1 the variety of  
operation being produced by the fact    
that the apprehensive faculty was       
inherent in the one1 and only operative 
upon the other from without4 ,but all   
through this book it is very difficult  
to determine whether the propositions   
advanced are ,cardan's own1 or those of 

the ,greek and ,arabian writers he      
quotes so freely3 and this charge of    
,scaliger1 which is the best supported  
of all1 goes very little way to convict 
him of impiety4 ,in the ,de ,vita       
,propria there are several passages#bha 
which suggest a belief akin to that of  
the ,anima ,mundi2 he had without doubt 
made up his mind that this work should  
not see the light till he was beyond the
 reach of ,pope or ,council4 ,the origin
 of this charge of impiety may be       
referred with the best show of          
probability to his attempt to cast the  
horoscope of ,jesus ,christ4#bhb ,this1 
together with a diagram1 is given in the
 ,commentaries on ,ptolemy1 and soon    
after it appeared it was made the       
occasion of a fierce attack by ,julius  
,csar ,scaliger1 who declared that such 
a scheme must be flat blasphemy1        
inasmuch as the author proved that all  
the actions of ,christ necessarily      
followed the position of the stars at   
the time of ,his nativity4 ,if ,scaliger

 had taken the trouble to glance at the 
,commentary he would have discovered    
that ,cardan especially guarded himself 
against any accusation of this sort1 by 
setting down that no one was to believe 
he had any intention of asserting that  
,christ's divinity1 or ,his miracles1 or
 ,his holy life1 or the promulgation of 
,his laws were in any way influenced by 
the stars4#bhc ,naud1 in recording the  
censures of ,de ,thou1 ,verum extrem    
amenti fuit1 imo impi audaci1 astrorum  
commentitiis legibus verum astrorum     
dominum velle subjicere4 ,quod ille     
tamen exarata ,servatoris nostri        
genitura fecit1 and of ,joseph          
,scaliger1 impiam dicam magis1 an       
jocularem audaciam qu et dominum        
stellarum stellis subjecerit1 et natum  
eo tempore putarit1 quod adhuc in lite  
positum est1 ut vanitas cum impietate   
certaret1#bhd declares that it was      
chiefly from the publication of this    
horoscope that ,cardan incurred the     
suspicion of blasphemy2 but1 with his   

free-thinking bias1 abstains from adding
 his own censure4 ,he rates ,scaliger   
for ignorance because he was evidently  
under the impression that ,cardan was   
the first to draw a horoscope of        
,christ1 and attacks ,cardan chiefly on 
the score of plagiary4 ,he records how  
divers writers in past times had done   
the same thing4 ,albumasar1 one of the  
most learned of the ,arabs1 whose thema 
natalium is quoted by ,roger ,bacon in  
one of his epistles to ,clement ,v41    
,albertus ,magnus1 ,peter d',ailly the  
,cardinal of ,cambrai1 and ,tiberius    
,russilanus who lived in the time of    
,leo ,x41 all constructed nativities of 
,christ1 but ,cardan makes no mention of
 these horoscopists1 and1 according to  
the view of ,naud1 poses as the inventor
 of this form of impiety1 and is        
consequently guilty of literary         
dishonesty1 a worse sin1 in his critics'
 eyes1 than the framing of the horoscope
 itself4  ,that there was in ,cardan's  
practice enough of curiosity and        

independence to provoke suspicion of his
 orthodoxy in the minds of the leaders  
of the post-,tridentine revival1 is     
abundantly possible2 but there is       
nothing in all his life and works to    
show that he was1 according to the      
standard of every age1 anything else    
than a spiritually-minded man4#bhe ,it  
would be hard to find words more        
instinct with the true feeling of piety1
 than the following taken from the      
fifty-third chapter of the ,de ,vita    
,propria1--,i love solitude1 for ,i     
never seem to be so entirely with those 
who are especially dear to me as when ,i
 am alone4 ,i love ,god and the spirit  
of good1 and when ,i am by myself ,i let
 my thoughts dwell on these1 their      
immeasurable beneficence2 the eternal   
wisdom1 the source and origin of        
clearest light1 that true joy within us 
which never fears that ,god will forsake
 us2 that groundwork of truth2 that     
willing love2 and the ,maker of us all1 
who is blessed in ,himself1 and likewise

 the desire and safeguard of all the    
blessed4 ,ah1 what depth and what height
 of righteousness1 mindful of the dead  
and not forgetting the living4 ,he is   
the ,spirit who protects me by ,his     
commands1 my good and merciful          
counsellor1 my helper and consoler in   
misfortune4  ,two or three of ,cardan's 
treatises are in the materna lingua1 but
 he wrote almost entirely in ,latin1    
using a style which was emphatically    
literary4#bhf ,his ,latin is probably   
above the average excellence of the age1
 and if the classic writers held the    
first place in his estimation--as       
naturally they would--he assuredly did  
not neglect the firstfruits of modern   
literature4 ,pulci was his favourite    
poet4 ,he evidently knew ,dante and     
,boccaccio well1 and his literary       
insight was clear enough to perceive    
that the future belonged to those who   
should write in the vulgar tongue of the
 lands which produced them4#bhg         
,perhaps it was impossible that a man   

endowed with so catholic a spirit and   
with such earnest desire for knowledge1 
should sink into the mere pedant with   
whom later ages have been made          
acquainted through the farther          
specialization of science4 ,at all      
events ,cardan is an instance that the  
man of liberal education need not be    
killed by the man of science4 ,for him  
the path of learning was not an easy one
 to tread1 and1 as it not seldom        
happens1 opposition and coldness drove  
him on at a pace rarely attained by     
those for whom the royal road to        
learning is smoothed and prepared4 ,for 
a long time his father refused to give  
him instruction in ,latin1 or to let him
 be taught by any one else1 and up to   
his twentieth year he seems to have     
known next to nothing of this language  
which held the keys both of letters and 
science4 ,he began to learn ,greek when 
he was about thirty-five1 but it was not
 till he had turned forty that he took  
up the study of it in real earnest2#bhh 

and1 writing some years later1 he gives 
quotations from a ,latin version of     
,aristotle4#bhi ,in his commentaries on 
,hippocrates he used a ,latin text1     
presumably the translation of ,calvus   
printed in ,rome in #aebe1 and quotes   
,epicurus in ,latin in the ,de          
,subtilitate 7p4 #cdg71 but in works    
like the ,de ,sapientia and the ,de     
,consolatione he quotes ,greek freely1  
supplying in nearly every case a ,latin 
version of the passages cited4 ,these   
treatises bristle with quotations1      
,horace being his favourite author4 ,vir
 in omni sapienti genere admirandus4#bij
 ,as with many moderns his love for     
,horace did not grow less as old age    
crept on1 for the ,de ,vita ,propria is 
perhaps fuller of ,horatian tags than   
any other of his works4 ,it would seem  
somewhat of a paradox that a sombre and 
earnest nature like ,cardan's should    
find so great pleasure in reading the   
elegant poco curante triflings of the   
,augustan singer1 were it not a         

recognized fact that ,horace has always 
been a greater favourite with serious   
practical ,englishmen than with the     
descendants of those for whom he wrote  
his verses4  ,it was a habit with       
,cardan to apologize in the prefaces of 
his scientific works for the want of    
elegance in his ,latin1 explaining that 
the baldness and simplicity of his      
periods arose from his determination to 
make his meaning plain1 and to trouble  
nothing about style for the time being2 
but the following passage shows that he 
had a just and adequate conception of   
the necessary laws of literary art4     
,that book is perfect which goes        
straight to its point in one single line
 of argument1 which neither leaves out  
aught that is necessary1 nor brings in  
aught that is superfluous3 which        
observes the rule of correct division2  
which explains what is obscure2 and     
shows plainly the groundwork upon which 
it is based4#bia  ,the ,de ,vita        
,propria from which this extract comes  

is in point of style one of his weakest 
books1 but even in this volume passages 
may here and there be found of          
considerable merit1 and ,cardan was     
evidently studious to let his ideas be  
presented in intelligible form1 for he  
records that in #aece he read through   
the whole of ,cicero1 for the sake of   
improving his ,latin4 ,his style1       
according to ,naud1 held a middle place 
between the high-flown and the          
pedestrian1 and of all his books the ,de
 ,utilitate ex ,adversis ,capienda1     
which was begun in #aeeg1 shows the     
nearest approach to elegance1 but even  
this is not free from diffuseness1 the  
fault which ,naud finds in all his      
writings4 ,long dissertations entirely  
alien from the subject in hand are      
constantly interpolated4 ,in the        
,practice of ,arithmetic he turns aside 
to treat of the marvellous properties of
 certain numbers1 of the motion of the  
planets1 and of the ,tower of ,babel2   
and in the treatise on ,dialectic he    

gives an estimate of the historians and 
letter-writers of the past4 ,but here   
,cardan did not sin in ignorance2 his   
poverty and not his will consented to   
these literary outrages4 ,he was paid   
for his work by the sheet1 and the      
thicker the volume the higher the       
pay4#bib  ,when he made a beginning of  
the ,de ,utilitate ,cardan was at the   
zenith of his fortunes4 ,he had lately  
returned from his journey to ,scotland1 
having made a triumphant progress       
through the cities of ,western ,europe4 
,thus1 with his mind well stored with   
experience of divers lands1 his wits    
sharpened by intercourse with the lite  
of the learned world1 and his hand      
nerved by the magnetic stimulant of     
success1 he sat down to write as the    
philosopher and man of the world1 rather
 than as the man of science4 ,he was1 in
 spite of his prosperity1 inclined to   
deal with the more sombre side of life4 
,he seems to have been specially drawn  
to write of death1 disease1 and of the  

peculiar physical misfortune which      
befell him in early manhood4 ,like      
,cicero he goes on to treat of ,old     
,age1 but in a spirit so widely         
different that a brief comparison of the
 conclusions of the two philosophers    
will not be without interest4 ,old age1 
,cardan declares to be the most cruel   
and irreparable evil with which man is  
cursed1 and to talk of old age is to    
talk of the crowning misfortune of      
humanity4 ,old men are made wretched by 
avarice1 by dejection1 and by terror4   
,he bids men not to be deceived by the  
flowery words of ,cicero1#bic when he   
describes ,cato as an old man1 like to a
 fair statue of ,polycleitus1 with      
faculties unimpaired and memory fresh   
and green4 ,he next goes on to catalogue
 the numerous vices and deformities of  
old age1 and instances from ,aristotle  
what he considers to be the worst of all
 its misfortunes1 to wit that an old man
 is well-nigh cut off from hope2 and by 
way of comment grimly adds1 ,if any man 

be plagued by the ills of old age he    
should blame no one but himself1 for it 
is by his own choice that his life has  
run on so long4 ,he vouchsafes a few    
words of counsel as to how this hateful 
season may be robbed of some of its     
horror4 ,our bodies grow old first1 then
 our senses1 then our minds4 ,therefore 
let us store our treasures in that part 
of us which will hold out longest1 as   
men in a beleaguered city are wont to   
collect their resources in the citadel1 
which1 albeit it must in the end be     
taken1 will nevertheless be the last to 
fall into the foeman's hands4 ,old men  
should avoid society1 seeing that they  
can bring nothing thereto worth having3 
whether they speak or keep silent they  
are in the way1 and they are as irksome 
to themselves when they are silent1 as  
they are to others when they speak4 ,the
 old man should take a lesson from the  
lower animals1 which are wont to defend 
themselves with the best arms given them
 by nature3 bulls with their horns1     

horses with their hoofs1 and cats with  
their claws2 wherefore an old man should
 at least show himself to be as wise as 
the brutes and maintain his position by 
his wisdom and knowledge1 seeing that   
all the grace and power of his manhood  
must needs have fled4#bid  ,in another  
of his moral treatises he has formulated
 a long indictment against old age1 that
 hateful state with its savourless joys 
and sleepless nights4 ,did not ,zeno the
 philosopher strangle himself when he   
found that time refused to do its work4 
,the happiest are those who earliest lay
 down the burden of existence1 and the  
,law itself causes these offenders who  
are least guilty to die first1 letting  
the more nefarious and hardened         
criminals stand by and witness the death
 of their fellows4 ,there can be no evil
 worse than the daily expectation of the
 blow that is inevitable1 and old age1  
when it comes1 must make every man      
regret that he did not die in infancy4  
,when ,i was a boy1 he writes1 ,i       

remember one day to have heard my       
mother1 ,chiara ,micheria--herself a    
young woman--cry out that she wished it 
had been ,god's will to let her die when
 she was a child4 ,i asked her why1 and 
she answered3 ',because ,i know ,i must 
soon die1 to the great peril of my soul1
 and besides this1 if we shall          
diligently weigh and examine all our    
experiences of life1 we shall not light 
upon a single one which will not have   
brought us more sorrow than joy4 ,for   
afflictions when they come mar the      
recollection of our pleasures1 and with 
just cause2 for what is there in life   
worthy the name of delight1 the         
ever-present burden of existence1 the   
task of dressing and undressing every   
day1 hunger1 thirst1 evil dreams8 ,what 
more profit and ease have we than the   
dead8 ,we must endure the heat of       
summer1 the cold of winter1 the         
confusion of the times1 the dread of    
war1 the stern rule of parents1 the     
anxious care of our children1 the       

weariness of domestic life1 the ill     
carriage of servants1 lawsuits1 and1    
what is worst of all1 the state of the  
public mind which holds probity as      
silliness2 which practises deceit and   
calls it prudence4 ,craftsmen are       
counted excellent1 not by their skill in
 their art1 but by reason of their      
garish work and of the valueless        
approbation of the mob4 ,wherefore one  
must needs either incur ,god's          
displeasure or live in misery1 despised 
and persecuted by men4'#bie ,these      
words1 though put into his mother's     
mouth1 are manifestly an expression of  
,cardan's own feelings4  ,cardan was the
 product of an age to which there had   
recently been revealed the august       
sources from which knowledge1 as we     
understand the term1 has flowed without 
haste or rest since the unsealing of the
 fountain4 ,he counts it rare fortune to
 have been born in such an age1 and     
rhapsodizes over the flowery meadow of  
knowledge in which his generation       

rejoices1 and over the vast ,western    
world recently made known4 ,are not the 
artificial thunderbolts of man far more 
destructive than those of heaven8 ,what 
praise is too high for the magnet which 
leads men safely over perilous seas1 or 
for the art of printing8 ,indeed it     
needs but little more to enable man to  
scale the very heavens4 ,with his mind  
thus set upon the exploration of these  
new fields of knowledge2 with the full  
realization how vast was the treasure   
lying hid therein2 it was only natural  
that a spirit so curious and greedy of  
fresh mental food should have fretted at
 the piteous brevity of the earthly term
 allowed to man1 and have rated as a    
supreme evil that old age which brought 
with it decay of the faculties and      
foreshadowed the speedy and inevitable  
fall of the curtain4 ,cicero on the     
other hand had been nurtured in a creed 
and philosophy alike outworn4 ,the      
blight of finality had fallen upon the  
moral world1 and the physical universe  

still guarded jealously her mighty      
secrets4 ,to the eyes of ,cicero the    
mirror of nature was blank void and     
darkness1 while ,cardan1 gazing into the
 same glass1 must have been embarrassed 
with the number and variety of the      
subjects offered1 and may well have felt
 that the longest life of man ten times 
prolonged would rank but as a moment in 
that ,titanic spell of work necessary to
 bring to the birth the teeming burden  
with which the universe lay in travail4 
,here is one and perhaps the strongest  
reason of his hatred of old age2 because
 through the shortness of his span of   
time he could only deal with a grain or 
two of the sand lying upon the shores of
 knowledge4 ,cicero1 with his more      
limited vision1 conscious that sixty    
years or so of life would exhaust every 
physical delight1 and blunt and mar the 
intellectual2 ignorant both of the world
 of new light lying beyond the void1 and
 of the rapture which the conquering    
investigator of the same must feel in   

wringing forth its secrets1 welcomed the
 gathering shades as friendly visitants1
 a mood which has asserted itself in    
later times with certain weary spirits1 
sated with knowledge as ,vitellius was  
sated with his banquets of nightingales'
 tongues4  ,cardan with all his         
curiosity and restless mental activity  
was hampered and restrained in his      
explorations by the bonds which had been
 imposed upon thought during the rule of
 authority4 ,these bonds held him       
back--acting imperceptibly--as they held
 back ,abelard and many other daring    
spirits trained in the methods of the   
schoolmen1 and allowed him to do little 
more than range at large over the fields
 of fresh knowledge which were destined 
to be reaped by later workers trained in
 other schools and under different      
masters4 ,learning was still subject to 
authority1 though in milder degree1 than
 when ,thomas of ,aquino dominated the  
mental outlook of ,europe1 and the great
 majority of the men who posed as       

,freethinkers1 and sincerely believed   
themselves to be ,freethinkers1 were    
unconsciously swayed by the associations
 of the method of teaching they         
professed to despise4 ,their progress   
for the most part resembled the movement
 of a squirrel in a rotatory cage1 but  
though their efforts to conquer the new 
world of knowledge were vain1 it cannot 
be questioned that the restrictions     
placed around them1 while nullifying the
 result of their investigations1        
stimulated enormously the activity of   
the brain and gave it a formal          
discipline which proved of the highest  
value when the real literary work of    
,modern ,europe began4 ,the futilities  
of the problems upon which the          
scholastic thinkers exercised themselves
 gave occasion for the satiric onslaught
 both of ,rabelais and ,erasmus4 ,qustio
 subtilissima1 utrum ,chimra in vacuo   
bombinans possit comedere secundas      
intentiones2 et fuit debatuta per decem 
hebdomadas in ,consilio ,constantiensi1 

and ,quid consecrasset ,petrus1 si      
consecrasset eo tempore1 quo corpus     
,christi pendebet in cruce8 are samples 
which will be generally familiar1 but   
the very absurdity of these             
exercitations serves to prove how       
strenuous must have been the temper of  
the times which preferred to exhaust    
itself over such banalities as are      
typified by the extracts above written1 
rather than remain inactive4 ,the dogmas
 in learning were fixed as definitely as
 in religion1 and the solution of every 
question was found and duly recorded4   
,the ,philosopher was allowed to strike 
out a new track1 but if he valued his   
life or his ease1 he would take care to 
arrive finally at the conclusion        
favoured by authority4  ,cardan may with
 justice be classed both with men of    
science and men of letters4 ,in spite of
 the limitations just referred to it is 
certain that as he surveyed the         
broadening horizon of the world of      
knowledge1 he must have felt the        

student's spasm of agony when he first  
realized the infinity of research and   
the awful brevity of time4 ,his         
reflections on old age give proof enough
 of this4 ,if he missed the labour in   
the full harvest-field1 the glimpse of  
the distant mountain tops1 suffused for 
the first time by the new light1 he     
missed likewise the wearing labour which
 fell upon the shoulders of those who   
were compelled by the new philosophy to 
use new methods in presenting to the    
world the results of their midnight     
research4 ,such work as ,cardan         
undertook in the composition of his     
moral essays1 and in the ,commentary on 
,hippocrates put no heavy tax on the    
brain or the vital energies2 the        
,commentary was of portentous length1   
but it was not much more than a         
paraphrase with his own experiences     
added thereto4 ,mathematics were his    
pastime1 to judge by the ease and       
rapidity with which he solved the       
problems sent to him by ,francesco      

,sambo of ,ravenna and others4#bif ,he  
worked hard no doubt1 but as a rule mere
 labour inflicts no heavier penalty than
 healthy fatigue4 ,the destroyer of     
vital power and spring is hard work1    
combined with that unsleeping diligence 
which must be exercised when a man sets 
himself to undertake something more     
complex than the mere accumulation of   
data1 when he is forced to keep his     
mental powers on the strain through long
 hours of selection and co-ordination1  
and to fix and concentrate his energies 
upon the task of compelling into        
symmetry the heap of materials lying    
under his hand4 ,the ,de ,subtilitate   
and the ,de ,varietate are standing     
proofs that ,cardan did not overstrain  
his powers by exertion of this kind4    
,leaving out of the reckoning his       
mathematical treatises1 the vogue       
enjoyed by ,cardan's published works    
must have been a short one4 ,they came  
to the birth only to be buried in the   
yawning graves which lie open in every  

library4 ,at the time when ,spon brought
 out his great edition in ten folio     
volumes in #affc1 the mists of oblivion 
must have been gathering around the     
author's fame1 and in a brief space his 
words ceased to have any weight in the  
teaching of that ,art he had cultivated 
with so great zeal and affection4 ,the  
mathematician who talked about ,cardan's
 rule to his pupils was most likely     
ignorant both of his century and his    
birthplace4 ,had it not been for the    
references made by writers like ,burton 
to his dabblings in occult learning1 his
 claims to read the stars1 and to the   
guidance of a peculiar spirit1 his name 
would have been now unknown1 save to a  
few algebraists2 and his desire1        
expressed in one of the meditative      
passages of the ,de ,vita ,propria1     
would have been amply fulfilled3 ,non   
tamen unquam concupivi gloriam aut      
honores3 imo sprevi1 cuperem notum esse 
quod sim1 non opto ut sciatur qualis    
sim4#big  ,,footnotes3  #bgg ,de ,vita  

,propria1 ch4 xxix4 p4 #gf4  #bgh       
,dugald ,stewart1 ,dissertations1 p4    
#cgh4  #bgi ,the writer1 a ,jesuit1 says
 in ,disquisitionum ,magicarum          
7,louvanii1 #aeii71 tom4 i43--,in       
,cardani de ,subtilitate et de          
,varietate libris passim latet anguis in
 herba et indiget expurgatione          
,ecclesiastic lim4 ,del ,rio was a      
violent assailant of ,cornelius         
,agrippa4  #bhj ,quoniam intellectus    
intrinsecus est homini1 belluis         
extrinsecus collucet3 unus etiam        
satisfacere omnibus1 qu in una specie   
sunt potest1 hominibus plures sunt      
necessarii3 tertia est quod hominis     
anima tanquam speculum est levigata1    
splendida1 solida1 clara3 belluarum     
autem tenebrosa nec levis2 atque ideo in
 nostra anima lux mentis refulget       
multipliciter confracta1 inde ipse      
,intellectus intelligit4 ,ceteris autem 
potentiis1 ut diximus1 nullus limes     
prescriptus est3 at belluarum internis  
facultatibus tantum licet agnoscere1    

quantum per exteriores sensus           
accesserit4--,de ,imm4 ,anim41 p4 #bhc4 
#bha ,deum debere dici immensum3 omnia  
qu partes habent diversas ordinatas     
animam habere et vitam4--p4 #afg4  #bhb 
,in the last edition of ,de ,libris     
,propriis he calls it ,christique       
nativitas admirabilis4--,opera1 tom4 i4 
p4 #aaj4  #bhc ,ptolemi de ,astrorum    
,judiciis1 p4 #afc4  #bhd ,prfatio in   
,manilium4  #bhe ,a proof of his liberal
 tone of mind is found in his           
appreciation of the fine qualities of   
,edward ,,vi4 as a man1 although he     
resented his encroachments as a king    
upon the ,pope's rights4  #bhf ,in the  
,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxxiii4 p4 #ajf1
 he fixes into his prose an entire line 
of ,horace1 ,canidia afflasset pejor    
serpentibus ,afris4  #bhg ,at ,boccatii 
fabul nunc majus virent quam antea3 et  
,dantis ,petrarchque ac ,virgilii totque
 aliorum poemata sunt in maxima         
veneratione4--,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #abe4  
#bhh ,ibid41 tom4 i4 p4 #ei4  #bhi ,de  

,vita ,propria1 ch4 xii4-xiii4 pp4 #ci1 
#dd4  #bij ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #eje4     
#bia ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 xxvii4 p4  
#gb4  #bib ,eo tantum fine1 quemadmodum 
alicubi fatetur1 ut plura folia         
,typographis mitteret1 quibuscum antea  
de illorum pretio pepigerat2 atque hoc  
modo fami1 non secus ac fam             
scriberet4--,naudus1 ,judicium4  #bic   
,in ,de ,consolatione 7,opera1 tom4 i4  
p4 #fjd7 he writes3--,quantum diligenti1
 quantum industri ,cicero adjecit1 quo  
conatu nixus est ut persuaderet         
senectutem esse tolerandam4  #bid ,de   
,utilitate1 book ii4 ch4 #d4  #bie ,de  
,consolatione 7,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #fje74
  #bif ,opera1 tom4 i4 p4 #aac4 ,on the 
same page he adds3--,fui autem tam felix
 in cito absoluendo1 quam infelicissimus
 in sero inchoando4 ,coepi enim illum   
anno tatis me quinquagesimo octavo1     
absolvi intra septem dies2 pene prodigio
 similis4  #big ,de ,vita ,propria1 ch4 
ix4 p4 #cj4     ,,index     ,adda1      
battle1 #g    ,alberio1 ,antonio1 #d    

,alciati1 ,cardinal1 #bab1 #bcc         
,algebra1 #fe1 #gc1 #ih1 #bce           
,appearance of ,cardan1 #ai             
,apuleius1 #bca1 #bef1 #bfd             
,archinto1 ,filippo1 #dj1 #da1 #df1 #ed 
,aristotle1  #af1 #aje1 #ajh1 #bbd1     
#bdj1 #bef1 #bhh    ,arithmetic1 #ed1   
#fa1 #ga1 #ia1 #bij    ,astrology1 #e1  
#ed1 #bei    ,avicenna1 #bbd1 #bfh      
,bandarini1 ,altobello1 #ce-ch1 #afc    
,bandarini1 ,lucia 7,cardan's wife71    
#ce1 #cg1 #ci1 #dj1 #eg1 #fg1 #afc      
,bayle1 #a1 #aed1 #bde    ,bologna1     
#aic1 #aie1 #bja-bje1 #bjg1 #bab1 #bbj1 
#bbd    ,borgo1 ,fra ,luca da1 #gf1 #ib1
 #if1 #ig    ,borromeo1 ,carlo1 #aic1   
#aid1  #bjb1 #baj1 #bcc    ,borromeo1   
,count1 #ee1 #bei    ,browne1 ,sir ,t41 
#ef1 #aed1 #baj1 #bfg    ,brissac1      
,marquis1 #ed1 #abb1 #aca     ,camutio1 
#agj1 #aga1 #bef1 #bfd    ,cantone1     
,otto1 #i1 #aa    ,cardano1 ,aldo1 #afd1
 #afe1 #agj1 #agb1 #bjc1 #bab1 #bdc     
,cardano1 ,fazio1  #a1 #b1 #aj1 #ae1    
#bb1 #fh1 #fi1 #afb1 #bch1 #bde1 #bfg   

,cardano1 ,gasparo1 #ajc1 #acj1 #acb    
,cardano1 ,gian ,battista1 #dj1 #ajb1   
#ajc1 #afd-ahj1 #aii1 #bfa    ,cardano1 
,niccolo1 #ba    ,cassanate1 ,g41       
#aag-abb1 #abf1 #bbe1 #bff    ,cavenago1
 ,ambrogio1 #eh1 #ei1 #fj1 #bff         
,cheke1 ,sir ,j41 #aci1 #beh    ,chiara 
7,cardan's daughter71 #adh1 #bac        
,chiromancy1 #aaj    ,cicero1 #bei1     
#bij-bia1 #bid    ,colla1 ,giovanni1    
#gc1 #gf1 #ha1 #hc1 #he1 #ic1 #ig       
,consolatione1 ,de1 #eg1 #fb1 #aag1     
#afd1 #bhh    ,croce1 ,francesco della1 
#dg1 #fa    ,croce1 ,luca della1 #eh-fj1
 #bff     ,d',avalos1 ,alfonso1 #eg1    
#fa1 #fc1 #hd1 #he1 #hh1 #hi    ,deaf   
mutes1 #bgd    ,demons1 #aae1 #adg1     
#aee1 #bbi    ,denmark1 ,king of1 #ajj1 
#add1 #bhb    ,diet1 ,cardan's1 #bea3   
for the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews1   
#abh    ,diseases1 ,cardan's1  #e1  #g1 
#ca1   #cc1 #bea    ,doctorate of       
,padua1 #bc1 #cj    ,dreams1 ,cardan's1 
#bj1 #cd1 #dh1 #ajd1 #bce               
,edinburgh1 #aac1 #abe1 #abf    ,edward 

,,vi41 #acb-aci1 #bhb    ,english1 the1 
#ada    ,erasmus1 #adh1 #afc1 #bbf1 #bie
     ,familiar spirit of ,cardan1 #bbg1 
#bbi1 #beh    ,familiar spirit of ,fazio
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,ludovico1 #ed1 #gc1 #id-if1 #ih1 #baa  
,ferreo1 ,scipio1 #ed1 #gc1 #gf1 #gg1   
#ig    ,fioravanti1 #ahi1 #aij1 #aib1   
#aig    ,fiore ,antonio1 #gc1 #gf1 #gg1 
#gi1 #hj1 #hb1 #ig     ,gaddi1 ,franc41 
#dg    ,galen1 #ee1 #agj1 #bci1 #bdj1   
#bfj-bfh1 #bgj-bgc    ,gallarate1 #a1   
#ci1 #ajb1 #beh    ,gambling1 #bb1 #bg1 
#bh1 #cb1 #db1 #fb1 #afc    ,geniturarum
 ,exempla1 #d1 #acf    ,geometry1 #gj   
,glanvil1 ,jos41 #bgi-bha    ,greek1    
study of1 #bcb1 #bhh     ,hamilton1     
,james1 ,earl of ,arran1 #abj1 #aba1    
#abd    ,hippocrates1 #ei1 #bbc1 #bee1  
#bfj1 #bfh1 #bgj-bgc1 #bif    ,horace1  
#bhg1 #bhi    ,horoscope of ,cardan1 #e1
 #bdh    ,horoscope of ,aldo ,cardano1  
#afe    ,horoscope of ,cheke1 #beh      
,horoscope of ,christ1 #ee1 #bba1 #beg1 
#bhe1 #bhf    ,horoscope of ,edward     

,,vi41 #acc1 #bei    ,horoscope of ,gian
 ,battista ,cardano1 #beh    ,horoscope 
of ,ranconet1 #bei    ,horoscope of the 
,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews1 #acj1 #beh
     ,immortalitate ,animorum1 ,de1 #fa1
 #bhd    ,imprisonment of ,cardan1 #bai1
 #bca    ,index1 ,congregation of the1  
#aig     ,juan ,antonio1 #gi1 #ha-hc    
,lanza1 ,donato1 #eh1 #beg    ,latin1   
study of1 #ab1 #bgi1 #bhb    ,lawsuits1 
#ca1 #dh1 #bfg1 #bge    ,leonardo       
,pisano1 #gd-gf1 #ig    ,libris         
,propriis1 ,de1 #afj1 #bac1 #bce        
,lyons1 #aba     ,mahomet the           
,algebraist1 #gd    ,mahomet ,ben ,musa1
 #ge1 #ih    ,margarita1 #f1 #ba1 #afc1 
#bdi    ,medicine1 state of1 #bfg       
,micheria ,chiara 7,cardan's mother71   
#a1 #c1 #bg1 #ci1 #da1 #db1 #df1 #bib   
,milan1 ,college of1 #ca1 #ch1 #da1 #dg1
 #eb1 #eg1 #fa1 #fb1 #ade1 #bgf         
,moroni1 ,cardinal1 #fe1 #baj1 #bag-bbj 
,music1 #afc1 #bce1 #bef     ,naud1     
,gabriel1 #if1 #aee1 #aef1 #afe1        
#bdf-bdi1 #bec1 #bed1 #bef1 #bfd1 #bij  

,niger1 ,josephus1 #bbh1 #bgi           
,northumberland1 ,duke of1 #acc1 #acf1  
#ach1 #aci     ,orontius1 #abc          
,osiander1 ,a41 #gb     ,paciolus1      
,luca1 #gd    ,padua1 ,university1      
#bc-cj    ,paracelsus1 #afc1 #bfi       
,paris1 #aai1 #aba    ,parker1 ,dr4 ,s41
 #bhb1 #bhc    ,pavia1 ,university1 #ah1
 #bb1 #ec1 #fc1 #fe1 #ajj1 #aaf1 #agj1  
#ahc1 #aie1 #bfi    ,paul ,,iii41 ,pope1
 #ed1 #fe1 #ajj    ,peckham1 ,john1 #af1
 #bcf    ,petreius1 #fe    ,petrus1     
#aeh1 #aei    ,pharnelius ,fernel1 #abc1
 #bfj    ,phthisis1 cure of1 #aah1 #bef 
,pius ,,iv41 #aic1 #aig1 #bbj1 #bba1    
#bcc    ,pius ,v41 #bbj-bbc1 #bbe1 #bhb 
,plat ,lectureship1 #df1 #fd1 #ff1 #gj  
,porro1 ,branda1 #agj1 #aga1 #bjd1 #bef1
 #bfd    ,portents1 #ch1 #dj1 #fd1 #afa1
 #aff1 #agc1 #age1 #ahd1 #bje-bjg1 #baf1
 #bai1 #bca1             #bch1 #bgh     
,precepts for ,children1 #afd1 #bgf     
,ptolemi de ,astrorum ,judiciis1 #adg1  
#aed1 #aei1 #bce1 #bef1 #bhe            
,ranconet1 ,a41 #abc1 #acj1 #acb1 #ade1 

#bei    ,ranke1 ,von1 #bbj1 #bbc        
,rectorship at ,padua1 #bc1 #bf-bh      
,rigone1 #agf1 #ahb    ,rome1 #bbd1     
#bcc1 #bdb    ,rosso1 ,galeazzo1 #ad1   
#ajf     ,sacco1 #aj1 #cj1 #cb1 #fg1    
#aaj1 #beh1 #bfg    ,sacco1 ,bartolomeo1
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,abp4 of1 #aab1 #aac1 #aah-abb1 #abd1   
#abf1 #aca1 #adf-adh1 #beg1             
#bfe1 #beg    ,sapientia1 ,de1 #eg1     
#aag1 #bfj    ,scaliger1 ,j4,c41 #fa1   
#adh-aeg1 #bcg #bed1 #bhd-bhf    ,scot1 
,reginald1 #aei1 #afc1 #bef1 #bfe       
,scotland1 #aaa-aaf1 #ada    ,scoto1    
,ottaviano1 #ea1 #adg    ,scotus1 ,duns1
 #aac-ada    ,seroni1 ,brandonia1  #afh1
 #agj1 #agb1 #agf-ahj1 #bca    ,seroni1 
,evangelista1 #afh1 #agg1 #ahb          
,sessa1 ,duca di1 #age1 #ahb1 #aii1 #bjj
    ,sfondrato1 ,francesco1 #eh1 #ei1   
#fa    ,shetlands1 #aac    ,socrates1   
#bbh1 #bcj    ,subtilitate1 ,de1        
#ajd-aag1 #adi1 #aeh1 #bba1 #bbh        
,suisset 7,swineshead71 #aac1 #ada      
,sylvestro1 ,rodolfo1 #baa1 #bai1 #bca1 

#bcd    ,sylvius1 #abc    ,tartaglia1   
,niccolo1 #gc1 #ge-ii1 #bcf    ,thuanus 
de ,thou1 #aee1 #bba1 #bcg #bdd1 #bgh   
,tiboldo1 ,g41 #bfe    ,troilus and     
,dominicus1 story of1 #bda1 #bdc        
,utilitate1 ,de1 #d1 #ahd1 #bij         
,varietate1 ,de1 #ajd-aag1 #aed1 #aeh1  
#aei1 #bbg1 #bdi    ,vesalius1 #ajj1    
#aja1 #abc1 #bfa1 #bgj    ,vicomercato1 
,antonio1 #fb    ,visconti1 ,ercole1    
#ahc1 #ahh1 #aib    ,vita ,propria1 ,de1
 #i1 #de1 #afa1 #bce1 #bcg1 #bdd1 #bdf1 
#bdi1 #bej1 #bhd1 #bhe1                 
#bhi     ,weir1 ,johann1 #bji1 #baj     
,william1 the ,english boy1 #aci-ada1   
#ahf1 #ahg    ,transcriber's notes      
,page #bii ,faizo corrected to ,fazio   
,typographical errors in equations      
corrected4    a with macron a   e with  
macron e   u with macron u   o with     
macron o   m with tilde m