70 JEROME CARDAN. 



that year laureated Doctor of Medicine. His admission 

 to the dignity was not, however, easily accorded/ Having 

 been presented by his teachers, and proved himself before 

 the bishop orthodox and loyal, it was the duty of Cardan, 

 as of any other candidate, to defend publicly four theses, 

 two of them selected by himself. His opponents in dis- 

 cussion were, as usual, the junior doctors; afterwards he 

 himself, with those by whom he was presented, having 

 withdrawn, his admission or exclusion was determined by 

 a ballot 1 . Jerome had been at first rejected, in spite of 

 his rectorship perhaps even because of it by a compact 

 body of forty-seven dissentients. On account of his birth, 

 disgrace attached to his name; his love of dice, and 

 various irregularities, must certainly have brought him 

 into much disfavour, while his obstinate and disputatious 

 method of asserting his opinions, and his contempt of 

 custom, must have scandalised many of the magnates of 

 the university. He was rejected twice; but when he 

 made his third effort, the adverse voices were reduced to 

 nine 2 , and he was admitted Doctor of Medicine, and re- 

 ceived with due solemnity the open and shut book, the 

 barette, the ring, and the kiss. The open book signified 

 things known to him that he was authorised to teach ; the 

 closed book signified the knowledge that it yet remained 



1 The details concerning the installation of a doctor here given are 

 from Tomasmi, Lib. i. cap. xlvii, pp. 159, 160. 



2 De Vit. Propr. p. 17. 



