154 JEROME CARDAN. 



issued a new example of his skill as a philosopher, printed 

 at Milan under his own eye, either in the same year 1536, 

 or in the year succeeding 1 . It was printed also at his 

 own expense, and as he was in no condition to sustain a 

 heavy charge, it was but a work consisting of five leaves, 

 upon judicial astrology. His neighbours cried him down 

 at once for an astrologer; his little venture was again 

 unlucky. 



A touch of superstition belongs also to this as to every 

 period of Jerome's life. It happened in the year 1536, 

 about the month of July 2 , when he lived by the Porta 



1 De Libris Propriis (ed. 1557), p. 40. 



2 De Vita Propria, pp. 223, 224. Cardan tells the story at more 

 length. As I desire the few quotations in these notes not simply to 

 justify the text, but also to provide for some readers means of obtaining 

 glimpses of Cardan himself, I quote this little narrative in his own 

 words. The tone of natural credulity about it is particularly striking. 

 There is a great deal of agreeable naivete in Jerome's nonsense ; it had 

 more in it of the sick wit of a child than of the gloom of full-grown 

 superstition. " Ergo anno MDXXXVI. cum habitarem in P. Tonsa, erat 

 mensis ni fallor Julii, prodiens & caenaculo in Cortem, sensi maximum 

 odorem cereorem quasi nuper extinctorum; territus voco puerum in- 

 terrogans an quicquam sentiret, ille cum de strepitu intelligeret, nega- 

 bat, Monui non de sono intelligere, sed an odorem perciperet, dixit * O 

 quam magnum sentio cerse odorem,' dixi ' Sile ' et ancillam rogans, et 

 uxorem, omnes mirabantur praster meam matrem quse nil sentiebat, 

 credo gravedine prsepedita : Itaque mortem imminere hoc ostento autu- 

 mans, cum ad lectum contulissem me, non poteram obdormiscere, et 

 ecce aliud prodigium priore majus, in via publica grunnientes sues, 

 cum nulli ibi essent, inde anates similiter obstrepentes : Quid hoc mihi, 

 et unde tot monstra? Et anates cur ad sues veniunt ? qui tota nocte 

 grunnientes perseverarunt. Mane tot visis perculsus, nesciebam quid 

 agerem : vagabar extra urbem a prandio : et rediens domum, video 

 matrem quae me hortabatur ut properarem, ictum fulmine vicinum lo. 

 Prsefectum alias pestilentiae : Hunc ferebant cum xii. ante annis ei 



