HOW PHYSICIANS THROVE. 177 



Passing over the ten pages of Judicial Astrology, pub- 

 lished by Jerome on his own account, we come to the 

 Practice of Arithmetic, published in 1539 by Bernardo 

 Caluscho. The book is entitled 1 " The Practice of Arith- 

 metic and Simple Mensuration. By Jerome C. Cardan, 

 Physician of Milan ; in which whatever else is con- 

 tained will be shown on the next page." There are pre- 

 fixed to it half a dozen lines of alternate hexameter and 

 pentameter, supplied by the Latin poet Annibale della 

 Croce, brother of the Doctor Luca before mentioned. 

 The lines 3 , literally translated, are to the following effect: 

 " Many are the uses of numbers, the discriminations of 

 parts, and you may read about them in a thousand 

 volumes. In a little, easy, learned, well- digested book, 

 the sedulous care of Cardan gives them to you here. 

 Read it presently, and you will say that you owe as much 

 to that small book as to the thousand volumes." The 

 book is dedicated by Jerome with the best feeling to his 

 early Milanese friend and patron, the Father in Christ 

 Prior Francesco Gaddi, and in the course of the dedi- 



1 "Hieronimi C. Cardani Practica Arithmetice, et Mensurandi Sin- 

 gularis. In qua que prater alias continentur, versa pagina demonstra- 

 bit." Mediol. 1539. 



2 " Multiplices numerorum usus, discrimina parteis. 



Queque voluminibus mille legenda tenes. 

 Exiguo, facili, docto digesta libello. 



Hie tibi Cardani sedula cura dabit. 

 Perlege mox, isti tantum debere libello. 



Te dices, quantum mille voluminibus." 



VOL. I. N 



