196 JEROME CARDAN. 



not toucli anything sharpe or hard, but walked lightly 

 upon the heades of mortall men. 



" Meaninge that Calamitye durst not come nere anye, 

 but such as were of base minde, simple, and subjecte to 

 effeminacy. But among such as were valiant and armed 

 with vertue, shee durst not come. Wherefore lift up thy 

 mynde to Heaven where an everlastinge and most plea- 

 saunt life is prepared for thee. Men in this worlde are 

 lyke trees 1 , some slender, some great, some florishing, 

 some bearing frute, some witheringe, some growinge, 

 some bio wen downe, and some frutefull, which in one 

 harueste time are brought togeathers and laide uppon one 

 stacke. Neither is there afterwards sene any difference 

 among them, what they be or haue bene, al at one time 

 be cut downe neuer more to growe agayne. Even so al 

 pryde, ambicion, ryches, authoritye, children, frendes, 

 and glory doe in shorte space grow olde and perishe, 

 neither dothe it make matter whether thou were Irus 

 or vile Galba, Antaxerses or noble Hercules. Onelye 

 honestye and vertue of mynde doth make a man happy, 

 and onely a cowerdlie and corrupt conscience do cause 



1 Cardan's image was taken from the bean-fields; but the translator 

 thinking it a mean thing to compare men to beans, wrote trees, and 

 took away the beauty of the image, substituting the odd notion of trees 

 harvested together, and all laid upon one stack. Tims the passage 

 runs: " Homines enim in hoc mundo ut fabse sunt, aliao enim pusillae, 

 aliae magnae, aliee florent, alias fructibus conspicuae, alias aridoe, alias 

 luxuriantes, aliae exiles, fruticosae alife: omnes tameu unus autumnus 

 quam brevi in inanes stipulas redigit." De Consol. p. 131. 



