ALGEBRA. 207 



CHAPTER XII. 



OF THE GREAT ALGEBRAIC QUARREL THAT AROSE BETWEEN MES8ER 

 HIERONIMO CARDANO AND MESSER NICOLO TARTAGLIA WHAT LET- 

 TERS PASSED, ANL> HOW TARTAGLIA FELT THAT IT WAS DUE TO HIM- 

 SELF TO MAKE THE CORRESPONDENCE PUBLIC. 



BUST and restless, never spending his time wholly 

 upon one pursuit, Jerome, in his mature years, led a life 

 of which the annals would be now and then distracting if 

 they were too strictly told off year by year. The events, 

 therefore, of the period between the years 1539 and 1545, 

 with which we are at present occupied, I think it best to 

 group according to their nature. Of his public literary 

 life up to the year 1542, and of his domestic life to the end 

 of the year 1544, sufficient account has now been given. 

 In the year 1539, however, there commenced a connected 

 series of studies and endeavours that were concurrent with 

 a multitude of other labours, and that remained private 

 until the year 1545. They then resulted in the publica- 

 tion of a book, which was, in fact, Jerome's greatest work, 

 and which must at all times form an important topic in 



