236 JEROME CARDAN. 



rather by his ruggedness than by his virtue from any 

 frequent exercise of this dishonest right of circumvention. 

 In his reply to Tartalea concerning Zuanne da Coi, and 

 his questions, he wrote, however, with a manifest inten- 

 tion to deceive. He said only that he had long known 

 of such problems, he meant it to be understood, that he 

 had long known how to solve them. Tartalea, however, 

 knew his ground, and walked into no pitfall: " Con- 

 cerning your first accusation," he wrote to the " Most 

 Excellent Messer Hieronimo," " I answer and say, that it 

 is time that I said that such questions came from Messer 

 Zuanne da Coi, because a year and a half ago he proposed 

 to me one like the last but one (only in other words), of 

 which I made him himself confess here in Venice that he 

 did not understand it, and that he did not know the 

 answer, so that for such reason, and from other indications, 

 I judged those questions to be his, and that he had him- 

 self sent them to me under your name. But when that 

 bookseller assured me that he had them of your excel- 

 lency, I judged that the said Messer Zuanne da Coi had 

 been to Milan, and that they were there proposed to you 

 by him (as I still judge, and believe firmly), and that you, 

 being unable to solve them, sent them to me to be solved, 

 for reasons that will presently be mentioned 1 ." 



i " Ma quando chel libraro me acerto hauerle hauute da uostra ec- 

 cellentia giudicai die il detto Messer Zuanne da Coi fusse uenuto a 



