260 JEROME CARDAN. 



Milan, sulky, and already considered that he had a right 

 to quarrel with Cardan. Jerome's next letters were not 

 answered, nor are they published in Tartalea's book. 



On the 4th of August, however, Cardan wrote a letter, 

 which is printed, complaining courteously of the fact 

 that he had written many other letters, which were not 

 honoured with any reply, asking for information upon 

 various points, and chiefly requesting help in clearing up 

 the difficulty of the irreducible case <t? 3 = bx -\- c, at 

 which Jerome had arrived in the course of his own studies. 

 To this letter Tartalea appends the note that follows: 

 " I have a good mind to give no answer to this letter, no 

 more than to the other two. However, I will answer it, 

 if it be but to let him know what I have been told of 

 him. And as I perceive that a suspicion has arisen con- 

 cerning the difficulty or obstacle in the rule for the case" 

 (# 3 bx -J- c), " I will try whether he can change the data 

 that he has in hand, so as to remove the said obstacle and 

 alter the rule into some other form ; though, indeed, I 

 believe that it cannot be done, nevertheless there can be 

 110 harm in trying 1 ." He wrote therefore a letter, which 

 began, omitting altogether Honorando, or Honorandis- 



1 Op. cit. p. 126. " Et dapoi che uedo che sta suspettando sopra la 

 retta via de la regola del capitolo di cose, e numero, equal a cubo, 

 uoglio tentare se gli potesse cambiare li dati che ha in mane cioe re- 

 mover lo di tal ilia retta e farlo intrare in qualche altra a ben che 

 credo non ui sara mezzo, nondimeno il tentar non noce." 



