290 JEROME CARDAN. 



piece, the Book of the Great Art, had at last won for him 

 an extensive reputation, Europe being then one republic 

 of letters, which was addressed by every man who pub- 

 lished books in Latin. The political boundaries of states 

 then circumscribed no man's literary credit, and authors 

 seeking publishers looked about Europe, not about their 

 own town only. So the works of Cardan and of many 

 another learned man were first issued, now from a press 

 in his own country, now by a German publisher, and at 

 another time perhaps in Basle or Paris. It was, as we all 

 know, no mere spirit of pedantry that first prompted the 

 use of Latin as an universal language. 



We ought not to turn from these considerations of the 

 source of the fame earned by Jerome among those of his 

 own day without one or two comments, that may save 

 him, and his age also, from too hasty contempt. There are 

 superstitions current among ourselves. Credulity is now 

 in some respects as gross, though not as common, as it 

 was during the sixteenth century. If we have made what 

 we believe to be astounding strides in knowledge, let it 

 be borne in mind that the men of that age moved forward 

 not less rapidly than we are moving now, in spite of the 

 great mixture of error with their wisdom which appears 

 so strange to us wherever it is obsolete. The political 

 movements of rulers, the devastation of lands, the demo- 

 ralisation and impoverishment of the people, were then 



