OF CARDAN'S EATING AND DRINKING. 295 



girl ; and we may suppose that wife and children were 

 not shut out of the philosopher's study. There he worked 

 with his feet naked, dipping his pen into a costly inkstand, 

 and not unwilling to bend his sickly face sometimes over 

 one of the pet animals, whether it were cat, dog, goat, 

 or bird, that was allowed to scratch or hop among his 

 papers. Then he had patients to see, and his lecture to 

 deliver. When his dinner came it was a light one. It 

 was never less, however, than the yolk of an egg, with 

 two or more ounces of bread, and with or without a 

 modicum of wine. On Friday or Sunday he had shell- 

 fish, of which he was very fond. There was no solid 

 food not counting fish as solids that he liked better 

 than veal, and the way to cook veal to his utmost satis- 

 faction was to stew it in a pot without liquor, after it had 

 been well beaten with the backs of knives. It was then, 

 he considered, moister and richer than meat roasted on a 

 spit. After dinner Cardan liked a little music. 



Supper tea being of course an unknown meal was 

 the great gastronomic event of Cardan's day. There was 

 always a dish of beet, or else rice with a salad ; but he 

 preferred endive. Fish, he tells us, he liked much better 

 than meat ; but then it must needs be good and fresh. 

 Fond too of angling, he was glad when he had fish of his 

 own catching. Of all fish he preferred fresh- water shell- 

 fish, and of those above all others river mussels, because, 



