134 JEROME CARDAN. 



grey colour. He was tall, hairy, ruddy enough from ex* 

 posure to the sun, handsome but unequally proportioned, 

 weak in the arms. He was, said Jerome, of a dry tempe- 

 rament, with active qualities. He would, therefore, soon 

 grow bald, and sooner grey. He would die of a linger- 

 ing disease, with cold humour and pain in the lower ex- 

 tremities, there being also deflux from the brain. He 

 would be a man admirably knowing how to fit himself to 

 time and place. Considering his country, he would be 

 shrewd and ingenious. He would be always busy, grave, 

 liberal, wise, humane, the glory of the English people. 



Cardan while in London lodged with Sir John Cheke, 

 and received from him the utmost respect and attention. 

 Yet he repressed, as he says, all pride in himself, and de- 

 sired not to obtain homage for his own wit, but to do 

 homage to the genius of his friend; for in so doing, he 

 adds, there is a true happiness 1 . 



It was on the 2nd of April, six months before Jerome 

 visited the king, that Edward had been attacked by the 

 measles and small-pox. They left him with his health 

 weaker than ever. The Italian was not required to inter- 

 fere with his majesty as a physician in any systematic 

 way. The chief desire among the nobles evidently was 



1 Geniturarum Exemplar, p. 41. 



