184 JEROME CARDAN. 



" I had not, therefore, a mind hostile against one whose 

 footprint I had never seen, nor was I envious of a man 

 whose shadow never had touched mine; but on account 

 of the famous arguments, many and great, recorded in his 

 works, I was impelled to learn something about them. 

 And when the Commentaries upon Subtilty were finished, 

 there came out a sort of appendix to the former work, the 

 book on the Variety of Things. Then I, before I heard 

 anything of his death, after a custom certainly common 

 with me, imitated myself, and composed, in three days, 

 an excursus on it in* exceedingly short chapters. After 

 hearing of his death I formed them into one small book, 

 that I might lend my aid also to his labours; but it was 

 done as he would himself have wished it to be done, 

 if he had first talked over his work with me, or with 

 some person my superior in learning." 



How far Cardan was from counting Scaliger among 

 the sorrows of his life, the preceding narrative, and his 

 slight mention of "a person's" book against him, will 

 have already shown. It has been said more than once, 

 that although rough of speech, Jerome held very exalted 

 notions of the courtesies due between literary men. He 

 kept all personal dispute out of his books, and in his 

 reply to Scaliger, who had been hunting him by name, 

 and crying out at him with lusty vilification through page 

 after page, beginning with the title-page, Jerome not only 



