THE CHAKGE OF IMPIETY. 295 



jecting them all to the authority and pleasure of the holy 

 council, or when, afterwards, he wrote about a dream, that 

 in the name of religion he should be put into grave peril. 

 But in his dealing with princes and with the Church we 

 have throughout seen that he was scrupulously prudent. 

 During the latter years of his life the Church was subject 

 to an ecclesiastical discipline more than usually rigid. The 

 conflict against heresy and impiety had become, under 

 Pius V., most earnest and severe. If Cardan's enemies or 

 rivals brought against him in any town in which he re- 

 sided accusations of impiety properly substantiated his 

 philosophy, and sometimes his superstition, being of a kind 

 to provide plenty of evidence, while spies in his house- 

 hold might find plenty more the authorities were bound 

 to take sharp cognisance of the offence, and nothing less 

 than a few strong friends near St. Peters chair could 

 save him. 



Such accusations being made and credited, Cardan 

 could only increase his peril by becoming contumacious, 

 as he might be considered if he complained of them, and 

 endeavoured to deny them in his works. He himself had 

 stated that he did once construct such a nativity as that of 

 which he was accused, and he had said so many things in 

 the course of his works in a speculative way, not fearing 

 to handle the sublimest mysteries, that, good Catholic as 

 he professed himself to be, it was not difficult to show 



