theological student at Wittenberg, where he became a pupil 

 and friend of the reformer Martin Luther as well as of 

 Melanchthon. He then dropped theology in favor of medicine 

 and studied the latter at Verona and Padua; becoming 

 eminent in his profession he received the appointment of 

 private physician to the Emperor Ferdinand I., and though 

 a staunch Protestant served three successive Roman Catholic 

 rulers of Germany. After the short reign of Ferdinand, 

 Kraftheim continued with Maximilian, and on the death of 

 the latter he was retained by Rudolph whom he served ten 

 years. He died in 1587 at the age of sixty-seven. 



Rambert Dodoens, sometimes called the "Theophrastus of 

 the Netherlands", was very eminent in ancient literature, 

 mathematics and astronomy, but his favorite study was 

 botany. He had been one of the physicians at the Viennese 

 court for four years, but shortly after his arrival in Prague 

 he had a violent quarrel with his colleague Dr. von Kraft- 

 heim, and became so disgusted with court life that he with- 

 drew from Rudolph's service and returned to his native land, 

 where he became Professor of Medicine at the University of 

 Ley den. 



Three other physicians were conspicuous at the imperial 

 court: Dr. von Hayek, whose acquaintance has already been 

 made, Dr. Christopher Guarinonius and Dr. Michael Maier. 

 Guatinonius was a Veronese by birth and in his youth filled 

 the post of physician to the Duke of Urbino ; at Rudolph's 

 court he was Imperial Councillor as well as personal phy- 

 sician and received a high salary. The Doctor was an ardent 

 student of occult philosoph}' as embodied in the teachings of 

 Henry Cornelius Agrippa, of whom many supernatural tales 

 are told ; Agrippa had died sixty years before but his writings 

 were held in high estimation. In his medical practice Guari- 

 nonius was a zealous disciple of Paracelsus, and he had a 



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