JEROME CARDAN 17 



rumour says that he was a master), never let his mind 

 take in aught that was new. The rudiments of mathe- 

 matics were all that he possessed, and he gathered no 

 fresh knowledge from the store-houses of Greek learning. 

 This disposition in him was probably produced by the 

 vast multitude of subjects to be mastered, and by his 

 infirmity of purpose, rather than by any lack of natural 

 parts, or by idleness or by defect of judgment ; vices 

 to which he was in no way addicted. But I, being 

 firmly set upon the object of my wishes, for the reasons 

 given above, and because I perceived that my father 

 had achieved only moderate success though he had en- 

 countered but few hindrances remained unconvinced 

 by any of his exhortations." 1 



1 De Vita Propria, ch. x. p. 34. A remark in De Sapientia, Opera, 

 torn. i. p. 578, suggests that Fazio began life as a physician : " Pater 

 meus Facius Cardanus Medicus primo, inde Jurisconsultus factus 

 est." 



