JEROME CARDAN 119 



because the brain could neither assimilate its own 

 nutriment, nor disperse the humours which arose from 

 below, being weakened through its nutriment of pitui- 

 tous blood. After an attack of this nature it always 

 happened that, whenever the body was filled with any 

 particular matter, which, in the form of substance, or 

 vapour, or quality, might invade the brain, a fresh 

 attack would certainly arise, in the form of a fresh flow 

 of the same humour down to the lungs. Moreover these 

 attacks were found to agree almost exactly with the 

 conjunctions and oppositions of the moon." 1 



Cassanate goes on to say that his patient had proved 

 somewhat intractable, refusing occasionally to have 

 anything to do with his medical attendants, and that 

 real danger was impending owing to the flow of humour 

 having become chronic. Fortunately this humour was 

 not acrid or salt ; if it were, phthisis must at once 

 supervene. But the Archbishop's lungs were becoming 

 more and more clogged with phlegm, and a stronger 

 effort of coughing was necessary to clear them. 

 Latterly much of the thick phlegm had adhered to 

 the lungs, and consequently the difficulty of breathing 

 was great. Cassanate declares that he had been able 

 to do no more than to keep the Archbishop alive, and 

 he fears no one would be able to work a complete cure, 

 seeing that the air of Scotland is so moist and salt, and 

 that the Archbishop is almost worried to death by the 

 affairs of State. He next urges Cardan to consent to 

 meet the Archbishop in Paris, a city in which learning 

 of all sorts flourishes exceedingly, the nurse of many 

 great philosophers, and one in which Cardan would 

 assuredly meet the honour and reverence which is his 



1 In a subsequent interview with Cardan, Cassanate modifies 

 this statement. Opera, torn. ix. p. 124. 



