JEROME CARDAN 137 



about him. As an apology for the horoscope he drew 

 when he was in England, he lays down the principle 

 that it is inexpedient to give opinions as to the duration 

 of life in dealing with the horoscopes of those in feeble 

 health, unless you shall beforehand consult all the 

 directions and processes and ingresses of the ruling 

 planets, " and if I had not made this reservation in the 

 prognostic I gave to the English courtiers, they might 

 justly have found fault with me." 



He next remarks that he had spent much time in 

 framing this horoscope albeit it was imperfect accord- 

 ing to his usual practice, and that if he had gone on 

 somewhat farther, and consulted the direction of the sun 

 and moon, the danger of death in which the King stood 

 would straightway have manifested itself. If he had 

 still been distrustful as to the directions aforesaid, and 

 had gone on to observe the processes and ingresses, the 

 danger would have been made clear, but even then 

 he would not have dared to predict an early death 

 to one in such high position : he feared the treacheries 

 and tumults and the transfer of power which must 

 ensue, and drew a picture of all the evils which might 

 befall himself, evils which he was in no mood to face. 

 Where should he look for protection amongst a strange 

 people, who had little mercy upon one another and would 

 have still less for him, a foreigner, with their ruler a mere 

 boy, who could protect neither himself nor his guest ? It 

 might easily come about that his return to Italy would 

 be hindered ; and, supposing the crisis to come to the 

 most favourable issue, what would he get in return for 

 all this danger and anxiety? He calls to mind the 

 cases of two soothsayers who were foolish enough to 

 predict the deaths of princes, Ascletarion, and a certain 

 priest, who foretold the deaths of Domitian and Galeazzo 



