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even courted by princes. As Frederick the Second 

 and Charles the Fifth would learn of the stars the 

 moment to take the field against their foes, so the 

 medieval physician sought their countenance in the 

 letting of blood or in the exhibition of a clyster or emetic. 

 The Church, abhorring all concurrent dominion, and 

 justly abhorring this bondage of the judgment of God 

 and of the will of man, almost alone withstood the 

 astrologer. If the doctors of theology did not know how 

 to deny the power of the stars in the material cosmos, 

 they vehemently denied it in the world of the spirit. 

 "Et ideo pro certo tenendum est," says Aquinas, 

 "grave peccatum esse circa ea quse a voluntate hominis 

 dependent judiciis astrorum uti." Of the priestly 

 assailants of astrology, the most attractive to us for 

 his wit, sagacity and sound knowledge, was Nicholas 

 Oresme, sometime Bishop of Lisieux (died 1382), trans- 

 lator of the Ethics and other Aristotelian treatises, as he 

 is portrayed for us by Haure'au (Diet, des Sciences philo- 

 sophiques, art. Oresme) and M. Charles Jourdain. The 

 fun of the thing is that the outspoken Oresme was the 

 counsellor, the friend, and even the tutor of that notable 

 astrologer Charles the Fifth ; a story as honourable to 

 the prince as to the subject. As Charles issued from 

 the chambers of his astrologers the discourses of Oresme 

 must have made him a little uncomfortable, especially 

 when Oresme records the misfortunes of astrologising 

 captains, such as Alphonso king of Castille, of whom, 

 says he, I have heard nothing notable except that he 

 cast horoscopes, was unfortunate in war, and neglected 



