JEROME CARDAN 63 



to be moved neither by arguments, nor adjurations, nor 

 abuse. He forced me to swear that I would never 

 again visit his house for the sake of gaming, and I, on 

 my part, swore by all the gods as he wished. That 

 day's play was our last, and thenceforth I gave myself 

 up entirely to my studies." * 



But these studies unfortunately were not of a nature 

 to keep the wolf from the door ; and Jerome, albeit now 

 a duly qualified physician, and known to fame as a writer 

 on Mathematics far beyond the bounds of Italy, was 

 well-nigh as poor as ever. His mother had died several 

 years before, in 1537; but what little money she may 

 have left would soon have been wasted in gratifying his 

 extravagant taste for costly things, 2 and at the gaming- 

 table. He found funds, however, for a journey to 

 Florence, whither he went to see d'Avalos, who was a 

 generous, open-handed man, and always ready to put 

 his purse at the service of one whom he regarded as an 

 honour to his city and country. There can be little 

 doubt that he helped Cardan liberally at this juncture. 

 The need for a loan was assuredly urgent enough. The 

 recent resumption of hostilities between the French and 

 the Imperialists had led to intolerable taxation through- 

 out the Milanese provinces, and in consequence of 

 dearth of funds in 1543, the Academy at Pavia was 

 forced to close its class-rooms, and leave its teachers 

 unpaid. The greater part of the professors migrated to 

 Pisa ; and the Faculty of Medicine, then vacant, was, 

 pro formd, transferred to Milan. This chair was now 

 offered to Cardan. He was in desperate straits a third 



1 De Vita Propria, ch. xxxvii. p. 116. 



2 " Delectant me gladii parvi, seu styli scriptorii, in quos plus 

 viginti coronatis aureis impend! : multas etiam pecunias in varia 

 pennarum genera, audeo dicere apparatum ad scribendum ducentis 

 coronatis non potuisse emi." De Vita Protiria, ch. xviii. p. 57. 



