88 JEROME CARDAN 



Quando chel cubo restasse lui solo 

 Tu osseruarai quest' altri contratti 

 Del numer farai due tal part 'a uolo 

 Che luna in 1'altra si produca schietto 

 El terzo cubo delle cose in stolo 

 Delle qual poi, per commun precetto 

 Torrai li lati cubi insieme gionti 

 Et cotal summa sara il tuo concetto 

 Et terzo poi de questi nostri conti 

 Se solve col recordo se ben guardi 

 Che per natura son quasi congionti 

 Questi trouai, et non con passi tardi 

 Nel mille cinquecent' e quatro e trenta 

 Con fondamenti ben said' e gagliardi 

 Nella citta del mar' intorno centa." 



Having handed over to his host these rhymes, with 

 the precious rules enshrined therein, Tartaglia told him 

 that, with so clear an exposition, he could not fail to 

 understand them, ending with a warning hint to Cardan 

 that, if he should publish the rules, either in the work he 

 had in hand, or in any future one, either under the name 

 of Tartaglia or of Cardan, he, the author, would put into 

 print certain things which Messer Hieronimo would not 

 find very pleasant reading. 



After all Tartaglia was destined to quit Milan without 

 paying his respects to D'Avalos. There is not a word 

 in his notes which gives the reason of this eccentric 

 action on his part. He simply says that he is no 

 longer inclined to go to Vigevano, but has made up his 

 mind to return to Venice forthwith ; and Cardan, 

 probably, was not displeased at this exhibition of 

 petulant impatience on the part of his guest, but was 

 rather somewhat relieved to see Messer Niccolo ride 

 away, now that he had extracted from him the coveted 

 information. From the beginning to the end of this 

 affair Cardan has been credited with an amount of 

 subtle cunning which he assuredly did not manifest at 



