JEROME CARDAN 197 



of poisoned wine at the supper. In the same year died 

 Delfino, and a little while after Fioravanti." x 



In July Cardan withdrew to Milan, where, to add to 

 his other troubles, he was seized with an attack of fever. 

 He was now thoroughly alarmed at the look of his 

 affairs. Many of his fears may have been imaginary, 

 but the burden of real trouble which he had to carry 

 was one which might easily bring him to the ground, 

 and, when once a man is down, the crowd has little pity 

 or scruple in trampling him to death. He set about to 

 review his position, and to spy out all possible sources 

 of danger. He writes : " I called to mind all the books I 

 had written, and, seeing that in them there were many 

 obscure passages upon which an unfavourable meaning 

 might be put by the malice of my enemies, I wrote to 

 the Council, submitting all my writings to its judgment 

 and will and pleasure. By this action I saved myself 

 from grave danger and disgrace in the future." 2 The 

 Council to which Cardan here refers was probably the 

 Congregation of the Index appointed by the Council at 

 Trent for the authoritative examination of all books 

 before allowing them to be read by the faithful. 

 Before the close of the Council (1563) these duties 

 had been handed over to the Pope (Pius IV.), who 

 published the revised and definite Roman Index in 

 1564. 



1 De Vita Propria, ch. xxx. p. 90. 2 Opera, torn. x. p. 460. 



