212 JEROME CARDAN 



by me. For my affairs were in this condition : my son- 

 in-law at Milan had the administration of the scant 

 remains of my property, and I received no rents there- 

 from for a whole year. My literary work was lying at 

 the printer's, but it was not printed. Here, at Bologna, 

 I was forced to lecture without having a fixed hour 

 assigned to me. A crowd of enemies were intriguing 

 against me. My son Aldo was in prison, and of little 

 profit to me. But immediately after this portent I 

 learned that my two chief opponents were either dying 

 or about to retire. The question of the lecture-room 

 was settled amicably, so that for the next year I was 

 able to live in quiet. These two matters having come 

 to an issue, I will next describe what came to pass with 

 regard to the others. 



"During the next July (1564), through the help of 

 Francesco Alciati, 1 the secretary of Pope Pius IV., a 

 man to whom I am indebted for almost every benefit I 

 have received since 1561, I began to enjoy my own 

 again. On August 26 I received from the printer my 

 books all printed with the greatest care, and by reason 

 of the dispatch of this business my income was greatly 

 increased. The next day my chief opponent resigned 

 his office, and left vacant a salary of seven hundred gold 

 crowns. The only manifestation of adverse fortune left 

 to trouble me was the conspiracy of the doctors against 

 me, but there were already signs that this would dis- 

 appear before long, and in sooth it came to an end after 

 the lapse of another year." 2 



During this portion of his life at Bologna, Cardan 

 seems to have lived comparatively alone, and to have 



1 This was the Cardinal, the nephew of Andrea the great jurist, 

 who was also a good friend of Cardan. 

 z Opera.) torn. x. p. 463. 



