276 JEROME CARDAN 



Castillione, surnamed Gatico, with respect to certain 

 plantations, and afterwards with his kinsfolk. Next 

 with the Counts of Barbiani, next with the college, next 

 with the heirs of Dominico de Tortis, who had held me 

 in his arms when I was baptized. Out of all these suits 

 I came victorious. It was indeed a matter for surprise 

 that I should have got the better of Alessandro Castil- 

 lione, seeing that his uncle sat as judge. Moreover, he 

 had already got a decision against me, a decision which, 

 as the jurisconsults declared, helped my case as the trial 

 went on, and I was able to force him to pay me all the 

 money which was in dispute. A like good fortune at- 

 tended me while my claims were considered by the 

 heads of the Milanese College, and finally rejected by 

 several votes. Then afterwards, when they had decided 

 to admit me, and when they tried to subject me to 

 certain rules which placed me on a footing inferior to 

 their own, I compelled them to grant me full member- 

 ship. In the case of the Barbiani, after long litigation 

 and many angry words and much trouble, I came to 

 terms with them ; and, having received the sum of 

 money covenanted by agreement, I was entirely freed 

 from vexation of the law." l Writing generally of his 

 monetary dealings, Cardan says : " Whenever I may 

 have incurred a loss, I have never been content merely 

 to retrieve the same, I have always contrived to seize 

 upon something extra." 2 Or again : " If at any time I 

 have lost twenty crowns, I have never rested until I 

 have succeeded in getting back these and twenty more 

 in addition." 3 



Cardan left in his Dicta Familiaria and Prcecep- 



1 De Vita Propria, ch. xxviii. p. 73. 2 Ibid., ch. xxiii. p. 64. 



3 De Utilitate, p. 309. He also writes at length in the Proxenata 

 on Domestic Economy. Chapter xxxvii. et seq. Opera, torn. i. p 

 377- 



