^s.m.jAN.14,'99.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
39
lore of braggadocio than of fact, Cardan, however
nuch he may have been carried away by delusions
cr perversities, is at least at no pains to hide
us faults. The description he gives of himself
n his horoscope in the 'Geniturarum Exempla'
loes not err in the direction of reticence. In
Copying this it is, perhaps, as well to keep the
protection of a dead language, and quote the original
Latin. Cardan describes himself we quote verbatim
et literatim -as "nugacem, religionis cpntemptorem,
injurite illatse memorem, invidum, tristem, insidia-
torem, proditorem, magum, incantatorem, frequen-
tibus calamitatibus pbnpxium, suorum osore, turpi
libidini deditum, splitarium, inamcenum, austerum,
sponte etiam divinantem, zelotypum, lascivum,
obsccenum, maledicum, obsequiosum, senum con-
versatione se delectantem, varium, ancipitem, im-
puru, et dolis mulierum obnoxium, calumniatorem,
et omnino incognitum propter naturse, et morum
repugnantiam, etiam his cum quibus assidue versor."
Malcolm, in ' Macbeth,' seems not more anxious
than he to frame a monstrous self-arraignment.
If a less portion of the public is familiar with these i
utterances than with those of later and less con-
scientious self -historians, it must be remembered
that Cardan's works are in Latin, and have never,
practically, so far as we are aware, been translated I
into the vernacular ; that his adventures are curious j
rather than sympathetic or interesting ; and that
his habit of ascribing almost everything to sorcery
and witchcraft, his faith in his own horoscopes
which scarcely "deviate" into accuracy when
written subsequently to the events with which they
deal and his custom of regarding every common-
place event as an omen or a portent, cast upon his
book a strong suspicion of insincerity.
The not too attractive life of Jerome Cardan has already been made the subject of a memoir by Prof. Henry Morley that stands deservedly high in public estimation. The fact that that work is out of print and inaccessible has prompted Mr. Waters to his new memoir. Prof. Morley s work, moreover, treats of the circle in the midst of which Cardan dwelt with an elaborateness that is scarcely called for in the case of so little-known a man. These things have emboldened Mr. Waters to give to the world a scholarly work, the materials of which are entirely drawn from Cardan's own writings, principally his ' De Vita Propria,' his ' De Subtilitate,' and his ' Geniturarum Exempla.' The book is an admirable
Eiece of workmanship, and will serve to spread a nowledge of a Renaissance scholar more talked about than read, and not even much talked about. Of Cardan's visit to Scotland, and his treatment of Archbishop Hamilton, of St. Andrews, an animated account is given. Cardan's mendacious claim to have found a cure for consumption reads rather strangely in the face of recent alleged discoveries. In fact, so far as regards medical science Cardan accepted all the heresies of his epoch. It is difficult to resist the conviction that a patient's chance of recovery must have been seriously diminished when he called in the physician. The book, which is handsomely got up, contains a portrait of Cardan.
The Mirror of Perfection : St. Francis of Assisi. By Brother Leo of Assisi. Translated by Sebastian Evans. (Nutt.)
BY his admiration for the recently published work of M. Paul Sabatier upon the ' Legend of St. Francis of Assisi ' Dr. Evans has been induced to translate for English readers the 'Speculum Perfectionis,
seu S. Francisci Assisiensi Legenda Antiquissima,'
of Brother Leo, one of the pupils and early bio-
graphers of the saint. A wider aim has been to
transcribe in English " a document which appeals
directly to the heart of humanity." Brother Leo
was more than a disciple, companion, and friend of
St. Francis ; he was, in the saint's later years, his
sick-nurse, secretary, and confessor. His style is of
a hempen simplicity, which the translator has done
his best to retain. The ' Speculum Perfectionis,'
as we gather, was unknown to scholars and theo-
logians until now brought to light by M. Sabatier.
We find, at least, no reference to it in any work,
bibliographical or hagiographical, to which we have
access. It is a record of the deeds and sayings of
the saint, and may be held to supply the very
quintessence of his teaching. Poverty, chastity,
and obedience are, naturally, the three things
taught. Money was with him " of no more account
than the dung of an ass." " Coarseness and mean-
ness " were to be observed in the case of outward
garb, " otherwise, possibly, lukewarmness will so
far prevail as that the sons of a father that was a
beggar will not be ashamed even to wear scarlet
cloth, with only a change of colour." The
highest obedience, we learn, was, in the eyes of the
saint, when, '" by divine inspiration, men do go
among the infidels either for the profit of their
neighbours or for the desire of martyrdom." Brother
Leo claims for himself a share in the divine com-
munications received by his master, and tells how
the Lord Jesus Christ communicated to him directly
His grief over the ingratitude and pride of the
brethren. The booklet it is scarcely more is full
of things naive, and also interesting and edifying to
those willing to be interested or edified by such
themes. In the introduction, which is to us the
most attractive portion of the book, Dr. Evans
deals with some of the controversies still
waged concerning the founder of the Friars
Minor. We notice that he gives as the day of
his death the 3rd of October, 1226, and not the
4th, as has been stated by assumed authorities.
He holds that St. Francis has " a message for
others besides the antiquary, the hagiologist, the
historian, the preacher, the psychologist, and
the man of letters. Brother Francis is all men's
brother. The man is an Umbrian 'religious' of the
thirteenth century. His message is to all men
of all time."
Index Bibliographiqiie. Par Pierre Dauze. (Paris,
Repertoire des Ventes Publiques.) IN issuing the third volume of his ' Index Biblio- graphique' M. Pierre Dauze has greatly modified the shape. In so doing he has made it approximate much more nearly to our own ' Book-Prices Current.' In the previous volumes the arrangement under authors, or, in the case of anonymous works, the first important word of the title, was strictly alpha- betical. In the case of works of reference this is so much the best plan that no other is even to be discussed. In that of works such as the present it is open to more than one grave exception. The gravest consists in the fact that the whole of the matter must be in hand before the task of printing is begun. This means that the last sale of the season must be over before the compiler begins to make up. As the labour is huge, great delay in publication is inevitable. In the present case, accordingly, the volume only ends with September, 1896, instead of with the same month, 1898. The
