bed, because the pillow was closely joined to the
head of the bed, round which ran a raised edge with no rift therein.
Cardan concludes: "I know that much may be said over this matter, but
nothing, forsooth, which will convince a man, ever so little inclined to
superstition, that there was no boding sign manifested thereby,
foretelling the ruin of my position and good name. Then, having soothed my
mind, albeit I was well-nigh hopeless, I consoled myself with the belief
that God still protected me." After pondering long and anxiously over the
possible significance of this sign he took a more sanguine view of the
future. He next put the jacinth ring on his finger and bade the boy try to
pull it off, but he tried in vain, so well and closely did the ring fit
the finger. From this time forth Cardan laid aside this ring, after having
worn it for many years as a safeguard against lightning, plague,
wakefulness, and palpitation of the heart.[215]

Many other instances of a like character might be given from the
_Paralipomena_; but the foregoing will suffice to show that the natural
inclination of Cardan's temper towards the marvellous had been aggravated
by his recent troubles. Also the belief that all men's hands were against
him never slumbered, but for this disposition there may well have been
some justification. Scarcely had he settled in Bologna before an intrigue
was set in motion against him. "After the events aforesaid, and after I
had gone to teach in Bologna, my adversaries, by a trick, managed to
deprive me of the use of a class-room, that is to say they allotted to me
an hour just about the time of dinner, or they gave the class-room at the
very same hour, or a little earlier, to another teacher. When I perceived
that the authorities were unwilling to accede to three distinct
propositions which I made to them, namely, that this other teacher should
begin his lecture sooner and leave off sooner: or that he should teach
alternately with me: I so far got my own way at the next election that the
other lecturer had to do his teaching elsewhere."[216]

It would appear that the intrigues, of which Cardan gives so many
instances, must have been the work of certain individuals, jealous of his
fame and perhaps smarting under some caustic speech or downright insult,
rather than of the authorities; the Senate of Bologna showed no hostility
to him, but on the other hand procured for him the privileges of
citizenship. While the