In
fact, not only did pious and excellent people share the delusion, but
they actually came forward to profess it publicly. One of these was
Maestro Pagolo of Florence, in whom we can detect the same desire to
bring astrology to moral account which meets us in the late Roman
Firmicus Maternus. His life was that of a saintly ascetic. He ate
almost nothing, despised all temporal goods, and only collected books.
A skilled physician, he only practiced among his friends, and made it a
condition of his treatment that they should confess their sins. He
frequented the small but famous circle which assembled in the Monastery
of the Angeli around Fra Ambrogio Camaldolese. He also saw much of
Cosimo the Elder, especially in his last years; for Cosimo accepted and
used astrology, though probably only for objects of lesser importance.
As a rule, however, Pagolo only interpreted the stars to his most
confidential friends. But even without this severity of morals, the
astrologers might be highly respected and show themselves everywhere.
There were also far more of them in Italy than in other European
countries, where they only appeared at the great courts, and there not
always. All the great householders in Italy, when the fashion was once
established, kept an astrologer, who, it must be added, was not always
sure of his dinner.
Pages:
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581