Here, too, the way had been prepared by
antiquity, but it was their own common sense and observation which
taught them what to say. Petrarch's attitude towards the astrologers,
whom he knew by personal intercourse, is one of bitter contempt; and no
one saw through their system of lies more clearly than he. The novels,
from the time when they first began to appear from the time of the
'Cento novelle antiche,' are almost always hostile to the astrologers.
The Florentine chroniclers bravely keep themselves free from the
delusions which, as part of historical tradition, they are compelled to
record. Giovanni Villani says more than once, 'No constellation can
subjugate either the free will of man, or the counsels of God.' Matteo
Villani declares astrology to be a vice which the Florentines had
inherited, along with other superstitions, from their pagan ancestors,
the Romans. The question, however, did not remain one for mere literary
discussion, but the parties for and against disputed publicly. After
the terrible floods of 1333, and again in 1345, astrologers and
theologians discussed with great minuteness the influence of the stars,
the will of God, and the justice of his punishments. These struggles
never ceased throughout the whole time of the Renaissance, and we may
conclude that the protestors were ill earnest, since it was easier for
them to recommend themselves to the great by defending, than by
opposing astrology.
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