------------------------------------------------------------------------ [74] All quotations from Salimbene’s Chronicle are taken from Coulton’s _From Saint Francis to Dante_. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ But most of these men, like Asdente of Parma, sincerely believed in their own ability to foretell events, and they usually combined some other favourite forms of soothsaying, as well as a little alchemy, with astrology. Asdente is described by Salimbene as “a poor working cobbler, pure and simple, and fearing God, and courteous and urbane; illiterate, but with great illumination of mind.” His proper name was Master Benvenuto, but he was “commonly called Asdente, that is, toothless, by way of contrary, for he hath great and disordered teeth and an impediment in his speech, yet he understands and is understood well. He dwells at the bridge-head of Parma, hard by the city moat and the well, along the street which goes to Borgo San Donnino.” This humble prophet was said by Dante to be the best known citizen of all Parma (_Conv._, IV. xvi. 65-71): he was asked to dinner by a bishop, and consulted by the warring factions of Reggio and Parma. He was said to have foretold the death of two popes, and a naval defeat of Pisa by Genoa. The greatest generals of the day governed their tactics by the advice of astrologers who regularly accompanied them to the field and the camp. The famous Ghibelline, Guido of Montefeltro, who is called by Villani the cleverest soldier of his times[75] retained Guido Bonatti[76] in his service and was believed to have gained his great victory at Forli (in 1282) through the advice of this astrologer. Bonatti is diversely described as a tiler and a lawyer, but whatever his original occupation may have been he found that the position of private astrologer brought him both more fame and more money. He wrote a book on Judicial Astronomy, and Vincent de Beauvais describes him as celebrated throughout the western world for his knowledge of the art. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [75] _Croniche Fiorentine_, Bk. VII. par. 80. [76] _Inf._ xx. 118. ------------------------------------------------------------------------