philosophy, which is filled by competition, falling vacant, I took
my doctor’s degree, presented myself for the said competition, was
admitted and approved, and lectured in that city two years continuously
on the text of Aristotle’s _De Anima_ and other philosophical works.
Then, on account of the Civil Wars, I quitted and went to Paris, where,
in order to make myself known, and to give proof of myself, I undertook
an ‘extraordinary’ lectureship, and read thirty lectures, choosing for
subject Thirty Divine Attributes, taken from the first part of St.
Thomas. Later, being requested to accept an ‘ordinary’ lectureship,
I would not, because public lecturers in that city go generally to
mass and the other divine offices, and I have always avoided this,
knowing that I was excommunicated because I had quitted my order and
habit; and although I had that ‘ordinary’ lectureship at Toulouse, I
was not forced to go to mass, as I should have been at Paris. But
conducting the ‘extraordinary’ there, I acquired such a name that the
king, Henry III, sent for me, and wished to know whether my memory was
natural or due to magic art. I satisfied him, both by what I said, and
proved to him, that it was not by magic art, but by science. After
this I published a work on the memory, under the title _De Umbris
Idearum_, which I dedicated to his Majesty,--on which occasion he made
me ‘lecturer extraordinary,’ with a pension; and I continued to read
in that city perhaps five years, when, on account of the tumults which
arose, I took my leave, and with letters from the king himself I went
into England to reside with his ambassador, Michael de Castelnau.
In his house I lived as a gentleman. I stayed in England two years
and a half, and when the ambassador returned to France I accompanied
him to Paris, where I remained another year. Having quitted Paris on
account of the tumults, I betook myself to Germany, stopping first
at Mayence, an archiepiscopal city, for twelve days. Finding neither
here nor at Würzburg, a town a little way off, any entertainment, I
went to Wittenberg, in Saxony, where I found two factions,--one of
philosophers, who were Calvinists, the other of theologians, who were
Lutherans. Among the latter was Alberigo Gentile, whom I had known
in England, a law-professor, who befriended me and introduced me to
read lectures on the _Organon_ of Aristotle; which I did, with other
lectures in philosophy, for two years. At that time, the son of the
old Duke having succeeded his father, who was a Lutheran, and the son
being a Calvinist, he began to favor the party opposed to those who
favored me; so I departed, and went to Prague, and stayed six months.
Whilst there, I published a book on geometry, which I presented to the
Emperor, from whom I had a gift of three hundred thalers. With this
money, having quitted Prague, I spent a year at the Julian Academy in
Brunswick; and the death of the Duke[28] happening at that time, I
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