In the early faculties, astronomy and astrology
were not separate, and at Bologna, in the early fourteenth century, we
meet with a professorship of astrology.(27) One of the duties of this
salaried professor, was to supply "judgements" gratis for the benefit of
enquiring students, a treacherous and delicate assignment, as that most
distinguished occupant of the chair at Bologna, Cecco d'Ascoli, found
when he was burned at the stake in 1357, a victim of the Florentine
Inquisition.(28)
(27) Rashdall: Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages, Vol.
I, p. 240.
(28) Rashdall, l.c., Vol. I, p. 244.--Rashdall also mentions that
in the sixteenth century at Oxford there is an instance of a
scholar admitted to practice astrology. l.c., Vol. II, p. 458.
Roger Bacon himself was a warm believer in judicial astrology and in the
influence of the planets, stars and comets on generation, disease and
death.
Many of the stronger minds of the Renaissance broke away from the
follies of the subject. Thus Cornelius Agrippa in reply to the request
of a friar to consult the stars on his behalf says:(29) "Judicial
astrology is nothing more than the fallacious guess of superstitious
men, who have founded a science on uncertain things and are deceived by
it: so think nearly all the wise; as such it is ridiculed by some most
noble philosophers; Christian theologians reject it, and it is condemned
by sacred councils of the Church.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179