The Count of Gabalis

"Allow me," he added with a smile, "to complain that you initially mistook me for a ghost."

"Oh! Not for a ghost," was my reply, "but I confess it occurred to me what Cardanus: Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), a famous Italian polymath, physician, and occultist known for his autobiographical and scientific works. relates: that his father once found seven strangers of different colors in his study, who told him strange things about their nature and destiny." —

"I understand you," the Count interrupted, "they were Sylphs: In the system of Paracelsus and later occultism, these are elemental spirits of the air., of whom you shall learn more—inhabitants of the air who sometimes seek counsel from the Sages regarding the writings of Averroes: A 12th-century Andalusian philosopher whose commentaries on Aristotle were central to medieval thought. original: "Averrons", which they do not entirely understand. Cardanus acted rashly by making that known in his Subtilitatibus Referring to Cardano's famous work De Subtilitate rerum (On the Subtlety of Things), published in 1550.; he took it from the papers of his father, who was part of our fellowship. Since his father knew of his son's tendency to gossip, he did not wish to teach him anything of great importance, leaving him only with common astrology. Through this, he could not even foresee that his son would end up on the gallows A historical reference to Cardano's eldest son, Giambattista, who was executed in 1560 for poisoning his wife.. That rascal is to blame for the insult you paid me by taking me for a Syl-