'Yes, more or less: they try to foretell the future by means of the stars.'
'In general, that is so. But that is not all. You would do well to bear in mind what I am about to tell you, if you really intend to become a gazetteer. Astrologers are divided into two categories: astrologers pure and simple and judicial astrologers. Both are agreed that the stars and planets, besides producing light and heat, have mysterious qualities, whereby they exercise a number of effects upon inferior bodies.'
We were now moving through the long curved gallery in which we had been terrorised by the rodent's shadow.
'But judicial astrologers go beyond that, engaging in a highly perilous game,' said Abbot Melani.
Not content with asserting the influence of the stars and planets upon natural things, they maintained that this extended to mankind too. Thus, knowing only the place and date of birth of an individual, they endeavoured to determine what would be the celestial effects upon that person's life, including, for instance, his character, health, fortune and misfortune, time of death, and so on and so forth.
'What does that have to do with gazetteers?'
'It has very much to do with them. For some astrologers are also gazetteers, and on the basis of the influences of the stars, they devise their political prophesies. Just like Stilone Priaso, who goes about imprudently with an almanack of horoscopes in his pocket and by night has forecasts printed.'
'And is this prohibited?'
'Absolutely prohibited. It is not at all unusual for judicial astrologers and their friends, including ecclesiastics, to be meted out severe punishments. A few years ago, the problem caught my attention and I read something on the matter. Pope Alexander III, for example, suspended for one year a priest who had had recourse to astrology, despite the fact that the priest's purpose had been to recover the spoils of a theft perpetrated in his church.'
Anxiously I turned the little volume confiscated from Stilone over and over in my hands, raising it to the light of the lantern.
'Almanacks like this,' said Atto 'I have already seen by the dozen. Some bear titles like Astrological Jests ox Astrological Phantasies, in order to allay the suspicion that they might deal with more serious matters, like judicial astrology, which is, however, capable of influencing political decisions. In themselves, admittedly, these are innocuous manuals containing advice and speculation about the current year, but certainly our Stilone can be no model of shrewdness,' mocked the abbot, 'if, with the dangerous trade he is plying, he haunts clandestine printing presses with such material upon his person!'
Frightened, I immediately returned the slender booklet to Atto.
'No, no, of course you can keep it,' he reassured me.
Out of prudence, I nevertheless slipped it into my breeches, under my clothing.
'Do you yourself think that astrology can really be of use?' I asked.
'No, I do not. But I do know that many physicians take it seriously. I know that Galen wrote an entire book De diebus criticis, on the cures to be applied to the sick depending upon the positions of the planets. I am no astrologer, but I do know that some argue, for instance, that in order to cure bile, it is good that the moon should be in…'
'In Cancer.'
We were both taken short by Ugonio's interjection.
'With the moon in Cancer, where it is domiciled, (or with Mercury) in trine,' continued the corpisantaro's viscous, inspissated muttering, 'the bile may felicitously be purged; with the sun in sextile, or trine, the phlegm; where there is an aspect of Jupiter, melancholy; in the sign of Draco, in Capricorn and in Aries, ruminant signs, subversion will be provoked the closer one approaches the septentrional, or austral constitution (for the vitiated humours flow in pairs) and in those boreal, increased impression and compression will provoke flux and distillation, wherefore evacuation is not to be attempted in those who are beset by the fluxes; it will therefore be beneficial and necessary to observe the aspects signified, if one is not to be a rustic physician, and would obtain more benefice than malefice, and be more padre than parricide, appeasing one's conscience, for by fulfilling one's obligations the Christian's jubilations are increased, and by decreasing the scrupules so as not to increase one's scruples, and applying the most appropriate, and indigent remedies: if, for example, one has recourse to magisterial julep.'
We both remained speechless.
'Well, well, here we have a veritable expert on medical astrology,' commented Abbot Melani an instant later. 'And where did you learn all these precious notions?'
'Gfrrrlubh,' interjected Ciacconio.
'We have multiplicated our knowingness by the lecture and memorisation of foliables.'
'Foliables?' asked Atto.
Ciacconio indicated the little book in his hand.
'Ah, you mean books. Come along, boy, let us not tarry: I fear that Cristofano may take a look around the inn. It would be difficult to explain our absence.'
'Stilone Priaso, too, was absent.'
'No longer, I trust. After his encounter with our two little monsters he will surely have regained the hostelry as fast as his legs will carry him.'
Stilone Priaso, Atto continued, had come to Rome in pursuit of his trade of judicial astrologer, in other words a nefarious business. He therefore needed a discreet way out of the Donzello at night. He must previously have discovered the underground route, since he said he had already stayed at the Donzello.
'Do you think that Stilone had something to do with the assassination of Signor di Mourai and the theft of my little pearls?'
'It is too early to tell. We must think a little about him. He will surely have visited the underground galleries any number of times. We have no such good fortune. Curses! If only we had the map prepared by Ugonio and Ciacconio, however messy and confused, that would give us an immense advantage. Fortunately, we had at least one other advantage: we knew that Stilone had been in the underground galleries, whereas he did not know about us.
'Meanwhile,' added the abbot, 'before you go to bed, go and take a look at him. I do not trust these two individuals,' said he, turning to indicate the grinning faces of the corpisantari who followed us.
We returned all the way along the subterranean passage until we reached the mouth of the narrow hole which led to the ruins of Domitian's stadium, under the Piazza Navona. Atto dismissed the two corpisantari, making an appointment with them for an hour after nightfall the next evening, and promising a reward.
'Gfrrrlubh,' protested Ciacconio.
The two corpisantari demanded the return of the page from the Bible. Atto, however, decided to keep it, since he had still not established its provenance, and indeed he handed it over to me to keep carefully. He did, nevertheless, offer the corpisantari monetary compensation.
'Fair is fair, after ail, you did prepare the plan,' said he cordially as he took out the money.
Suddenly, Abbot Melani's eyes narrowed. He bent down and picked up a lump of earth which he threw at Ciacconio's shoulder, while the latter remained petrified with surprise. Then he took the page from the Bible, opened it and pressed it against Ciacconio's rustic cloak, at the point where he had just soiled it.
'Beasts, animals, bastards,' said he, looking at them disdainfully. Motionless, the pair meekly awaited punishment. On the sheet of paper, a sort of dense labyrinth remained imprinted, the shape of which was all too familiar.
'Remember: never again try that kind of thing on me. Never.'
He then fell silent, returning to his pocket the money which he had prepared for Ugonio and Ciacconio.
'Do you understand?' he asked me later, after their departure. 'They wanted to cheat us like two idiots. They pressed the sheet of paper onto that sort of goatskin they wear. They then added a couple of scribbles, and there is your precious plan of subterranean Rome. But I-oh no! — I am not so easily duped. The figure in the middle of the map was an exact mirror image of a piece of patching on Ciacconio's shoulder: that is how I found them out!'
Exhausted, we returned to the Donzello in silence, in the depths of night.
1 was climbing the stairs after leaving Atto when, on the second floor, I glimpsed a faint gleam coming from Stilone Priaso's chamber. I remembered Abbot Melani's recommendation that I should keep an eye on the young Neapolitan. I approached the door which was slightly ajar, trying to look in.
'Who is there?' I heard him ask in a trembling voice.
I announced myself and entered. He huddled in his bed, pale and dirt-stained. In the semi-darkness, I
