Spiriti, demoni e arcana : Gratarolo e Cardano

The essay analyzes the use of Cardano's natural philosophy in Gratarolo''s collections of alchemical writings. In Gratarolo's view Cardano is a key reference in the modern art of "distillatio", which deals with the separation of elements and their purification. On the other hand, probably thanks to Gratarolo's acquaintance, in the De rerum varietate Cardano revises his previous adherence to the theory of Pomponazzi concerning the cessation of "miracula" in contemporary Europe. The essay focuses on the religious implications of this assumption.