The Sleepwalkers (80 page)

"But
my
misgivings
and
protests
were
overcome
by
my
friends.
Foremost
among
them
was
Nicolaus
Schoenberg,
Cardinal
of
Capua,
distinguished
in
every
department
of
learning.
Next
was
one
who
loved
me
well,
Tiedemann
Giese,
Bishop
of
Kulm,
a
devoted
student
of
sacred
and
all
other
good
literature,
who
often
urged
and
even
importuned
me
to
publish
this
work...
The
same
request
was
made
to
me
by
many
other
eminent
and
learned
men...
Yielding
then
to
their
persuasion,
I
at
last
permitted
my
friends
to
publish
that
work
which
they
have
so
long
demanded..."

Here
the
dedication
trailed
off
to
other
matters.
Rheticus'
name
was
not
mentioned
in
the
Dedication
–
nor
anywhere
else
in
the
book.

It
must
have
been
a
nasty
shock.
The
omission
was
so
fantastic
and
preposterous
that
the
gentle
Giese
wrote,
after
Copernicus'
death,
an
embarrassed
apology
to
Rheticus,
referring
to:

"the
unpleasant
oversight
that
thy
teacher
omitted
to
mention
thee
in
the
preface
to
his
book.
Truly
this
was
not
due
to
indifference
towards
thee
but
to
his
clumsiness
and
inattention;
for
his
mind
was
already
rather
dulled,
and
paid,
as
thou
knowest,
scant
attention
to
anything
not
pertaining
to
philosophy.
I
know
very
well
how
highly
he
esteemed
thy
constant
helpfulness
and
self-sacrifice...
Thou
assistest
like
a
Theseus
his
heavy
labours...
How
much
we
all
owe
thee
for
thy
relentless
fervour
is
as
clear
as
the
day."
⁷²

But
these
well-meaning
excuses
carried
no
conviction,
for
Copernicus'
Dedication
to
the
Pope
betrays
neither
"clumsiness"
nor
"dull-mindedness".
It
is
an
extremely
shrewd
and
calculated
document.
The
deliberate
omission
of
Rheticus'
name
can
only
be
explained
by
the
fear
that
the
mention
of
a
Protestant
might
create
an
unfortunate
impression
on
Paul
III.
But
if
so,
Copernicus
could,
of
course,
have
mentioned
Rheticus
at
some
other
place,
either
in
the
prefatory
matter
or
anywhere
in
the
text
itself.
To
pass
his
name
in
complete
silence
was
an
act
as
abject
as
it
was
futile,
since
Copernicus'
name
was
already
publicly
linked
with
Rheticus'
by
the
narratio
prima
,
and
by
the
fact
that
the
book
was
being
printed
in
Protestant
Nuremberg
under
Rheticus'
editorship.

Copernicus'
dedication
must
have
reached
Rheticus
some
time
in
June
or
July.
On
15
August,
a
small
booklet
by
Rheticus
himself,
containing
two
of
his
lectures
on
astronomy
and
physics,
⁷³
was
published
by
Petreius.
In
the
preface
to
it
Rheticus
reminisced
about
his
first
acquaintance
with
the
master:

"When
I
heard
about
the
great
reputation
of
Dr.
Nicolai
Copernicus
in
Northern
Germany,
I
had
just
been
appointed
professor
of
these
sciences
at
the
University
of
Nuremberg,
but
I
thought
that
I
should
not
accept
this
post
until
I
had
acquired
some
additional
knowledge
from
his
teaching.
No
obstacle
could
prevent
me
from
setting
out
on
the
journey,
neither
money,
nor
the
itinerary,
nor
other
molestations.
^*
I
placed
a
great
value
on
seeing
his
work,
for
here
was
a
man
advanced
in
years
who
was
driven
by
a
youthful
audacity
to
communicate
his
mature
ideas
on
this
science
to
the
whole
world.
And
all
other
scholars
will
judge
as
I
did
when
the
book
which
we
now
have
in
the
press
at
Nuremberg
is
published."

____________________

How
depressing
that
this
last
affirmation
of
the
pupil's
loyalty
coincided
in
time
with
the
master's
betrayal
of
him.

14.
Bishop Dantiscus

The
previous
sections
were
concerned
with
the
prolonged
labour
pains
and
caesarian
delivery
of
the
Revolutions,
which
took
place
in
Nuremberg.
We
must
now
return
again
to
the
Cathedral
fortress
of
Frauenburg
on
the
Baltic,
to
complete
the
story
of
Canon
Koppernigk's
last
years.