The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-10-08


printing presses Of the publisher, and to
destroy the work TO which thy life has
been devoted Come and lay the storm
but come quickly, or thou wilt be toe
late. "
Before Copernicus had finished the
perusal of this letter, he fell back voice.
less and powerless into the arms Of his
faithful servant, and ii was some mo,
ments before he rallied, When he again
looked up, the horsemun, who had been
charged to escort him back, asked him
how soon he would wish to set out.
" | must set ont directly" replied the
old man, in resigned tone "but not
for Nuremberg or for Culm the suffer-
ing workmen at Frauenberg are expect
ing me they may perhaps die if | dc
not 60 to their assistance. My enemies
may perhaps destroy my work-they
cannot stop the stars in their courses p
An hour later, Copcrnicus was at
Frauenberg. The machine which he
had bestowed upon this town, which was
built on the summit of hill, conveyed
thithcr the waters of the river Bouda,
situated at the distance Of half a league
in the valley below. The inhabitants,
instead of suffering, like their fathers,
from continued drought, had now only
to turn a valve, and the plenteous stream
flowed into their houses in rich abund- :
ance.
The machne had got out of order the
pre- ceding day, and the accident Lap
pened very inopportunely, because this
was the festival of the patron saint of
Frauenbcrg. But at the first glance the
canon saw where the evil lay, and in a
few hours the water again flowed freely
into the town. His first cares, we need
not say, had been directed to the unhap.
py men who had received injuries whilst
working in the sluices; he set their frac-
tured limbs, and bound them up with
his own hands then commenting them
TO the care of an attendant, he prom
ised TO return and visit them on the NOR
row. But blow was about 10 descend
upon himself, which was destined to
crush him to the dust.
As he crossed the square, whilst pass.
ing thro' the town Oh his return home,
he perceived amidst the crowd a compa.
ny Of strolling players acting upon a
temporary stage. The theatre repre-
sented an Astronomical observatory, fill
cd with all sorts of ridiculous instru-
ments-in the midst stood an old man,
whose dress and bearing were in exact
imitation of those of Coperncus. The
resemblance was so striking, that he di-
rcctly recognized himself, and paused
Supplied with aslonishment. Behind
the merry-Andrew, whose business it was
thus TO hold up the great man to public
derisIon, there stood parsonage whose
horns and cloven foot designated him as
a representation of Satan, and who
caused the pseudo-Copernicus to act and
speak, as though he had been an auto
malon, by means Of TWO strings fastened
to his ears--wblch were no other than
asses cars, of considerable Dimensions.
The parody was composed Of several
scenes In the first, the astronomer
gave himself TO Satan, burnt copy oI
the Bible, and trampled 4 cruc fix under
foot in the second, he explained, by
juggling with apples in grise ofplaneis
whilst his head was transformed into a
likeness OF the sun by means of torche.
Of rosln in the third, he became q
christian, vender of ponatun ant
qnack medlcne.-he spoke dog. Latin tc
the passers-hy sold them water. whicl
he had drawn from his own well, at an
exorbiiant price and became intoXica
ted himself with excellent wine in sucl
coplous Graughts of which did he in,
dulge, that he finally disappeared undel
the table in the fourth and closing ac
he was again dragged forth to view a
one accursed Of God and man; and tn,
devil, dragging him down TO the lnlcrna
regions amidst a cloud of sulphlrou
smoke, declared his intention of punish
ing him for having caused the earth t,
turn on lis axis, by condemnlng him t,
remain with his head dnwnwards thro'
out eternity.
When Copernicus thus beheld tn
treasured discoveries of his whole lif
held up TO the derison of an ignoran
multitude, his enlightened faith brande,
as imPlely, aud bis self-denying benevo
lence ridlculed as the quackcry of
charlatan, his noble spirit was at frs