Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-11-22
VOL. 3.----NO. 5.

pared medicine Tor the poor; little stu
dio in which the man of genius, skilled
in art as well as in science, painted hi.
own likeness or those of his friends
traced his recolleclions of Rome and O
Bologna; and lastly of small parlor or
the ground floor, which was ever oper
TO all who came to him for remedies, fol
money, or food. Over the door an oval
aperture had been cut, through which 3
ray Of the midday sun daily penetrated
and resting upon certain point in the
adjoining room, marked the hour of noon
This was the astronomical gnomon o
Copernicus; and the only ornaments
the room contained were some verses
written in his own hand, and pasted up
over the chimney piece.
IL was in this parlor that the good
canon found the ten invalids who had
come TO claim his assistance; he dressed
the wounds of some, admin stored rem
edies 10 others, and on all he bestowed
aims and words of kindness and couso-
lation. Having completed his labors, he
hastily swallowed Graught Of milk, and
was about TO set out for Frauenberg,
when a horseman, galloping up to the
door, handed him a letter. He trernbled
as he recognized the hand writing of his
friend Gysius, Bishop of Culm. May
God have pity on u.s. wrote this letter,
'and aver the blow now threatened thee!
Thy enemies and thy rivals combined
those who accuse thee of folly and
those who treat thee as heretic-have
been so successful in exciting against
thee the minds of the people of Nurem-
berg, that men curse thy name in the
streets; the priests exconmunicate thee
from their pulpits; and the University,
hearing that thy book was to appear, has
declared its intention to break The prin-
ting presses Of the publisher, and TO de-
stroy the work to which thy life has
been devoted. Come and lay the storm;
bat come quickly, or thou wilt be too
laie.'
Before Copernicus had finished the
perusal Of this letter, he fell back, voice.
less and powerless, into the arms of his
faithful servant, and it was some mo-
ments before he rallied, when he again
looked up, the horseman, who had been
charged to escort him back, asked him
how soon he would wish to set out.
Il must set out directly replied the
old man, in resigned tone; .but not for
Nuremberg or for Culm; the suffering
workmen at Franenberg are expecting
me; they may. perhaps, die if | do not
60 to their assistance. My enemies may
destroy my work-they cannot stop the
stars in their courses!'
An hour later Copernicns was at
Frauenberg. The machine which he
had bestowed upon this town, which was
built on the summit of hill, conveyed
thither the waters of the river Bouda,
situated at the distance of half league
in the valley below. The inhabitants,
instead of suffering like their fathers
from continual drought, had now only TO
turn valve, and the plenteous stream
flowed into their houses in a rich abun-
dance.
This machine had got ont of order the
preceding day, and the accident had hap
pened very inopportunely, because this
was The festival of the patron saint OF
Frauenberg. But at the first glance the
canon saw where the evil Law, 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 sit ices; he set their frac-
tured limbs, and bound them up with his
own hands; then commenting them to
the care of an attendant, he promised to
return and visit them on the morrow
But blow was about to descend upon
himself which was destined to crush him
to the dust.
As he crossed the square, whilst pas
sing through the town on his return
home, he perceived amidst the crowd a
company Of strolling players acting upon
a temporary stage. The theatre repre-
sented an astronomical observatory, filled
with all sorts of ridiculous Instruments
in the midst stood an old man, whose
dress and bearing were in exact imitation
OF those Of Copernicus. The resem-
blance was SO striking that he directly
recognized himself and paused, supplied
with astonishment. Behind the Merry
Andrew, whose business it was thus ia
hold up the great man to public derision,
there stood a person whose horns and
cloven foot designated him as a represen-
tation of Satan, and who caused the
pseudo Copernicus to act and speak, as
though he had been an automaton, by
means of two strings fastened to his
ears which were no other than asses ears
of considerable dimensions. TIE par.
ody was composed of several scenes
In the first, the astronomer gave himself
to Satan. burnt copy Of the Bible, and
trampled a crucifix under foot; in the
second, he explained, by Juggling with
apples in guise of planets, whilst hi.
head was transformed into a likeness O
the sun by means of torches Of rosin
in the third he became charlatan, {
vender Of pomatum and quack medicine
|-he spoke dog-Latin to the passers by
sold them water which he had drawn
from, his own well, at an exhorbitan
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