The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-18
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
Fathcr CoyIe Discusses a Myth

friend, DIR. Evans, in the Sunday Age
Herald. They are scholarly and enter
tanning. The doctor has the art, which
is rare nowadays, of impartins much
useful information In very pleasing
manner. His essays are models of
style and time given to their perusal
is at once pleasurably and probably
spent "'Aliquando Homerus dormit,"
however, and surely DR.. Evans nodded
when In his last excellent essay, The
Night Has a Thousand Eyes" he penned
the following: When the comet of 1856
appeared the Pope recommended that
the faithful offer prayers against the
possible disasters of the comet. One
of the prayers of that time was, Lord,
save us from the devil, the Turk and
the comet" When an educated Cath
Ollie reads this he shrugs his shoulders
and mutters; viii that old myth never
down?" for myth 1t is that clings to
Halley's comet like a satellite and re-
turns with the same periodicity
1t does not seem that the canard ever
will down; so the only thing left to do
is to nail it promptly every time it
makes its appearance, and to have
given to denial the same publicity that
Is given to assertion. Hence you will
please give space for a few remarks
on the origin and historical worth of
the assertion that a pope of the Cath
Ollie church in ages now bygone ex-
communicated a comet.
A few months ago Rev. j. Thirion S.
j. director of the astronomical OBJ
servatory of st. John Berchman's col
lege, and secretary of La Societe Soien-
tifque de Bruxelles, published a book
let entitled La Comete de HALEY; son
Historic ct la Legende de son Excom-
munication." This book proves very
conclusiveiy that the myth is not only
false, but even without foundation.
The astronomers of France have been
the chief offenders in propagating that
myth. Laplace, in his Exposition du
systemic du Monde Cook iv, chapter
iv, page 2sS, edition 1929, tells us that
"calixtus ordered public prayers to
conjure the comet and the Turks"
Arago next tells us that the Pope lex
communicated at the same time the
comet and the Turks" Babinet, some
years later, wrote that Calixtus cast
an anathema on the comet and on the
Turks" So the myth runs; the story
is substantially the same, conjure
changes into excommunicate, and this
is replaced by anathematize but for the
writer they express the same idea.
But so far no one gives authority for
the story. Robert Grant, however, tells
us: Pope Calixtus II (sic) ordered
prayers He also issued a bull In
which he mathematical both the Turks
and the comet" (History of Physical
| Astronomy, London, 1882 page, 305).
| We now have solid ground to work
| on. There is a bull of Calixtus exeom-
municating the comet. Grant does not
say where he read this bull, and he
has good reason for not naming this
"Bullarium Romanum" was searched
the bulls of Calixtus III read. but not
word about the comet was found.
Next we find DR.. Andrew Dickson
White CHistory of the Warfare Be
tween Science and Theology in Christ
endom," London, 1880, writing: mo
such bull is to be found In the pub
lished bullarium" So far, so good. IN
happily however, he adds: Then too,
was incorporated into litany the plea,
from the Turk and the comet, good
Lord, deliver u.s." Seimon Newcomb
\ IOpuidi l<OHQOny lSl o.,
gives the same story of prayers or
dered against the comet. This" he
says. rs supposed to be the circum-
stance which gave rise to the popular
myth of the Popes bull against the
comet"
careful research of the letters Of
Calixtus III shows that no prayers
were ever ordered by papal authority
against the comet. Whence then this
second myth? Charles de Smedt, S. j.,
(Revue des Questions Scientifques,
January, 1877; page, I'D, gives us the
answer. We believe" he says, that
the first offender was Francois Bruys,
born at Maconnais in 1908, who, after
abjuring Catholicism to join the Re-
formed Church, published at The
Hague (1732-173D his book, Historic
des Papes, depuis Saint Pierre jusqui a
Benoit XIII Bruys quotes in the said
history, "Platina, Vita Calixti, page
question" At last we are back to a
contemporary of Calixtus I'LL Let us
take glance at Platina. In the work
"Rerum Italicarum Scriptures. toni
tertii, pars altera. Calixti papae III
Gita, B. Saeho Vico Platina," we
find single paragraph in which Plati-
ma speaks of the comet, of the pesti-
lence then raging In Rome, and of the
Turks. He ends the paragraph by say
ing that the Pope (calixtus) ordered
prayers that God might help those
fighting against the Turks. These were
days of great suffering in Rome.
When Halley's comet appeared in
1856, there was famine, pestilence, and
the hardships of war. As was the
wont in like times, professions were
undertaken and litanies sung. Perhaps
some local priest may have added to
the ltany. From the Turk and the
comet, good Lord, deliver u.s. just as
on a somewhat similar occasion the in
habitants of a west of ireland seaport
are said to have added, Prom the fero-
cious O'Flahertys, good Lord, deliver
u.s.; but of this there is no historical
proof. However we do know that such
plea was never ordered by papal au-
thority.
Not only that but st. John Capistra-
no, another contemporary of Calixtus
III. preaching the Crusade at that
time, actua1ly hailed the comet as
sign of Gods help to the Christian
force in their war against the Turk
With such an assertion, preached
everywhere, for a Crusader preacher
covered much ground, it seems hardly
likely that the folk would pray, From
the Turk and the comet, good Lord. de-
liver u.s.
DR.. Evans | am sure will, from the
above, see the reasons on which l base
my exception TO the paragraph of his
interesting essay that | quoted in the
beginning, He, too, trustingly accepted
the statements of astronomers who,
however eminent for exactitude and
rigorous application of scientific priA-
ciples In matters astronomical do not
bring the same exactitude and ac-
curacy with them when thcy enter the
field of historical research. | have felt
it my duty to come forward in defense
of much maligned pontif of my