The Sleepwalkers (76 page)

In
the
spring
he
was,
at
last,
free.
On
2
May,
1542,
Rheticus
set
out
for
Nuremberg,
equipped
with
several
letters
of
recommendation
by
Melanchton
to
the
leading
patricians
and
Protestant
clerics
of
that
town.

A
few
days
later,
Petreius
the
printer
started
the
setting
up
of
the
Book
On
the
Revolutions
of
the
Heavenly
Orbs
.

12.
The Scandal of the Preface

The
printing
made
quick
progress.
On
29
June,
less
than
two
months
after
Rheticus'
arrival
in
Nuremberg,
a
certain
T.
Forsther,
citizen
of
Nuremberg,
wrote
to
his
friend
J.
Schrad
in
Reutlingen:

"Prussia
has
given
us
a
new
and
marvellous
astronomer,
whose
system
is
already
being
printed
here,
a
work
of
approximately
a
hundred
sheets'
length,
in
which
he
asserts
and
proves
that
the
Earth
is
moving
and
the
stars
are
at
rest.
A
month
ago
I
saw
two
sheets
in
print
;
the
printing
is
being
supervised
by
a
certain
Magister
from
Wittenberg
[
Rheticus]."
⁵⁷

I
have
italicized
the
above
words
because
they
provide
a
clue
to
what
became
perhaps
the
greatest
scandal
in
the
history
of
science.
If
the
printed
sheets
were
circulated
to
interested
persons
like
Herr
Forsther,
as
soon
as
they
came
off
the
press,
then
we
may
reasonably
assume
that
they
were
also
sent
on
to
the
author;
and
that
Copernicus
was
thus
able
to
follow
the
progress
of
the
printing.
If
this
hypothesis
(which
is
supported,
as
we
shall
see,
by
the
testimony
of
Rheticus)
were
admitted,
then
it
would
follow
that
Copernicus
knew
the
Preface
by
another
hand
which
was
added
to
his
book,
and
which
is
the
cause
of
the
scandal.

It
would
never
have
arisen,
had
Rheticus
been
able
to
finish
the
job
he
had
started
with
such
enthusiasm
and
devotion.
But,
unfortunately,
he
had
to
leave
Nuremberg
before
the
printing
was
completed.
In
the
spring,
he
had
applied
for
a
new
post:
the
important
Chair
of
Mathematics
at
Leipzig
University.
Melanchton
again
supported
his
application,
and
a
private
letter
of
Melanchton's
to
a
friend
darkly
hints
at
the
reason
why
Rheticus
needed
a
change
of
universities:
there
were
rumours
(
fabulae
)
current
about
him
in
Wittenberg
"which
cannot
be
mentioned
in
writing".
⁵⁸
The
rumours
evidently
concerned
his
homosexuality.

His
application
was
successful,
and
in
November
Rheticus
had
to
leave
Nuremberg
to
take
up
his
new
post
in
Leipzig.
He
left
the
supervision
of
the
printing
of
the
Revolutions
in
the
hands
of
a
man
whom
he
had
every
reason
to
consider
reliable
–
the
leading
theologian
and
preacher
of
Nuremberg,
Andreas
Osiander,
one
of
the
co-founders
of
the
Lutheran
creed.
In
contrast
to
Luther
and
Melanchton,
Osiander
was
not
only
favourably
disposed
towards
Copernicus,
but
took
an
active
interest
in
his
work,
and
had
been
corresponding
with
him
for
the
past
two
years.

In
the
belief
that
everything
was
thus
arranged
for
the
best,
Rheticus
left
for
Leipzig;
whereupon
Osiander,
now
in
charge
of
the
printing,
promptly
wrote
an
anonymous
preface
to
the
Revolutions
and
inserted
it
in
the
book.
The
preface
was
addressed
TO
THE
READER,
CONCERNING
THE
HYPOTHESES
OF
THIS
WORK.
(Its
full
text
is
printed
in
Note
59.)
It
started
by
explaining
that
the
ideas
of
the
book
need
not
be
taken
too
seriously:
"For
these
hypotheses
need
not
be
true
or
even
probable";
it
is
sufficient
that
they
should
save
the
appearances.
The
preface
then
went
on
to
demonstrate
the
improbability
"of
the
hypotheses
contained
in
this
work"
by
pointing
out
that
the
orbit
ascribed
to
Venus
would
make
that
planet
appear
sixteen
times
as
large
when
closest
to
the
earth
as
when
farthest
away
–
"which
is
contradicted
by
the
experience
of
all
ages".
The
book,
furthermore,
contained
"no
less
important
absurdities,
which
there
is
no
need
to
set
forth
at
the
moment."
On
the
other
hand,
these
new
hypotheses
deserved
to
become
known,
"together
with
the
ancient
hypotheses
which
are
no
more
probable",
because
they
are
"admirable
and
also
simple,
and
bring
with
them
a
huge
treasure
of
very
skilful
observations."
But
by
their
very
nature,
"so
far
as
hypotheses
are
concerned,
let
no
one
expect
anything
certain
from
astronomy,
which
cannot
furnish
it,
lest
he
accept
as
the
truth
ideas
conceived
for
another
purpose
[i.e.
as
mere
calculating
aids],
and
depart
from
this
study
a
greater
fool
than
when
he
entered
it.
Farewell."