John Banville - Kepler

Also, after my marriage, I succeeded, against great opposition, in being appointed guardian of my wife's little daughter, our dear Regina, because I loved the child, as she was then, and because I feared that among her mother's people she would be exposed to the danger of Catholicism. I had been promised by Jobst Müller, 70 florins per annum for the child's maintenance: I was never paid a penny of that allowance, nor, of course, was I permitted to touch Regina 's own considerable fortune. Therefore, I am fully justified in deducting from the inheritance a just amp; suitable recompense. I have two children of my own to care for. My friends amp; patrons, the House of Fugger, will oversee the transfer to you of the remaining sum. I trust you will not accuse them of suspect dealing?

Johannes Kepler

Prague December 1610

Dr Johannes Brengger: at Kaufieuren

I have received today, from Markus Welser in Cologne, the first pages in proof of my Dioptrice. The printing has been delayed, and even now, when it has finally started, there is a problem with the financing of the project, and I fear it will be some long time before the work is completed. I finished it in August, and presented it at once to my patron, the Elector Ernst of Cologne, who unfortunately has proved less enthusiastic amp; less prompt than the author, and seems not to be in any hurry to give to the world this important work which is dedicated to him. However, I am glad to see even these few pages in print, since in my present troubled state I am grateful for the small diversion which they provide. How far away already seem those summer months, when my health looked to be improving, and I worked with such vigour. Now I am subject once more to bouts of fever, and consequently I have no energy, and am sore in spirit. Worries abound, and there are rumours of war. Yet, looking now afresh at the form of this little book, I am struck by the thought that perhaps, without realising it, I had some intimation of the troubles to come, for certainly it is a strange work, uncommonly severe amp; muted, wintry in tone, precise in execution. It is not like me at all.

It is a book that is not easy to understand, and which assumes not only a clever head, but also a particularly intellectual alertness amp; an extraordinary desire to learn the causes of things. In it I have set about clearing up the laws by which the Galilean telescope works. (I might add, that in this task I have had scant help, as you would expect, from him whose name is given to the new instrument.) It may be said, I believe, that between this book, and my Astronomia pars optica of 1604, I have laid the foundations of a new science. Whereas, however, the earlier book was a gay amp; speculative venturing upon the nature oflight and the working of lenses, the Dioptrice is a sober setting out of rules, in the manner of a geometry manual. O, that I could send you a copy, for I am eager to hear your opinion. Damn these penny-pinchers! It is composed of 141 rules, schematically divided into definitions, axioms, problems amp; propositions. I begin with the law of refraction, the expression of which, I confess, is not much less inexact than previously, although I have managed not too badly by virtue of the fact that the angles of incidence dealt with are very small. I have also set out a description of total reflection of light rays in a glass cube amp; three-sided prism. As well, of course, I have gone more deeply than ever into the matter of lenses. In Problem 86, in which I demonstrate how, with the help of two convex lenses, visible objects can be made larger amp; distinct but inverted, I believe I have defined the principle upon which the astronomical telescope is based. Also, by treating of the suitable combinations of a converging lens with a diverging lens in place of a simple object lens, I have shown the way toward a large improvement upon the Galilean telescope. This will not please the Paduan, I think. So you see, my dear Doctor, how far ahead I have pressed in our science. I think, indeed, that I have gone as far as it is possible to go, and I confess, with some regret, that I am losing interest in the subject. The telescope is a wonderfully useful instrument, and will no doubt prove of great service to astronomy. For my part, however, I grow tired rapidly of peering into the sky, no matter how wonderful the sights to be seen there. Let others map these new phenomena. My eyesight is bad. I am, I fear, no Columbus of the heavens, but a modest stay-at-home, an armchair dreamer. The phenomena with which I am already familiar are sufficiently strange amp; wonderful. If the new stargazers discover novel facts which will help to explain the true causes of things, fair enough; but it seems to me that the real answers to the cosmic mystery are to be found not in the sky, but in that other, infinitely smaller though no less mysterious firmament contained within the skull. In a word, my dear friend, I am old-fashioned; as I am also,

yours, Kepler

Aedes Cramerianis Prague October 1610

Georg Fugger: at Venice

Let me yet again offer you my warm amp; sincerest thanks for your loyal support of me amp; my work. I thank you also for your kind words regarding my Dissertatio cum nuncio sidero, and your efforts to promote in Italy the views expressed in that little work. Yet, once more, I must protest at your too enthusiastic championing of me against Galileo. I do not oppose him. My Dissertatio does not, as you put it, rip the mask from his face. If you read my pamphlet with attention, you will clearly see that I have, with reservations, given my blessing to his findings. Does this surprise you? Are you, perhaps, disappointed? How, you will ask, can I be warm toward someone who will not even deign to write to me directly? But as I have said before, I am a lover of truth, and will welcome it amp; celebrate it, whatever quarter it may come from. Sometimes I suspect that those who concern themselves in this squabble over the reliability of Galileo's findings, may in fact care less for the objective truth, than they do for getting hold of ammunition to use against an arrogant amp; clever man, and who is not subtle nor sly enough to put on a false humility in order to please the general. That young clown Martin Horky, Magini's assistant, in his so-called Refutation, had the gall to quote me-no, to misquote me, in support of his imbecile gibes against Galileo. I lost no time in terminating my acquaintance with the young pup.

Still, I confess Galileo is difficult to love. You know, in all this time he has written to me only one letter. For the rest, for news of his further discoveries, and even for word of his reactions to my Dissertatio (which after all was an open letter directed to him!), I must depend on second-hand accounts from the Tuscan Ambassador here, and other suchlike. And then, how secretive amp; suspicious the Paduan is! When he does send me a crumb, he hides it inside the most impossible amp; unnecessary of disguises. For instance, last summer he sent, again through the ambassador, the following message: Smaismirmilmepoetaleumibunenugttaurias. At first I was amused: after all, I myself sometimes play with anagrams amp; word games of this sort. However, when I set about deciphering the code, I was nearly driven out of my mind. The best I could manage was a bit of barbaric Latin verse that made no sense. It was not until last month-when Galileo had heard that the Emperor himself was curious-that the solution was furnished at last: hidden in that jumble was the announcement of the discovery of what appear to be two small moons circling Saturn! Now has come another puzzle, which seems to speak of a red spot in Jupiter which rotates mathematically. A red spot, I ask myself, or a red herring? How is one to respond to this kind of foolery? I shall scald the fellow's ears with my next letter.