Several thoughts occur to me, following your latest letter, but the majority of them I must keep to myself, for fear of angering you further. I am sorry to note the hostility of your reaction to my Antwort auff Röslini diseurs: believe me, my friend, it was not meant as an attack ad hominem. My tongue, I fear, has at times a rough amp; uncouth edge to it, especially when I am wrought, or even when I am only excited by the subject in hand, which last is the case on this occasion. I wished in my pamphlet to define as clearly as possible my attitude to astrology. I thought I had neither condemned nor condoned this science, of which you are such an ardent champion. Did I really say, in my last letter, that it was monkey shine? What comes over me, to say such things! Please, I apologise.I shall try here, as briefly amp; concisely as possible, to make amends and show you my true opinion in the matter.
In fact, you will be interested to hear that I am at this very time engaged in the composition of another Answer, this time to an attack upon astrologers! Feselius, physician-in-ordinary to the dedicatee of your own Diseurs, has produced a weighty attack upon the whole of astrology, which he altogether repudiates. Now, will it surprise you to know that I am about to weigh in, in my latest Antwort, with a defence against this broadside? For of course, contrary to what you seem to think, I do not hold all of that science to be worthless. Feselius, for instance, claims that the stars amp; planets were put up by God only as signs for determining time, and therefore astrologers, in scrying by the stars, impute a wrong intention to the Lord. Also he argues that Copernicus's theory is contrary to reason amp; to Holy Scripture. (I think, in this last, you agree with him? Forgive me, my friend, I can never resist a jibe.) All this, of course, is nonsense. Feselius is a foolish amp; pompous fellow, and I intend to dispatch him with a quick thrust of my sword. I mention him merely to show you that I am not wholly unsympathetic to your views.
I am interested in your contention that there is, behind the visible world, another world of magic which is hidden from us except in a few instances where we are allowed to witness magical actions at work. I cannot agree. Do you not see, Röslin, that the magic of, say, the so-called magic square is simply that numbers may be disposed in such a way as to produce wonderful configurations-but that this is the whole of it? No effects of this magic extend into the world. The real mystery amp; miracle is not that numbers have an effect upon things (which they do not!), but that they can express the nature of things; that the world, vast amp; various amp; seemingly ruled by chance, is amenable in its basic laws to the rigorous precision amp; order of mathematics.
It seems to me important that, not only is innate instinct excited by the heavens, but so also is the human intellect. The search for knowledge everywhere encounters geometrical relations in nature, which God, in creating the world, laid out from his own resources, so to speak. To enquire into nature, then, is to trace geometrical relationships. Since God, in his highest goodness, was not able to rest from his labours, he played with the characteristics of things, and copied himself in the world. Thus it is one of my thoughts, whether all of nature amp; all heavenly elegance is not symbolised in geometry. (I suppose this is the basis of all my belief.) And so, instinctively or thinkingly, the created imitates the Creator, the earth in making crystals, planets in arranging their leaves amp; blossoms, man in his creative activity. All this doing is like a child's play, without plan, without purpose, out of an inner impulse, out of simple joy. And the contemplating spirit finds amp; recognises itself again in that which it creates. Yes, yes, Röslin: all is play.
Vale Johannes Kepler
Prague
All Souls Day 1608
Dr Michael Mästlin: at Tübingen
I have your beautiful amp; affecting letter, for which much thanks, though I confess it has saddened me greatly. For a long time, though I wrote to you repeatedly, I heard not a word; now suddenly, as if you have been spurred to it by resentment amp; irritation, comes this strange valediction. Have I reached such a high step amp; distinguished position that I could, if I wished, look down on you"? Why, sir, what is this? You are my first teacher amp; patron, and, so I would like to think, my oldest friend. How would I look down on you, why should I wish to do so? You say my questions have been sometimes too subtle for your knowledge amp; gifts to comprehend: yet I am sure, magister, if there have been things you did not understand, the fault was mine, that my style of expression has been clumsy amp; unclear, or that my thoughts themselves were senseless. So you understand only your modest crap. On that score, I say only this: you understood the work of Copernicus at a time when others, whose names subsequently have made a great noise in the world, had not yet heard tell of the Ermlander or his theories. Come, my dear Doctor, no more of this, I will not have it!
Ah but yet, there is something in the tone of your letter which will not be gainsaid. The fault in this matter, I believe, is in my character. For it has always been thus with me, that I find it hard, despite all my efforts, to make friends, and when I do, I cannot keep them. When I meet those whom I feel I might love, I am like a little dog, with a wagging tail amp; lolling tongue, showing the whites of my eyes: yet sooner or later I am sure to flare up amp; growl. I am malicious, and bite people with my sarcasm. Why, I even like to gnaw hard, discarded things, bones amp; dry crusts of bread, and have always had a dog-like horror of baths, tinctures amp; lotions! How, then, may I expect people to love me for what I am, since what I am is so base?
Tycho the Dane I loved, in my way, though I think he never knew it-certainly I never attempted to tell him, so busy was I in trying to bite the hand, his hand, that was feeding me. He was a great man, whose name will last forever. Why could I not have told him that I recognised greatness in him? We fought from the start, and there was no peace between us, even on the day he died. True, he was eager for me to found my work upon his world system instead of on that of Copernicus, which was something I could not do: but could I not have dissembled, lied a little for his sake, soothed his fears? Of course, he was arrogant, and full of duplicity amp; malice, and treated me badly. But now I see that was his way, as mine is mine. And yet I cannot fool myself, I know that if he were to be resurrected and sent back to me now, there would be only the old squabbling. I am not expressing myself well. I am trying to explain how it is with me, that if I growl, it is only to guard what I hold precious, and that I would far rather wag my tail and be a friend to all.
You think I consider myself a lofty personage. I do not. High honours amp; offices I have never had. I live here on the stage of the world as a simple, private man. If I can squeeze out a portion of my salary at court, I am happy not to have to live entirely on my own means. As for the rest, I take the attitude that I serve not the Emperor, but rather the whole human race amp; posterity. In this confident hope, I scorn with secret pride all honours amp; offices, and also those things which they bestow. I count as the only honour the fact that by divine decree I have been put near the Tychonic observations.
Forgive, then, please, any slights that have been offered you in ignorance by
your friend, K
Wenzel House Prague Christmastide 1606
Hans Georg Herwart von Hohenburg: at München
Salve. This will, I fear, be but the briefest of scribbles, to wish you amp; your family all happiness of the season. The court is busy with preparations for the festivities, and consequently I am forgotten for the moment, and hence am allowed a little time to pursue my private studies undisturbed. Is it not strange, how, at the most unexpected of moments, the speculative faculty, having just alighted from a long amp; wearisome flight, will suddenly take wing again immediately, and soar to even loftier heights? Having lately completed my Astronomia nova, and looking forward to a year or two of much needed rest amp; recuperation, here I am now launching out again, with renewed fervour, upon those studies of world harmony, which I interrupted seven years ago in order to clear away the little task of founding a new astronomy!