Kepler to Müller, 27 February 1630
Johannes Kepler, “Kepler to Müller, 27 February 1630,” Nova Kepleriana 4, February 27, 1630, 73–74, transcribed in Plain Old Text, https://sources.vjbe.net/stable/yv4q1.
Nova Kepleriana 4 27 Feb, 1630, p. 73–74 Summary
Part of Die Keplerbriefe auf der Nationalbibliothek und auf der Sternwarte in Paris
Kepler sends copies of the letter from China and asks for Müller's judgement, ethical as well as astronomical, with a bitter remark on the portents the war has brought Germany.
Source: Johannes Kepler's letter to Philipp Müller written at Sagan on 27 February 1630, about sending type and copies of the Epistolium from China, with a sharp remark on the war in Germany. The original is in the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris (Nouv. acq. lat. 1635, fol. 98; 89, 8. F. 19), with a copy at fol. 97. First printed in Nova Kepleriana 4, ed. Walther von Dyck and Max Caspar, Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Math.-naturw. Abteilung 31, no. 1 (Munich, 1927), 73–74.
Transcribed from: the page images of the 1927 printing.
Only the letter is given; the editors’ German summary and notes are left out. Words in square brackets were cut out of the original and filled in by the editors from the copy.
English translation of the letter as printed in Nova Kepleriana 4 (1927), made for Plain Old Text. Each paragraph translates the corresponding paragraph of the original. Words the editors restored from the copy are given without brackets.
S. P. D.
Many greetings.
Clarissime Excellentissimeque Vir.
Most famous and most excellent Sir.
Scripsi ante 10 dies Laubam misique fasciculu[m ad D.] Tuam, rogans affinem meum Christopho[rum Hofm]an, ut per transeuntes aurigas fasciculum [ad Te] mitteret, et typos meos asportari Görlicium curaret. Ante quatriduum etiam sarcinam 500 Exemplarium, eodem itinere misi, tradendam Voigtio vestro: Utriusque consilii jam poenitet, postquam ex improviso in civem Saganensem incidi, qui merces recta Lipsiam mittit, cujus vehes e vestigio Saganum revertetur cum aliquot vini doliis. Itaque si nondum praevertit jamque asportavit alius auriga, Lauba commendatus, rogo huic jam tradi cures et typos, et quicquid de tribus molibus papyri necessario retinendum est, nec renunciari sine offensa potest; pecuniae, quantum supererogaveris, significa; curabo, ut nundinis Paschalibus tibi satisfiat per Saganenses.
Ten days ago I wrote to Lauban and sent a packet for you, asking my kinsman Christoph Hofmann to send it on to you by carters passing through, and to have my type brought to Görlitz. Four days ago I also sent a pack of 500 copies by the same road, to be handed to your Voigt. I now regret both decisions, since I have unexpectedly come upon a citizen of Sagan who sends goods straight to Leipzig, and whose wagon will come straight back to Sagan with some casks of wine. So, unless another carter, recommended from Lauban, has already got there first and carried them off, please have the type handed to this man, together with whatever of the three bales of paper must be kept and cannot be cancelled without offence; let me know how much money you have paid out beyond what you held, and I shall see that you are repaid at the Easter fair through the people of Sagan.
Cum Ephemeridis 1630 semissis paucos ante dies ad me sit reversa, nondum tota potuit absolvi. Aegre adducor ut paginas excusas mittam, ne vel oblivione mea vel casu alio pereat unum exemplar. Pulchrius exisset vestibulum, si potuissemus expectare typos Lipsenses. Nam cursorii mei, quibus sum usus, manci sunt, ut facile apparet.
Since the half of the Ephemeris for 1630 came back to me only a few days ago, it has not yet all been finished. I can hardly bring myself to send printed pages, lest one copy be lost through my forgetfulness or some other mishap. The front matter would have come out more handsomely if we could have waited for the Leipzig type. For the italic letters I used are defective, as is easy to see.
Puto me priori fasciculo inclusisse Epistolam Sinensem. Dedi tamen D. Voigtio in mandatis, ut, reserato fasciculo 500 Exemplarium, tibi et Aviano det singula exemplaria. Nunc etiam unum mitto, certitudinis causa. De singulis expecto responsa, et tuum judicium liberum, non astronomicum tantum, id scio, facies ultro; sed ethicum etiam, uti puto te, nisi urgearis, tergiversaturum. Eo qua licet; foelicior. non sanctior, qui qua libet. Gratulor dolens de dolentibus, Germanus de alto Regum, nunc quidem etiam Germano, sanguine. Sic fertur ille ipse meus, gratulatus esse Henrico Friderico de victoria de Dumeto.Frederick Henry of Orange's capture of 's-Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc) in September 1629; dumetum, a thicket, renders bosch. Ac cum τέρατα mera nobis per hoc decennium tulerit fatum Germaniae, mirum ne si et in oratione mea insint τέρατα? Si non fortiora mea verba, quam patria facta?
I think I enclosed the Letter from China in the earlier packet. But I have instructed Mr Voigt, when he opens the packet of 500 copies, to give one copy each to you and to Avianus. Now I send one as well, to be sure. I await answers on each point, and your free judgement: not only on the astronomy, which I know you will give of your own accord, but on the ethics too, which I think you will dodge unless pressed. I go where I may; happier, not holier, is he who goes where he pleases. Grieving, I congratulate on those who grieve; a German, on the high blood of kings, now German blood too. So that very patron of mine is said to have congratulated Frederick Henry on his victory at Bois-le-Duc.Frederick Henry of Orange's capture of 's-Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc) from Spain in September 1629; Kepler's Latin, de Dumeto, “of the Thicket”, renders bosch. And since the fate of Germany has brought us nothing but portents these ten years, is it any wonder if there are portents in my speech too, if my words are no stronger than my country’s deeds?
Expecto magna generositatis exempla ex vestra Misnia, quae ego tum demum etiam stilo imiter. Vale. Sagani 27. Feb. anno 1630.
I look for great examples of nobility from your Meissen, which I may then at last imitate in my style as well. Farewell. Sagan, 27 February 1630.
Ex. D. T.
officiosissimus
Jo. Keplerus.
Your Excellency’s
most dutiful
Jo. Kepler.
Clarissimo Exellentissimoque Viro D.
Philippo Millero, Medicinae Licentiato,
Mathematicarum artium Professori in
Academia Lipsensi D. amico meo veteri
fide.
Leipzig.
To the most famous and most excellent Mr
Philipp Müller, Licentiate of Medicine,
Professor of the Mathematical Arts in
the University of Leipzig, my friend of old
loyalty.
Leipzig.