Reverendissimo in Christo Patri et Domino, domino Ioannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌊Ioanni DantiscoIoannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌋, episcopo Varmiensi, patrono suo colendissimo

Varmiae

Videris, Praesul ornatissime, non iniuria queri de me, quod postremis Dominationis Tuae litteris ne brevi quidem responderim. Neque ego commode me umquam purgare possem, si aut negligentia aut quodam animi fastu id commisissem. Verum quandoquidem animus mihi bene conscius est, quantis quamque variis distractus fuerim hactenus curis, maiori longe animo minorique verecundia rursus audeo ad Dominationem Tuam Reverendissimam importunius scribere, si tamen importunum dici meretur, quod ipse pro tua humanitate prior poscis.

At quas (inquies) curas mihi narras homuncio? Cui neque res publica commissa est, neque principis valetudo? Sane non minori cura passer sibi nidum exstruit pullosque educat, quam vel aquila vel struthiocamelus. Maiori interim negotio rusticus casulam exstruit humilem, quam princeps sumptuosa quantumvis palatia. Id adeo mihi evenit, ut mea quamvis exigui momenti negotiola tantum mihi facessant negotii, quantum forte Dominationi Tuae Reverendissimae gravissimi rerum status. Haec eo dico, Praesul ornatissime, ut tanto facilius tibi sim purgatus , persuasumque Dominationi Tuae sit, non ex negligentia commissum esse, cur minus quicquam amantissimis Dominationis Tuae litteris rescripserim, sed variis multisque et mihi saltem gravibus curis id adscribas velim. Profecto non admodum sunt exigui momenti (mea sententia) tot hominum valetudines, quas in dies curare habeo. Quamquam enim non sint principes aut heroes omnes, non tamen minus diligentiae illis debeo quam vel maximis ducibus, cum aeque magno constet Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), in Christianity the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament⌊Christo DominoJesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), in Christianity the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament⌋ nostro eorum vita atque regis potentissimi.

At nunc Dei benignitate remissa est nonnihil saevities morborum, qui hic et maximi et non pauci grassati sunt annum fere totum multosque e medio sustulerunt, quamquam ne decimus quisque succubuerit eorum, qui morbo detenti gravissime decubuerunt. Itaque nunc et copiosius et liberius scribo Reverendissimae Dominationi Tuae, quo et possem damnum resarcire (si quod passa est illa in me tua benevolentia), deleaturque posthac omnis negligentiae suspicio: quamvis etiam nunc novus incumbat labor novaque molestia anhelanti ad doctoratus lauream, quae, Deo favente, tertio ante Kalendas Septembris celebrabitur. Atque utinam ita tulisset rerum conditio, ut huic festo licuisset adesse Reverendissimae Dominationi Tuae, Deum immortalem, quantum claritatis habiturus fuisset dies ille! Sed ferendum est quod mutari non potest.

Eustathius Knobelsdorf (Constans Alliopagus) (*1519 – †1571), neo-Latin poet, studied at the universities in Frankfurt an der Oder (1534-1544), Wittenberg (1538), Leipzig, Louvain (1540), Paris, and Orleans; from 1533 Dantiscus provided financial support for his education; 1544 secretary of the Ermland (Warmia) Chapter; 1546 Canon of Ermland; 1546 Canon of Wrocław (Breslau); 1546-1548 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1548-1551 administrator of the Chapter's estate in Allenstein (Olsztyn); 1552 Custos of Ermland; 1553 Vicar General of the bishopric of Ermland; 1558-1564 administrator of the diocese of Ermland in the absence of Bishop Stanisław Hozjusz; 1559 Chancellor of the Wrocław Chapter; 1565 Dean of the Wrocław Chapter; 1567 General Judicial Vicar of the diocese of Wrocław (BORAWSKA 1996 Życie, p. 70, 103; KOPICZKO 2, p. 152; SBKW, p. 152; KNOBELSDORF)⌊EustachiumEustathius Knobelsdorf (Constans Alliopagus) (*1519 – †1571), neo-Latin poet, studied at the universities in Frankfurt an der Oder (1534-1544), Wittenberg (1538), Leipzig, Louvain (1540), Paris, and Orleans; from 1533 Dantiscus provided financial support for his education; 1544 secretary of the Ermland (Warmia) Chapter; 1546 Canon of Ermland; 1546 Canon of Wrocław (Breslau); 1546-1548 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1548-1551 administrator of the Chapter's estate in Allenstein (Olsztyn); 1552 Custos of Ermland; 1553 Vicar General of the bishopric of Ermland; 1558-1564 administrator of the diocese of Ermland in the absence of Bishop Stanisław Hozjusz; 1559 Chancellor of the Wrocław Chapter; 1565 Dean of the Wrocław Chapter; 1567 General Judicial Vicar of the diocese of Wrocław (BORAWSKA 1996 Życie, p. 70, 103; KOPICZKO 2, p. 152; SBKW, p. 152; KNOBELSDORF)⌋ insignis probitatis neque minoris eruditionis iuvenem, lubens amplector gestioque, si per facultatulas meas liceret, demonstrare illi, quem erga eum gero animum: licet sperem hac in re nihil opus ipsum habere meis subsidiis. Videtur sane ad poesin natus atque in ipso Helicon, mountain in Greece, a temple of Apollo and a grove dedicated to the Muses was there located in antiquity; the ancients belived that the springs there gave poets inspiration⌊HeliconeHelicon, mountain in Greece, a temple of Apollo and a grove dedicated to the Muses was there located in antiquity; the ancients belived that the springs there gave poets inspiration⌋ enutritus, ita fluunt tamquam de flumine versus. Certe videntur fato quodam Muses Greek goddesses of literature and the arts⌊MusaeMuses Greek goddesses of literature and the arts⌋, relictis Pegasus ⌊PegasiPegasus ⌋ fontibus, in Sarmatiam commigrasse, allectae nescio qua aut dulcedine soli aut potius incolarum genio, ac propulsae ex consuetis Parnassus, mount in central Greece near Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth⌊ParnasiParnassus, mount in central Greece near Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth⌋ sedibus barbarie insueta The Greeks ⌊GraecorumThe Greeks ⌋ istuc profugisse.

Atque ut de aliis nunc taceam, ipsa sane Urania sedes ibi fixit novas, novosque suos excitavit cultores, qui novam nobis terram, novum Phoebum, nova astra, immo totum alium apportabunt orbem. Et quid ni novum, cum hactenus ignotum prorsus et incertis depictum limitibus orbem iam deinceps tamquam e caelo asportatum notissimum simus habituri! Quot enim erroribus, involucris, labyrinthis, quot denique aenigmatibus plus quam Sphyngicis involutam habuimus nostram astrologiam! Ego sane multa possem enumerare, quae numquam mihi satisfacere potuerunt. Quale est, quod Martis motum saepe a calculo vel exactissimo, secundum tabulas, tribus signiferi partibus abesse observaverim; quod Lunae magnitudo non tantum varietur ad nostrum conspectum, quantum notant gravissimi huius artis auctores; quod anni quantitas numquam inventa sit exacte conformis veritati. Nihil nunc dicam de motu firmamenti et apogiorum, qui, ut ne umbram quidem habuit veritatis, ita omnibus ridiculus approbatur; omitto etiam plura alia de omnium fere stellarum longitudine et latitudine, ne Dominationi Tuae Reverendissimae obstrepam incivilius.

Haec si reddiderit Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) (*1473 – †1543), humanist, physician and astronomer, doctor of canon law; nephew of Łukasz Watzenrode, Bishop of Ermland; 1497-1543 Canon of Ermland (Warmia); 1511-1513, 1520, 1524-1525, 1529 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1523 General Administrator of the bishopric after the death of Fabian von Lusian (Luzjański) (KOPICZKO 2, p. 161; SBKW, p. 123-124)⌊auctor ille vestrasNicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) (*1473 – †1543), humanist, physician and astronomer, doctor of canon law; nephew of Łukasz Watzenrode, Bishop of Ermland; 1497-1543 Canon of Ermland (Warmia); 1511-1513, 1520, 1524-1525, 1529 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1523 General Administrator of the bishopric after the death of Fabian von Lusian (Luzjański) (KOPICZKO 2, p. 161; SBKW, p. 123-124)⌋ sarta et tecta (id quod maxime animus praesagit ex eo cf. Georg Joachim Rheticus, De libris revolutionum eruditissimi viri et mathematici excellentissimi, reverendi domini doctoris Nicolai Copernici Torunnaei, canonici Varmiensis, per quendam iuvenem mathematicae studiosum narratio prima, Gedanum, Franciscus Rhodus, 1540 ⌊proemiocf. Georg Joachim Rheticus, De libris revolutionum eruditissimi viri et mathematici excellentissimi, reverendi domini doctoris Nicolai Copernici Torunnaei, canonici Varmiensis, per quendam iuvenem mathematicae studiosum narratio prima, Gedanum, Franciscus Rhodus, 1540 ⌋, quod praemisit), nonne hoc est novam dare terram, novum caelum ac novum mundum? Neque ego nunc disputo de hypothesibus, quibus ille utitur pro sua demonstratione, quales sint, aut quantum veritatis habeant. Mea enim non refert, terramne dicat circumvolvi, an immotam consistere; modo siderum motus temporumque intervalla habeamus ad amussim discreta et in exactissimum calculum redacta. Sola me mora omnium pessime habet: cupio enim iamiam videre huius negotii finem, et non pauci sunt passim viri eruditi, quibus non minor inest animi cupiditas haecce videndi, quam mihi. Quapropter, ornatissime Praesul, non parum mereberis gratiae cum apud infinitos haud infimae doctrinae viros, tum apud posteros omnes, si (quod tibi arbitror neque grave esse neque arduum) calcaribus tantum usus hoc opus promoveas. Non te latet enim, qua ratione saepe accidat a decess[u] auctoris, ut libri, opera, supellex denique tota diripiantur abeantque in oblivionem, quae alioqui multis ex usu essent futura. Scis arbritor, dignissime Praesul, de quo loquar, nam et mihi praesenti olim de Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) (*1473 – †1543), humanist, physician and astronomer, doctor of canon law; nephew of Łukasz Watzenrode, Bishop of Ermland; 1497-1543 Canon of Ermland (Warmia); 1511-1513, 1520, 1524-1525, 1529 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1523 General Administrator of the bishopric after the death of Fabian von Lusian (Luzjański) (KOPICZKO 2, p. 161; SBKW, p. 123-124)⌊hoc auctore celebriNicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) (*1473 – †1543), humanist, physician and astronomer, doctor of canon law; nephew of Łukasz Watzenrode, Bishop of Ermland; 1497-1543 Canon of Ermland (Warmia); 1511-1513, 1520, 1524-1525, 1529 Chancellor of the Ermland Chapter; 1523 General Administrator of the bishopric after the death of Fabian von Lusian (Luzjański) (KOPICZKO 2, p. 161; SBKW, p. 123-124)⌋ fecisti mentionem, cum de terrae caelique motu inter nos conferremus.

Quod superest, me Dominationi Tuae Reverendissimae quam commendatissimum esse cupio, precorque Deum Optimum Maximum, ut Dominationem Tuam Reverendissimam dignetur quam diutissime sospitem servare.

Leuven (Louvain, Lovanium), city in the Low Countries, Duchy of Brabant, 25 km E of Brussels, University town from 1425, today in Belgium⌊LovaniiLeuven (Louvain, Lovanium), city in the Low Countries, Duchy of Brabant, 25 km E of Brussels, University town from 1425, today in Belgium⌋, decimotertio ante Kalendas Augusti 1541.

Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae deditissimus Gemma Frisius (Jemme Reinerszoon) (*1508 – †1555), Netherlandish leading theoretical mathematician and practicing physician in Louvain, scholar, and tutor of Gerardus Mercator, studied medicine, mathematics and astronomy at the University in Louvain (1526), where he became a professor of medicine and mathematics, he applied his mathematical expertise to geography, astronomy and map making (HALLYN; VAN ORTROY)⌊Gemma FrisiusGemma Frisius (Jemme Reinerszoon) (*1508 – †1555), Netherlandish leading theoretical mathematician and practicing physician in Louvain, scholar, and tutor of Gerardus Mercator, studied medicine, mathematics and astronomy at the University in Louvain (1526), where he became a professor of medicine and mathematics, he applied his mathematical expertise to geography, astronomy and map making (HALLYN; VAN ORTROY)⌋