associated subjects. He progressed rapidly, driven by 

 his overpowering interest and aided by his quick 

 intellect. 



Little by little, Borghesi managed to acquire the 

 basic texts that explained this new world to him, 

 probably borrowing them from old seminary friends. 

 As each new book came into his hands, he devoured 

 it in his desire to master its contents. He discussed 

 each new principle or precept that he learned with 

 Bertolla. Together, they attempted to apply his new 

 learning to the calculations necessary for a timepiece 

 which would demonstrate the astronomical theories 

 in visual form. Borghesi taught himself slowly, step 

 by step, and the result was a profound understanding 

 of astronomical science. He conceived the project of 

 constructing a great astronomical clock which he felt 

 could be accomplished by combining Bertolla's 

 mechanical skills with his own recent mastery of 

 astronomy and mathematics. 



First Borghesi Clock 



It is not difficult to visualize the two men, the priest 

 and the clockmaker, as they sat together night after 

 night working out their plans. Father Borghesi would 

 painstakingly outline the astronomical principles he 

 wished to have the clock exhibit and the mathematical 

 principles which would be involved to operate them. 

 Bertolla concentrated on them and tried to transcribe 

 the principles into functional mechanical terms, visu- 

 alizing each operation in terms of wheels and gears. 

 Little by little the two men coordinated the numerous 

 elements and welded them into an operating entity. 

 They adjourned either to the stark simplicity of the 

 rectory or, probably more often, to Bertolla's little home 

 workshop, the priest standing over his friend while the 

 latter worked at his bench in the dark paneled interior 

 illuminated only by the several lamps on the work 

 benches. 



I his first clock which the two men combined to 

 create is a monument to the great scientific knowledge 

 oi the self-taught priest and the technical ability of 

 the clockmaker — a unity combining astronomical 

 science, mechanics, and artistry. The story of the 

 project is told in a little book, Novissima !< Perpetua 

 Astronomira . . . , which Borghesi later published. 

 Explaining the incentive which inspired him, and 

 the premises from which lie Ih-lmii his wink, he wrote: 



From the foundation of astronomical science long ago, 



innumerable [and] repeated olisei v. it ions of both ancient 



and modern astronomers, emerged at last from their 

 hiding places. Made light of by the jests of so many 

 outstanding intellects, they have so successfully brought 

 to light the paths of the stars and their motions, which 

 are more complicated to us than the Gordian knots. 

 Now it is possible for even an amateur in astronomy, 

 sufficiently instructed, to predict for any given time not 

 only the mean position of the planets, but also their 

 true longitude and latitude, and even the true time of 

 their conjunctions, and their ecliptic oppositions, with 

 all the attendant circumstances. Vet, until now, no 

 hypothesis has been devised which would force an 

 automaton to show to us, before our very eyes, the 

 eclipses of the planets in their true and certain times. 



For though there have been men seeking with all 

 their might to bind by laws their artificial heavens, by 

 I know not how many and how great calculations, and 

 to systematize the complexities of the rotations of 

 celestial bodies; nevertheless, all of them, as if by common 

 agreement, considered themselves to have made great 

 contributions to mechanico-theoretical astronomy. 

 However, they have only attained, even though closely, 

 the mean locations of the secondary mobiles, and those 

 by a certain rather crude calculation. Some attained 

 by more, some by less, but all by some degree of wander- 

 ing from the truth, either worn out by the intricacies 

 of the motions, or deceived and deceiving by the errors 

 of their calculations. This fact those well know. who. 

 setting about to collect information of this kind, even 

 those publicized not long ago. with true astronomical 

 calculation, have been bored to death while digging out 

 by the most elementary and superficial arithmetical 

 torture, the worst of fallacies spontaneously erupting 

 from thence. 



It would seem that true calculations alone can be 

 desired in mechanico-astronomics. Long study had 

 not only convinced me that an automaton was within 

 the realm of possibility, but that there were many 

 mechanical systems by which it could be achieved. I 

 girded myself for a new project and developed it theo- 

 retically from the ground up, but under such unhappy 

 auspices that not only did all hope fail that anyone 

 would ever appear who might have seemed willing to 

 set his hand to the work, but that the new discovery 

 itself was scoffed at by many as altogether a nightmarish 

 delirium of an unbridled imagination. 



The first months of the project must have seemed 

 like an inspired dream to the two men, and then 

 must have followed a period of hopeless depression. 

 Bertolla undoubtedly felt many times that the clock 

 was an aspiration far beyond their combined abilities 

 and means, but the priest would not be thwarted in 

 his ambition and refused to abandon the project. He 

 felt that it was a work that they were destined to pro- 



38 



BULLETIN 240: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



