caused by the reflections from hell, nor was the sun LITTLE 

 moved behind a mountain by giant angels at night. JOURNEYS 



Copernicus was a Catholic, as all teachers were, but 

 he had been deceived by the esoteric and the exoteric, 

 and had really thought that the priests and so-called 

 educated men actually desired, for themselves, to 

 know the truth. 



At Padua he had learned to read Greek, and had be- 

 come more or less familiar with Pythagoras, Hip- 

 parchus, Plato and Aristotle. He quoted these authors 

 and showed how in some ways they were beyond the 

 present. This was all done in the exuberance of youth, 

 with never a doubt as to the value and the beauty of the 

 Church. But he was thinking more of truth than of the 

 Church, and when a cardinal from the Vatican came 

 to him, and in all kindness cautioned him, and in love 

 explained it was all right for a man to believe what he 

 wished, but to teach others the things that were not 

 authorized, was a mistake. 



Copernicus was abashed, depressed. He saw then that 

 his lectures had really been for himself he was en- 

 deavoring to make things plain to Copernicus, and the 

 welfare of the Church had been forgotten. 

 He ceased lecturing for a time, but private pupils came 

 to him and among them were astrologers in disguise, 

 and these went away and told broadcast that Coper- 

 nicus was teaching that the movements of the stars 

 were not caused by angels, and that " God was being 

 dethroned by a tape measure and a yardstick." 

 Alchemy had a strong hold upon the popular mind, 



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