C O P 
On the fide next the fea Copenhagen prefents itfelf in 
all its magnificence. It is perceived at the difiance of 
feveral miles. Nothing in the north equals the profpcft 
prelented by the channel of the Sound ; which lias Den¬ 
mark on the right, Sweden on the left, and Copenhagen 
almoft in front. The Gothic towers with which it 
abounds, and which from a difiance have a majefiic ap¬ 
pearance, engage and fix the- attention of voyagers by 
the height of their fpires, as well as by the variety of 
the ornaments with which they, are decorated. On the 
coaft of Denmark appears a continued fucceflion of rich 
plains, woods, meadows, fuperb manfions, neat villas, 
and pleafant gardens, adorned with all the ornaments of 
art, while the Swedifli fliore exhibits corn-lands, paftures, 
a mountainous and picturefque coafi, and at length the 
Hie of Hoeen, celebrated as containing the obfervatory of 
Tycho Brahe j Helfingoer (orElfineur) with the fortrefies 
of Cronenburg and Hellinburg, which appear to unite. 
As the voyager advances he feems to fail in the midft of 
a lake, but foon difcovers the fea, and the whole extent 
•of the plain of Copenhagen, its port filled with veflels, 
and its cultivated environs. Three objects efpecially at¬ 
tract the attention of the fpectator. The firfi is the 
tower of the church of St. Saviour, which is afcended 
by a circular ftair-cafe on the outfide, ornamented with a 
handfome balufirade of brafs; the fecond is the fieeple 
of the church of Notre Dame, remarkable for its height ; 
and tire third, the obfervatory, which relemblesa colodal 
column. Foreigners, who in general have conceived a 
mean idea of this metropolis, w ill be extremely furprized 
on walking through the new' towm. They will find hand¬ 
fome edifices, and every where the figns of w'ealth and 
magnificence. 
This noble city had very nearly fallen into the hands 
of the Englifn, on the 2d of April 1801, when, in confe- 
quence of the northern confederacy, admiral fir Hyde 
Parker, and the gallant lord Nelfon, entered the Sound, 
and threatened deftruCtion to the capital of Denmark. 
The Danes feemed to have made very formidable dilpo- 
fitions : they had afl’embled Blips of the line, pontoons, 
gallies, fire-fhips, and gun-boats, which were flanked and 
iupported by extendve batteries, on the two illands called 
the Crowns ■ the largeft battery was mounted with from 
fifty to feventy pieces of cannon. Thefe were again 
commanded by two 74, and two 64-gun men of war, and 
a large frigate. The Danes were attacked by twelve 
fail of the line, and four frigates. ■ The refult was the 
capture or deftruCtion of eighteen fail of Danifli fiiips, 
including in that number feven fail of the line. Our 
lofs was confiderable : nine hundred and forty-three men 
were killed and wounded; of the Danes, upwards of 
three thoufand. After the Danifli line had beendeftroy- 
ed, lord Nelfon approached the city of Copenhagen, into 
which fome bombs were thrown; but the Danes appre¬ 
hending, and indeed feeing, that our fleet could with 
eafe lay the whole capital in allies, fent a flag of truce 
on-board lord Nelfon’s fit ip. In confequence of the pro- 
politions made by the Danifli government, his lordlhip 
went on-lhore, and waited upon the crown-prince. A 
negociation was immediately entered into, which pro¬ 
duced the bleflings of reconciliation and peace. Lat. 55. 
ai. N. Ion. 12. 32. E. Greenwich. 
COPER'NICAN SYSTEM,/. That fyflem of the 
world, in which it is fuppofed that the fun is at reft in 
the center, and the earth and planets all moving around 
him in their own orbits. See Astronomy, vol. ii. 
p- . 333 , 
COPER'NICUS (Nicolas), an eminent aftronomer, 
born at Thorn in Pruflia, January 19, 1473. He w'as 
inftructed in the Latin and Greek languages at home ; 
and afterward fent to Cracow, where he ltudied philo- 
fophy, mathematics, and medicine : though his genius 
was naturally turned to mathematics, which he chiefly 
ftudied, and purfued through all its various branches. 
He let out lor Italy at twenty-three years of age ; flop 
ping at Bologna, that he might converfe with the cele- 
Vo l. V. No. 263. 
COP 177 
brated aftronomer of that place, Dominic Maria, whom 
he aflifted for fome time in making his obfervations. 
From hence he palled to Rome, where he was pr.efently 
conftdered as not inferior to the famous Regiomontanus. 
Here he foon acquired fo great a reputation, that he was 
cliofen profeffbr of mathematics, which he taught there 
for a long time with the greateft applauie ; and here alfo 
he made fome aftronomical obfervations about the year 
1500. Afterward, returning to his own country, he be¬ 
gan to apply his fund of obfervations and mathematical 
knowledge, to correcting the fyftem of aftronomy which 
then prevailed. He let about collecting all the books 
that had been written by philofophers and aftronomers, 
and to examine all the various hypotheles tiiey had in¬ 
vented for the Iblution of the celeftial phenomena; to 
try if .a more lymmetrical order and conftitution of the 
parts of tire world could not be difeovered, and a more 
juft and exquilite harmony in its motion eftablilhed, than 
what the aftronomers of thofe times fo eafily admitted. 
But of all their hypotheles, none pleaieu him fo well as 
the Pythagorean, which made the fun to be the center 
of the fyftem, and fuppoled the earth to move both round 
the fun, and alfo round its own axis. He thought he 
difeerned much beautiful order and proportion in this ; 
and that all the embarraftment and perplexity, from epi¬ 
cycles and eccentrics, which attended the Ptolemaic hy- 
pothefes, would here be entirely removed. This fyftem 
he began to conlider, and to write upon, when he was 
about thirty-five years of age. He carefully contem¬ 
plated the phenomena; made mathematical calcula¬ 
tions; examined the obfervations of the ancients, and 
made new ones of his own ; till, after more than twenty- 
years chiefly fpent in this manner, he brought his fcheme 
to perfection, eftablilhing that fyftem of the world which 
goes by his name, and is now univerfally received by all 
philofophers. This fyftem, however, was at firft looked 
upon as a molt dangerous herefy, and his work had long 
been finilhed and perfected, before he could be prevailed 
upon to give it to the world, being ftrongly urged to it 
by his-friendsi At length yielding to their intreaties, it 
was printed, and lie had but juft received a perfect copy, 
when he died the 24th of May, 1543, at feventy years 
of age ; by which it is probable he was happily relieved 
from the violent fanatical perfecutions of the church, 
which were but too likely to follow the publication of 
his aftronomical opinions ; and which, indeed, was after¬ 
ward the fate of Galileo, for adopting and defending 
them. The above work of Copernicus, firft printed at 
Norimberg, in folio, 1543, and of which there have been 
other editions fince, is intitled Dc Revolntionibns Orbium 
Ccdejlium , being-a large body of aftronomy, in fix books. 
When Rheticus returned out of Pruflia, he brought with 
him a tract of Copernicus, on plane and fpherical trigo¬ 
nometry, which he had printed at Norimberg, and which 
contained a table of fines. It was afterward printed at 
the end of the firft book of the Revolutions. An edition 
of the Revolntionibns Orbium. CaclcJHum, was alfo published 
in quarto, at Amfterdam, in 1617, under the title ot Af- 
tronomia Injlaurata , illuftrated with notes, by Nicolas Mu- 
ler, of Groningen. 
COPER'NICUS,/ The name of an aftronomical inftru- 
ment, invented-by Whifton, to fliew the motion and phe¬ 
nomena of the planets, both primary and fecondary. It 
is founded upon the Gopernican fyftem, and therefore 
called by his name. 
CO'PESMATE,/ [perhaps for cutfmate, a companion 
in drinking; or one that dwells under the fame cope , for 
houfe.] Companion; friend. An old word. 
Ne ever ftaid in place, ne fpake to wight, 
Till that the fox Iris copefmate he had found. Hubberd: 
CO'PHOSIS,/ [ nutpcocnq, Gr.J Deafnefs in the ears. 
COPR'TI, Cophts, or Cores,/ The Chriftians of 
Egypt, originally of tire city of Coptos, and of the feCt 
of Jacob. See the article Egypt. 
COPIA'PO, a jurifdiction of South America, in Chili, 
Z 7. rich 
