TO THE MOST HOLY

LORD, PAUL III,

SUPREME PONTIFF,

The Preface of Nicolaus Copernicus to the Books

of the Revolutions.

A large decorative historiated initial 'S' at the beginning of the text, featuring two figures (scholars or classical figures) seated amidst ornate floral and scrollwork designs.

I can well enough estimate, Most Holy Father Pope Paul III (reigned 1534–1549), to whom Copernicus dedicated his work seeking protection from critics., that it will come to pass that as soon as certain people hear that in these books of mine, which I have written about the revolutions of the spheres of the world, I attribute certain motions to the terrestrial globe, they will immediately cry out that I and such an opinion should be hissed off the stage original: "explodendum"; literally "hissed off," as a bad actor would be removed from a Roman stage.. For my own works do not please me so much that I do not weigh what others will judge of them. And although I know that the thoughts of a philosopher are far removed from the judgment of the common people—because his endeavor is to seek the truth in all things, insofar as God has permitted it to human reason—nevertheless, I think that opinions entirely foreign to the truth ought to be avoided.

Therefore, when I considered with myself how absurd a "recitation" original: "ἀκρόαμα" (akroama); a Greek term for a lecture or a doctrine to be heard. they would think it—those who know that this opinion has been confirmed by the judgments of many centuries, namely, that the Earth is set motionless in the middle of the heaven as its center—if I, to the contrary, were to assert that the Earth moves, I hesitated for a long time whether I should bring to light my commentaries written to demonstrate its motion, or whether it would be better to follow the example of the Pythagoreans Followers of the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who often kept their mathematical and philosophical discoveries secret. and certain others, who were accustomed to pass down the mysteries of philosophy not through writing, but by hand Meaning orally, from teacher to student. only to their relatives and friends. As the letter of Lysis to Hipparchus A famous (likely forged) ancient letter that discusses the importance of keeping philosophical secrets from the uninitiated. testifies. And indeed they seem to me to have done this, not as some think from a certain jealousy of sharing their doctrines, but lest things of such great beauty, investigated with much effort by great men, should be despised by those who either find it tedious to devote honest work to any literature unless it is profitable, or who, if they are stirred by the exhortations and example of others to the liberal study of philosophy, yet because of