Athanasius Kircher to King Frederik III of Denmark, from Rome, 18 March 1655

 

holograph, translated by Noel Malcolm

 

(Rigsarkiv, Copenhagen, T.K.U.A., Alm. del., Breve fra laerde maend, Litra K., Pk 57, 18/3 1655)

 

Translation

 

Most serene and most invincible King,

A long time has already passed since the arrival in this city of the most excellent Baron Gyldenløve. Given that he, together with his family, outshines all others in his extreme modesty, in the blameless probity of his conduct, and in the innocence of the life he leads, he deservedly exercises a powerful attraction – as if such shining virtue produced some kind of magnetic force – not merely on his social inferiors, but also on the leading men of Rome (not without the reflection of such strong rays that they result in a huge increase in the estimation that people have of your Sacred Majesty.) Thus he shines, endowed with those worldly honours which seem to be demanded as of right both by his worthiness, and by his ancestral lineage. Nor does his governor Mr Todt behave with any less prudence and skill in the way he looks after him; so I offer your Sacred Majesty no small congratulations on employing such a teacher, with such great talents, especially in royal education. I, even though I may perhaps be known to your Sacred Majesty only by an obscure reputation, am striving – not as much as I should, but as much as I can, in accordance with my abilities – to educate him in mathematics and other more curious disciplines; I do this not so much because it has been demanded of me, but because, in addition, I am drawn to the task of ripening the fruit of such exceptional virtue. Meanwhile, whatever service my feeble abilities may be able to render towards such an extremely noble nature is a small matter, I confess, when properly compared with the merits of your Sacred Majesty, which time will never obliterate. Therefore, let your Majesty be fully convinced that there is nothing I more strongly desire than to have some opportunity clearly to attest to my faith, love and respect for you, most powerful King. Indeed, if your Majesty deigns at some time to make some test of my insignificant self, your Majesty will discover that in faith, love and respect for you I am as much the superior of all those who are devoted to the service of your Sacred Majesty, as your Sacred Majesty outshines, to an astonishing degree, all those who resemble you in virtue and learning. Finally, I earnestly beseech Almighty God to adorn your Sacred Majesty with his heavenly gifts, and to protect you with the right hand of his power, so that we may rejoice in the long years that remain to you, for the good of the people and the benefit of the Republic of Letters.

 

Your most invincible Majesty’s most humble servant,

Athanasius Kircher

 

Rome, 18 March 1655

 

 

Notes

 

‘Baro Güldenloëw’ (‘Baron Gyldenløve’)] Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve (1638-1704), later ‘statholder’ of Norway, was the illegitimate son of King Frederik III. He was taken to France in 1648, matriculated at Siena in November 1654, and then moved to Rome. (See the entry in the Dansk biografisk leksikon, 3^rd edn, ed. S. Cedergreen Bech, 16 vols. (Copenhagen, 1979-84), v, pp. 406-09 (here p. 406), and V. Helk, Dansk-norsk studierejser fra reformationen til enevaelden 1536-1660, med en matrikel over studerende i udlandet (Odense, 1987), p. 228.) He may have returned to Copenhagen by 21 August 1655, when he was naturalized as a Danish nobleman (see the entry in the Norsk biografisk leksikon, ed. E. Bull et al., 19 vols. (Oslo, 1923-77), v, pp. 120-9; here p. 120); if so, he made another foreign tour in 1656, when he spent several months in Augsburg (see Helk, op. cit., p. 228, and the note on ‘D. Tot’ (‘Mr Todt’), below).

 

‘D. Tot’ (‘Mr Todt’)] Carl Christian Todt (c.1608-1656) was born in Torgau, Saxony, where his father was Bürgermeister (see G. Früh et al., eds., Die Leichenpredigten des Stadtarchivs Braunschweig, 10 vols. (Hanover, 1976-90), viii, p. 4166). He matriculated at the University of Wittenberg in March 1631 (and was then described as coming from Breslau: see B. Weissenborn, ed., Album Academiae Vitebergensis, jüngere Reihe, Teil 1 (1602-1660), 2 vols. (Mageburg, 1934) (= Geschichtsquellen der Provinz Sachsen und des Freistaates Anhalt, n.s., vols. 14, 15), i (= 14), p. 354). His subsequent employment included work as counsellor and private secretary to the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and governor to two young noblemen from Holstein on a tour of Holland, England, France and Italy. He was then appointed ‘Gouverneur’ of Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve on his travels. He was with Gyldenløve during his stay in Augsburg in 1656, and died there on 19 September of that year (Früh et al., op. cit., viii, p. 4166).

 

‘caeterisq[ue] curiosioribus disciplinis’ (‘and other more curious disciplines’)] Details of Kircher’s tuition have not survived, but one piece of evidence from the following year suggests that Gyldenløve acquired a serious interest in telescopy: he bought an advanced terrestrial telescope from the famous Augsburg instrument-maker Johan Wiesel, whose instruction on its use, dated 12 August 1656, is addressed to ‘Carl Christian Todt of Torgau in Saxony, Chamberlain to His Serene Highness Frederik Ulrik [sic] Gyldenløve’ (‘Herrn Carl Christian Todt von Torgau in Saxen, Ihr Durchlaucht Herrn Friderich Ulrich Gulden Leew auss Denn.Marckht H. Hofmeister’: see I. Keil, Augustanus opticus: Johan Wiesel (1583-1662) und 200 Jahre optisches Handwerk in Augsburg, Institut für Europäische Kulturgeschichte der Universität Augsburg, Colloquia Augustana, vol. 12 (Berlin, 2000), p. 117).