Bartsch to Müller, 19/29 June 1631
Jacob Bartsch, “Bartsch to Müller, 19/29 June 1631,” Nova Kepleriana 4, June 29, 1631, 104–105, transcribed in Plain Old Text, https://sources.vjbe.net/stable/6476h.
Nova Kepleriana 4 29 Jun, 1631, p. 104–105 Summary
Part of Die Keplerbriefe auf der Nationalbibliothek und auf der Sternwarte in Paris
Bartsch, forced 'from the stars to the rakes', writes of Kepler's widow and children now at Lauban, his logarithmic tables, the price of the *Ephemerides*, and the poems on Kepler's death.
Source: Jacob Bartsch's letter to Philipp Müller written at Lauban on 19/29 June 1631, after Kepler's widow and children had moved there from Sagan: on the journey still to be made to Regensburg, Linz and Vienna, his logarithmic tables, the price of the Ephemerides, Müller's gift to his son, and the funeral poems for Kepler. The original is in the Bibliothèque de l'Observatoire, Paris (B, 1, 9; 89, 10. H. 9). Printed in extracts in Nova Kepleriana 4, ed. Walther von Dyck and Max Caspar, Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Math.-naturw. Abteilung 31, no. 1 (Munich, 1927), 104–105.
English translation of the Latin extracts printed in Nova Kepleriana 4 (1927), made for Plain Old Text. Each paragraph translates the corresponding extract of the original; the omission marks (…) are the 1927 editors’. Italics follow the editors’ emphasis.
Many greetings, and my services for ever, etc.
What has happened to most people in this troubled and overturned state of all things, public and private, great and small, that they are forced to pass from honours to burdens, from the Muses to trifles, from leisure to business, from books to children, or from the stars to the rakes,Puns in the Latin: a libris ad liberos, from books to children; ab astris ad rastra, from the stars to the rakes. seems to be happening to me too, if not all at once, at least from now on. For see: while I look for leisure for my Urania among my own people, business with Kepler’s family grows heavier every day, not so much for the books’ sake as for the children’s. For now that all the printing work has stopped, I have brought my mother-in-law from Sagan to Lauban, with the children and a maid, where she will stay for a while, so that, once things are arranged for the journey, she may go with me to Regensburg, alone or with the children, to divide the inheritance; from there we shall have to go on to Linz and Vienna. God grant it better success and a happier fate. For the rest, how I am not now afraid to contemplate the rakes along with the stars, or to count the stars among the rakes, my brother will explain in person. For these doubtful and varied times call for varied ways and doubtful studies. So much for my present situation; the public one, which is most dangerous, you know better.
Now briefly to yours. As for the business of the logarithms, it has its losses, to be sure, but in my judgement more gains. Converting arcs from tables that are not expanded is troublesome; yet I shall not stop removing or lightening all those troubles of extraction. The exactness of the logarithms in my index is proved not so much by the exact run of the differences beside them as by calculating each one, carried to three more figures that were cut off there. …
I am greatly surprised at the price of the Ephemerides set by your booksellers. Alas, unfair profit! Tampach’s heirs will not sell it for less than 3 joachimstalers; so you can sell the copies you have with you to friends at this price, as you judge best, but on condition that they keep quiet about it, lest they make trouble for themselves and for us.
On the second volume of the Ephemerides, and other things, another time. But Your Excellency’s advice does not displease me, especially if I am forced to stay in these parts, or if the Emperor provides something towards publishing the Observations.
The gift of gold and silver sent to our little son, who by God’s grace is well, we think it wrong to refuse or send back; so for it we give and feel the greatest thanks meanwhile, until, God willing and blessing him, he grows up well, as you and we wish, and can one day return due thanks himself.
You will receive a copy of the Somnium on cleaner paper, with the rest, from my brother. …
Meanwhile thank the authors from me for the funeral poems you sent; more will be published together one day. Do not leave out your own, if it can be done. At Frankfurt, Mr UrsinusBenjamin Ursinus, who had worked for Kepler at Prague and was now professor of mathematics at Frankfurt an der Oder. celebrated Kepler’s blessed memory in a funeral oration at a public conferring of master’s degrees; he will send a copy as soon as he can. If you have any certain news, or any comfort, please share it with my brother, and answer him by the same way. Now most dutiful greetings to you and yours from me, my wife and our boy; and favour us.