A More Perfect Heaven (17 page)

GIESE. What’s wrong with him?

COPERNICUS. Ague. Exposure. God only knows where he’s slept in weeks of travel.

GIESE. Where did he come from?

ANNA. His clothes are drenched with sweat.

COPERNICUS. Better get them off.

ANNA
and COPERNICUS undress
Rheticus
, wrap him in blankets, through the following dialogue.

RHETICUS
shakes with chills, moans, resists them mindlessly.

ANNA. How will you explain this … ?

COPERNICUS. I’ll think of something.

ANNA. You should never have let him in the house.

GIESE. What’s going on here?

COPERNICUS. I’ll say I was coming home, from the bishop’s, late at night, when I found him, lying in front of my house.

ANNA. You can’t say you …

COPERNICUS. That much is true. He was ill. How could I leave him out there, weak and sick?

GIESE. You dragged him into the house? And up to the tower? And then back down from the … ?

COPERNICUS. No, Tiedemann. He walked into the house. And then … We had to … But I did find him lying out there. So I took him in.

ANNA. A total stranger?

COPERNICUS. It was the Christian thing to do.

ANNA
shakes her head, continues tending to
RHETICUS.

GIESE. I would have done the same. But he’s much better off here, with you. It was his great good fortune that Providence delivered him to your door, Nicholas.

COPERNICUS. That’s it! Providence delivered him. So that I could care for him in his hour of need.

ANNA. But, a Lutheran?

GIESE. What?

COPERNICUS. How did I know? He was unconscious.

GIESE. He’s a Lutheran?

COPERNICUS. Later he became delirious. It was impossible to make any sense of what he said. We still have no idea who he is. Or where he came from. All his papers had been stolen. By robbers. Highwaymen.

ANNA. Why are you protecting him?

COPERNICUS. Anna, please. Make up a bed for him in the pantry. There’s nothing else to be done until his fever comes down.

ANNA,
still disapproving, goes to the pantry as told.

COPERNICUS
slumps, head in hands.

GIESE
goes to him, pats and rubs his shoulders.

GIESE. All right, my friend. From the beginning now. Who is this prodigy among us?

COPERNICUS. Of all the times for someone like him to … Someone of his talents … Why now? Agh! If only he’d come to me twenty years ago.

GIESE. Twenty years ago he was still in swaddling clothes, from the look of him.

COPERNICUS. It wouldn’t have made a difference then either. My ideas are too disturbing to see the light of day.

Beat.

GIESE. He came to you about that?

COPERNICUS. So he said.

GIESE. What about it?

COPERNICUS. Nothing. It doesn’t matter. He didn’t really understand it anyway.

GIESE. But he traveled here? To find you?

COPERNICUS. Incredible, isn’t it?

GIESE. From where?

COPERNICUS. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

GIESE. What did he say?

COPERNICUS. Came all this way. With letters from … He had a letter of introduction from Schöner.

GIESE. Nuremberg Schöner?

COPERNICUS. And Hartmann, too. And a stack of books he wanted to give me. Ptolemy in the original Greek. Can you imagine? And here. Look at these.

COPERNICUS
gives
GIESE
the notes.

GIESE. What’s this?

COPERNICUS. You and I never saw Mercury at an angle of western elongation like that. Nowhere even close to those values.

ANNA. (
returning
) It’s ready.

All three pick up
RHETICUS
and carry/drag him toward the pantry.

FRANZ
enters, unnoticed by the others, takes in the scene.

COPERNICUS
and
GIESE
return.

COPERNICUS. How long have you been here, lad?

FRANZ. I … His Reverence sent me, Doctor.

COPERNICUS. Did you see … ?

FRANZ. His Reverence wishes Bishop Giese to attend him in his chambers, to witness the signing of the edict.

COPERNICUS. (
to
GIESE) He’s gone and done it? Already?

GIESE
takes a last, appreciative look at the observations.

GIESE. One thing is certain, Nicholas. The Lord surely works in mysterious ways.

GIESE
gives back the notes to

COPERNICUS,
exits with
FRANZ.

ANNA
returns.

COPERNICUS. The bishop’s boy was here.

ANNA. Again?

COPERNICUS. Do you think he saw anything?

ANNA. What did he overhear, Mikoj? Between you and the bishop?

COPERNICUS. He told you about that?

ANNA. It’s true, then? (
rushing into his arms
) Oh, Mikoj!

COPERNICUS. (
embracing her
) He was overwrought last night. Sick and fearful. He’ll forget about us.

ANNA. Bishop Giese said something to me about …

COPERNICUS. No, no. Hush.

ANNA. Yes, he did. He asked me where I was going. And did I have family to take me in.

COPERNICUS. Don’t worry, dearest.

ANNA. Oh, Mikoj!

COPERNICUS. I won’t let anything happen to you.

ANNA. He can’t really make you send me away? Can he?

COPERNICUS. He’ll have to kill me first.

They kiss, continue to hold each other.

ANNA. I won’t go. I won’t leave you, Mikoj.

COPERNICUS. I won’t let you.

RHETICUS
cries out from the other room.

COPERNICUS
and
ANNA
turn, start in his direction, but he quiets, so they stay where they are, clinging to each other.

Blackout.

SCENE vii. BISHOP’S PARLOR
PLEA BARGAIN

The
BISHOP
sits at the desk where he signs and seals the edict.
FRANZ
stands behind him,
GIESE
facing him.

BISHOP. He just took him in? Without even knowing his identity?

GIESE. That’s Nicholas for you. If he sees a person is sick, he simply acts.

BISHOP. But this fellow could be a spy, for all he knows.

GIESE. No, he’s a mathematician.

BISHOP. I thought you said no one knew anything about him.

GIESE. That’s right. No papers. But he had several books. In his travel bag.

BISHOP. Books in a bag don’t prove a person’s profession.

GIESE. These were large textbooks, about mathematics. That the robbers did not take.

BISHOP. No wonder.

GIESE. I think he came here on purpose, Johann. Expressly to engage Nicholas about his theory. To shake him out of his paralysis.

BISHOP. So what if he did? What of it?

GIESE. Think what it would mean, Johann. You know how I’ve always said one day Nicholas will bring glory to Varmia through his mathematical work.

BISHOP. That is one harebrained idea, that theory of his. I thought he was wise to put it aside.

GIESE. He should be encouraged to take it up again.

BISHOP. He should let it lie. It’s a dangerous notion.

GIESE. It’s controversial, I grant you, but …

BISHOP. It may even be heretical.

GIESE. Oh, no, Johann.

BISHOP. Then it’s a laughingstock. You should hear what they used to say about him at court. How he mistook the Earth for a side of beef. So he put it on a spit, and tried to roast it in the Sun’s fire.

GIESE. His ideas are beyond the comprehension of ordinary minds like yours and mine.

BISHOP. Even mathematicians have common sense, Tiedemann. Now, then. Stop changing the subject. And add your name to this document. Will you do that? Will you stand with me to protect Varmia? And Kulm. And the rest of our province, and Poland, and the world, from a clear and present danger?!

GIESE. I cannot condone the punishment of innocent people.

Beat.

BISHOP. I have already written my recommendation to the provost of the chapter, requesting that you be relieved of your canonry. I have it right here, just waiting for my signature and seal. You sign the edict, Tiedemann, and I’ll tear up the letter.

GIESE. I must be getting back to Kulm now.

BISHOP. Sign, damn it!

GIESE. I have preparations to make, to receive my guests. I’ve invited Nicholas to bring his unfortunate visitor to Kulm, as soon as the youth is well enough to travel.

BISHOP. The sooner he leaves here, the better.

GIESE. And the nurse, to look after him until he’s completely …

BISHOP. Good riddance.

GIESE. And Nicholas, of course.

BISHOP. Nicholas isn’t going anywhere.

GIESE. He will leap at the chance to engage another mathematician in learned discourse.

BISHOP. You can have the stranger. But I won’t let you take Nicholas that far away.

GIESE. How I shall enjoy hearing them discuss the wanderings of the planets through the visible heavens, while I tend to the invisible one.

BISHOP. I need him here with me. He belongs to me.

Blackout.

SCENE viii. COPERNICUS’S HOUSE
ASTROLOGY

COPERNICUS
and
ANNA
huddle together in an embrace, as before; they jump when …

RHETICUS
staggers in, wrapped in a blanket.

ANNA. Good God!

RHETICUS. What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?

COPERNICUS. What … ?

RHETICUS. It’s dark now. Can’t you see? It’s dark!

RHETICUS
stumbles, starts to fall.

ANNA
and
COPERNICUS
catch him, sit him down.

COPERNICUS. Bring him some of that broth.

ANNA
exits.

RHETICUS. You promised you’d tell me when it got dark.

COPERNICUS. You’re ill. Do you remember? You’re not going anywhere to night.

RHETICUS. Where are my clothes?

COPERNICUS. (
taking off his cassock, putting it around
RHETICUS) You’re still weak. You need to …

RHETICUS. I can’t stay here.

RHETICUS
tries to stand up, falls back into the chair.

COPERNICUS. In another day or two, you’ll be stronger. Then you can do as you please. But for now you’re in my care.

RHETICUS. This is your house. We were in this room.

ANNA
enters, with a cup.

COPERNICUS. Here, drink this.

RHETICUS. But this isn’t where we … We went somewhere else to …

COPERNICUS. Go on, drink it. It’s good for you.

ANNA
goes to the room where
RHETICUS
was resting.

RHETICUS. You put me in that … machine.

COPERNICUS. Drink this, now. It’s full of medicine.

RHETICUS. (
taking the cup, then dropping it
) Oh, no !

COPERNICUS. It’s all right. There’s more where that came from.

ANNA. (
returning, with
RHETICUS’S
clothing
) His clothes are still wet.

COPERNICUS. Please brew some more broth for him.

ANNA. (
exiting
) I’ll hang these by the kitchen fire.

RHETICUS. Now I remember. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.

COPERNICUS. You must have been dreaming.

RHETICUS. I thought you would save me.

COPERNICUS. Sometimes fever causes very vivid, frightening dreams.

RHETICUS. You! I thought you could help me.

COPERNICUS. I’ve done everything I know how to …

RHETICUS. What will I do now?

COPERNICUS. You’ll be fine.