Chronica Read Online Free Page B
Author: Paul Levinson
Bellarmine continued. "Someone by the name of Hakam is said to have opened the first coffee house in Constantinople about sixty years ago."
Ruggero walked into the coffee house alone, while Bellarmine and Galileo waited outside. The servant came out a few minutes later, and pronounced Hakam's safe to enter.
The three walked into a dimly lit room, vivid with tobacco smoke and coffee and a cascade of Greek, Turkish, and Arabic voices. Galileo's eyes watered with pleasure. Bellarmine said something to Ruggero, who nodded and approached a well-dressed Ottoman on the far side of the room.
"Would that be Hakam?" Galileo asked.
"Presumably, or his assistant at very least," Bellarmine replied.
Ruggero returned with Hakam, who smiled, bowed extensively to Bellarmine, and ushered the three to a table. Ruggero thanked Hakam and passed him some coins.
"I took the liberty of procuring a cup of kaweh for you," Bellarmine said to Galileo.
"Thank you," Galileo replied. "It looks to be a very expensive beverage, judging by what your priest paid the proprietor."
"Only a small part of that payment was for the kaweh ," Bellarmine advised.
***
Galileo insisted on a second cup of coffee, and wanted a third.
"Too much at one time is not good," Bellarmine said. "It will not get you intoxicated like wine, but it will disaffect your humor."
Galileo started to object–
"And we have only a limited amount of time to see the room behind that wall." Bellarmine gestured to the wall against which Hakam was standing, sipping coffee himself, and alternately watching Bellarmine's table and a colorfully, scantily clad young woman who was slowly undulating her body.
"I can see why he would find her of interest," Galileo said, appreciatively.
Hakam, noticing Bellarmine's gesture, approached their table.
"Is the room ready for us?" Ruggero asked Hakam, in Turkish.
Hakam nodded and led the three to the far wall. He pressed his hand against a panel, which opened to reveal a key hole. Hakam produced a key and applied it to the hole. He pulled a door open, and waved Bellarmine, Galileo, and Ruggero into the room.
"I will await outside, here with you," Ruggero said to Hakam, who nodded.
***
Bellarmine and Galileo entered the room and closed the door behind them.
The room was well lit, but Galileo could not locate the source of the light. It was not sunlight or flame, Galileo was reasonably sure. There was a chair in the center of the room, glistening with all kinds of metallic and reflective elements.
"This is the Instrument of which you spoke," Galileo said, "which you wished to show me?" He shuddered, easily imagining how he could be tortured in such a chair.
"Yes," Bellarmine replied. "And this is one of the things the Instrument produced." Bellarmine picked up a bound book from a table near the glistening chair and gave the book to Galileo.
The astronomer sat in one of two plain wooden chairs at the table. He stroked the book, narrowed his eyes, and gasped. The title read, Dialogo sopra i due massimi systemi del mondo . It was indicated as published by the presses of Landini, in Florence, in the year 1632 AD – 17 years in the future.
Its author was Galileo Galilei.
***
"Clever forgery!" Galileo exclaimed, half in anger, half in admiration. "Your scribes at the College seek to publish some confusing document under my name, and therein mislead the world about my real contentions!"
"I think it is not a forgery," Bellarmine said, "or, at least, something not as simple as a forgery. I think you will agree, if you continue reading."
But Galileo turned away from the text, and focused instead on Bellarmine. "It is a Dialog about the Two Chief World Systems , purportedly written by me, except I did not write it. Therefore, it is a forgery."
Bellarmine shook his head no. "I think you would do better to say not that you did not write it, but you did not write it yet."
"Preposterous," Galileo said. "How could
Ruggero walked into the coffee house alone, while Bellarmine and Galileo waited outside. The servant came out a few minutes later, and pronounced Hakam's safe to enter.
The three walked into a dimly lit room, vivid with tobacco smoke and coffee and a cascade of Greek, Turkish, and Arabic voices. Galileo's eyes watered with pleasure. Bellarmine said something to Ruggero, who nodded and approached a well-dressed Ottoman on the far side of the room.
"Would that be Hakam?" Galileo asked.
"Presumably, or his assistant at very least," Bellarmine replied.
Ruggero returned with Hakam, who smiled, bowed extensively to Bellarmine, and ushered the three to a table. Ruggero thanked Hakam and passed him some coins.
"I took the liberty of procuring a cup of kaweh for you," Bellarmine said to Galileo.
"Thank you," Galileo replied. "It looks to be a very expensive beverage, judging by what your priest paid the proprietor."
"Only a small part of that payment was for the kaweh ," Bellarmine advised.
***
Galileo insisted on a second cup of coffee, and wanted a third.
"Too much at one time is not good," Bellarmine said. "It will not get you intoxicated like wine, but it will disaffect your humor."
Galileo started to object–
"And we have only a limited amount of time to see the room behind that wall." Bellarmine gestured to the wall against which Hakam was standing, sipping coffee himself, and alternately watching Bellarmine's table and a colorfully, scantily clad young woman who was slowly undulating her body.
"I can see why he would find her of interest," Galileo said, appreciatively.
Hakam, noticing Bellarmine's gesture, approached their table.
"Is the room ready for us?" Ruggero asked Hakam, in Turkish.
Hakam nodded and led the three to the far wall. He pressed his hand against a panel, which opened to reveal a key hole. Hakam produced a key and applied it to the hole. He pulled a door open, and waved Bellarmine, Galileo, and Ruggero into the room.
"I will await outside, here with you," Ruggero said to Hakam, who nodded.
***
Bellarmine and Galileo entered the room and closed the door behind them.
The room was well lit, but Galileo could not locate the source of the light. It was not sunlight or flame, Galileo was reasonably sure. There was a chair in the center of the room, glistening with all kinds of metallic and reflective elements.
"This is the Instrument of which you spoke," Galileo said, "which you wished to show me?" He shuddered, easily imagining how he could be tortured in such a chair.
"Yes," Bellarmine replied. "And this is one of the things the Instrument produced." Bellarmine picked up a bound book from a table near the glistening chair and gave the book to Galileo.
The astronomer sat in one of two plain wooden chairs at the table. He stroked the book, narrowed his eyes, and gasped. The title read, Dialogo sopra i due massimi systemi del mondo . It was indicated as published by the presses of Landini, in Florence, in the year 1632 AD – 17 years in the future.
Its author was Galileo Galilei.
***
"Clever forgery!" Galileo exclaimed, half in anger, half in admiration. "Your scribes at the College seek to publish some confusing document under my name, and therein mislead the world about my real contentions!"
"I think it is not a forgery," Bellarmine said, "or, at least, something not as simple as a forgery. I think you will agree, if you continue reading."
But Galileo turned away from the text, and focused instead on Bellarmine. "It is a Dialog about the Two Chief World Systems , purportedly written by me, except I did not write it. Therefore, it is a forgery."
Bellarmine shook his head no. "I think you would do better to say not that you did not write it, but you did not write it yet."
"Preposterous," Galileo said. "How could
Readers choose
Shay Savage
Loung Ung
John Carter Cash
Jean R. Ewing
Natalie Baszile
Kim Fox
Danielle Steel
Krysten Lindsay Hager
Kara Terzis
K.R. Thompson