COPERNICUS (Latinized form of Kopper C1 , NICHOLAS A celebrated Ger man astronomer. born at Thorn, a Prussian town on the Vistula, at that time belonging to Poland. He was instructed in the Latin and Greek lan guages at home; in 1491 he was sent to the Uni versity of Cracow. where he studied mathematics and other sciences. in 1495 be went to Italy and spent some years in the study of law, astronomy, and medicine, in Bologna and Padua. His nat ural bent, however, was toward mathematics, the study of which be pursued with passion through all its branches.
Having become enamored of the study of astronomy, he projected a journey to Rome in his enthusiastic admiration of Regiomontanus, who resided there and was then the most illuttrious of the astronomers. On his arrival. in 150(1. he was kindly received by Regiomontanus. Here his reputation. and the favor of his distinguished friend, led to his being chosen professor of mathe matics. He became doctor deeretorum at Ferrara in 1503, and in 1505 returned to his native country. where, having entered into holy orders, he obtained through his uncle. the Bishop of Ermeland, a canonry at Frauenburg, in the en joyment of which he passed the rest of his life. His working day. it is said, he divided into three devoted to the duties of his office, another to giving medical advice gratuitously to the poor, and the third to study.
Soon after his return to Prussia. he began, in his thirty-fifth year (1507), to apply his fund of observations and mathematical knowledge to correcting the system of astronomy which then prevailed. The result was his De Rerolutionibus
erbium, a brief account of which is given under COPERNICAN SYSTEM. He completed it in 1530, in his fifty-seventh year. Twelve years, however.
elapsed before he could be persuaded to give his book to the world. Perhaps the strongest mo tive for his reticence was the fear of the unpopu larity which the work threatened to bring him; for many who had heard of the views. it advo cated doubted- if these were in harmony with scripture. AI all events, it is pretty certain that it was his desire to conciliate the Church that led him to dedicate his book, when it was published, to Pope Paul III. By the time the book was actually printed, however, the author was beyond the power of the Church. An attack of dysen tery, followed by paralysis of the right side, had destroyed his memory and obscured his under standing, and he is said to hare died a few hours after a copy of the labor of his life reached him.
Besides the lk Rerolutionibus, may he men tioned among Corpernicus's works n treatise on trigonometry, entitled De Latcribus et Angulis Triangulorunt (Ermeland, 1542) : and Theo phylactiei Reholastici Simocattcr Epistol• Mor ales, Rurales, et nuttoricrg cum lersione Latina. Ile also wrote a work on money, and several MS. treatises from his pen are in the library of the bishopric of Ermeland.