evil. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us …”
BISHOP. Why didn’t I see it before? Why else would you remain a canon here in Varmia?
GIESE. “Amen.”
BISHOP. You should give up your canonry!
GIESE. What?!
BISHOP. You have no right to be a canon here any longer.
GIESE. Don’t be silly, Johann. I have every right …
BISHOP. I want you to resign. Right now. You should step down of your own volition. Don’t make me force you out.
GIESE. You cannot force me to … It’s a lifetime appointment. Everyone knows that.
BISHOP. Nevertheless, you are free to leave it.
GIESE. Why would I? I rely on my income from the canonry.
BISHOP. You’re Bishop of Kulm now.
GIESE. Kulm is such a poor diocese. You know that better than anyone, Johann. When you were Bishop of Kulm …
BISHOP. You cannot be Bishop of Kulm and canon of Varmia, too.
GIESE. Of course I can. You did. When you were Bishop of Kulm, you didn’t give up your Varmia canonry.
BISHOP. What I did has nothing to do with what you should do.
GIESE. But it’s exactly the same situation. You remained a canon here the whole time you were Bishop of Kulm. If you hadn’t done that, you could never have been elected Bishop of Varmia.
BISHOP. Aha! You admit it, then! You do want to take my place!
GIESE. I’m older than you, Johann. I’m not likely to outlive you.
BISHOP. Not likely, no. Except in the event of my untimely death.
GIESE. You cannot accuse me of such treachery!
BISHOP. Can’t I?
GIESE. It’s the principle of the thing. And the income, of course. And I … I still belong to this community. These are my lifelong friends. Nicholas and I go back …
BISHOP. Don’t expect your friend Nicholas to come to your rescue now. He’s on very shaky ground himself.
GIESE. Nicholas?! He keeps all of us alive!
BISHOP. I could have him excommunicated.
GIESE. Have you gone mad, Johann?
BISHOP. I refuse to look the other way any longer while that harlot comes and goes as she pleases.
GIESE. You mean the housekeeper?
BISHOP. Housekeeper, harlot. What’s the difference? What do you take me for? A simpleton? You think I don’t know a harlot when I see one?
GIESE. But he has trained her, Johann. About herbs and … Medicinal herbs, I mean. She makes … medicines. She …
BISHOP. I had no idea you were so fond of her, Tiedemann. Why don’t you take her home with you? That would solve everything. The harlot goes. Nicholas is absolved. And you are content to stay home in Kulm with your Lutherans and your new concubine.
Blackout. The choir chants Lauds.
SCENE v. TOWER ROOM
WORLD MACHINE
Dim lights reveal the tower room as small and spare, dusty from disuse, almost scary, with minuscule windows and a low door. The furnishings include a table and chair, a cot, and the World Machine, a globe-like nest of intersecting rings, about the size of a manned spacecraft capsule, perched on a pedestal.
RHETICUS. ( offstage ) Where are you taking me, sir?
COPERNICUS. ( offstage ) Only a little farther now.
RHETICUS. ( offstage ) But where … ?
COPERNICUS. ( offstage ) We’re nearly there … Ah!
COPERNICUS enters, breathless, with a lantern.
COPERNICUS. Here we are.
RHETICUS follows him in, stays close.
COPERNICUS. You can stay here.
RHETICUS. Here?
COPERNICUS. This is it.
RHETICUS. What is this place?
COPERNICUS. You’ll be safe here.
RHETICUS. Is it your observatory?
COPERNICUS. This? No.
RHETICUS. Not a prison cell, is it?
COPERNICUS. Oh, no. It’s a retreat. A safe house. We all have rooms like this.
When there’s danger, from outside, we come up here, and … and we stay here until … until it’s safe to leave.
RHETICUS. You really expect me to stay here?
COPERNICUS. No one will think to look here now. In peacetime.
RHETICUS. For how long?
COPERNICUS. Just till tonight.
RHETICUS. The whole day?!
COPERNICUS. After sunset, you can go. As soon as it’s dark, I’ll come fetch you.
RHETICUS. You’re not staying with me?
COPERNICUS. No.
RHETICUS. But
BISHOP. Why didn’t I see it before? Why else would you remain a canon here in Varmia?
GIESE. “Amen.”
BISHOP. You should give up your canonry!
GIESE. What?!
BISHOP. You have no right to be a canon here any longer.
GIESE. Don’t be silly, Johann. I have every right …
BISHOP. I want you to resign. Right now. You should step down of your own volition. Don’t make me force you out.
GIESE. You cannot force me to … It’s a lifetime appointment. Everyone knows that.
BISHOP. Nevertheless, you are free to leave it.
GIESE. Why would I? I rely on my income from the canonry.
BISHOP. You’re Bishop of Kulm now.
GIESE. Kulm is such a poor diocese. You know that better than anyone, Johann. When you were Bishop of Kulm …
BISHOP. You cannot be Bishop of Kulm and canon of Varmia, too.
GIESE. Of course I can. You did. When you were Bishop of Kulm, you didn’t give up your Varmia canonry.
BISHOP. What I did has nothing to do with what you should do.
GIESE. But it’s exactly the same situation. You remained a canon here the whole time you were Bishop of Kulm. If you hadn’t done that, you could never have been elected Bishop of Varmia.
BISHOP. Aha! You admit it, then! You do want to take my place!
GIESE. I’m older than you, Johann. I’m not likely to outlive you.
BISHOP. Not likely, no. Except in the event of my untimely death.
GIESE. You cannot accuse me of such treachery!
BISHOP. Can’t I?
GIESE. It’s the principle of the thing. And the income, of course. And I … I still belong to this community. These are my lifelong friends. Nicholas and I go back …
BISHOP. Don’t expect your friend Nicholas to come to your rescue now. He’s on very shaky ground himself.
GIESE. Nicholas?! He keeps all of us alive!
BISHOP. I could have him excommunicated.
GIESE. Have you gone mad, Johann?
BISHOP. I refuse to look the other way any longer while that harlot comes and goes as she pleases.
GIESE. You mean the housekeeper?
BISHOP. Housekeeper, harlot. What’s the difference? What do you take me for? A simpleton? You think I don’t know a harlot when I see one?
GIESE. But he has trained her, Johann. About herbs and … Medicinal herbs, I mean. She makes … medicines. She …
BISHOP. I had no idea you were so fond of her, Tiedemann. Why don’t you take her home with you? That would solve everything. The harlot goes. Nicholas is absolved. And you are content to stay home in Kulm with your Lutherans and your new concubine.
Blackout. The choir chants Lauds.
SCENE v. TOWER ROOM
WORLD MACHINE
Dim lights reveal the tower room as small and spare, dusty from disuse, almost scary, with minuscule windows and a low door. The furnishings include a table and chair, a cot, and the World Machine, a globe-like nest of intersecting rings, about the size of a manned spacecraft capsule, perched on a pedestal.
RHETICUS. ( offstage ) Where are you taking me, sir?
COPERNICUS. ( offstage ) Only a little farther now.
RHETICUS. ( offstage ) But where … ?
COPERNICUS. ( offstage ) We’re nearly there … Ah!
COPERNICUS enters, breathless, with a lantern.
COPERNICUS. Here we are.
RHETICUS follows him in, stays close.
COPERNICUS. You can stay here.
RHETICUS. Here?
COPERNICUS. This is it.
RHETICUS. What is this place?
COPERNICUS. You’ll be safe here.
RHETICUS. Is it your observatory?
COPERNICUS. This? No.
RHETICUS. Not a prison cell, is it?
COPERNICUS. Oh, no. It’s a retreat. A safe house. We all have rooms like this.
When there’s danger, from outside, we come up here, and … and we stay here until … until it’s safe to leave.
RHETICUS. You really expect me to stay here?
COPERNICUS. No one will think to look here now. In peacetime.
RHETICUS. For how long?
COPERNICUS. Just till tonight.
RHETICUS. The whole day?!
COPERNICUS. After sunset, you can go. As soon as it’s dark, I’ll come fetch you.
RHETICUS. You’re not staying with me?
COPERNICUS. No.
RHETICUS. But
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