Location: From the Pan-American Highway to the restricted zone near the Nazca Lines
Time: 01:08:28. 02:32 a.m., UTC-5.
Setting: Genevieve and her escort are traveling from the Pan-American Highway toward the turnoff leading to the restricted zone near the Nazca Lines.
I do not know who will read these lines. I hope time will preserve them—perhaps preserved by those who once tried to prevent them from being read—so that knowledge of our past may not remain forbidden forever. You, reader of an unknown age, turn to the scene concerning the Academy of Experiments, set at the Eagle-on-the-Lake Inn, and you will begin to understand how the thought of my experiment first took shape in me. Or rather, not I—for I was only the one who carried it out—since it was a goddess who spoke to me from the depths of time, and I merely understood what was revealed to me. So, reader of an unknown time, go to the fourth scene, and learn.
Genevieve began to turn the pages.
Scene I: The process; Scene II: The bishop-prince Deimatocratus; Scene III: The Achille's dream, until at last:
Location: Eagle-on-the-Lake Inn, San Sepolcro, Arezzo
Time: Spring 1630
Setting: A convivial gathering of the Academy of Experiments at the Eagle-on-the-Lake Inn
Seated at a table in the inn are LOTARIO SARSI, GREGORIO REDI, and ACHILLE ARCHIATRO. Wine fills the glasses and intoxicates the minds. Red-eyed flies occasionally slip among glasses, cutlery, and people.
LOTARIO SARSI And it so happens that in Book XVIII these two handmaidens of HEPHAESTUS appear.
GREGORIO REDI And these handmaidens support the god HEPHAESTUS, who is lame and impaired.
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO And these handmaidens, in your view, what are they?
LOTARIO SARSI What would they be, if not Homer’s fantasies? No poet has ever had, nor ever will have, more imagination than Homer and the Greeks. They wrote beautiful fables, but not for us, who are the men of the new science.
GREGORIO REDI All these gods and goddesses are nothing other than human figures, gathering together the virtues and vices of men themselves; and in this, as in all the arts of poetry, none shall ever be superior to Homer. Perhaps Your Lordship believes that philosophy is a book and the fancy of one man, like the Iliad or Orlando Furioso, books in which the least important thing is whether what is written therein is true. Signor Sarsi, the matter does not stand thus. Philosophy is written in this grand book that lies continually open before our eyes—I mean the universe—but it cannot be understood unless one first learns to understand the language and recognize the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures, without which means it is impossible to understand a single word of it humanly; without these one wanders vainly through a dark labyrinth.
LOTARIO SARSI Indeed, I believe there is not merely one Homer, but that Homer himself is nothing but fantasy. These songs are nothing other than myths told orally by the Achaeans and later gathered into the poems we know.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO Oh, truly? Then not only the gods, but even Homer himself would never have existed. (He brushes away a fly that lands on the table near him.)
LOTARIO SARSI Certainly there must have been singers and poets and men of letters who later transcribed the ancient verses under the name of one more famous and renowned than themselves, to lend importance to their writings, so that in the end it resulted that the excellent author was a single one.
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO But these handmaidens, reading these verses—these handmaidens seem to me quite extraordinary. Consider that I have recently seen the work of a fine clockmaker, and into my hands has come this instrument, which is said to have been invented by the great Galileo himself. They call it a telescope. (He takes it from his pocket and shows a telescope similar to Galileo’s first spyglass.)
All look upon this novelty with great interest.
LOTARIO SARSI And what is one meant to demonstrate with this instrument? Shall we discover the spirits that wander among the stars, perhaps?
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO I do not know. But many such new instruments are being invented. One hears talk of machines that might now partly do the work of men. With the printing press we do the work of many men; likewise, fabrics made by machines are like the ancient looms, yet they move forward not by the hands of a man but by the force of water or wind, like our mills. Now I ask myself: what if one day it were possible to imagine someone making a machine in imitation of a man?
LOTARIO SARSI Certainly such machines can be built, and perhaps others will come as well. Science will be able to do much in this field, and already the century advances in progress. But machines that make the imitation of a man—how could that ever be? They would have to be like us. No, these are the fables of the ancients. The truth is that a machine can never be alive, whether it be built by men or by gods.
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO Then to build such machines would be impossible even for the gods?
LOTARIO SARSI That a machine should speak and answer our questions—this I cannot believe that men or gods could do.
GREGORIO REDI Gentlemen, here are the verses of the supreme poet Homer. In these verses it is written that the ancient gods built speaking machines whose office was to relieve the labors of men and to help those who, through some illness or impairment, could not move on their own. Oh, how I would wish for such a machine.
LOTARIO SARSI Ah, I too would wish for it—especially when you hear what these machines are like.
GREGORIO REDI Let us read, let us read.
LOTARIO SARSI Now, friends and colleagues—men of letters, philosophers, and physicians of this Academy of Experiments, which delights in renewing in our Italian tongue the words and verses of the supreme poet—hear in our language what he said concerning HEPHAESTUS, and how, being lame and walking with difficulty, he had need of support. (He takes out a book and reads.)
Following the dread king, on his right and on his left,the forms and figures of graceful handmaidens supported his step,all of gold, and like living young women,within whose breasts the great craftsman had placed voice and life, and vigor of intellect,and the knowledge of the noble arts taught by the Celestials. Swift and slender, they walked at the side of the god.
ACHILLE ARCHIATRO (sweating) I did not remember this passage at all, truly. (To himself) And yet the dream of last night… (A fly disturbs him, buzzing about.)
LOTARIO SARSI Come now, Achille— a drop of this good wine, to bring color back to your cheeks and drive away that pallor. Come, let us drink.
LOTARIO SARSI and FRANCESCO REDI (together) Yes, let us drink. Long life to Prince-Bishop DEIMATOCRATUS.
LOTARIO SARSI To us, members of this Academy of Experiments—may new medicines arise through us, and exquisite works of poetry. But I tell you, this good wine is the finest poetry and medicine. Let us drink!
ALL (raising their glasses) To us!