![Engraving from Christoph Hartknoch’s book Alt- und neues Preussen (1684; “Old …[Credits : Courtesy of the Joseph Regenstein Library, The University of Chicago]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/81/7781-004-C237559D.jpg)
Engraving from Christoph Hartknoch’s book Alt- und neues Preussen (1684; “Old and New Prussia”), depicting Nicolaus Copernicus as a saintly and humble figure. The astronomer is shown between a crucifix and a celestial globe, symbols of his vocation and work. The Latin text below the astronomer is an ode to Christ’s suffering by Pope Pius II: “Not grace the equal of Paul’s do I ask / Nor Peter’s pardon seek, but what / To a thief you granted on the wood of the cross / This I do earnestly pray.”
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