Agricola, Georgius
,
De re metallica
,
1912/1950
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is devoted to animals which live underground, at least part of the time, but
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is not a very effective basis of either geologic or zoologic classi
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fication. </
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>Despite many public activities, Agricola apparently completed
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De Re Metallíca
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in 1550, but did not send it to the press until 1553; nor
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did it appear until a year after his death in 1555. But we give further details
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on the preparation of this work on p. </
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>xv. </
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>During this period he found time
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to prepare a small medical work,
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De Peste,
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and certain historical studies,
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details of which appear in the Appendix. </
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>There are other works by Agricola re
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ferred to by sixteenth century writers, but so far we have not been able to find
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them although they may exist. </
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>Such data as we have, is given in the appendix.</
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>As a young man, Agricola seems to have had some tendencies toward
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liberalism in religious matters, for while at Zwickau he composed some anti
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Popish Epigrams; but after his return to Leipsic he apparently never wavered,
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and steadily refused to accept the Lutheran Reformation. </
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>To many even
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liberal scholars of the day, Luther's doctrines appeared wild and demagogic.
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>Luther was not a scholarly man; his addresses were to the masses; his Latin
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was execrable. </
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>Nor did the bitter dissensions over hair-splitting theology in
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the Lutheran Church after Luther's death tend to increase respect for the
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movement among the learned. </
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<
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>Agricola was a scholar of wide attainments,
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a deep-thinking, religious man, and he remained to the end a staunch Catholic,
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despite the general change of sentiment among his countrymen. </
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>His leanings
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were toward such men as his friend the humanist, Erasmus. </
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>That he had
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the courage of his convictions is shown in the dedication of
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De Natura Eorum,
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where he addresses to his friend, Duke Maurice, the pious advice that the
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dissensions of the Germans should be composed, and that the Duke should return
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to the bosom of the Church those who had been torn from her, and adds: “Yet
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I do not wish to become confused by these turbulent waters, and be led to
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offend anyone. </
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>It is more advisable to check my utterances.” As he
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became older he may have become less tolerant in religious matters, for he
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did not seem to show as much patience in the discussion of ecclesiastical topics
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as he must have possessed earlier, yet he maintained to the end the respect
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and friendship of such great Protestants as Melanchthon, Camerarius, Fabricius,
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and many others.</
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<
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>In 1546, when he was at the age of 52, began Agricola's activity in
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public life, for in that year he was elected a Burgher of Chemnitz; and in the
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same year Duke Maurice appointed him Burgomaster—an office which
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he held for four terms. </
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>Before one can gain an insight into his political
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services, and incidentally into the character of the man, it is necessary to
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understand the politics of the time and his part therein, and to bear in mind
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always that he was a staunch Catholic under a Protestant Sovereign in a
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State seething with militant Protestantism.</
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<
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>Saxony had been divided in 1485 between the Princes Ernest and Albert,
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the former taking the Electoral dignity and the major portion of the Princi
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pality. </
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>Albert the Brave, the younger brother and Duke of Saxony, obtained
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the subordinate portion, embracing Meissen, but subject to the Elector.
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<
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>The Elector Ernest was succeeded in 1486 by Frederick the Wise, and under </
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