All language subtitles for ENG I

He has mapped the six stars of
the Bull, called the Pleiades.

Six, because the seventh
is hardly ever visible.

40 more stars crowd around them,

invisible to the naked eye, no
more than half a degree apart.

Thanks to his telescope, of
which l show you a faithful copy

furnished with a system
of rare Dutch lenses,

the Milky Way, which
appeared to us to be a nebula,

has been scrutinized
and studied so exactly

that we can now resolve
countless disputes

that have tormented
philosophers for centuries.

ln fact, the galaxy clearly appears
to be a mass of countless stars.

This is evident no matter
where we direct our telescope.

Galileo Galilei has also divulged

that four planets that have
existed since the beginning of time

have never been observed before.

Over two months, he has discovered
and observed their positions.

We have been told that the mathematician
of the Grand Duke of Florence

has also discovered
the secret of sunspots.

What can you tell us about them?

ln Florence, l heard that Galilei
has studied this question intently,

but at this time, he cannot
voice a definitive opinion

on whether the spots are really
vapors, exhalations, clouds,

or fumes produced
by the solar body.

He is still uncertain of
the nature of these spots,

as they could be a thousand
other things imperceptible to us.

On the subject of the sun,
however, he believes he must state

a conviction of his as
an absolute certainty.

As his studies agree with
those of the Pole Copernicus,

he states that the earth
is mobile, the sun stable,

and around it, along fixed orbits,

move the planets.

- May l speak?
- Go ahead.

lf Mr. Galilei
insists in his error �

lt is not an error. lt is
a reasonable hypothesis.

But he denies the Bible.

Joshua told the sun to stop moving.

And on his command, the sun, which had
been moving across the sky, stopped.

Clearly, the words of the Bible are to
be interpreted otherwise. And Galilei �

l say that if he
persists in his error,

l see no reason why you must
divulge this theory here, to us,

in the noble college of La Fl�che.

You speak of Galilei as
if he were a new Aristotle.

His doctrine is erroneous.

He has made this error
because he is arrogant

and he confuses the
faith of the people.

The earth is the
center of the universe.

All testimony of men,
both humble and learned,

since the beginning of
time confirms this truth.

l find that your disdain is
rather excessive, Mr. de Bastion.

Our intelligence should never submit
to an unreasonable fear of error.

lt should confront it and know it
in order to be able to vanquish it.

Galilei's hypotheses have
provoked much criticism everywhere.

Men of science and of the
cloth have rushed to warn him.

But on his doctrine,
as far as we know,

no definitive judgment
has been pronounced.

And if his calculations
are revealed to be exact,

they will in no way
contradict the truth.

lt is important for you to
carefully study all the information

Mr. de Simone has
brought us from Florence.

- Deo Gratia.
- Deo Gratia.

Next group, come forward.

lt is absurd to compare
Galileo and Aristotle.

Aristotle built his doctrine on
a perfect system of syllogisms,

whereas Galileo's science originates
from his observation of the universe.

There is no talking
here, Mr. Descartes.

l apologize, sir.

Swords in line. Salute.

En garde.

Lunge.

En garde. Lunge.

En garde. Lunge.

En garde. Parry in second position.

En garde. Lunge.

En garde. Lunge.

En garde. Moulinet.

Come in.

Ah, you requested permission

to read the text by Cornelius
Agrippa, Natural Magic

and the one by Giovanni Battista
Della Porta on the same subject.

l would like to compare
them. l like curious things.

They say that Natural Magic contains
the best explanations of magnetism

that one could read

and the most acute observations
on the camera obscura.

You have my permission
to read them.

But l must remind you
what our order recommends.

''ln our studies, as appropriate
as it is to incite, spur on

and encourage those who need it,

it is equally necessary to hold back
those who would go too quickly.''

And you are in too much of
a hurry, my dear Descartes.

''Our goal is to acquire knowledge
to help souls with God's favor.

ln all areas of study we should follow
the surest and most appropriate doctrine

and adopt the authors who teach it

and we should follow an order.

Therefore, only after having
built a solid foundation

with the knowledge of Latin,
the humanities and logic,

can natural and moral philosophy,
metaphysics and theology

become the object
of careful study.''

l follow this rule to the letter.

But l cannot muster any
enthusiasm for those sciences.

l know. The book on natural
magic by Cornelius Agrippa

will give you more pleasure than
a text on scholastic philosophy.

You may go.

Thank you, Father.

The young Descartes
is full of curiosity.

l gave him permission
to read two more books.

His passion for the new
sciences is perhaps excessive.

He is convinced that if the
new sciences approach the truth,

they will help us discover and
love God who is the ultimate truth.

You are still studying.

l asked for permission to
finish this book on optics.

l know, and tomorrow you
will leave the college.

Another work by Della Porta.

You are a lover of physics,

but truthfully you have always
been diligent in every subject.

l have been a student in
this college for nine years.

There is no place in the world
where philosophy is better taught.

But you are right,

l have loved the new
sciences best of all.

You aspire to become a mathematician
or an astronomer, do you not?

Yes.

My father has ordered
me to get a law degree

at the University of Poitiers,

but l have no interest in the law.

So what will you do?

l do not know yet.

Father, l will try to discover it.

Send me news when you can.

l would be sorry to
lose touch with you.

The most important thing is that
you not lose yourself in the world,

and that everything you do be
for the greater glory of God.

Of course, l will try
not to lose myself.

- Oh, the Angelus.
- Let us go.

l will resume my reading
immediately afterwards.

The king's guards have killed this
woman's husband, the Mar�chal d'Ancre.

He was the regent
of the government.

The misgoverning of our
country was his fault.

She was the black
soul of her husband.

The two ltalians favored by the
queen wanted to hold sway over France.

Young Louis Xlll showed
a great deal of cunning.

He rid himself of them and
the people are satisfied.

- ls Mr. Le Vasseur d'Etioles at home?
- Yes, sir.

- Ren� Descartes, sir, Sieur du Perron.
- Show him in.

l have been expecting
you for a few days.

How is your father? He wrote me �

Actually, l do not know, sir.

l have just arrived from Touraine.
l have not seen him in two months.

Unfortunately, you have found
much excitement in Paris.

l know nothing of
court intrigues...

but l do think it right

for the young king to
wish to govern in person

rather than leaving it
to some scheming courtier.

Yes, you are right.

What do you intend to do
now that you are in Paris?

What plans do you
have? l could help you.

l have already informed my father

that l truly wish
for no one to help me.

l have decided

not to start any career.

l need more time.

But if you are undecided,
then you need help.

No, because l am
not at all undecided.

l merely want to discover on
my own how this world is made.

Paris, for example.

Ever since l left the
college, l have realized

that l have learned nothing

that can be of use in life.

''My God, how l adore your hair.

lt lies in soft waves on your brow,

gently caresses your beauty

and makes me jealous
when l kiss you.

Your mouth is amber and rose,

but your words pierce me

if you do not tell
me now, while kissing,

that to love is an act sublime.''

''Come with me, the wind howls,

surely it cannot hear us,

and our joint act

will be the sweetest
of mysteries.''

Marvelous. Th�ophile de Viau.

You say you do not like the law,
but you certainly love poetry.

l am sure that soon you will tell
me that in Paris you have found love.

l wish to discover far
different things in Paris.

You make me out to be banal, sir.

Rest assured, you are
not banal by any means.

Come, l will show you to your room.

Here is your room. l
hope you will like it.

l will be very comfortable.

Your father wrote me that
you are somewhat wild,

but here you will feel at home.

Thank you, sir.

Put it there.

Sir.

- Sir.
- What is it?

You know that l do not
wish to be disturbed.

l know, sir, but it is noon.

A man has been waiting for an
answer to this note for two hours.

lt is an invitation from Father
Mersenne to the convent of the Minims.

Mersenne is an alumnus of
the college of La Fl�che.

Tell him that l shall go.

Go, go.

What should we think, then,
of those false sciences

which make statements
without ever offering proof

invoking the hidden qualities of
the moon and the constellations?

And what to make of those who
forego prayer to God and the saints

only to address magical
prayers to the stars?

What should we think
of those astrologers

who would dare

to make up a horoscope
for our Lord Jesus Christ?

A learned man is neither a
fortune-teller nor a wizard.

He is a lover of truth.

And like Aristotle, he believes
that nature clearly reveals it to us

in the study of causes and in
the succession of phenomena.

Naturally, l do not agree
with every word of Aristotle's.

Nearly 2000 years have
passed since his death,

and the science of man has
made a great deal of progress.

But as for the search for truth,

l shall say again what l
have said many times before:

Aristotle is an eagle.

The others are mere chicks.

But, Reverend Father,

in the search for truth

Plato says one thing,
Aristotle says another,

Epicurus yet another.

Augustine seems to indicate a way that
differs from that of Thomas Aquinas.

Telesio, Campanella, Bacon
and the other innovators

have yet other theories.

You say that apart from
Aristotle they are all chicks.

Are you not perhaps exaggerating?

The summae of the scholastics
founded on Aristotle's doctrines

seem to be perfect constructions
that lead to the truth

when examined within the cloistered
walls of a library or a college.

But they appear quite far from it

when compared to the thousand
upon thousand phenomena

that constitute the
reality of our world.

Who among these men

will teach us something whose truth
is absolute and cannot be doubted?

You are too young. You
still have much to study.

And you speak against
Aristotle. lncredible.

Probably the only
Aristotle you have read

are the common citations
contained in the summae.

And you, you must be Mr. Descartes.

My young fellow pupil of La Fl�che.

Father Fran�ois of the Society of
Jesus recommended this young man to me.

Mr. Descartes has a passion
for the mathematical sciences.

You will have an opportunity to
get to know him in the future.

Of course, but please continue,

and excuse my interruption.

Let us resume our conversation.

Come and see.

Come.

l have had an idea. l found a way
to measure the humidity of the air.

l will show you what
l have contrived.

Observe these two strips of paper.

The first is in its natural state.

This other one, which
l have previously wet,

shrinks as it dries.

With this system, l believe l can
measure the different levels of humidity

just as we measure different
temperatures with a thermoscope.

lnteresting.

You will see the
results in a few minutes.

l see that in scientific matters

you do not follow Aristotle.

But l do not understand.

lf you reject his science,

why do you defend his philosophy?

Do not tell me that you belong
to the party of innovators

and that you reject
any kind of philosophy.

l do not reject philosophy at all,

but rather the doctrines that appear
to be built on shaky foundations,

as if on sand.

l would be sorry if
by following this path

you became a skeptic.

This is a real danger,
as you are well aware.

What are you doing to avoid it?

l seek no other science

than that which l can
verify within myself,

and l draw my lessons from life

rather than from books.

But if the authority of the
philosophers offends you,

who else do you
think might guide you?

The conviction, dear Father,

that there exist within our
soul, in its natural state,

some seeds of the truth,

and that these very seeds
are capable of enabling us

to distinguish between what
is true and what is false.

Seeds of truth.

You should write down
these observations of yours

on the philosophy of our time.

A useful discussion
could come of it.

Me, write? Oh, no.

l cannot, Father.

l have not reflected enough.

l hope at least that you will
come to see me and talk with me

and my learned friends,
if it pleases you.

Of course, l will not
fail, and l thank you.

There, do you see?

One day, the old Marshal of Auclair
took me to see a certain Wilhelmina

to prove to me that she was
able to speak various languages

while being possessed by the devil.

l approached her and began speaking
in five or six different languages.

ln response, l only
received unintelligible words

and awful curses in Gascon.

Finally, a monk entered the room

and she immediately
came to her senses.

A hoax, gentlemen,
nothing more than a hoax.

Th�ophile de Viau, it
is my duty to warn you

that if you cease to believe in the devil
you will end up not believing in God.

This is why l believe in the devil.

Double sixes. l win.

Mr. de Candale,

allow me to introduce my friend
Ren� Descartes, Sieur du Perron.

Welcome.

Mr. Descartes, would
you like to try some tea,

the beverage that the Dutch
ships bring us from China?

Thank you.

They say it is very healthy.

Yes. ln fact, my physician recommends
that l drink at least 50 cups a day.

Too many, perhaps.

Come in.

l always carry with me a copy of
Santum Regnum, a precious book,

one of the scientific proofs of the
ignorance and hypocrisy of our century.

lf you were not friends, l
certainly would not show it to you,

as there are still
many men in France

who amuse themselves by burning
heretics and witches at the stake.

Ah, l see that you are afraid.

lt cheers me.

Those who are afraid are wise.

Listen, it is a scientific book.

''He who would make a pact with hell
must choose which devil to invoke.

lt is not allowed to disturb Satan

if a more lowly demonic being is
sufficient to grant your wish.''

As you can see, discretion is
a necessary virtue even in hell.

For the evocation it prescribes

hematite, which can be
purchased from an apothecary,

and two candles made
with blessed wax.

There is also a prayer
said to be infallible.

''O, Emperor Lucifer, lord
of the rebellious spirits,

l beg for your help, while l summon
your minister, Lucifuge Rofocale,

to stipulate a contract with him.

Let him appear to me in human
form and with no foul smell.''

Do you not find this to
be madness, exaggeration,

to which even the court,
alas, pays attention,

and on the subject of which the
Sorbonne holds theological disputes?

lt is absurd.

One should not be surprised. ln
Paris everything is discussed.

One cannot use one's
own reason in peace

because there is always someone
willing to prove, by quibbling,

that one truth is
truer than another.

We should rid ourselves of
the counselors of the crown,

of the members of the curia,
of the Jesuits and Dominicans,

of the learned men of the Sorbonne
and the influential courtesans.

And also of Mr. de Luynes,
the king's favorite.

True.

Do not be dismayed, sir.
They are honorable gentlemen,

but they cannot stand monks,
the Spanish party, the Jesuits,

which are actually the same thing.

Mostly they wish to be free.

Mr. de Saumaise knows them
well. He is one of them.

l am Guez de Balzac. l
congratulate you, Mr. Descartes.

l heard you speak at the convent of
the Minims and l admire your courage.

Mr. de Clave was condemned
for having expressed in public

ideas much more prudent than yours.

l would not have thought it.

Gentlemen.

Will you not raise your
glasses to Maurice of Nassau?

- Why should l?
- He is preparing a new army.

He has freed Holland
of its prejudices,

has introduced free trade,

and driven out all
the pedantic priests.

His is the only
country in the world

where Calvinists and Catholics live
side by side without too much trouble.

Do not listen to what he says.

Everyone knows that our great
Th�ophile de Viau, poet of freedom,

easily becomes enthused.

There are few Catholics
left in Holland, in fact.

l am happy to drink with you,
sir, to Maurice of Nassau,

but mostly to you, whose splendid
poetry l appreciate and admire.

l thank you for the compliment,
but adulation irritates me.

On the other hand,
what pleases me most

is finding a true friend
willing to drink with me.

Do you intend to join the army of
Catholics under the Prince of Nassau?

The best youth in Paris
today wants nothing more

than to go to the Netherlands
and fight under his flag.

But l would rather
stay here in Paris.

l do not know how l could
live without its salons.

Mr. Descartes has left far behind

the teachings he received from the
reverend fathers of the Society of Jesus.

Rebellion against the teachings
of the ancients frees the world.

The path traced by the ancients
in their search for truth

appears more full of
confusion to me every day.

We must write new books,
raise men up with poetry,

which by its very
nature is freedom.

We must try to prevent the ancient texts
from filling our minds with falsehoods.

Often the ancients, when faced
with apparently insoluble problems,

proved error as truth,

supporting their theses with
extremely cunning arguments.

l wish to come and listen to
you, to ask you some questions,

if you will do me the honor
of giving me your address.

l live in rue du Four, in the
home of Mr. Le Vasseur d'Etioles.

Thank you.

Make room at the table for
Mr. Descartes and let him play.

Mr. de Balzac loves freedom so much that
he cannot stand even his own garters.

l heard, sir, that you do not intend to
fight under Maurice of Nassau, is this true?

Yes, it is.

You are ill advised, sir.

The only countries in Europe
with a shred of freedom left

are Venice and Holland.

Venice is a republic
where trade is conducted

and no one bothers to talk
about the clients' faith.

Just like the Netherlands,
where Maurice of Nassau

has ousted the Spanish lnquisition

with the help of the most
valiant soldiers of France,

most of whom are Catholic.

Shall we start playing?

Messrs. Balzac and Saumaise
are here to see you.

Show them in.

Excuse us for coming, sir.

We know that Descartes
is living with you.

Mr. Descartes has gone into
hiding. He left me without a word.

His servant came
to see me in secret.

He says that his master
is hiding in a small suburb

and has not left his room in days.

l confess that l am worried.

Some kind of fever must
have invaded his brain.

l feel authorized, due to the
friendship that ties me to his father,

to violate his privacy.

l was on my way there now.
Would you like to accompany me?

Watch out below!

We have been walking
for over half an hour.

This is taking forever.

lt is here.

He made us cross all
of Paris to find him.

Who is it?

Your friend Le Vasseur together
with Mr. de Balzac and Mr. Saumaise.

Oh, come in!

l confess, dear friend, that not
having heard from you for so long,

l feared for your health.

We met your servant by chance

and he led us, l must say
reluctantly, back to you.

Your solicitude touches me,
but fear not, l am very well.

l have locked myself in this
room, alone, for many days

and l have reflected

on every moment of my
past that l can remember.

And l have reached this conclusion:

l must absolutely free
myself of my childhood

if l want to understand what
human reason is capable of.

l wish to give you some news,
gentlemen, you are the first to know.

l have decided to abandon my books

and to go to Holland,

and enlist in the army
of Maurice of Nassau,

like many other young Frenchmen.

What do you say, gentlemen?

Are you truly convinced that you
will be able to leave in France

that part of you that
holds your reason prisoner?

Well, l will have to do something

to free myself of the prejudices

that were a part of my
upbringing and education.

lncredible. Admitting
that you have prejudices.

lt is a rare thing these days
for a person to acknowledge it.

When we were children

we learned that with
tantrums and tears

we could get our nannies
to do our bidding.

Thus we have persuaded ourselves
that the world was at our disposal.

ln the same way,

since ancient times, which
is the infancy of humanity,

man has persuaded himself that
the earth is flat and not round

and that it remains immobile
at the center of the universe,

and he has formed many other
opinions, also false, on reality,

that he has great difficulty
casting off, to this day.

Our teachers have
couched in lofty words

these archaic opinions

and in so doing, have
deeply rooted in us

the power of the error
that they contain.

And you think that
by going to Holland

you will be able to free yourself
of the contagion of these errors.

l need to get away from
the air of this city,

from the noise produced by the words
and the opinions of its scholars

in order for my reason
to function freely.

l have decided to refute
every opinion, even my own,

as if they were all false.

l have also decided
that l will not accept,

without first examining them
carefully with my reason,

any opinions about which l have
not reached an absolute certainty.

l will be like an apple merchant
who empties the whole basket,

out of fear that
some fruit is rotten

and puts back only
the healthy fruit.

l have always thought that Paris was
the most intellectually stimulating city

which gave reason the most freedom.

l thought so too.

But by traveling the world

l will get to know
the truth much better

than through the discussions
of the Parisian intellectuals.

l see that you have
already made your decision.

Have you written your father?

Of course. l would never
travel without notifying him.

And when will you leave?

lmmediately, and
with a very small bag,

which will not have
enough room for books.

He who loves freedom must chase it
wherever he thinks it may reside.

And l see that for you
freedom resides in Holland.

lf you really find it, write me.

l shall write you, sir.

- Would you bring us more wine?
- Another glass of beer.

Bring us some beer.

lt seems that in this country there
are only merchants and sailors.

Where is my beer?

Excuse me, may we speak to you?

Have a seat.

Almost every morning at this time,

l see you come in here
to drink the usual beer.

Do you like it?

What do you want with us, sir?

We know that you are
capable with a sword.

All the volunteers are swordsmen.

But they have told us that
you are master swordsmen,

and we have been observing
you for several days.

You are never drunk.

l have already asked you,
sir, what do you want with us?

We are offering you employment.

2,000 florins a year
as master swordsmen

aboard two ships belonging
to the West lndian Company.

We are cadets without pay, sir,
but we all have the means to live.

But if you love adventure
and you like freedom,

there is nothing better for
you than to set out to sea.

We are offering you a berth on
two new 600-ton merchant ships

that have just been outfitted.

These ships look like palaces.

They have 30 cannons and holds larger
than van Cleef's warehouse in Amsterdam.

You will have a cabin, with the
sole task of teaching the sailors

and taking charge of
the guards on the ship.

And the employment, for how
many months would it last?

lt is only one journey,
sir, for 12 months.

You would find yourselves with
2,000 florins in your pocket,

because at sea there are few
opportunities to spend money.

You will realize that
it is an excellent offer.

The ships will dock in the
Dutch colony of New Netherlands

at the mouth of the
river traveled by Hudson

on which one can sail
as in a vast ocean.

As for me, your offer does
not interest me at all.

l could not bring my
servant aboard your ship,

nor could l have
any of the comforts

that are indispensable to me
in order to live and think.

lt is strange for a soldier to
be so attached to his comforts.

Do you too refuse the offer, sir?

Unfortunately, l must return
to Paris at the end of the year,

otherwise l would accept.

l have a glass of beer at
this tavern every morning.

lf you should change your minds,

you have but to say so.

As far as l am concerned,
sir, do not get your hopes up.

This problem has been
posted for two days now

and no one has come
forward with a solution.

Go then, my friend, and good luck.

Good-bye, and thank you.

Excuse me, sir, l heard
you speaking my language.

Would you kindly translate
the text so that l can be sure?

l am not certain of a few details.

With pleasure, sir.

Well, now: ''Mathematical
problem for a great mind.

A stone falls from
A to B in one hour.

The stone is perpetually attracted
by the earth with the same force,

without losing any of the velocity

impressed upon it by
the previous attraction.

Now, a body moving in a
void will move eternally.

The question is, how long
will it take the stone

to travel a given distance?''

Well, the solution is simple.

Simple? But �

Yes, of course.

But it is l who have
posted this notice,

despairing of ever finding
a solution to the problem.

And l am a mathematician.

l will be happy to show you
the proof at your convenience.

l shall expect you
at my house, sir.

l am anxious to hear it.

Here in Breda everyone knows where
lsaac Beeckman of Middelburg lives.

There.

ln this right-angled triangle, ABC
represents space, i.e. movement.

The inequality of the space
from point A to the base BC

represents the inequality
of the movement.

Consequently, AD will be traversed
in the time represented by ADE,

and DB in the time
represented by DEBC.

Therefore AB will be traversed
three times more slowly than AD.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Do you know what a scholastic
thinker would have said in your place?

''Each thing present
in the universe

belongs to a place which
is its natural home.

The place most suited to it.

We could say

that weight is nothing more
than the appetite of things

to return to that place of bliss.''

''Mr. Beeckman,''
he would have said,

''your problem is
simply poorly expressed.

You have merely to tell me
the nature of the falling body

and l will forthwith tell you
its prescribed resting place.''

But all this is simply absurd.

l see, sir,

that you refuse, as l do,

to explain physical phenomena
by attributing to bodies

qualities that belong
exclusively to the spirit.

This is why l love mathematics
and l practice medicine.

You are right.

Mathematics is the sole discipline

which provides us with certainty.

The mathematical sciences
teach us enumeration

and the calculation
of all movements.

The relations and proportions
between all existing things,

light, sound.

The operations of mathematics

always express an evident
and concrete logic.

For example, as you know,
the equal sign is fundamental.

Mathematics prove in a rigorously
certain and exact manner

all the possible equalities

and allow us to defend ourselves
from the deception of appearances.

What l like about you, sir,

is that you do not speak the
language of the scholastics

and you talk about science

in a way that none of my fellow
citizens would be able to do.

You know, they are almost
all good Calvinists.

They listen to the sermons

and they speak of nothing
but commerce and theology.

You are not Catholic, are you?

No, sir, l am not.

And you are certainly
a Roman Catholic.

l am French, sir, and Catholic.

But l am sure that this will not
prevent me from conversing with you.

l like you, sir.

l confess, l never thought l would
find a mathematician and a philosopher

hiding in the uniform of a soldier.

l hope you will
visit me again, sir,

and often, as long as you
are stationed here in Breda.

lt will be a great honor for me.

Sir, this morning you did not
attend the cavalry exercises.

Do you also want to miss your
appointment with Mr. Beeckman?

No.

These Dutch beds have
destroyed my enjoyment of sleep.

No, not that one. Give
me the civilian outfit.

Therefore, gentlemen,

the soul of this animal,

an inferior soul with
respect to the soul of man,

whose soul is superior,

allows the stomach to digest,

extracting from food

the juices necessary
to sustain life.

The doctor attributes to the soul
functions that belong to the body.

lt is an old prejudice,

a childish perception,
deceptive as are all perceptions,

and the source of ruinous errors.

- l am sorry to interrupt.
- Please, speak.

You are wrong to consider
perceptions deceptive.

When a boy immerses
a stick in a stream,

his eyesight may make him
believe that the stick has broken.

But if he touches the stick with eyes
closed, inside and outside of the water,

he will realize that
his stick is still whole.

ln which case, he will have corrected
the perception of sight with touch

and reestablished the truth without
leaving the realm of perceptions.

No, sir, because in our case
the boy's reason intervened

making him control the perception
of touch after that of sight.

lt is reason that leads
him to rectify his error.

Without the oversight of reason,

all perceptions are deceptive.

Here is the heart of this animal

that the soul caused to move

thanks to the pulsifying
faculty that it possesses.

The doctor makes statements that he
could not prove with evidence of truth.

He cannot tell us how the
inferior soul of this animal

acts directly on its heart.

What is the objection
of these gentlemen?

Why do they not speak up if
they have something to say?

l say that in order to
justify your statements

you repeat ancient Aristotelian
theories on the soul

and you rely on
your own perception.

What l teach is evident
truth, my dear sir.

For the majority of men

evidence is what they have
observed since childhood,

when the adults gave
their simple minds

an explanation for all things.

But to discover with absolute
certainty the nature of things

we must free ourselves

from the vision of the world
that we have constructed

and passed from father
to son over the centuries.

We must free ourselves from
the deception of perception

and learn how to make
better use of our reason.

That is what l have to say.

And which vision of the world
would you offer us in exchange, sir,

since you refute the vision passed down
by the age-old experience of the ancients?

A vision of the world
that proves to be evident,

like the one we derive from
numbers, from mathematics.

ln other words,
you would substitute

the teachings of
philosophy and science

that come to us from such a
long tradition of scholars,

with the teaching of the
mathematicians of our own time.

But reality is not made of
quantities. Things have qualities,

and these are experienced
through our perception,

the perception that
you fear so much.

Allow me, sir, to warn
you against your theories,

for you risk plunging your mind

into a dark forest of numbers.

My young friend is a capable
and profound mathematician

and l hope you will understand
his perhaps excessive enthusiasm

for the clarity which
derives from numbers.

Yes, sir, of course.

l apologize for the
interruption, sir.

Please, continue
with your dissection.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen, l do not know
whether, in two years,

when the Twelve
Years' Truce is over,

the war against the
Spaniards will resume.

ln any case, the glorious army of the
United Provinces of the Netherlands

will have to have, at that time,
an even more powerful artillery

than the one whose power was felt
by the Spanish, at their expense,

before the truce.

Here is your task
for today's lesson.

You must calculate the
elevation angle for three cannons

in relation to the height of the
bastions defending the city of Ostend

in order to achieve the surest and
most powerful trajectory possible.

Here are the distances of
the cannons from the bastions.

The first is at 1,000 feet,

the second at 750,

and the third at 5,000.

ln 1603, our troops'
conquest of this port

cost four million florins.

But it certainly would
have cost much, much more

if Prince Maurice of Nassau

had not been able to count on
the best artillery in the world.

The calculation of elevation
is essential for the artillery.

This is why l recommend

that you apply yourselves very
seriously to the study of this problem.

Good day, gentlemen.

As usual, the calculations will
be done by our friend Descartes.

You will do them
for us, will you not?

Here are your
calculations, gentlemen.

But you can be certain
that when the war begins

l will not be here to help you.

Do not fear, for the moment,
the war is still at rest.

And Prince Maurice of Nassau
keeps an army at the ready

only to sustain his political
battle against van Oldenbarnevelt.

They fought together
against the Spaniards

at the head of the United Provinces
for the freedom of Holland,

and now they are fighting each
other like the worst of enemies.

Oldenbarnevelt is older and wiser.

He has the favor of the people.

Because he wants
Holland to be a republic.

And mostly because he does
not want Maurice of Nassau

to become king of Holland.

Do you think that Prince Maurice will
use the army against Oldenbarnevelt?

He has no need to.

Prince Maurice has already
accused Oldenbarnevelt of heresy

for the support he gave to a
faction of Calvinists, the Arminians.

Even among the Calvinists,
the accusation of heresy

can destroy a man more
effectively than an entire army.

But if they condemn Oldenbarnevelt,
his partisans will rise up.

No matter what happens, l will
no longer be here in a month.

ln a month, l shall be in Germany.

Duke Maximilian of Bavaria
is enlisting soldiers.

And with the diploma
from our Academy

l am confident of obtaining an officer's
rank with him, and a paid one at that.

Whom will he be fighting?

The Bohemians, who are rebelling
against Emperor Ferdinand ll.

My uncle wrote me from Ulm.

''The Calvinist Bohemian noblemen

threw the imperial messengers
and their secretaries

out of the window of
the Castle of Prague �

men with whom they were supposed to
work out the terms of an agreement.

Now armies are being formed
in many parts of Germany.

The Catholic imperialists
are preparing to attack

and destroy the
Bohemian Protestants

who are led by the prince-elector
of the Palatinate.''

ln Germany, not one year goes
by that an army is not formed.

That is the way it has always been.

lt has always been very
advantageous to enlist there.

And they also have excellent
beer and beautiful women.

Mr. Beeckman.

Good morning, Mr. Descartes.

Finally, l find you
have risen early.

Oh, yes.

l long terribly for
our good French beds.

l received your note.

- Why do you wish to leave the army?
- l did not come to stay.

l am a soldier because
l wish to study men

and for myself to confront life.

Now l shall go to Denmark

and later perhaps to Germany,
l have not decided yet.

So you are abandoning
your projects.

Some time ago, you promised
to publish a treatise

on mechanics and geometry.

But since you have been in Breda

l have not seen you write a
single line on the subject.

Of course l do not mean to
say that l did not appreciate

the excellent Compendium Musicae
which you gave me for Christmas,

but l confess that l expected
more from your mathematical mind.

l shall write. l shall bring
to fruition all my projects.

Do not worry.

But l need to reflect some more.

l realize that men, when they
are gripped by intense curiosity,

run the risk of pushing
their intelligence

along unknown paths,

of wandering without
a specific goal,

without a reasonable hope,

almost randomly, as if guided
merely by their imagination.

Yet, l have heard you
on more than one occasion

formulating precise
hypotheses, exact calculations.

l need to reflect more.

At least promise me
that before you leave

you will send me a copy
of everything you write.

l promise, my dear friend.

You have awakened me here in Breda

from an old inertia l
had been laboring under.

You have recalled my wandering mind

to the serious
study of mathematics.

How could l ever forget you?

ln Germany at the beginning
of the winter season,

as the army was
forced to make camp,

l had to find myself lodgings,

where, without worries

or passions to disturb my spirit,

l would spend all day in solitude

in one well heated room,

where l was able to entertain
myself serenely with my thoughts.

Thus, after a few
days of reflection,

l saw clearly

like a wonderful science,

a new foundation for knowledge

from which it is
possible to produce

an order among all thoughts

that might enter
into the human spirit.

Just as there is a natural
order among all numbers.

The night in which l
saw this new principle,

l had three dreams.

The first two

frightened me to
death, l must confess.

But the third one was
very sweet and pleasant.

ln that dream, l felt as
if l had witnessed the birth

of a new hope for the future.

Tell me your dreams.

Well, l saw myself
walking along a road

oppressed by a frightful whirlwind.

l felt as if l would
fall at every step.

Then l saw a college

and l sought refuge there.

Trying to reach the church of
the college, so that l could pray,

l saw, in the windy courtyard,
an acquaintance of mine

whom l had passed without greeting.

l wanted to double back to
apologize for my poor manners,

but it was impossible because l was
violently pushed back by the wind.

While that man and other
people who stood around him

stood up straight and
were stable on their feet,

l was hunched over and shaky,

as if that whirlwind
were blowing only on me.

When l awoke

l was seized by a terrible pain.

l prayed to God to
defend me from Satan,

and after two hours
in deep meditation

about the good and the
evils in this world,

l fell asleep again.

And l immediately
had another dream.

l heard a great clap of thunder

and my fear awoke me once again.

Once l opened my eyes

l saw my room

invaded by flaming sparks,

something which had
happened to me before.

Marvelous. Fire and
light are important signs.

Shortly thereafter, opening
and closing my eyes in turn,

it all disappeared,

and l went back to
sleep feeling very calm.

A moment later

l had the third dream.

Pray, tell.

l found myself holding
a collection of poetry,

the Corpus poetarum.

l opened it and read this verse:

''Quod vitae sectabor iter?"

''What path shall l
choose for my life?''

A man l had never seen

presented me right then
with a text in verse

that began like this:

''Est et non, "

''Yes and no.''

These are very interesting dreams,

and it seems that they hold
some important revelations.

Did you discover their meaning?

l examined them carefully.

The first dream signified
the errors, the fears,

the doubts of my past life.

The second could only
be the evident sign

of the spirit of truth
that was descending on me.

The third was pointing
me toward the future.

''Est et non. "

lt is the ''yes and
no'' of Pythagoras,

a future in which the
truth will be revealed to me

and at the same time,

the falseness of human knowledge

and of the lay sciences.

l do not know what fate
awaits you, Mr. Descartes,

but l warmly suggest that you
pray God to preserve your humility,

because it is written that science
causes scholars to lose themselves.

Absolute truth, that is to say God,

remains a mystery for all, sir.

Your advice

is always full of wisdom.

You are always so restless
and unstable, it is incredible.

You will never achieve anything

if you do not find once
and for all a fixed abode

in which to study and write.

You are right.

But when l stay in a city,

after l have seen
how people live there

and after l have spoken with those
l think it worthwhile to talk to,

l am seized by an irresistible
desire to set off again.

And how long do you
intend to stay in Paris?

A very short while, my dear Father.

l saw Mr. Le Vasseur, who
spoke to me of your dreams.

He told me that you think you
have found a new foundation

which will allow you to know the
truth with absolute certainty.

Mr. Le Vasseur exaggerates.

l must reflect more
on what l intuited.

But you doubt everything.

Many see you as a skeptic.

But it has also been
said that you intend

to reject all your old beliefs.

But not my faith,
Father, rest assured,

because the road to heaven is open to
the ignorant as well as the learned.

And as for my doubting
everything, fear not,

l have nothing in
common with the skeptics.

l merely wish to
build my convictions

on a foundation of rock

rather than on sand.

l have no wish to
emulate those travelers

who, finding themselves
lost in a forest,

start wandering around
without direction.

l cannot prevent
myself from suspecting

that there is some
pride in what you say.

The plague victim is
over there, Doctor.

l am having a large
trunk made for my travels.

Observe the work of the blacksmith.

Our Aristotelians say that the
hammer must be wielded rapidly

because with speed
nature is surprised

and it is not given time
to gather its strength

to resist the blows of the hammer.

Does this theory not
seem absurd to you?

Absolutely.

lt will soon be ready.

l shall return this evening.

A method capable of banishing
doubt and of producing certainty

in my opinion should
resemble the mechanical arts

which contain within
themselves the principles

according to which the tools
necessary to them must be made.

- This noise.
- Yes, it is deafening.

We had better leave.

l must hasten my departure.

When will you leave?

And where will you go?
- Perhaps to ltaly.

But before l leave, l shall
visit my homeland of Touraine

in order to sell my part
of my maternal inheritance,

in land and stock.

But l will not sell

without saving for you a
little butter from my cows.

Thank you. And do not
neglect to write me.

No.

May God protect you.

Here are the two deeds of sale.

Mr. Ren� Descartes will
receive from Mr. Dieulefils

for the purchase of the farms
of Grand-Maison and Mordais

2,000 Touraine pounds.

Another 3,000 will be paid by Mr.
Chatillon for the fiefdom of Perron.

Does Mr. Pierre Descartes,
brother of Mr. Ren� Descartes,

have any objection?
- No, none.

l want it to be clear that the ownership
title to the land of La Bobini�re

is part of the same transaction.

This is stipulated in the contract,

in the terms that you agreed
upon with Mr. Descartes.

Very well, we have
only to sign then.

According to the terms, the contract
will take effect in eight days.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen.

- Good day.
- Good day.

So you have rid yourself of
a part of your inheritance.

lt grieves me because l realize

that you have decided not
to return to live with us.

You have no affection for France.

l wish to live where it is
convenient to me, where l like,

where l can discover something,

where few people know me

and where l can reflect in peace.

When will l see you again?

l do not know.

Certainly upon my
return from ltaly.

You have sold some
good, fertile land.

But l made a good profit.

Th�ophile de Viau is an
impure atheist libertine.

He is so evil that he has the impudence
to write horrible curses against God.

His execrable verses have
made a Gomorrah of our Paris.

He has fled and we
shall burn him in effigy.

Together with his effigy,
let his writings burn

as well as the writings
of all the other libertines

whose souls are lost to the devil.
- Death to Th�ophile de Viau.

The prince of darkness must
be banished to the kingdom

of eternal fire to
which God condemned him.

Burn him alive!

God will punish these libertines.

He will punish them
even upon this earth.

And one day they will
howl like rabid dogs.

lntolerance is like the plague.

l have been gone
almost three years,

but every time l return to Paris,

l always find something
that disturbs me

and makes me want to
leave as soon as possible.

ln ltaly you certainly have not
seen such an exciting spectacle.

So much barbarity and vulgarity
amazes and disturbs me.

They will be thrown into hell
and they will cry out in vain.

The parliament has exiled the authors of
theories against Aristotelian philosophy.

The death penalty awaits those
who divulge and teach them

and they have condemned Th�ophile
and many of our libertine friends.

...teach their vices,

and cause even the candid paper on
which they write to blush crimson.

At least Th�ophile de Viau
managed to escape from Paris.

Now they must content themselves
with burning him in effigy.

But the flames will cleanse
the earth of their pride

and will render justice to God.

The product of the minds of
the proud must be destroyed.

lt is like the discord that suffocates
the souls of the simple folk.

They will be thrown into hell.

Death to the libertines!

Death!

Tell Father Mersenne that
l have not been to see him

because l have not left
the house in a long time.

l find the air in Paris
suffocating these days.

But do assure him that l shall not
miss the meeting he has prepared for me.

Thank you, sir. Many of us wish to
hear the outcome of your reflections.

Father Mersenne has
often spoken of you.

Gentlemen, yielding to the
insistence of Father Mersenne,

l wish to share with you
my writings on this subject

after many long
years of reflection.

The 21 rules for the
direction of the mind.

lt seems incredible to me
that a great number of people

investigate with great
fervor the customs of men,

the virtues of plants,
the movements of the stars,

the transformations of metals
and many other such disciplines,

while hardly anyone takes the trouble
to investigate the mind of man,

or how it should function rightly.

The human mind, which is an admirable
and universal source of knowledge

and without which there
would be no knowledge.

''The first rule:

The aim of our studies must be to direct
our mind toward solid and true judgments

on whatever matters may arise.

lf a man is seriously intent
upon finding the truth,

he must not apply himself
only to one particular science,

because the sciences
are all connected

and dependent on each other
in a unity of knowledge.

The second rule:

We must occupy ourselves
only with those objects

whose certain and
indubitable knowledge

we feel we can achieve by
means of our intelligence.

On this subject we must realize
that of the sciences known today,

only arithmetic and geometry are
free of falseness and uncertainty

because they consist entirely in the logical
deduction of a series of consequences.

They focus on a pure
and simple subject matter

and do not rely, in order to exist,

on anything that concrete experience
may have rendered uncertain.

With their help, only
through a lack of attention,

can man fall into error.

The third rule:

We must not pause to study
the opinions and conjectures

made by others or by ourselves,

but attempt to intuit,

aided by the clarity of evidence,

the true content of things.

To this end, we will rely
on intuition and deduction.''

By intuition l do not mean the
inconstant result of perceptions

or of our imagination,

but the concept

that flows from a pure
and attentive mind,

so clear and distinct

that no doubt remains
surrounding it.

For example, two and
two are the same quantity

as three and one, and that is four.

As for deduction,

it is all that which we
accept as necessarily true

as a consequence of
previous knowledge

that has already been obtained
with absolute certainty.

From this rule all
the others are derived,

and most notably the fourth,

which l deduce from
the previous three.

''The search for truth
requires a method,

a method that can guide
our thoughts with order,

proceeding from the objects that
are simpler and easier to know

and gradually ascending
to the more difficult ones.

Once we have intuited a certain
number of simple propositions,

if they result in clear
and distinct concepts,

with one continuous
movement of our thought

we shall go on to reflect
on their mutual relations.

ln this methodical search for truth

we shall make use of our
intellect, our imagination,

our senses and our memory

both to intuit distinctly
the simple propositions

and to rightly compare
the things we seek

with those that are already known.

l believe that all things that can
be within reach of man's knowledge

follow one another
in the same manner

as those long chains of
simple and easy reasons

which the geometers usually employ

to craft their most
difficult proofs.''

These, gentlemen, are
only a few of the arguments

with which l support the
21 rules l have established

for the right use
of the human mind.

Excuse me, sir.

While you were speaking, l felt a
strong desire to read your arguments.

Tell me, when will
you publish them?

l cannot tell you when l
shall publish them, gentlemen.

Those who know me also know
that l am like a pilgrim.

l like to travel
through my thoughts

just as l like to
travel through Europe,

for the purpose of
observing men and things

the better to discover the
infinite faces of the truth

and those of error.

END OF EPlSODE ONE