The Empire of Glass - Andy Lane [73]
One of the men that surrounded the Doge - a tall man with a thin face and a great beak of a nose - glared down at Steven. Beneath the hologram, Steven felt patches of sweat-sodden cloth shift clammily against his skin. Had the man penetrated the disguise?
"Your... your Serenity is most gracious," Steven said, bowing so low that the telescope under his arm poked up above his head.
Although the Doge's tone had been calm and measured, there was something about his words that Steven didn't like. What had he said? "So cheap and so easy to make." Galileo had warned Steven not to underestimate the Doge's business acumen. He was implying that Galileo's telescope was hardly a discovery at all - just a tool like a screwdriver that could be built by anybody at all. And if he continued along that route, Galileo wouldn't get any money at all. "This spyglass is, as you say, simple and easy to construct from materials which are easily available," Steven blurted, "but so are the works of... of any writer of antiquity that you care to name.
Words are available to anyone, and paper is common, but it takes genius to create a work of literature. In the same way, it takes genius to think of a spyglass, even though a fool may buy all the parts."
The Doge nodded, and another ripple of agreement spread through the crowd around his throne. "Of course," he continued,
"you will be aware from your friend, Friar Sarpi, that a Flemish gentleman has lately been importuning this Senate to buy an instrument similar to the one that you possess. He has asked one thousand florins for it. We are intrigued by the idea, but with the device itself I was barely able to make out the details of the paintings at the far end of this room."
One of his advisers immediately pointed over Steven's shoulder.
Turning, Steven could make out a large canvas that seemed to consist of blue sky, white clouds and pink cherubs with trumpets.
Another trap. The Doge was simultaneously warning Steven that Galileo was not the only man with a telescope, that he wasn't terribly impressed with the telescope that he had seen and that price was a definite issue. Galileo had warned Steven about this.
"Your Serene Highness," Steven began, "this adventurer-" which was the description that Galileo had spat out earlier"- possesses an inferior model which can make objects appear to be only one third of their actual distance away, and as such is little more than a toy. My spyglass, by contrast, makes things appear to be one tenth of their actual distance away, and is fit for a range of... er ...
military applications, for instance."
"Military applications?" The Doge leaned forward, suddenly interested. His advisers, the Council of Ten and the Sages of the Order all leaned forward as well.
"Indeed." Steven's mouth was dry, and he had to suck hard on his cheeks to provide enough saliva to continue. "With this spyglass, a watcher in the tower in the square outside -" whatever it was called, he thought desperately "- could see an invading fleet as it came over the horizon, rather than when it was almost on top of you."
The Doge nodded. "Indeed, an invention to rival the military compass that you designed. I would see this spyglass demonstrated on ships rather than paintings. Let us remove ourselves to -" he smiled slightly "- the tower in the square outside, which we Venetians refer to as the bell-tower of St Mark's. There we will test your claims against the fishing boats as they return for the night."
Steven breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed to be working.
And then he caught sight of the hawk-nosed Councillor glaring down at him, and his mouth went dry again.
The mist had closed in around them like the gauze backcloths