NICHOLAS
62
NICHOLAS
circle, which was refuted by Rogiomontanus [see
MiJLLER (Regiomontanus), Johann], The astro-
nomical views of tlie cardinal are scattered through
his philosoiihical treatises. They evince complete
independence of traditional doctrines, though they are
based on symbolism of numbers, on combinations of
letters, and on abst ract speculations rather than obser-
vation. The earth is a star like other stars, is not the
centre of the universe, is not at rest, nor are its jioles
fi.xcd. The celestial bodies are not strictly spherical,
nor are their orbits circular. The difference between
theory and appearance is explained by relative mot ion.
Had Copernicus been aware of these assertions he
would probably ha\e been encouraged by them to
publish his own monumental work. The collected
editions of Nicholas of Cusa's works are: Incunabula
(before 1470) in 2 vols., incomplete; Paris (1514) in 3
vols.; Basle (156.5)^ in 3 vols.
Dux, Der deutsche Kardirtal Xiko~ iaus ron Cusa und die Kirche seiner ZcU (Ratisbon, 1S47); Clemens, Giordano Bruno u. Nikotaits ron Cusa (Bonn, 1847); Zimmermann. Dpt Kardinal N. C. ah Vorkiufer Lcibni- lens in Sitzungsber. Phil. Kl. VIII (Vienna, 1852) ; Jager. Der Streit des Kardinals N. v. C. (Innsbruck, 1861) ; Hefele, Conciliengeschichte, VII (Freiburg, 1869): Scharpfp, Der Kardinal u. Bischof N. r. C. (Tu- bingen, 1871) I Gbube in Hist. Jahrb. d. aerres-GeseUscha.n, I (1880), Die Legaiionsreise; Uebinger, Philoso- phie d. N. C. (Wurzburg. 1880). dis- sert. : Idem in Hist. Jahrb. d. Gijrres- Ges., VIII (1887), Kardinnllegat N. V. C: Idem, ibU., XIV (1.S93), Zur Lebensgesch. des N. C; Idem, Die Gottestehre des N. C. (Miinster and Paderbom, 1888): B:rk in Theal. Quartalschr., LXXIV (Tubingen, 1892); Janssen. Geschichte des dcut- schen Volkcs, I (Freiburg, 1897). .3-6, tr. Christie (London and St. Louis, 1908) : Pastor. Geschichte der Pdpste, II (Freiburg. 1904), tr. Antrobus (St. Louis, 1902) : MARx,FerzeicAni.ss der Handschr. des Hospitals zu Cues (Trier, 1905); Idem, Geschichte des Armen-HospUals . . . ru Cues (Trier, 1907) ; Valgib, La Crise religieuse du XV' siicle (Paris, 1909).
J. G. Hagen.
Nicholas of Fliie (Db Cari.inm nl
Rdpe), Blessed, b. 21 March, Portrait in ihu h....i,iial 1417, on the Fliieli, a fertile plateau near Sachspln, Canton Obwalden, Switzerland; d. 21 March, 1487, as a recluse in a neighbouring ravine, called Ranft. He was the oldest son of pious, well-to-do peasants and from his earliest youth was fond of prayer, practised mortification, and conscientiously performed the labour of a peasant boy. At the age of 21 he entered the army and took part in the battle of Ragaz in 1446. Probably he fought in the battles near the Etzel in 1439, nearBaar in the Canton of Zug in 1443, and as- sisted in the capture of Zurich in 1444. He took up arms again in the so-called Thurgau war against Archduke .Sigismund of Austria in 1460. It was due to his influence that the Dominican Convent St. Katharinental, whither many Austrians had fled after the capture of Diessenhofen, was not destroyed by the Swiss confederates. Heeding the advice of his parents he married, about the age of twenty-five, a pious girl from Hachseln, named Dorothy Wyssling, who bore him five sons and five daughters. His youngest son, Nicholas, born in 14(57, became a priest and a doctor of theology. Though averse to worldly dignities, he was elected cantonal councillor and judge. The fact that in 1462 he was one of five arbiters ap- pointed to settle a dispute between the parish of Stans and the monastery of Engelberg, shows t he esteem in which he was held. After living about twenty-five years in wedlock he listened to an inspiration of God and with the consent of his wife left his family on 16 October, 1467, to live as a hermit. At first he in-
tended to go to a foreign country, but when he came
into the neighbourhood of Basle, a divine inspiration
ordered him to take up his ahode in the Ranft, a val-
ley along the Melcha, about :ui hour's walk from Sach-
seln. Here, known as" Brother Kl;uis", he abode over
twenty years, without t;ikiiig :uiy bodily food or
drink, as was est:il)lished through ;i careful investiga-
tion, made by the civil as well us (he ecclesiastical au-
thorities of his times. He wore neither shoes nor cap,
and even in winter was clad merely in a hermit s
gown. In 1468 he saved the town of Sarnen from a
conflagration by his prayers und the sign of the cross.
God also favoured him with niuiicrous visions and the
gift of prophecy. Distinguished iiersons from nearly
every country of Europe came to him for counsel in
matters of the utmost importance. At first he livefl in
a narrow hut, which he himself had built with branches
and leaves, and came dail)' to
Mass either at Sachseln or at
Kerns. Early in 1469 the
civil authorities built a cell
- inil u chapel for him, and on
2i) .^i^ril of the same year the chapel was dedicated by the vicar-general of Constance, Thomas, Bishop of Ascalon. In 1479 a chaplain was put in charge of the chapel, and tlieiiceforth Nicholas always rciiKiiued in the Ranft. When III I IM) delegates of the Swiss ciiiiii'ilerates assembled at .■^tuns to settle their differ- ences, and civil war seemed inevitable, Henry Imgrund, the pastor of Stans, hastened to Nicholas, begging him to prevent the shedding of blood. The priest returned to the (leleg;ites with the hermit's ciiun.selsand propositions, and civil war was averted. Nicho- las was beatified by Pope Clement IX in 1669. Numer- ous pilgrims visit the chapel near the church of .Sachseln, where his relics are preserved, on 21 March.
Ml /• '. <im Flue, seinLeben und Wirkenii
voU , I ■: I ' ' ON' Ah. Des seligen Einsiedlers Niko-
/«(/,s(' //.. - /.' 'h^h (Einsiedeln. 1887): Badmberger,
Der .-o'l. Mkol,iu.i run Fli,e (Kempten and Munich, 1906): .icia SS., Ill, March, 398-439; Wetzel, Der set. Nikolaus von Flue (Einsiedeln. 1887; Ravensburg, 1896) tr. into Italian, Mondada (Turin, 1888) ; de Belloc, Le bienheureux Nicolas de Fliie et la Suisse d'autrefois (Paris, 1889) ; Blake, A hero of the .Swiss Repub~ He in The Catholic World, LXV (New York, 1897), 658-673.
Michael Ott.
Nicholas of Gorran (or Gorrain), medieval preacher, and scriptural commentator; b. in 1232 at Gorron, France; d. about 129,5. He entered the Do- minican Order in the convent of his native town and became one of its most illustrious alumni. His tal- ents singled him out for special educational opportuni- ties, and he was sent accordingly to the famous convent of St. James in Paris. In this convent he subse- quently served several terms as prior. His piety and sound judgment attracted the attention of Philip IV of France, whom he served in the double capacity of confessor and adviser. In most of his ecclesiastical studies he does not seem to have excelled notably ; but in preaching and in the interpretation of the Scrip- tures he was unsurpassed by any of his contempo- raries. His scriptural writings treat of all the books of the Old and the New Testament, and possess more than ordinary merit. Indeed, in such high esteem were they held by the doctors of the University of Paris that the latter were wont to designate their au-
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