Nicolaus Copernicus Albert, Alexander Jagiellon, and Sigismund I the Old. He was a friend and key advisor to each ruler, and his influence greatly strengthened the ties between Warmia and Poland proper. Watzenrode came to be considered the most powerful man in Warmia, and his wealth, connections and influence allowed him to secure Copernicus' education and career as a canon at Frombork Cathedral. Copernicus is postulated to have spoken Latin, German, and Polish with equal fluency; he also spoke Greek and Italian, and had some knowledge of Hebrew. The vast majority of Copernicus's extant writings are in Latin, the language of European
Nicolas Rapin "La Douche"), and at times idealized and Neoplatonic ("L'Amour philosophe"). He also wrote eclogues praising the country life, as in Horace ("Les Plaisirs du gentilhomme champestre", 1575 and "Elegie Patorale pour un Adieu", 1581-3), epitaphs on war ("Le Siège de Poitiers") and occasional verse of consolation, victory and other matters. His satirical vein is most apparent in his contributions to the Satire Ménippée (1593/1594) which railed against the Holy League. Finally, his will and the 30 letters by Rapin that have survived are important documents of late-Renaissance humanism in France. Nicolas Rapin Nicolas Rapin (1535 – 16 February 1608) was