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Study Guide
A Canticle for Leibowitz Chapter 12
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Chapter 12
- Marcus Apollo knows war is coming because a courier came back alive from Mad Bear's nomadic camp. Only a courier bringing Mad Bear a treaty to go to war could have pulled off such a feat.
- Nope, we don't know who these people are either. Just roll with it, okay?
- Apollo moves his way through the crowd to the punch bowl.
- Noticing a dead roach amongst the spices, he graciously offers Brother Claret the first glass before sharing the news of the courier.
- They are interrupted by Thon Taddeo, who wants to discuss the Memorabilia with Apollo.
- Taddeo wants to see if the documents are authentic. If they are, the knowledge will be invaluable. If not, then someone needs to say so. Right? Right.
- Apollo tells the scholar to just go and see, but Taddeo wants them brought to the collegium.
- The short answer: no. The longer answer: absolutely no way, no how, not a chance, not going to happen, no.
- Apollo does agree to talk the matter over later in his office, however.
- When Taddeo leaves, Apollo tells Claret he's being sent to New Rome to present Apollo's estimate of Mayor-royal Hannegan's upcoming war.
- Apollo must use Claret to deliver the report orally because a written correspondence is way too incriminating.
- Never leave a paper trail, Shmoopers.
- Next scene: Taddeo arrives at Apollo's study in the evening.
- He informs Apollo that his work centers on physics, and that a letter from a Brother Kornhoer mentioned Laplace, Maxwell, and Einstein. Yeah, we said it: Einstein.
- If the abbey really does have their work on file, Taddeo simply must be allowed to see it. (And make certain it's authentic.)
- Apollo wants to know why, and Taddeo takes him to the window. He points out a man with syphilis walking a donkey through the mud.
- This sounds like the start of a bad joke, we know. But Taddeo needs to understand how Mr. Donkey Man's forefathers created machines that flew, and harnessed the power of Nature.
- Apollo asks what he can do.
- Taddeo requests for him to write to the abbot of Leibowitz Abbey with assurances that the documents will be treated with the utmost of care.
- The novice deduces that the documents need to come to Taddeo because Taddeo's colleagues will argue he's been fooled otherwise. He's got to show other people the goods.
- Apollo really isn't too stoked to get involved in this whole mess, since he's pretty saintly and hates deception of any kind, no matter how nuanced or mild.
- He agrees to send the letter, but only if he can frame it as Taddeo's request, not his own.
- When Taddeo leaves, Apollo tells Claret he'll be delivering a letter to Leibowitz Abbey after delivering word to New Rome.
- Claret is then to hurry back so Apollo can give Taddeo what he's sure will be bad news. For Tadeeo, that is. As in: no way, no how, dude. You can't move our special Memorabilia.