Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

I should choose; this needed to be someone whose personality fitted
my own, he needed to be a member of the Society of Jesus, 1 be
of strong bodily constitution and be daring and unrelenting when
faced with hardships and danger. At the same time, he needed to
be so well versed in both branches of astronomy 2 that, if I should
happen to be prevented from making the observation myself due to
failing health or some even worse stroke of bad luck, he would be
capable of accomplishing the aim of this expedition all by himself.
I knew that these gifts of nature and erudition were characteristics
of Honourable Father Joannes Sajnovics, at that time a famous
member of the Society of JESUS 3 and formerly a cherished assistant
at my Imperial and Royal Observatory at the University of Vienna,
but in that very year — 1767 — an adjunct of the Tyrnavian
astronomer, famous Father Weiss. Accordingly, I asked him by way
of a letter what he thought of the idea of undertaking this scientific
expedition along with me. He answered without any reluctance
whatsoever that he was more than willing to be my travel companion,
providing that his superiors would permit this.
My second task was to make sure that an experienced astronomer
was in place as a substitute of mine at the Imperial and Royal
Observatory of the University, someone capable of filling the role of
an Imperial and Royal Astronomer in case something should befall
me and bereave me of my life during my journey. In this respect
there was no need for deliberation, for I could not possibly propose
to our Highness the Empress anyone else as a substitute than Honourable
Father Antonius Pilgram. He too a member of the Society of
JESUS at the time, Pilgram was well versed in both branches of astronomy.
He was for seven years my cherished and beloved assistant
at the Imperial and Royal Observatory, where he lived during
that same period. Thanks to his contributions in the mutual task of
calculating our Ephemerides 4 and as a result of the observations he
had made in this Imperial and Royal Observatory and shared with
the community of astronomers through our printed Ephemerides,
1. “he needed to be a member of the Society of Jesus” is found only in a marginal
addition to B.
2. “Both branches of astronomy” refers to practical and theoretical astronomy.
3. “at that time [...] of the Society of Jesus” (id temporis de Societate JESV) is
here found in both A and B, indicating that this part of A has been written
after the suppression of the Society of Jesus.
4. “our Ephemerides”: The Ephemerides Astronomicae ad Meridianum Vindobonensem.
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