"Follower VII"

Pleasing words were not necessarily sincere. Imagine the serpent in Eden tempting Eve to pick the forbidden fruit—would it keep reminding her that the fruit was not to be eaten?

Material inducement was one of Satan's reliable tricks. Depending on local policies, reporting a "witch" could earn a reward if the accusation was upheld. If she also happened to be Kepler's mother, ruining Kepler's reputation could give the priest a chance at promotion as well.

As for Ursula, perhaps she had a personal grudge against Katharina, or perhaps her mind was no longer clear. Late-stage syphilis could spread throughout the body and leave a person unable to walk. She had little left to lose. Even merely to take revenge on society and make others suffer as she did, she would slander someone.

If Kepler did not return to investigate and verify the matter, his mother would surely die in disgrace, and he himself would be implicated.

Kepler did not spell it out; perhaps he was giving Ursula one last shred of dignity. People of that era lacked medical knowledge, and illiteracy was common. Perhaps they did not understand what Kepler meant.

If he had been the sort of person who, when trouble arose in his family, cut ties with them to avoid being implicated himself, then his mother's grievance would never have been redressed.

Epilepsy was regarded as "possession" in the Middle Ages. His younger brother Heinrich had practically no hope left. People trapped in such circumstances easily became bitter and resentful, especially when he had such a famous elder brother, as though Kepler had stolen all the glory for himself.

Infighting within one's own family served no purpose but to grieve those who loved them and delight their enemies.

But perhaps Kepler had fabricated a lie, using an apparently