“The microscope has made its way to Amsterdam and The Hague, but in Amsterdam they put only sputum and spermatozoa under their microscopes, in The Hague similarly only sputum and spermatozoa, whereas in Delft, sperm yes and sputum yes, but also teardrops. The result is that eroticism and the respiratory system are totally devoid of mystery throughout the Dutch Republic, but the sentiments, insofar as they are understood at all, are understood only in Delft.”

He peered into his telescope.

“And even in Delft not well.”

He peered into his telescope and wrote something down.