Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 95
Overview
Langdon and Sophie search a database for Saunière’s cryptic reference to a knight buried in London by “a Pope.” After several false leads, Langdon identifies Sir Isaac Newton as the knight and realizes the “Pope” is Alexander Pope, not a Catholic pontiff.
The breakthrough transforms the riddle from an apparent religious clue into wordplay, giving Langdon and Sophie a concrete destination: Newton’s tomb in Westminster Abbey.
Summary
At the research facility, Langdon and Sophie wait anxiously while Pamela Gettum’s computer searches for matches to Saunière’s verse. Gettum prepares hot drinks nearby, and early results about medieval literature, Wagner, troubadours, and Tarot contain Grail-related material but do not solve the riddle.
Langdon uses the search results to connect several references to the Grail tradition, including Wagner’s Parsifal, Mary Magdalene, troubadour songs, and Tarot symbolism. These findings reinforce the Grail theme but leave Langdon worried that the search may not identify the knight named in the clue.
The search then returns The Gravity of Genius: Biography of a Modern Knight, which identifies Sir Isaac Newton as an honorable knight buried in London in 1727. The result also links Newton’s tomb in Westminster Abbey to Alexander Pope, described as Newton’s friend and colleague.
Gettum initially dismisses the lead because Newton was buried in Westminster Abbey and could not have been interred by a Catholic pope. Langdon realizes Saunière’s wording is a double meaning: the “Pope” is not the head of the Catholic Church but Alexander Pope. The line “In London lies a knight A. Pope interred” points to Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb.
Sophie understands the revelation, and Langdon recognizes that Saunière’s clue has once again depended on precise wordplay. The discovery gives Langdon and Sophie their next destination and confirms that Newton, a Priory Grand Master whose science angered the Church, is the knight they must pursue.
Who Appears
- Robert LangdonLeads the database search and decodes “A. Pope” as Alexander Pope.
- Sophie NeveuAssists Langdon, questions the clue, and recognizes the breakthrough.
- Pamela GettumRuns the research search and initially dismisses the Newton lead.
- Sir Isaac NewtonIdentified as the knight in Saunière’s clue and the next target.
- Alexander PopeRevealed as the “Pope” who presided over Newton’s burial.
- Jacques SaunièreHis double-entendre clue guides Langdon and Sophie toward Newton.