The private life of Galileo / compiled principally from his correspondence and that of his eldest daughter, Sister Maria Celeste.

  • Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642.
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The private life of Galileo / compiled principally from his correspondence and that of his eldest daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    320/330 (page 302)
    gregation having been informed that in consequence of the said book the false opinion of the mobility of the Earth and the stability of the Sun was daily gaining ground ; the said book was diligently examined, and was found openly to transgress the precept which had been made to thee, for that thou in the said book hadst de- fended the said already condemned opinion, which had been declared false before thy face : whereas thou in the said book by means of various subterfuges dost endeavour to persuade thyself that thou dost leave it undecided and merely probable. The which however is a most grave error, since in no way can an opinion be probable which has been declared and defined to be contrary to Holy Scripture. Wherefore by Our order thou wast cited before this Holy Office, in which being examined upon oath, thou didst acknowledge thyself to have written and caused to be- printed the said book. Thou didst confess that, ten or twelve years previously, after having received the precept above mentioned, thou didst begin to write the said book; that thou didst ask for a licence to print it, without signi- fying to those from whom thou didst receive such licence, that thou hadst a precept forbidding thee to hold, defend, or teach in any way whatever such doctrine. Thou didst likewise confess, that the said book is in more places than one so written that the reader might form an idea that the arguments brought forward in favour of the false opinion were pronounced in such guise that by their efficacy they were more apt to convince than easy to be overturned ; excusing thyself for having fallen into an error so alien, sayest thou, to thy intention, for that thou hadst written in form of a dialogue, and for the natural complacence with which each one doth view his own subtlety in showing himself more acute than the