THE TRIAL OF GALILEO. 393 



said by the two friends : some authors assert that Urban VIII. then 

 inclined toward the Copernican system ; others, on the contrary, say 

 that he demonstrated to Galileo the impossibility of maintaining the 

 theory of the earth's motion. The truth is, that we know nothing 

 about the matter ; neither the pope nor the astronomer has given out 

 anything about the nature of their conversations. Perhaps even, as 

 we shall shortly see, they believed that they could agree, while differ- 

 ing from one another widely. 



At all events, it seems that, dating from the accession of Urban 

 VIII. to the pontifical throne, Galileo felt more free to touch anew 

 upon the forbidden subject, under a different form. Was this the 

 result of an overweening confidence in the friendship of the sovereign 

 pontiff, of a too favorable interpretation of some friendly speeches, or 

 of the impossibility of being silent while Kepler was speaking boldly 

 outside of Italy, while on Italian soil one was constantly harassed by 

 ignorant opponents, and, though one's hand were full of truths, one 

 durst not open it and rout them. The " Dialogues on the Two Great 

 Systems of the Universe," which were destined to bring Galileo into 

 so much trouble, show that, in writing them, he stood between the 

 conflicting influences of a strong desire to speak and the fear of com- 

 promising himself. He rather insinuates his ideas with true Italian 

 finesse than puts them forth boldly. He does not defend the Coperni- 

 can system, but expounds it. He even takes the precaution of stating, 

 in a preface, the rough draft of which had been sent to him from 

 Rome, that the true aim of his work is to show that in Italy ideas are 

 not condemned unknown, and that nowhere is this delicate matter 

 better understood than in Italy. He carefully avoids drawing con- 

 clusions : the personage whom he introduces as the representative of 

 the doctrine of Ptolemy and as the defender of the belief in the 

 earth's immobility, though clad in the strongest dialectical coat of 

 mail, and though driven to his last ditch by the keen raillery and the 

 copious logic of his interlocutors, replies to them unmoved : " Your 

 arguments are the most ingenious that can be conceived, but I con- 

 sider them to be neither true nor conclusive." Father Riccardi, 

 Master of the Sacred Palace, whose business it was to examine 

 Galileo's manuscript, suffered himself to be half-way won by these 

 exhibitions of innocence, and gave a permit for the work to be 

 printed, though not without resistance. He afterward protested that 

 he had been deceived by the author, and that some of the conditions 

 on which he had granted the imprimatur were not fulfilled. At 

 first it was agreed that the "Dialogues" should be printed at Rome; 

 but at the earnest entreaty of Galileo leave was granted to have the 

 work done at Florence, where it would involve less trouble and 

 cost to him, and where, above all, he could more easily evade the 

 surveillance of the Sacred Palace. In this negotiation Galileo dis- 

 played a fecundity of resource and a force of will that show how 



