NEW CHAPTERS IN THE WARFARE OF SCIENCE. 739 



On the lOtli of May, 1859, Alexander von Humboldt was 

 buried. His labors bad been among tbe glories of tbe century, 

 and his funeral was one of the most imposing that Berlin had 

 ever seen : among those who honored themselves by their pres- 

 ence was the prince regent, afterward the Emperor William I ; 

 but of the clergy it was observed that none were present save the 

 officiating clergyman and a few regarded as unorthodox.* 



We return now to the sequel of the Galileo case. 



Having gained their victory over Galileo, living and dead, 

 having used it to scare into submission the professors of astrono- 

 my throughout Europe, conscientious churchmen exulted. Loud 

 was their rejoicing that the " heresy," the " infidelity," the " athe- 

 ism " involved in believing that the earth revolves about its axis 

 and moves around the sun had been crushed by the great tribunal 

 of the Church, acting in strict obedience to the expressed will of 

 one Pope and the written order of another. As we have seen, all 

 books teaching this hated belief were put upon the Index of 

 books forbidden to Christians, and that Index was prefaced by 

 a bull enforcing this condemnation upon the consciences of the 

 faithful throughout the world, and signed by the reigning Pope. 



The losses to the world during this complete triumph of 

 theology were even more serious than at first appears : one must 

 especially be mentioned. There was then in Europe one of the 

 greatest thinkers ever given to mankind — Rend Descartes. f Mis- 

 taken though many of his theories were, they bore a rich fruitage 

 of truth. The scientific warriors had stirred new life in him, and 

 he was working over and summing up in his mighty mind all the 

 researches of his time The result would have made an epoch in 

 history. His aim was to combine all knowledge and thought 

 into a Treatise on the World, and in view of this he gave eleven 

 years to the study of anatomy alone. But the fate of Galileo 

 robbed him of all hope, of all courage ; the battle seemed lost ; he 

 gave up his great plan forever. 



But ere long it was seen that the triumph was really a pro- 

 digious defeat. From all sides came proofs that Copernicus and 

 •Galileo were right ; and although Pope Urban and the Inquisition 

 held Galileo in strict seclusion, forbidding him even to speak re- 

 garding the double motion of the earth ; and although this con- 

 demnation of " all books which affirm the motion of the earth " 



* See Bruhns and Lassell, Life of Humbol(lt, London, 1873, vol. ii, p. 411. 



f For Descartes's discourajrement, see Humboldt, Cosmo.«, London, 18.51, vol. iii, p. 

 21 ; also, Lange, Geschichte des Matcrialismus, vol. i, p. 222, where the letters of Des- 

 cartes are given, showing his despair, and the relinquishment of his best thoughts and works 

 in order to preserve peace with the Churcli ; also, Saisset, Descartes et ses Precurseurs, 

 pp. 100 et seq. ; also, Jolly, Histoire du Jlouvement intellectuel au XVP Pifecle, vol. i, 

 p. 390. 



