THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF ITALY. 115 



unlike Italy in 1611, live in a day when mechanical wonders are 

 becoming commonplace. The whole relation of the Academy 

 with Galileo is full of interest. The Transactions of the Academy 

 give accounts of the members studying the heavens through Ga- 

 lileo's telescope. Cesi makes haste to write to his friend Stelluti 

 in April, 1611, of what he had observed. The moon he finds to 

 be " mountainous, cavernous, sinuous, abounding in water," and 

 the heavens are " either in a state of flux and not different from 

 our own air, or else are such as the Pythagoreans held them to 

 be." What a contrast to these days of revelation was Galileo's 

 second reception in Rome four years later ! In his work on the 

 solar spots he was led to espouse the Copernican system. This 

 was a heresy already tabooed. All the old warm friendships and 

 smiling faces became suddenly cold. Galileo still hoped to pla- 

 cate the authorities, and demanded a test by experiment to prove 

 the correctness of his hypothesis ; but this was the last thing his 

 enemies would have allowed. 



They remembered his challenge to the Aristotelians to test 

 their and his views on the laws of falling bodies from the leaning 

 tower of Pisa, and its result. 



The only pleasant feature about this whole unhappy affair is 

 the almost unanimous support and sympathy given by the mem- 

 bers of the Lincei. And this meant not a little sacrifice on the 

 part of the Academy, considering the condition of affairs at this 

 time. 



Throughout the long controversy with the Church, Galileo 

 received nothing but encouragement and assistance from the 

 Academy. 



Some of his greatest works were printed at the expense of the 

 Academy; and when one of its own members became Galileo's 

 accuser, the Academy censured and practically expelled him from 

 the body. Not the least among the splendid achievements of the 

 Academy was the publication of the observations of Hernandez 

 upon the natural history of New Spain (Mexico). 



This celebrated naturalist was sent by Philip II to New Spain. 

 The result of several years' faithful labor was embodied in a 

 voluminous work, with numerous illustrations, describing the nat- 

 ural objects of the country with such fidelity and thoroughness 

 that, in spite of the researches of more recent naturalists, it still 

 enjoys the highest reputation. The expense attending the collec- 

 tion of material, drawings, and specimens for this great work is 

 said to have amounted to sixty thousand ducats. Yet for fifty 

 years this manuscript was neglected, no serious effort having 

 been made to publish it. Then the indefatigable Cesi discovered 

 it, had three of his colleagues of the Academy — Terentio, Fabro, 

 and Colonna — to edit and annotate it, when the work was pub- 



