92 MEMOIR OF GALILEO. 



ten or twelve years. In 1618, three comets visited our sys- 

 tem, and engaged the attention of the learned men of the 

 time. Galileo was prevented by illness, from making obser- 

 vations on these erratic bodies ; but he became deeply in- 

 volved in controversy respecting them, and, it is asserted, 

 maintained the opinion that they were meteors. 



Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, a sincere friend of Galileo's, 

 was raised to the papal throne; and, although in ill-health 

 at the time, Galileo set out for Rome, to congratulate the 

 new pope on his elevation,, and secure a continuation of his 

 friendship. He was kindly received; and after repeated 

 audiences, the receipt of several presents, and the promise 

 of a pension to his son, he was dismissed by the pope with 

 every expression of friendship and regard. 



Galileo was scarcely free from the fangs of the inquisi- 

 tion, than his innate love of truth, and abhorrence of a sys- 

 tem which set the erring judgment of men superior to the dic- 

 tates of reason and the phenomena of nature, prompted him 

 to repeat his offences. In 1618, he communicated to the 

 archduke Leopold his theory of the tides ; and, in doing so, 

 alluded, in sarcastic terms, to the proceedings of the church. 

 The same spirit pervaded others of his writings. In 1632, 

 he published a work, under the title of the System of the 

 World of Galileo Galilei, demonstrating the Copernican 

 theory. To shield himself from Inquisitorial persecution, 

 he adopted a system of dialogue, in which three assumed 

 characters are exhibited in debate upon the respective sys- 

 tems. One of these takes up, and defends the system of 

 Copernicus ; another suggests doubts and difficulties ; and 

 the third stands up for the system of Ptolemy. This work 

 attracted great notice, and the church having committed 

 itself by denouncing the new doctrines, at once laid on its 

 strong arm to crush the audacious innovator of its dogmas. 



Proceedings w^re immediately adopted to summon Galileo 

 again before the Inqnhihion. Rcprese^t&Mcnr w<*rp 



