GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES, 15 



title of Urban VIIL, is stated to have declared that 

 he was in all points of the same opinion as Galileo. 



Now it is quite true that incidental conversations, 

 passing, perhaps, through the hands of two or three 

 persons, are not to be greatly relied upon. It is also 

 to be remarked that men in the position of Cardinals 

 or ecclesiastics of high rank may often look with 

 toleration and even favour on opinions stated in a 

 guarded and hypothetical way, and yet, if called on 

 to pronounce an official judgment on such opinions, 

 would feel it a duty to pronounce against them. 

 Nevertheless, there appears considerable reason for 

 thinking that since Galileo's reputation stood so high, 

 and his ability was so manifest, he would have 

 escaped all censure if he had confined himself strictly 

 to stating his views on the Copernican system as a 

 scientific hypothesis, and had firmly resisted the 

 temptation (strong as it was) to allow himself to be 

 drawn into the Scriptural argument. 



This, however, it must be remembered, was mainly 

 the fault of his opponents. Unable to grapple with 

 the question in its purely scientific aspect, some 

 zealous anti-Copernicans turned to Holy Scripture 

 for support Scripture in its most rigid and literal 

 interpretation ; an interpretation, however, it must 

 in fairness be stated, enshrined in the traditions of 

 successive generations. 



It is said that a monk named Sizi went so far as to 

 maintain that the Bible contradicted the existence of 

 the satellites of Jupiter. If this be true (which one 



