GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 19 



certain theologians belonging to the Congregation 

 of the Inquisition technically called the Qualifiers 

 a copy of the propositions, the censure of which had 

 been demanded : 1st, That the Suri was the centre of 

 the world, and consequently immovable locally ; 2nd, 

 That the Earth was not the centre of the world, nor im- 

 movable, but moved round itself by a diurnal rotation. 

 The Qualifiers of the Congregation met on the 

 23rd February, and on the next day, in presence 

 of the eleven theologians who had been consulted, 

 the censure was pronounced. All declared that the 

 first proposition was foolish and absurd, philosophi- 

 cally speaking, and also formally heretical, since it 

 expressly contradicted numerous texts of Holy 

 Scripture, according to the proper meaning of the 

 words, and according to the ordinary interpretation 

 and the sense admitted by the holy Fathers and 

 theological doctors. All declared that the second 

 proposition deserved the same censure philosophi- 

 cally, and regarding theological truth, that it was 

 at least erroneous in point of faith. The next day, 

 25th February, Cardinal Mellinus notified to the 

 Commissary of the Holy Office what had taken 

 place, and the Pope desired Cardinal Bellarmine to 

 send for Galileo, and admonish him to abandon 

 the opinion in question ; if he refused to obey, the 

 Father Commissary, in presence of a notary and 

 witnesses, was to enjoin upon him a command to 

 abstain wholly from teaching such doctrine and 

 opinion, from defending it, or treating of it ; if, 



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