46 GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 



with a view of obtaining authority to print his book. 

 Father Riccardi upon this engaged Father Visconti, 

 who was a professor of mathematics, to read the work 

 and mark such passages as he thought necessary. 



Father Visconti reported that there were some 

 passages which required correction, and many points 

 that he would like to discuss with the author. How- 

 ever, the Master of the Sacred Palace gave leave for 

 the printing of the work, expressing at the same time 

 a wish to see it once more himself ; consequently it 

 was arranged that Galileo should return to Rome in 

 the autumn, in order to add the preface, and to 

 insert in the body of the work certain passages, 

 calculated to show that the question was being 

 treated purely as a hypothesis. 



Two untoward events, however, now occurred : one 

 was the death of Prince Cesi, a powerful and devoted 

 friend of Galileo, which took place on the 1st May ; 

 and the other was the outbreak of the plague at 

 Florence, a circumstance which interrupted com- 

 munications, and caused delays resulting in mistakes 

 and misunderstandings. With a view of having the 

 Dialogue printed at Florence, it was arranged that 

 the revision required by the ecclesiastical authorities 

 should take place there instead of at Rome. Father 

 Hyacinthe Stephani, a Dominican, who acted as 

 reviser, marked several passages in the work, thinking 

 that they should be explained before the final per- 

 mission for publication was conceded. 



Then followed mutual delays : the author was tardy 



