GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. St 



8. Having wrongly attributed the tides to the 

 stability of the Sun and mobility of the 

 Earth, which things do not exist. 



It must be observed that all this was merely of the 

 nature of an accusation, and was in no way an eccle- 

 siastical decision. 



It appears, too, that some apprehensions were en- 

 tertained in Rome that false philosophical and theo- 

 logical doctrines might be drawn out of the opinion 

 put forth by Galileo. No. 6 of the above-mentioned 

 accusations points in that direction. 



At any rate, no time was lost in summoning the 

 philosopher to Rome, there to answer for his offences. 

 A message to that effect was communicated to him by 

 the Inquisitor at Florence, on the 1st October. Upon 

 this, Galileo, anxious to gain time, and to excuse 

 himself from going to Rome, if it were possible to 

 do so, wrote to Cardinal Barberini, and sought the 

 powerful advocacy of the Grand Duke of Tuscany ; 

 he urged his infirm health, and advanced age, nearly 

 seventy years, as grounds for consideration. It was 

 intimated to him, however, that although some little 

 time would be allowed him on the ground of health, 

 yet to Rome he must come ; and a threat was added, 

 through the Inquisitor at Florence, of bringing him 

 fettered as a prisoner if it turned out that his health 

 was not really such as he represented it to be. So at 

 last he yielded, and started for Rome on the 20th 

 January, 1633, and, travelling very slowly, arrived 



