84 GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 



thing " se contro alia mia purissima intenzione, per 

 mia inavertenza" by which he had been at all 

 disobedient to the order imposed on him in 1616 ; 

 and he had found there were some arguments, notably 

 about the solar spots and the tides, which he had 

 put too forcibly, and which he thought could be 

 refuted. As regards the latter of these two points 

 we may, I think, cordially agree with him in his 

 retractation ; but it had been a favourite argument 

 with him. He also stated on this occasion not 

 having, I fear, the courage of his convictions 

 that he had not held as true the condemned opinion 

 as to the Earth's motion, and was ready to write 

 something fresh in order to refute it, if the time 

 to do so were allowed him. 



On this same day (30th April) the Commissary- 

 General of the Inquisition, with the Pope's sanction, 

 allowed Galileo to be imprisoned, under certain con- 

 ditions, at the Palace of the Tuscan Ambassador, this 

 favour being conceded on account of his age and 

 health. 



He was again called before the Court on the 10th 

 May, and he then presented a written statement, to 

 which was appended the original of Cardinal Bellar- 

 mine's injunction, laid on him in 1616. It contained 

 certain prohibitions, but not the word "teach." 



He pleaded also that he had done his best to avoid 

 all fault in his book, which he had himself submitted 

 to the Grand Inquisitor. Now follows what seems 

 like more severe treatment, whether because he had not 



