no GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 



be heard with respect. One opinion is that of the 

 late Dr. Ward, whom I take as a representative 

 man on his side, though he is not the only writer 

 who has taken the view to which I allude, and it 

 is to the effect that the Roman Congregations acted 

 not only fully within their rights, not only within 

 their legitimate sphere, but that, considering all 

 the circumstances of their time, they acted wisely 

 and prudently ; that the fault was on the side of 

 Galileo and his followers, and the Cardinals could 

 not have done otherwise than they did. 



The other and opposite opinion has been stated 

 by no Catholic writer with greater force than by 

 Mr. Mivart ; and it amounts, so far as I understand 

 it, to this : that the Church has no authority to 

 interfere in matters relating to physical science, and 

 that the issue of the Galileo case has proved the 

 fallacy of her attempting to do so ; that without 

 entering into the discussion of what ought or what 

 ought not to have been done in former times, we 

 of the present generation have evidence sufficient 

 to show us that scientific investigations should by 

 right be free from the control of ecclesiastical 

 authority. The distinguished author to whom I 

 allude has somewhat modified his original state- 

 ments, and so I am in some danger of misrepresent- 

 ing him, but I think the above is a fair epitome 

 of his views on the subject; and at any rate I 

 feel myself justified in dealing with him as he 

 appeared in the widely circulated periodical in which 



