n6 GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 



or irreligious character may from time to time be 

 put on the Index of prohibited books ; but the 

 Church will probably leave purely scientific hypotheses 

 of all kinds to find their own level, and to stand or 

 fall, as the case may be. 



There remains one objection, brought forward by 

 Mr. Koberts, which I may notice. It is one of the 

 condemned propositions recited in the well-known 

 " Syllabus," that the decrees of the Apostolic See and 

 the Eoman Congregations hinder the free progress of 

 science. But can any one honestly say that they do ? 

 It is one thing to admit that the Church may for 

 certain reasons put an occasional and temporary check 

 on the study of some particular science ; another, to 

 accuse her of generally and systematically hindering 

 the progress of knowledge ; for be it observed that 

 the Latin word, scientia, from which the above is 

 translated, does not merely mean physical science. 



The Catholic Church has put strong restrictions on 

 the use of vernacular translations of Holy Scripture 

 restrictions which, though greatly modified in practice, 

 are not yet abolished but a proposition stating 

 broadly that the Church was opposed to the study of 

 Scripture would be condemned, and very justly so. 



I now come to deal with the other extreme opinion, 

 if I may venture so to call it that maintained by the 

 late Dr. Ward, and others to the effect that not only 

 has the Church a right to condemn this or that 

 scientific theory, but that the exercise of such right, 

 as practically exemplified in the prohibition of certain 



