GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 131 



human race ; and who are told by some people, in- 

 cluding learned ecclesiastics, that it was more restricted 

 in its operation even than this ; and who finally hear 

 it said by men of undoubted orthodoxy that the 

 evolution of man from some lower animal, so far as 

 his ~body is concerned and so long as you do not 

 include his soul and his rational faculties, is con- 

 sistent with the Christian faith we, I say, who are 

 familiar with these non- literal interpretations of 

 Scripture, find it difficult to comprehend the stand- 

 point adopted and maintained with such tenacity by 

 the Cardinals of the seventeenth century. 



There were, moreover, other very cogent reasons 

 which, though not put prominently forward, may well 

 have worked upon their minds ; reasons, indeed, 

 which must strike the really thoughtful man. Let us 

 consider this one point. In old times, when the Earth 

 was believed to be the actual centre of the physical 

 universe, it was easy to suppose that it was the sole 

 abode of life. But if you believe that the Earth, far 

 from being such a centre, is only one amongst many 

 planets revolving round the Sun ; and, further, that 

 the Sun himself is only one of a mighty host of stars, 

 some of which may have planets revolving round 

 them, you naturally ask yourself immediately, are 

 none of these worlds inhabited except our Earth ? 

 Truly Scripture says nothing to contradict the opinion 

 that there are inhabitants and rational creatures to be 

 found elsewhere ; but, nevertheless, the history of the 

 Creation and ^Redemption of the human race reads as 



K 2 



