168 GALILEO AND HIS JUDGES. 



such right in toto ; but I contend that if you grant 

 the existence of this right at all, you cannot exclude 

 Physical Science from its operation. 



On the other hand, in the particular case of Galileo, 

 I have not attempted to defend all the proceedings 

 of the Cardinals of the Index and the Cardinals of the 

 Inquisition. For it must be remembered it was no 

 gentle rebuke with which the Copernican system 

 and the individual Galileo were visited; no such light 

 condemnation as that of placing on the Index of 

 prohibited books all Copernican works as being 

 inopportune, or again, that of a caution to Galileo 

 to be more prudent, was deemed adequate to the 

 emergency if, indeed, any one even thought of 

 them. 



So with the facts of the history before us, I think 

 any sweeping defence of the proceedings in question 

 would be unnecessary from an ecclesiastical point of 

 view, and from a scientific point of view untenable. 



Moreover, I must add, as an indispensable premiss 

 to the conclusion just stated, I have also maintained 

 that the censures pronounced by the Cardinals on 

 both occasions were not dogmatic decisions, such as 

 Catholic theologians hold to be infallible ; but dis- 

 ciplinary enactments, varying with the changing 

 characters of different ages. 



Then again, referring to the scientific questions 

 involved, we may see that Astronomy, considered 

 historically, is divided into three periods the ancient 



