ADDITIONAL NOTES 



i. To p. 5 and p. 27, Bruno's upbringing. In the Infnito, Lag. 

 362. 34, Burchio, the Aristotelian pedant of the dialogue, addresses 

 Fracastorio in the following polite terms : " You would be more 

 learned than Aristotle you, a beast, a poor devil, a beggar, a 

 wretch, fed on bread of millet, perishing of hunger, begotten of a 

 tailor, born of a washer-woman, nephew to Cecco the cobbler, 

 "fgol di Momo, postiglion de le puttane, brother to Lazarus that makes 

 shoes for asses ! " It is almost incredible that any one should have 

 taken these words as biographical or rather auto-biographical. They 

 are in the mouth of a pedant and enemy : they are addressed not 

 to the Bruno-character of the dialogue (" Philotheo"), but to 

 Fracastorio, who temporarily takes his place as a well-trained 

 disciple. Yet Lagarde, that amazing editor, gravely wonders 

 whether the Dominicans did not know that their novice had been 

 " postiglion de le puttane," or whether they were glad to forget it 

 when they saw the pure and attractive young face ! (v. Lagarde's 

 edition of the Italian works, pp. 789, 798). 



2. To p. 10. The Arian heresy. Before the Venetian tribunal 

 Bruno explained his position with regard to the Arian heresy 

 thus : " I showed the opinion of Arius to be less dangerous than 

 it was generally held to be, because generally it is understood that 

 Arius meant to say that the Word was the first creation of the 

 Father, and I declared that Arius said the Word was neither Creator 

 nor Creation, but intermediary between the Creator and the 

 Creation, as the word is intermediary between the speaker and what 

 is spoken, and therefore it is said to be first-born before all creatures ; 

 through it, not out of it, have all things been created. . . ." 

 (Doc. xi. Bert. i. p. 403). 



3. To p. 33. Sidney and Greville. Greville had been a school- 



357 



