GIORDANO BRUNO 



to Paris, taking with him the proofs in printing of 

 several works which he published there. Since his 

 religious views did not permit him to speak from any 

 pulpit, he had himself made "Professeur Extraordin- 

 aire" of Philosophy. He attacked violently the 

 doctrines of Aristotle accepted then by most men. 

 His own metaphysical doctrines were founded on the 

 Platonic Philosophy, and leaned, as the latter did, 

 towards Pantheism. 



The disagreeable treatment that his opinions drew 

 upon him caused him to pass over to England about 

 1583. He was kindly received by Queen Elizabeth, 

 to whom he dedicated poems in which he compared 

 her to Diana, and found united in her the beauty of 

 Cleopatra and the genius of Semiramis. These praises 

 of a heretic Queen were among the crimes he was 

 charged with before the Inquisition. Sir Philip 

 Sydney also befriended him, as many others did at 

 Court. In London he published his famous book 

 " Spaccio Delia Bestia Trionfanti " (Expulsion of the 

 Triumphant Beast), and several other books of the 

 same nature. Among them was the " Cena delle 

 Ceneri " (The Supper of Ash Wednesday), devoted to 

 the exposition of the Copernican theory. In the 

 same year (1584) appeared his two great metaphysical 

 works, " Delia Causa Principio ed Uno " and " Del 

 Infinite Universe e Mundi." In 1585 he returned 



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