GALILEO. 119 



of the folly of opposing narrow and literal interpretations of Scripture 

 to conclusions which science has verified by her own method, we shall 

 give a literal translation of the full text of both documents. 



THE SENTENCE OF THE INQUISITION ON GALILEO. 



We, Gasparo del titolo di S. Croce, in Gierusalemme Borgia ; 



Fra Felice Centino del titolo di S. Anastasis, detto d'Ascoli; 



Guido del titolo di S. Maria del Popolo Bcntivoglio ; 



Fra Desiderio Scaglia del titolo di S. Carlo, detto di Cremona : 



Fra Antonio Barbarina, detto di S. Onofrio ; 



Landivio Zacchia del titolo di S. Pietro in Vincola, detto di S. 

 Sisto ; 



Ber linger o del titolo di S. Agostino Gesst ; 



Fabrido del titolo di S. Lorenzo, in pane eperna Verospi chiamato 

 Prete; 



Francesco di S. Lorenzo, in Damaso Barbarino ; e 



Martio di S. Maria Nuova, Ginetti Diaconi; 



by the Grace of God, Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, In- 

 quisitors-General throughout the whole Christian Republic, Special 

 Deputies of the Holy Apostolical Chair against heretical depravity, 



Whereas you, Galileo, son of the late Vincenzo Galilei of Florence, 

 aged seventy years, were denounced in 1615 to this Holy Office, for 

 holding as true the false doctrine taught by many, namely, that the 

 sun is immovable in the centre of the world, and that the earth 

 moves, and also with a diurnal motion ; also for having pupils whom 

 you instructed in the same opinions; also for maintaining a cor- 

 respondence on the same with some German mathematicians ; also 

 for publishing certain letters on the solar spots, in which you de- 

 veloped the same doctrine as true ; also for answering the objections 

 which were continually produced from the Holy Scriptures, by glozing 

 the said Scriptures according to your own meaning ; and whereas there- 

 upon was produced the copy of a writing, in form of a letter, pro- 

 fessedly written by you to a person formerly your pupil, in which, fol- 

 lowing the hypotheses of Copernicus, you include several propositions 

 contrary to the true sense and authority of the Holy Scripture ; 



Therefore this holy tribunal being desirous of providing against the 

 disorder and mischief thence proceeding and increasing to the detri- 

 ment of the holy faith, by the desire of His Holiness, and of the Most 

 Eminent Lords Cardinals of this supreme and universal Inquisition, 

 the two propositions of the stability of the sun, and motion of the earth, 

 were qualified by the Theological Qualifiers as follows : 



The proposition that the sun is in the centre of the \vorld and im- 

 movable from its place is absurd, philosophically false, and formally 

 heretical, because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture. 



The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world, nor 

 immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurpal motion, is also 



