120 HISTORY OF SCIENCE. 



absurd, philosophically false, and, theologically considered, at least 

 erroneous in faith. 



But whereas being pleased at that time to deal mildly with you, 

 it was decreed in the Holy Congregation, held before His Holiness 

 on the 25th day of February, 1616, that His Eminence the Lord 

 Cardinal Bellarmine should enjoin you to give up altogether the said 

 false doctrine ; if you should refuse, that you should be ordered by 

 the Commissary of the Holy Office to relinquish it, not to teach it to 

 others, nor to defend it, nor ever mention it, and in default of ac- 

 quiescence that you should be imprisoned ; and in execution of this 

 decree, on the following day at the palace, in presence of His Emi- 

 nence the said Lord Cardinal Bellarmine, after you had been mildly 

 admonished by the said Lord Cardinal, you were commanded by the 

 acting Commissary of the Holy Office, before a notary and witnesses, 

 to relinquish altogether the said false opinion, and in future neither 

 to defend nor teach it in any manner, neither verbally nor in writing, 

 and upon your promising obedience you were dismissed. 



And in order that so pernicious a doctrine might be altogether 

 rooted out, nor insinuate itself further to the heavy detriment of the 

 Catholic faith, a decree emanated from the Holy Congregation of the 

 Index prohibiting the books which treat of this doctrine ; and it was 

 declared false, and altogether contrary to the Holy and Divine Scripture. 



And whereas a book has since appeared, published at Florence 

 last year, the title of which showed that you were the author, which 

 title is : The Dialogue of Galileo Galilei, on the two principal Systems 

 of the World, the Ptolemaic and Copernican ; and whereas the Holy 

 Congregation has heard that, in consequence of the printing of the 

 said "book, the false opinion of the earth's motion and stability of the 

 sun is daily gaining ground ; the said book has been taken into care- 

 ful consideration, and in it has been detected a glaring violation of 

 the said order, which had been intimated to you ; inasmuch as in this 

 book you have defended the said opinion, already and in your pre- 

 sence condemned ; although in the said book you labour with many 

 circumlocutions to produce the belief that it is left by you undecided, 

 and in express terms probable ; which is equally a very grave error, 

 since an opinion can in no way be probable which has been already 

 declared and finally determined contrary to the Divine Scripture : 



Therefore by Our order you were cited to this Holy Office, where, 

 on your examination upon oath, you acknowledged the said book as 

 written and printed by you. You also confessed that you began to 

 write the said book ten or twelve years ago, after the order aforesaid 

 had been given ; also, that you demanded licence to publish it, but 

 without signifying to those who granted you this permission that you 

 had been commanded not to hold, defend, or teach the said doctrine 

 in any manner. 



You also confessed that the style of the said book was, in many 



