FORMAL ASTRONOMY. 535 



all persons who have studied the facts have arrived at ; 4 that Galileo 

 trifled with authority to which he professed to submit, and was pun- 

 ished for obstinate contumacy, not for heresy. M. Marini renders full 

 justice to Galileo's ability, and does not at all hesitate to regard his 

 scientific attainments as among the glories of Italy. He quotes, what 

 Galileo himself quoted, an expression of Cardinal Baronius, that " the 

 intention of the Holy Spirit was to teach how to go to heaven, not 

 how heaven goes." 5 He shows that Galileo pleaded (p. 62) that he 

 had not held the Copernican opinion after it had been intimated to 

 him (by Bellarmine in 1616), that he was not to hold it ; and that his 

 breach of promise in this respect was the cause of the proceedings 

 against him. 



Those who admire Galileo and regard him as a martvr because, af- 

 ter escaping punishment by saying " It does not move," he forthwith 

 said "And yet it does move," will perhaps be interested to know that 

 the former answer was suggested to him by friends anxious for his 

 safety. Niccolini writes to Bali Cioli (April 9, 1633) that Galileo con- 

 tinued to be so persuaded of the truth of his opinions that " he was 

 resolved (some moments before his sentence) to defend them stoutly ; 

 but I (continues Niccolini) exhorted him to make an end of this ; not 

 to mind defending them ; and to submit himself to that which he sees 

 that they may desire him to believe or to hold about this matter of the 

 motion of the earth. He was extremely afflicted." But the Inquisi- 

 tion was satisfied with his answers, and required no more. 5 



4 M. Marini (p. 29) mentions Leibnitz, Guizot, Spittler, Eichhorn, Eaumer, 

 Ranke, among the " storici eterodossi" who have at last done justice to the Roman 

 Church. 



5 Come si vada al Cielo, e non come vada il Cielo. 6 Marini, p. 61. 



