6 GALILEO GALILEI. 



thing, he might in others, and this young man 

 would revolutionize the teaching of the times ! 



The feeling became so strong against the inves- 

 tigator that after three years at Pisa he resigned. 

 When will the world learn toleration for those 

 whose opinions are different from the popular 

 thought ? From Galileo to Darwin we have per- 

 secuted the men and women whose views were 

 unlike our own in theology, in science, or in social 

 matters. 



Through his friend, the Marquis Guidubaldq, the 

 mathematical professorship at Padua was obtained 

 for Galileo. He was now twenty-nine, and becom- 

 ing widely known throughout Italy. His father 

 had just died, leaving the whole family, a wife and 

 four children, dependent upon him for support ; 

 not a small matter for an ambitious and hard- 

 working professor. 



Padua gave the young man cordial welcome. 

 Vincenzo Pirielli, a learned nobleman, who pos- 

 sessed eighty thousand volumes, mentioned him to 

 Tycho Brahe, the great Danish astronomer, as a 

 man whom it would be well to cultivate ; but the 

 Dane was too cautious about his own reputation, 

 and did not write Galileo till eight years later, 

 and died the following year. 



An associate of Tycho Brahe was wiser than his 

 master, and sent Galileo his new book, " Prodromus 

 Dissertationum Cdsmographicum." A warm letter 

 of thanks went back to the immortal John Kepler, 

 saying : " Many years ago I became a convert to 



