GALILEO GALILEI. 21 



Galileo's son Vincenzo had married and brought 

 his wife home to . live. Strange fortune for this 

 man of genius ! Strange that he must have help- 

 less relatives, and constant pecuniary troubles. 

 Most great lives are as pathetic as they are great. 



As ever, the one gleam of light was the daily let- 

 ter from Maria Celeste, in which she expressed a 

 tenderness beyond what any daughter ever had for 

 a father. "But I do not know how to express my- 

 self, except by saying that I love you better than 

 myself. For, after God, I belong to you ; and 

 your kindnesses are so numberless that I feel I 

 could put my life in peril, were it to save you from 

 any trouble, excepting only that I would not offend 

 His Divine Majesty. 77 



Finally Galileo moved to Arcetri, over against 

 the convent, to be near the one who alone satisfied 

 his heart. 



In January, 1632, the "Dialogues" appeared. 

 Copies were sent to his friends and disciples 

 throughout Italy. The whole country applauded, 

 and at last Galileo seemed to have won the homage 

 he had so long deserved. 



But a storm was gathering. Enemies were at 

 work prejudicing the mind of Urban VIII., making 

 him feel that Galileo had wrought evil to the 

 church. At once an order came from the Inquisi- 

 tion to secure every copy in' the booksellers' shops 

 throughout Italy, and to forward all copies to 

 Rome. 



In October of the same year of publication, 



