MEASURING THE VELOCITY. 41 



scure young man, stood nearly alone on one side, while 

 the multitude, with all the power and confessed knowl- 

 edge of the age, were on the other. 



The balls to be employed were carefully weighed 

 and scrutinized to detect deception, and the parties 

 were satisfied. The one baU was exactly twice the 

 weight of the other. The followers of Aristotle main- 

 tained that when the baUs were dropped from the top 

 of the tower, the heavy one would reach the ground in 

 exactly half the time employed by the lighter ball. 

 Galileo asserted that the weights of the balls would 

 not affect their velocities, and that the times of descent 

 would be equal. The balls were conveyed to the sum- 

 mit of the lofty tower — the crowd assembled round the 

 base — ^the signal was given — the balls were dropped at 

 the same instant, and swiftly descending, at the same 

 moment struck the earth. Again and again the ex- 

 periment was repeated with uniform results. Galileo's 

 triumph was complete' — not a shadow of doubt remain- 

 ed ; but, instead of receiving the congratulations of 

 honest conviction, private interest, the loss of place, 

 and the mortification of confessing false teaching, 

 proved too strong for the candor of his adversaries. 

 They clung to their former opinions with the tenacity 

 of despair, and he was driven from Pisa.* 

 * J^Iitchell's Lectures. 



