1802. 
doftrine as true, becaufe you anfwered 
to the objeftions, which, from time to 
time, were brought againft you, taken 
from. the Holy Scripture, by gleffing 
ever the faid Scripture according to your 
own fenfe; and that afterwards, when a 
copy of a writing, inthe form of an Epiftle, 
written by you to a certain late {cholar of 
your’s, was prefented to you (it following 
the hypothelis of Copernicus), you ftood 
up for, and defended, certain propofitions 
in it, which are againft the true fenfe and 
authority of the Holy Scripture. 
This Holy Tribunal defiring, therefore, 
to provide againft the inconveniences 
and mifchiefs, which have iffued hence, 
and increafed, to the danger of our Holy 
Faith; agreeably to the mandate of Lord 
, and the very eminent Doétors, 
Cardinals of this fupreme and. univerfal 
inguifition, two propofitions refpecting 
the immobility of thé fan, and the mo- 
tion of the earth, were -adopted and pro- 
nounced, as under :— 
That the fun is in the centre of the 
world, and immoveable in refpe&t of lo- 
cal motion, is an abfurd propofition, falfe 
in philofophy, and formally heretical, 
feeing it is exprefsly contrary to Holy 
Scripture. 
That the earth is not the centre of. the 
world, nor immoveable, but moves even 
witb a diurnal motion, is alfo an abfurd 
propofition, falfe in philofophy, and, con- 
fidered theologically, is at leaft an error 
in faith 
But, whereas we thought fit in the 
interim to proceed gently with you, it 
was agreed upon in the Holy Con- 
gregation held befere BD. N. on the 25th 
day of February, 1616, that the mof emi- 
nent Lord Cardinal Bellarmine fhou!d in- 
_ join you entirely to recede from the afore- 
faid-falfe do€trine ; and, on your refufal, 
it was commanded by the Commiffary of 
the Holy Office, that you fhould recant 
the faid falfe doétrine, and fhould not 
teach it to others, nor defend it, nor dif- 
pute concerning it: to which command if 
you would not fubmit, that you fhould be 
cait into prifon; and, ia order to put in 
execution the fame decree, on the follow- 
wag day you were gently admonifhed in 
the palace before the abovefaid moft emi- 
nent Lord Cardinal Bellarmine, and after- 
wards by the fame Lord Cardinal, and by 
the Commiffary of the Holy Ojlfice, a no-’ 
tary and witnefles being prefent, entirely 
to defift from the faid erroneous opinion ; 
and that thereafter it fhould not be per- 
mitted you to defend it, or teach it, in any 
iaanper, either by {peaking or writing ; 
From the Port Folio of a Man of Letters. 
43 
and, whereas you promifed wubedience, 
you were at that time difmiffed. 
And tothe end fuch a pernicions doc- 
trine might be entirely extirpated away, and 
{pread no farther to the grievous detri- 
ment of the Catholic verity, a decree was 
iflued by the Holy Congregation Indicis, - 
prohibiting the printing of books which 
treat of fuch fort of doftrine, which was 
therein pronounced falfe, and altogether 
contrary to Holy and Divine Scripture. 
But the fame book has fince appeared at 
Florence, publifhed in the year laft paft, 
the infeription of which fhewed that you 
were its author, as the title was ‘© A. Dia- 
logue of Galileo Galilei,” concerning the 
two principal {yfems of the world, the 
Ptolemaic and the Copernican, as the’ Ho- 
ly Congregation recognifing from the im- 
preffion of the aforefaid book, that the 
falfe opinion concerning the motion of the 
earth, and the immobility of the fin, 
prevailed daily more and more; the afore- 
faid book was diligently examined, when 
we openly difcovered the tranfgreffion of 
the aforefaid command, before injoined 
you; feeing that in the fame book you 
had refumed and defented the aforeiaid 
opinion already condemned, and in your 
prefence declared to be erroneous; bes 
caufe, in the faid book, by yarious 
circumlocutions, you earneftly endea- 
vour to perfuade, that-it is left by you 
undecided,. and, at the lealt, probable, 
which muft neceffarily be a grievous error, 
fince an opinion can by no means be pre= 
bable which hath already been declared 
and adjudged contrary to divine Scrip. 
ture. | 
Wherefore you have, by our authority, 
been fummoned to this our Holy Office, 
in which being examined, you have on 
oath acknowledged “the faid book was. 
written and printed by you. And haye 
alfo confefled, that about ten or twelve 
years ago, after the injun&tion had been 
given you as above, the faid book 
was begun to be written by you. Alfo, 
that you petitioned for licence to publith 
it, but without fignifying to thofe who 
gave you fuch licence, that it had been 
prohibited you not by any means ta 
maintain, defend, or teach {uch doétrine. 
You likewife confeffed, that the writing 
of the aforefaid book was fo compofed in 
many places, that the reader might think - 
that arguments adduced on the talfe part, 
calculated rather to perplex the under- 
ftanding by their weight, than be eafily 
refolved ; excufing yourfelf, by faying, 
you had fallen into an error fo foreign 
from your intention (as you declared), 
becaufs 
