Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 67.djvu/146

amination at which. . . you answered like a good Catholic. . . . Therefore, having considered the merits of your case, with your confessions and excuses, and all that ought justly to be seen and considered, we have arrived at the underwritten final sentence against you. . . we say that you, the said Galileo . . . have rendered yourself. . . vehemently suspect of heresy. . . and that consequently you have incurred all the censures and penalties imposed. . . against such delinquents. From which we are content that you be absolved, provided that first. . . you abjure, curse and detest the aforesaid errors (and) heresies. . . in the form to be prescribed by us, . . . and we ordain that the book of the Dialogues. . . be prohibited by public edict.

We condemn you to the formal prison of this Holy Office during our pleasure, and by way of salutary penance, we enjoin that for three years you repeat the seven penitential psalms once weekly, reserving to ourselves full liberty to moderate. . . the aforesaid penalties. . . [signatures of seven cardinals—three not being present or not signing.]

The abjuration of Galileo is the last document of the pitiable history:

I, Galileo Galilei, . . . aged seventy years, arraigned personally before this tribunal and kneeling before you. . . swear that I have always believed, do now believe and by God's help will for the future believe, all that is. . . taught by the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church. But whereas—after an injunction had been judicially intimated to me. . . that I must altogether abandon the false opinion that the sun is the center of the world and immovable, and that the earth is not the center of the world, and moves, and that I must not hold, defend or teach in any way whatever, verbally or in writing, the said doctrine and after it had been notified to me that the said doctrine was contrary to Holy Writ—I wrote and printed a book in which I . . . adduce arguments of great cogency in its favor. . . and for this cause I have been pronounced by the Holy Office to be vehemently suspected of heresy. . . therefore desiring to remove. . . this strong suspicion, reasonably conceived against me, with sincere heart and unfeigned faith I abjure, curse, and detest the aforesaid errors and heresies. . . and I swear that in future I will never again say or assert verbally or in writing, anything that might furnish occasion for a similar suspicion regarding myself; but that should I known any heretic. . . I will denounce him. . . . I the said Galileo have abjured, sworn, promised and bound myself as above. . . this twenty-second day of June, 1633.

Of the foregoing documents it is necessary to say that most have been translated from the French of Delambre, as the English translations of Gebler were not accessible at the time of writing. It is believed that the extracts given accurately represent the originals. Certain phrases have been printed in italics to emphasize the essential facts of the story.

It is also necessary to inquire whether the documents, as printed, correctly state the facts of the trial of Galileo, his explanations, confessions and abjurations. It was certainly within the power of the writers of them to state these facts falsely, or to place them in a false light. Every one has to make up his mind for himself whether