learing of my own character, I might return
home immediately; but although this new question regards me no more than
all those who for the last eighty years have supported those opinions
both in public and private, yet, as perhaps I may be of some assistance
in that part of the discussion which depends on the knowledge of truths
ascertained by means of the sciences which I profess, I, as a zealous
and Catholic Christian, neither can nor ought to withhold that
assistance which my knowledge affords, and this business keeps me
sufficiently employed."

It is possible that his stay was the worst thing for the cause he had at
heart. Anyhow, the result was that the system was condemned, and both
the book of Copernicus and the epitome of it by Kepler were placed on
the forbidden list,[33] and Galileo himself was formally ordered never
to teach or to believe the motion of the earth.

He quitted Rome in disgust, which before long broke out in satire. The
only way in which he could safely speak of these views now was as if
they were hypothetical and uncertain, and so we find him writing to the
Archduke Leopold, with a presentation copy of his book on the tides, the
following:

"This theory occurred to me when in Rome while the theologians were
debating on the prohibition of Copernicus' book, and of the opinion
maintained in it of the motion of the earth, which I at that time
believed: until it pleased those gentlemen to suspend the book, and
declare the opinion false and repugnant to the Holy Scriptures. Now, as
I know how well it becomes me to obey and believe the decisions of my
superiors, which proceed out of more knowledge than the weakness of my
intellect can attain to, this theory which I send you, which is founded
on the motion of the earth, I now look upon as a fiction and a dream,
and beg your highness to receive it as such. But as poets often learn to
prize the creations of their fancy, so in like manner do I set some
value on this absurdity of mine. It is true that when I sketched this
little work I did hope that Copernicus would not, after eighty years, be
convicted of error; and I had intended to develop and amplify it
further, but a voice from heaven suddenly awakened me, and at once
annihilated all my confused and entangled fancies."

This sarcasm, if it had been in print, would probably have been
dangerous. It was safe in a private letter, but it shows us his real
feelings. However, he was left comparatively qu