less creditable motives. Salviati and Sagredo
being well-known personages, it was inferred that Simplicio must also
have a representative. The enemies of Galileo are said to have convinced
his Holiness that Simplicio was intended as a portraiture of himself;
and this opinion received some probability from the fact, that the
peripatetic disputant had employed many of the arguments which Urban had
himself used in his discussions with Galileo. The latest biographer of
Galileo[33] regards this motive as necessary to account for "the
otherwise inexplicable change which took place in the conduct of Urban
to his old friend;"--but we cannot admit the truth of this supposition.
The church had been placed in hostility to a powerful and liberal party,
which was adverse to its interests. The dogmas of the Catholic faith had
been brought into direct collision with the deductions of science. The
leader of the philosophic band had broken the most solemn armistice with
the Inquisition: he had renounced the ties of gratitude which bound him
to the Pontiff; and Urban was thus compelled to entrench himself in a
position to which he had been driven by his opponents.

[33] Library of Useful Knowledge, Life of Galileo, chap. viii.

The design of summoning Galileo before the Inquisition, seems to have
been formed almost immediately after the publication of his book; for
even in August 1632, the preliminary proceedings had reached the ears of
the Grand Duke Ferdinand. The Tuscan ambassador at Rome was speedily
acquainted with the dissatisfaction which his Sovereign felt at these
proceedings; and he was instructed to forward to Florence a written
statement of the charges against Galileo, in order to enable him to
prepare for his defence. Although this request was denied, Ferdinand
again interposed, and transmitted a letter to his ambassador,
recommending the admission of Campanella and Castelli into the
congregation of ecclesiastics by whom Galileo was to be judged.
Circumstances, however, rendered it prudent to withhold this letter.
Castelli was sent away from Rome, and Scipio Chiaramonte, a bigotted
ecclesiastic, was summoned from Pisa to complete the number of the
judges.

It appears from a despatch of the Tuscan minister, that Ferdinand was
enraged at the transaction; and he instructed his ambassador, Niccolini,
to make the strongest representations to the Pope. Niccolini had several
interviews with his Holiness; but all his expostu