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,[11] 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 whilst the theologians
were debating on the prohibition of Copernicus's 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 quiet for a time. He was getting an
old man now, and passed the time stu