loy only concentric circles, others use
eccentric and epicyclic ones, with which, however, they do not fully
attain the desired end. They could not even discover nor compute the
main thing--namely, the form of the universe and the symmetry of its
parts. It was with them as if some should, from different places, take
hands, feet, head, and other parts of the body, which, although very
beautiful, were not drawn in their proper relations, and, without making
them in any way correspond, should construct a monster instead of a
human being.

"Accordingly, when I had long reflected on this uncertainty of
mathematical tradition, I took the trouble to read again the books of
all the philosophers I could get hold of, to see if some one of them had
not once believed that there were other motions of the heavenly bodies.
First I found in Cicero that Niceties had believed in the motion of the
earth. Afterwards I found in Plutarch, likewise, that some others had
held the same opinion. This induced me also to begin to consider the
movability of the earth, and, although the theory appeared contrary to
reason, I did so because I knew that others before me had been allowed
to assume rotary movements at will, in order to explain the phenomena
of these celestial bodies. I was of the opinion that I, too, might be
permitted to see whether, by presupposing motion in the earth, more
reliable conclusions than hitherto reached could not be discovered for
the rotary motions of the spheres. And thus, acting on the hypothesis of
the motion which, in the following book, I ascribe to the earth, and by
long and continued observations, I have finally discovered that if the
motion of the other planets be carried over to the relation of the earth
and this is made the basis for the rotation of every star, not only will
the phenomena of the planets be explained thereby, but also the laws and
the size of the stars; all their spheres and the heavens themselves will
appear so harmoniously connected that nothing could be changed in any
part of them without confusion in the remaining parts and in the whole
universe. I do not doubt that clever and learned men will agree with me
if they are willing fully to comprehend and to consider the proofs
which I advance in the book before us. In order, however, that both
the learned and the unlearned may see that I fear no man's judgment, I
wanted to dedicate these, my night labors, to your holiness, rather than
to any one