The Sleepwalkers (236 page)

____________________

With
that the first heading ended.

Five
days
after
the
hearing,
three
experts
of
the
Inquisition,
who
had
been
appointed
to
examine
the
contents
of
the
book,
handed
in
their
reports
which,
by
the
consensus
of
historians,
were
accurate
and
fair.
By
a
long
list
of
quotations
they
proved
beyond
doubt
that
Galileo
had
not
only
discussed
the
Copernican
view
as
a
hypothesis,
but
that
he
had
taught,
defended
and
held
it,
and
that
he
had
called
those
who
did
not
share
it
"mental
pygmies",
"dumb
idiots",
and
"hardly
deserving
to
be
called
human
beings".

To
pretend,
in
the
teeth
of
the
evidence
of
the
printed
pages
of
his
book,
that
it
said
the
opposite
of
what
it
did,
was
suicidal
folly.
Yet
Galileo
had
had
several
months'
respite
in
which
to
prepare
his
defence.
The
explanation
can
only
be
sought
in
the
quasi-pathological
contempt
which
Galileo
felt
for
his
contemporaries.
The
pretence
that
the
Dialogue
was
written
in
refutation
of
Copernicus
was
so
patently
dishonest
that
his
case
would
have
been
lost
in
any
court.

The
next,
unexpected
turn
of
events
is
best
described
in
the
words
of
one
of
the
principal
personalities
in
the
drama,
the
Commissary
of
the
Inquisition,
Firenzuola.
In
a
letter
to
Urban's
brother,
Cardinal
Francesco
Barberini,
who
was
one
of
the
judges
at
the
trial,
he
reported:
³³

"In
compliance
with
the
commands
of
His
Holiness,
I
yesterday
informed
the
Most
Eminent
Lords
of
the
Holy
Congregation
of
Galileo's
case,
the
position
of
which
I
briefly
reported.
Their
Eminences
approved
of
what
has
been
done
thus
far
and
took
into
consideration,
on
the
other
hand,
various
difficulties
with
regard
to
the
manner
of
pursuing
the
case
and
of
bringing
it
to
an
end.
More
especially
as
Galileo
has
in
his
examination
denied
what
is
plainly
evident
from
the
book
written
by
him,
since
in
consequence
of
this
denial
there
would
result
the
necessity
for
greater
rigour
of
procedure
and
less
regard
to
the
other
considerations
belonging
to
this
business.
Finally,
I
suggested
a
course,
namely,
that
the
Holy
Congregation
should
grant
me
permission
to
treat
extra-judicially
with
Galileo,
in
order
to
render
him
sensible
of
his
error
and
bring
him,
if
he
recognises
it,
to
a
confession
of
the
same.
This
proposal
appeared
at
first
too
bold,
not
much
hope
being
entertained
of
accomplishing
this
object
by
merely
adopting
the
method
of
argument
with
him;
but,
upon
my
indicating
the
grounds
upon
which
I
made
the
suggestion,
permission
was
granted
me.
That
no
time
might
be
lost,
I
entered
into
discourse
with
Galileo
yesterday
afternoon,
and
after
many
and
many
arguments
and
rejoinders
had
passed
between
us,
by
God's
grace,
I
attained
my
object,
for
I
brought
him
to
a
full
sense
of
his
error,
so
that
he
clearly
recognised
that
he
had
erred
and
had
gone
too
far
in
his
book.
^*
And
to
all
this
he
gave
expression
in
words
of
much
feeling,
like
one
who
experienced
great
consolation
in
the
recognition
of
his
error,
and
he
was
also
willing
to
confess
it
judicially.
He
requested,
however,
a
little
time
in
order
to
consider
the
form
in
which
he
might
most
fittingly
make
the
confession,
which,
as
far
as
its
substance
is
concerned,
will,
I
hope,
follow
in
the
manner
indicated.