Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-22
CAIIrrnaarIarr

About the same time as Pofta arose
one OF the most remarkable men, Cali
leo Galilei, who is best known by his
christian name, who was born at Pisa,
of a noble Florentine family. He en-
tered the university in his nineteenth
year, and early devoted himself TO the
study of natural philosophy, and more
especially the laws OF mechanics. This
led TO an examination Of the rival sys-
TENS of astronomy-theP Ptolemaic and
the Copernican. He soon discovered
and proved the futile objections made
against the latter system, which were
founded on an ignorance Of the laws of
mechanics, or on some misapplied quo
tations from Aristotle, the Bible, and
the Fathers; and having also observed
that many VINO had at first believed the
former system, had changed in favor of
the latter, while none of those attached
to the latter bad changed to the FtOle-
maic, with other reflections he had col
lected he became q convert to the CO.
perniean system, and, in his old age,
its most conspicuous martyr. In the year
1903, he perfected the construction OF
his telescope, and this laid the founda-
ton of the brilliant discoveries in the
solar system which have rendered per-
feet that science of which the objects are
tine most remote. The Jesuits, who
entertained a most cordial hatred for
Galilea as he had joined a party by
whOIto they had been expelled from
Padua, reported to the inquisition at
Rome, his discoveries as dangerous to
religion, and he was openly denounced
from the pulpit. On his own justifica-
ton he wrote letters in which he repudi-
ated any attack on religion, stating that
the object of the scriptures was to teach
men the way of salvation, and not
to instruct them in astronomy,
for the requirement Of which they
were endowed with sufficient
Rome, and by an able defense silenced
his prosecutors for the time. The pope,
Paul ", assured him of his personal
safety, but forbade him teaching the
Copernican doctrine of the motion Of
the earth. The prosecution of the de-
testable inquisition was renewed, and,
in his seventieth year, he was again
summoned TO Rome. He appeared be-
fore the assembled inquisitors in the
convent of Minerva. A portion of his
sentence is too curious to be omitted:
BY the desire of his holiness, and of
this supreme and universal inquisition,
the two propositions of the stability of
the sun and the motion of the earth,
we're qualified by the theological quail
fiers, as follows; first, the proposition
that the sun is the center of the world
and immovable from its place, is absurd,
philosophically false, and formally heret-
ical, because it is expressly contrary to
Holy Scripture secondly, the PROPOSE
ton that the earth is not the center Of
the world, nor immovable, but that 1t
moves, and also with q diurnal motion,
is absud, philosophicslly false, and thu :
ologicslly considered, at least erroneous
in faith.n
After long declamstory erpose, from
one passage in which it has been sus-
pected that Galilei was put to the torure,
il concludes thus:
eve decree that the book Of the Dia-
logues of Galileo Galilei be prohibited
by edict; we condemn you to the prison
Of this office during pleasure; we order
you for the next three weeks to reeite
once q week, the seven penitential
psalms" etc.
To obtain so mild a sentence he was
obliged to abjure on the gospels his be-
lief in the Copernican doctrine. Rising
from his knees otter this solemnity, he
whispered to friend, "Eplsr se8suooe," T"
it moves for all that.