On 30th December, the fears mentioned by Niccolini in his despatch of 26th December were realised. On that day a papal mandate was issued to the Inquisitor of Florence, which said that neither his Holiness nor the Holy Congregation could or would tolerate such evasions; it must therefore be proved whether Galileo’s state was really such that he could not come to Rome without danger to his life. His Holiness and the Holy Congregation would therefore send a commissioner, with a physician, to Florence, who would visit Galileo and make a true and trustworthy report on his condition, and if he were in a state to travel, bring him a prisoner in irons to Rome (_carceratum et ligatum cum ferris_). If, out of consideration for his health, or other danger to life, his coming must be postponed, as soon as he had recovered and the danger was over, he was to be brought a prisoner in irons to Rome. The document concluded with the remark that the papal commissioner and the physician would travel at Galileo’s expense, because he had not obeyed the command to appear at Rome when his condition would have permitted it.[321] To avert these extreme measures from being actually carried out, the Grand Duke told Cioli to write to Galileo on 11th January, 1633, that he (Ferdinand) took a sincere interest in the affair, and regretted that he was unable to spare him the journey, but it was at last necessary that he should obey the supreme authorities. In order that he might perform the journey more comfortably, he would place one of the grand ducal litters and a trustworthy guide at his disposal, and would also permit him to stay at the house of the ambassador, Niccolini, supposing that he would, within a month, be released from Rome.[322]