This request was tacitly granted for the time being, and afterwards officially confirmed. To Galileo’s great surprise, no notice was taken of his presence at Rome for some time. Cardinal Barberini gave him a friendly hint, not at all _ex officio_, that he had better keep very retired in the ambassador’s house, not receive any one, nor be seen out of doors, as any other conduct might very likely be to his disadvantage.[331] Of course the _savant_, anxious as he was, scrupulously obeyed the admonition, and awaited the event in quiet retirement, though with great impatience. Not the smallest instruction was issued by the Holy Office; to all appearance it did not in the least concern itself about the arrival of the accused which it had urged so strenuously. But it was appearance only. For only two days after he came, Mgr. Serristori, counsellor to the Holy Office (the same to whom a year before Count Magalotti had, by Galileo’s wish, presented one of the eight copies of the “Dialogues” brought to Rome), called several times on Galileo, but always said expressly that his visits were entirely of a private character and originated with himself. But as he always discussed Galileo’s cause very particularly, there is good reason to think that he was acting under orders from the Holy Office, who wanted to discover the present sentiments and defensive arguments of the dreaded dialectician, that they might act accordingly at the trial,—a measure entirely in accordance with the traditional practice of the Holy Office. Niccolini put this construction on the Monsignore’s visits,[332] but not so Galileo. For although he perceived that in all probability they were “approved or suggested by the Holy Congregation,” he was far from thinking any evil, and was delighted that this officer of the Inquisition, his “old friend and patron,” should “cleverly give him an opportunity of saying something by way of expressing and confirming his sincere devotedness to the holy Church and her ministers,” and that he apparently listened to it all with great approval.[333] He thinks this course pursued by the Inquisition “may be taken to indicate the beginning of mild and kindly treatment, very different from the threatened cords, chains, and dungeons;”[334] indeed, while he assumes that these conferences are held at the instigation of the authorities, “and for the purpose of gaining some general information,” he thankfully acknowledges “that in this case they could not proceed in any way more favourable to him or less likely to make a sensation.”[335] However, in the sequel he was to discover soon enough, that they cared nothing whatever about making a sensation at Rome, and that even in this respect they did not spare him in the least.