Seven years passed by, during which Galileo lived a secluded and studious life in the Villa Segni, at Bellosguardo, near Florence, without publishing any new work. How could he do so? The acceptance and further application of the Copernican system was the mainspring of all his scientific pursuits, of which, multifarious as they were, the principle of the double motion of the earth was both foundation and keystone. The general permission to employ the theory as a working hypothesis was of little service to him. The lofty structure of correct knowledge of our universe could not be raised on a pedestal of sand; it required the imperishable marble of truth. Galileo was compelled to withhold the results of his researches until, perchance, some altered state of things should change the mind of the papal court, at present so inimical to the Copernican cause. The publication of any researches in accordance with the Copernican system appeared especially dangerous, until the promised corrections had been made in the famous work of the Canon of Frauenburg, which had been temporarily placed on the Index. These corrections would give more precise information as to how they wished the new doctrine handled at Rome, what limits had been set by ecclesiastical despotism to researches into nature. Galileo watched with great anxiety the labours of the papal censors, and tried to hasten them through his friend Prince Cesi.[159] This eager interest in the earliest possible publication of the corrections is another thing which does not accord with the assumed stringent prohibition of February 26th. What difference would it have made to Galileo whether any facilities were offered for the discussion of the Copernican theory or not, if absolute silence on the subject had been enjoined on him? During this period, when he could not venture to have the results of his various researches published, he was careful to make them known to some friends of science by means of long letters, numerous copies of which were then circulated in Europe. Very few of them, unfortunately, have come down to us, but there is one of them that deserves special notice. It indicates precisely Galileo’s position: on the one hand he feels constrained to make way for the recognition of the truth; but on the other, as a good Catholic, and from regard to his personal safety, he does not wish to clash with ecclesiastical authority. This letter, too, adds weight to the conclusion _that there was no prohibition enjoining absolute silence on the Copernican theory on Galileo_.