Yet it has been a force making for the progress of thought and of liberty, and it is still an active force. Human nature has not yet lost the tendency to rest calmly in its "habit of believing," to shut itself up in its finite world, refusing either to look abroad, or to look at itself from an external point of view; it is still apt to think "geocentrically," to take its molehills for mountains, while "underlooking," if the term may be allowed, the real mountains that are before it, to hold doggedly to one contrary, reject utterly the other, whereas the truth always lies in their unity. To these recurring foibles of humanity, and more especially, perhaps, of philosophic humanity, the fresh and vigorous writings of the Dominican monk and martyr of the sixteenth century will ever form a healthy counterpoise. ADDITIONAL NOTES 1. To p. 5 and p. 27, _Bruno's upbringing_.--In the _Infinito_, Lag. 362. 34, Burchio, the Aristotelian pedant of the dialogue, addresses Fracastorio in the following polite terms:--"You would be more learned than Aristotle--you, a beast, a poor devil, a beggar, a wretch, fed on bread of millet, perishing of hunger, begotten of a tailor, born of a washer-woman, nephew to Cecco the cobbler, _figol di Momo, postiglion de le puttane_, brother to Lazarus that makes shoes for asses!" It is almost incredible that any one should have taken these words as biographical or rather auto-biographical. They are in the mouth of a pedant and enemy: they are addressed not to the Bruno-character of the dialogue ("Philotheo"), but to Fracastorio, who temporarily takes his place as a well-trained disciple. Yet Lagarde, that amazing editor, gravely wonders whether the Dominicans did not know that their novice had been "postiglion de le puttane," or whether they were glad to forget it when they saw the pure and attractive young face! (_v._ Lagarde's edition of the Italian works, pp. 789, 798). 2. To p. 10. _The Arian heresy._--Before the Venetian tribunal Bruno explained his position with regard to the Arian heresy thus:--"I showed the opinion of Arius to be less dangerous than it was generally held to be, because generally it is understood that Arius meant to say that the Word was the first creation of the Father, and I declared that Arius said the Word was neither Creator nor Creation, but intermediary between the Creator and the Creation, as the word is intermediary between the speaker and what is spoken, and therefore it is said to be first-born before all creatures; through it, not out of it, have all things been created...." (Doc. xi. Bert. i. p. 403).