Francesco Sizzi, a Florentine astronomer, took the matter up in a somewhat different strain from Kepler.[47]—"There are seven windows given to animals in the domicile of the head, through which the air is admitted to the rest of the tabernacle of the body, to enlighten, to warm, and nourish it, which are the principal parts of the μικροκοσμος (or little world); two nostrils, two eyes, two ears, and a mouth; so in the heavens, as in a μακροκοσμος (or great world), there are two favourable stars, two unpropitious, two luminaries, and Mercury alone undecided and indifferent. From which and many other similar phenomena of nature, such as the seven metals, &c., which it were tedious to enumerate, we gather that the number of planets is necessarily seven. Moreover, the satellites are invisible to the naked eye, and therefore can exercise no influence on the earth, and therefore would be useless, and therefore do not exist. Besides, as well the Jews and other ancient nations as modern Europeans have adopted the division of the week into seven days, and have named them from the seven planets: now if we increase the number of the planets this whole system falls to the ground." To these remarks Galileo calmly replied, that whatever their force might be, as a reason for believing beforehand that no more than seven planets would be discovered, they hardly seemed of sufficient weight to destroy the new ones when actually seen. Others, again, took a more dogged line of opposition, without venturing into the subtle analogies and arguments of the philosopher just cited. They contented themselves, and satisfied others, with the simple assertion, that such things were not, and could not be, and the manner in which they maintained themselves in their incredulity was sufficiently ludicrous. "Oh, my dear Kepler,"[48] says Galileo, "how I wish that we could have one hearty laugh together. Here, at Padua, is the principal professor of philosophy, whom I have repeatedly and urgently requested to look at the moon and planets through my glass, which he pertinaciously refuses to do. Why are you not here? what shouts of laughter we should have at this glorious folly! and to hear the professor of philosophy at Pisa labouring before the grand duke with logical arguments, as if with magical incantations, to charm the new planets out of the sky." Another opponent of Galileo deserves to be named, were it only for the singular impudence of the charge he ventures to bring against him. "We are not to think," says Christmann, in the Appendix to his _Nodus Gordius_, "that Jupiter has four satellites given him by nature, in order, by revolving round him, to immortalize the name of the Medici, who first had notice of the observation. These are the dreams of _idle men_, who love ludicrous ideas better than our laborious and industrious correction of the heavens.—Nature abhors so horrible a chaos, and to the truly wise such vanity is detestable."