THE uncompromising boldness with which Galileo published and supported his opinions, with little regard to the power and authority of those who advocated the contrary doctrines, had raised against him a host of enemies, who each had objections to him peculiar to themselves, but who now began to perceive the policy of uniting their strength in the common cause, to crush if possible so dangerous an innovator. All the professors of the old opinions, who suddenly found the knowledge on which their reputation was founded struck from under them, and who could not reconcile themselves to their new situation of learners, were united against him; and to this powerful cabal was now added the still greater influence of the jesuits and pseudo-theological party, who fancied they saw in the spirit of Galileo's writings the same inquisitive temper which they had already found so inconvenient in Luther and his adherents. The alarm became greater every day, inasmuch as Galileo had succeeded in training round him a numerous band of followers who all appeared imbued with the same dangerous spirit of innovation, and his favourite scholars were successful candidates for professorships in many of the most celebrated universities of Italy. At the close of 1613, Galileo addressed a letter to his pupil, the Abbé Castelli, in which he endeavoured to shew that there is as much difficulty in reconciling the Ptolemaic as the Copernican system of the world with the astronomical expressions contained in the Scriptures, and asserted, that the object of the Scriptures not being to teach astronomy, such expressions are there used as would be intelligible and conformable to the vulgar belief, without regard to the true structure of the universe; which argument he afterwards amplified in a letter addressed to Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, the mother of his patron Cosmo. He discourses on this subject with the moderation and good sense which so peculiarly characterized him. "I am," says he, "inclined to believe, that the intention of the sacred Scriptures is to give to mankind the information necessary for their salvation, and which, surpassing all human knowledge, can by no other means be accredited than by the mouth of the Holy Spirit. But I do not hold it necessary to believe, that the same God who has endowed us with senses, with speech, and intellect, intended that we should neglect the use of these, and seek by other means for knowledge which they are sufficient to procure us; especially in a science like astronomy, of which so little notice is taken in the Scriptures, that none of the planets, except the sun and moon, and, once or twice only, Venus under the name of Lucifer, are so much as named there. This therefore being granted, methinks that in the discussion of natural problems we ought not to begin at the authority of texts of Scripture, but at sensible experiments and necessary demonstrations: for, from the divine word, the sacred Scripture and