[26] Osiander, in a letter to Copernicus, dated April 20, 1541, had endeavored to reconcile him to such a procedure, and ends by saying, "Sic enim placidiores reddideris peripatheticos et theologos quos contradicturos metuis." See _Apologia Tychonis_ in _Kepleri Opera Omnia_, Frisch's edition, vol. i., p. 246. Kepler holds Osiander entirely responsible for this preface. Bertrand, in his _Fondateurs de l'Astronomie Moderne_, gives its text, and thinks it possible that Copernicus may have yielded "in pure condescension toward his disciple." But this idea is utterly at variance with expressions in Copernicus's own dedicatory letter to the pope, which follows the preface. For a good summary of the argument, see _Figuier_, _Savants de la Renaissance_, pp. 378, 379. See, also, citation from Gassendi's life of Copernicus, in _Flammarion_, _Vie de Copernic_, p. 124. Mr. John Fiske, accurate as he usually is, in his recent _Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy_, appears to have followed Laplace, Delambre, and Petit into the error of supposing that Copernicus, and not Osiander, is responsible for the preface. [27] _Figuier_, _Savants de la Renaissance_, p. 380. Also, _Flammarion_, _Vie de Copernic_, p. 190. [28] The "proper authorities" in this case were the "Congregation of the Index," or cardinals having charge of the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum." Recent desperate attempts to fasten the responsibility on them as individuals seem ridiculous in view of the simple fact that their work is sanctioned by the highest Church authority, and required to be universally accepted by the Church. Three of four editions of the "Index" in my own possession declare on their title-pages that they are issued by order of the pontiff of the period, and each is prefaced by a special papal bull or letter. See, especially, Index of 1664, issued under order of Alexander VII., and that of 1761, under Benedict XIV. Copernicus's work was prohibited in the Index "_donec corrigatur_." Kepler said that it ought to be worded "_donec explicetur_." See _Bertrand_, _Fondateurs de l'Astronomie Moderne_, p. 57. _De Morgan_, pp. 57-60, gives the corrections required by the Index of 1620. Their main aim seems to be to reduce Copernicus to the groveling level of Osiander, making of his discovery a mere hypothesis; but occasionally they require a virtual giving up of the whole Copernican doctrine, e. g., "correction" insisted upon for cap. 8, p. 6. For scholarly account of the relation of the Prohibitory and Expurgatory Indexes to each other, see _Mendham_, _Literary Policy of the Church of Rome_. [29] See Fromundus's book, cited above, _passim_, but especially the heading of chapter vi., and the argument in chaps, x. and xi. For interesting reference to one of Fromundus's arguments, showing by a mixture of mathematics and theology, that the earth is the centre of the universe, see _Quetelet_, _Histoire des Sciences Mathématiques et Physiques_, Bruxelles, 1864, p. 170.