Galileo reaches Rome in February, 1632.—Goes to the Tuscan Embassy.—No Notice at first taken of his Coming.—Visits of Serristori.—Galileo’s Hopefulness.—His Letter to Bocchineri.—Niccolini’s Audience of the Pope.—Efforts of the Grand Duke and Niccolini on Galileo’s behalf.—Notice that he must appear before the Holy Office.—His Dejection at the News.—Niccolini’s Advice not to defend himself. On 20th January this palsied old man set out, borne in a litter, on his arduous journey to Rome.[328] Near Ponte a Centino, on the frontiers of the States of the Church, in the unhealthy flats of the vale of Paglia, he had to submit to a long quarantine, which, in spite of Niccolini’s repeated efforts, had only been shortened two days.[329] He could not resume his journey for twenty days, but arrived at length, on 13th February, at Rome, in good preservation, and alighted at the hotel of the Tuscan Embassy, where he was most kindly received by Niccolini. On the next day Niccolini informed Cioli that “Signor Galilei arrived yesterday evening in good health at this house.” He mentioned further that Galileo had already called on Mgr. Boccabella, not as an official personage, as he had resigned his office of assessor to the Holy Office a fortnight ago, but as a friend who showed great interest in his fate, and to take his advice as to the conduct to be observed. Galileo had already introduced himself to the new assessor. Niccolini concluded his despatch by saying that to-morrow, in the course of the forenoon, he[192] would introduce Galileo to Cardinal Barberini, and ask him for his kind mediation with his Holiness, and beg him, in consideration of Galileo’s age, his reputation, and his ready obedience, to allow him to remain at the hotel of the embassy, and not to be taken to the Holy Office.[330]
This request was tacitly granted for the time being, and afterwards officially confirmed. To Galileo’s great surprise, no notice was taken of his presence at Rome for some time. Cardinal Barberini gave him a friendly hint, not at all ex officio, that he had better keep very retired in the ambassador’s house, not receive any one, nor be seen out of doors, as any other conduct might very likely be to his disadvantage.[331] Of course the savant, anxious as he was, scrupulously obeyed the admonition, and awaited the event in quiet retirement, though with great impatience. Not the smallest instruction was issued by the Holy Office; to all appearance it did not in the least concern itself about the arrival of the accused which it had urged so strenuously. But it was appearance only. For only two days after he came, Mgr. Serristori, counsellor to the Holy Office (the same to whom a year before Count Magalotti had, by Galileo’s wish, presented one of the eight copies of the “Dialogues” brought to Rome), called several times on Galileo, but always said expressly that his visits were entirely of a private character and originated with himself. But as he always discussed Galileo’s cause very particularly, there is good reason to think that he was acting under orders from the Holy Office, who wanted to discover the present sentiments and defensive arguments of the dreaded dialectician, that they might act accordingly at the trial,—a measure entirely in accordance with the traditional practice of the Holy Office. Niccolini put this construction on the Monsignore’s visits,[332] but not so Galileo. For[193] although he perceived that in all probability they were “approved or suggested by the Holy Congregation,” he was far from thinking any evil, and was delighted that this officer of the Inquisition, his “old friend and patron,” should “cleverly give him an opportunity of saying something by way of expressing and confirming his sincere devotedness to the holy Church and her ministers,” and that he apparently listened to it all with great approval.[333] He thinks this course pursued by the Inquisition “may be taken to indicate the beginning of mild and kindly treatment, very different from the threatened cords, chains, and dungeons;”[334] indeed, while he assumes that these conferences are held at the instigation of the authorities, “and for the purpose of gaining some general information,” he thankfully acknowledges “that in this case they could not proceed in any way more favourable to him or less likely to make a sensation.”[335] However, in the sequel he was to discover soon enough, that they cared nothing whatever about making a sensation at Rome, and that even in this respect they did not spare him in the least.
At this period, as his letters show, Galileo was very hopeful. On 19th February he wrote to Cioli, that to all appearance the threatened storm had passed, so that he did not allow his courage to sink as if shipwreck were inevitable, and there were no hope of reaching the haven; and the more so as, obedient to his instructor, in the midst of stormy billows he—
“Was taking his course with modest sail set.”[336]
This instructor was Niccolini, who strongly advised Galileo “to be always ready to obey and to submit to whatever was ordered, for this was the only way to allay the irritation of one who was so incensed, and who treated this affair as a[194] personal one.”[337] It is clear that by this personal persecutor no other than Urban VIII. can be intended.
The same cheerful confidence is expressed in a letter of Galileo’s of 25th February to Geri Bocchineri. One passage in it deserves special attention. It is as follows:—
“We” (Niccolini and Galileo) “hear at last that the many and serious accusations are reduced to one, and that the rest have been allowed to drop. Of this one I shall have no difficulty in getting rid when the grounds of my defence have been heard, which are meanwhile being gradually brought, in the best way that circumstances allow, to the knowledge of some of the higher officials, for these are not at liberty to listen freely to intercession, and still less to open their lips in reply. So that in the end a favourable issue may be hoped for.”[338]
A despatch of Niccolini’s to Cioli of two days later explains the nature of this chief accusation:—
“Although I am unable to say precisely what stage Galileo’s affair has reached, or what may happen next, as far as I can learn the main difficulty consists in this—that these gentlemen maintain that in 1616 he was ordered neither to discuss the question nor to converse about it. He says, on the contrary, that those were not the terms of the injunction, which were that that doctrine was not to be held nor defended. He considers that he has the means of justifying himself, because it does not at all appear from his book that he does hold or defend the doctrine, nor that he regards it as a settled question, as he merely adduces the reasons hinc hinde. The other points appear to be of less importance and easier to get over.”[339]
It is in the highest degree significant that Galileo—as is evident from Niccolini’s report above—from the first decidedly denies ever having received an injunction not to discuss the Copernican theory in any way; all that he knows is that it is not to be held nor defended; that is, all that he knows fully agrees with the note of 25th February, 1616; and with the decree of the Congregation of 5th March, 1616. Accordingly he does not consider that he has gone beyond the orders of[195] the authorities, and thinks that he can prove it even from the book itself.
On 27th February the Tuscan ambassador had a long audience of the Pope, officially announced Galileo’s arrival at Rome, and expressed the hope that as he had shown his readiness to submit to the papal judgment and the enlightened opinion of the Congregation, the Pope would now be convinced of his devout reverence for spiritual things, especially in reference to the matter in hand. The Pope found it convenient not to take any notice of this indirect question, and replied that he had shown Galileo a special and unusual favour in allowing him to stay at Niccolini’s house instead of in the buildings of the Holy Office; and he had only done so because he was a distinguished official of the Grand Duke’s, and it was out of respect for his Highness that he had granted this exceptional favour to his subject. In order to enhance its value, Urban also told the ambassador that even a noble of the house of Gonzaga, a relative of Ferdinand’s, had not only been placed in a litter and brought under escort to Rome by command of the Holy Office, but had been taken at once to the Castle and kept there for a long time, until the trial was ended. Niccolini hastened to acknowledge the greatness of the favour, expressed his warmest thanks for it, and ventured to plead that in consideration of Galileo’s age and infirm health the Pope would order that the trial should come on soon, so that he might return home as soon as possible. Urban replied that the proceedings of the Holy Office were generally rather tedious, and he really did not know whether so speedy a termination could be looked for, as they were still engaged with the preliminaries of the trial. Urban had by this time become warm, and went off into complaints of Ciampoli and the rest of his evil counsellors; he also remarked that although Galileo had expressly stated in his “Dialogues” that he would only discuss the question of the double motion of the earth hypothetically, he had, in adducing the arguments for it, spoken of it as settled, and[196] as if he agreed with it. In ............