Page:Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia (IA cu31924012301754).pdf/230

 personal one." 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:—

A despatch of Niccolini's to Cioli of two days later explains the nature of this chief accusation:—

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