Page:Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia (IA cu31924012301754).pdf/287

 informed, the fallacy of the whole story is obvious; for the witnesses of this outbreak, his judges, in fact, would assuredly not have allowed so audacious a revocation of his recantation to escape unpunished; it is, indeed, impossible to conjecture what the consequences would have been; the recusant would certainly not have been released two days afterwards from the buildings of the Holy Office.

Although this dramatic scene is not mentioned as worthy of credit by any modern historian, it is different with the hair shirt in which Galileo is said to have performed the humiliating act. Libri, Cousin, Parchappe, and very recently Louis Combes, all gravely relate that the philosopher had to recant "en chemise."

The official document, although it goes very much into detail as to the way in which the oath was performed, says nothing of the shirt, and these authors should have said nothing either. The doubtful source in which this fable originated is an anonymous and very confused note on a MS. in the Magliabechiana Library at Florence, where among other nonsense we find: "the poor man (Galileo), appeared clad in a ragged shirt, so that it was really pitiable." We agree with Epinois, that history requires more authentic testimony than that of an anonymous note.