Page:The sidereal messenger of Galileo Galilei.pdf/118

 reader from following me. Thus then Galileo writes:—"But to come now to my second topic. Since Kepler has published in that recent Narrative of his the letters which I sent as an anagram to your illustrious Lordship, and since an intimation has been given me that his Majesty desires to be taught the meaning of those letters, I send it to your illustrious Lordship, that your Lordship may communicate it to his Majesty, to Kepler, and to any one your Lordship may wish.

"The letters when joined together as they ought to be, say this,

"For in truth I have found out with the most intense surprise that the planet Saturn is not merely one single star, but three stars very close together, so much so that they are all but in contact one with another, They are quite immovable with regard to each other, and are arranged in this manner, . The middle star of the three is by far greater than the two on either side. They are situated one towards the east, the other towards the west, in one straight line to a hair's-breadth; not, however, exactly in the direction of the Zodiac, for the