Page:The sidereal messenger of Galileo Galilei.pdf/119

 star furthest to the west rises somewhat towards the north; perhaps they are parallel to the equator. If you look at them through a glass that does not multiply much, the stars will not appear clearly separate from one another, but Saturn's orb will appear somewhat elongated, of the shape of an olive, thus,. But if you should use a glass which multiplies a surface more than a thousand times, there will appear very distinctly three orbs, almost touching one another; and they will be thought to be not further apart than the breadth of a very fine and scarcely visible thread. So you see a guard of satellites has been found for Jupiter, and for the decrepit little old man two servants to help his steps and never leave his side. Concerning the rest of the planets I have found nothing new."

So says Galileo; but if I may do so, I will not make an old dotard out of Saturn, and two servants for him out of his companion orbs, but rather out of those three united bodies I will make a triple Geryon, out of Galileo Hercules, and out of the telescope his club, armed with which, Galileo has conquered that most distant of the planets, drawn it out of the furthest recesses of nature, dragged it down to earth, and exposed it to the gaze of us all. It pleases me too, now that the nest has been found, to consider