The Sleepwalkers (212 page)

4.
The Denunciation

For
almost
a
whole
year
after
the
Letter
to
Castelli
nothing
dramatic
happened.
But
the
damage
was
done.
Copies
of
the
Letter
were
circulating
and
were
distorted
in
the
process,
then
even
more
distorted
by
rumour.
People
like
old
Father
Lorini,
who,
a
year
earlier,
had
not
even
heard
the
name
"Ipernicus",
got
the
impression
that
some
new
Luther
had
arisen,
denying
the
miracles
of
the
Bible
and
defying
the
authority
of
the
Church
by
means
of
some
mathematical
sophistries.
Typical
was
the
reaction
of
the
Bishop
of
Fiesole,
who
wanted
Copernicus
instantly
jailed,
and
was
surprised
to
learn
that
he
had
been
dead
for
seventy
years.

In
December
(we
are
in
1614),
there
was
a
public
scandal
on
a
minor
scale.
A
Dominican
monk,
Father
Thommaso
Caccini,
who
had
previously
been
censured
in
Bologna
as
a
rabble-rouser,
preached
a
sermon
in
the
church
of
Santa
Maria
Novella
in
Florence.
Choosing
as
his
text
"Ye
men
of
Galilee,
why
stand
ye
gazing
up
into
the
heaven?",
he
attacked
mathematicians
in
general
and
Copernicus
in
particular.
Galileo
promptly
complained
to
Caccini's
superiors
in
the
ecclesiastical
hierarchy.
As
a
result,
Father
Luigi
Maraffi,
Preacher
General
of
the
Dominican
Order,
wrote
to
him
a
sincere
apology.
"Unfortunately,"
wrote
Maraffi,
"I
have
to
answer
for
all
the
idiocies
that
thirty
or
forty
thousand
brothers
may
or
do
actually
commit."
¹⁹
The
letter
illustrates
the
contrast
in
attitude
between
the
higher
dignitaries
of
the
Church
and
the
ignorant
fanatics
among
the
lower
echelons.

At
the
time
of
Caccini's
sermon,
Father
Lorini
was
on
a
visit
to
Pisa.
On
31
December,
Castelli
reported
to
Galileo:
"From
what
I
hear,
Father
Lorini
(who
is
here)
felt
very
sad
that
your
fine
priest
had
let
himself
get
so
far
out
of
hand."
²⁰
But
a
few
days
later,
Lorini
was
shown
a
copy
of
the
Letter
to
Castelli.
He
was
profoundly
shocked,
and
made
a
copy
of
it.
On
his
return
to
his
convent
–
St.
Mark's
in
Florence
–
he
discussed
its
contents
with
his
fellow
brethren.
By
now
the
atmosphere
had
become
so
tense,
that
they
decided
the
Letter
should
be
forwarded
to
the
Holy
Office.
On
7
February,
1615,
Lorini
wrote
to
Cardinal
Sfondrati:

"All
our
Fathers
of
this
devout
convent
of
St.
Mark
are
of
opinion
that
the
letter
contains
many
propositions
which
appear
to
be
suspicious
or
presumptuous,
as
when
it
asserts
that
the
language
of
Holy
Scripture
does
not
mean
what
it
seems
to
mean;
that
in
discussions
about
natural
phenomena
the
last
and
lowest
place
ought
to
be
given
to
the
authority
of
the
sacred
text;
that
its
commentators
have
very
often
erred
in
their
interpretation;
that
the
Holy
Scriptures
should
not
be
mixed
up
with
anything
except
matters
of
religion...
Ever
mindful
of
our
vow
to
be
the
'black
and
white
hounds'
of
the
Holy
Office
...
when
I
saw
that
they
[the
'Galileists']
expounded
the
Holy
Scriptures
according
to
their
private
lights
and
in
a
manner
different
from
that
of
the
common
interpretation
of
the
Fathers
of
the
Church;
that
they
strove
to
defend
an
opinion
which
appeared
to
be
quite
contrary
to
the
sacred
text;
that
they
spoke
in
slighting
terms
of
the
ancient
Fathers
and
of
St.
Thomas
Aquinas;
that
they
were
treading
underfoot
the
entire
philosophy
of
Aristotle
which
has
been
of
such
service
to
Scholastic
theology;
and,
in
fine,
that
to
show
their
cleverness
they
were
airing
and
scattering
broadcast
in
our
steadfast
Catholic
city
a
thousand
saucy
and
irreverent
surmises;
when,
I
say,
I
became
aware
of
all
this,
I
made
up
my
mind
to
acquaint
your
Lordship
with
the
state
of
affairs,
that
you
in
your
holy
zeal
for
the
Faith
may,
in
conjunction
with
your
most
illustrious
colleagues,
provide
such
remedies
as
will
appear
advisable...
I,
who
hold
that
those
who
call
themselves
Galileists
are
orderly
men
and
good
Christians
all,
but
a
little
overwise
and
conceited
in
their
opinions,
declare
that
I
am
actuated
by
nothing
in
this
business
but
zeal
for
the
sacred
cause."
²¹