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,[1] 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,[2] 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."[3] We agree with Epinois,[4] that history requires more authentic testimony than that of an anonymous note.
- ↑ Ferry, author of the article "Galilée" in "Dictionnaire de Conversation," Paris, 1859, undoubtedly believes the story. But the man who makes Galileo be born at Florence, study at Venice, and become Professor at Padua directly afterwards, thinks that Galileo did nothing more for science after his condemnation, and that (in 1859) his works were still on the Index, can hardly be reckoned among historians.
- ↑ Louis Combes's "Gal. et L'Inquisition Romaine," Paris, 1876, is a pamphlet of no scientific value whatever, distinguished by astounding ignorance of the Galileo literature. The author complains that the original documents relating to the trial are buried among the secret papal archives, and that nothing more is known of them than what Mgr. Marini has thought fit to communicate! The publication, then, of the most important documents of the Vat. MS., by Epinois, 1867, seems to have escaped the notice of M. Louis Combes!
- ↑ Nelli, vol. ii. p. 562, note 2.
- ↑ Page 69, note 2.
