1 Galileo s Depositions before the Holy Office 1633 Galileo s First Deposition 12 April 1633 Summoned there appeared personally in Rome at the palace of the Holy Office in the usual quarters of the Reverend Father Commissary fully in the presence of the Reverend Father Fra Vincenzo Maculano of Firenzuola Commissary General and of his assistant Reverend Father Carlo Sinceri Prosecutor of the Holy Office etc Galileo son of the late Vincenzio Galilei Florentine seventy years old who having taken a formal oath to tell the truth was asked by the Fathers the following Q By what means and how long ago did he come to Rome A I arrived in Rome the first Sunday of Lent and I came in a litter Q Whether he came of his own accord or was called or was ordered by someone to come to Rome and by whom A In Florence the Father Inquisitor ordered me to come to Rome and present myself to the Holy Office this being an injunction by the officials of the Holy Office Q Whether he knows or can guess the reason why he was ordered to Rome A I imagine that the reason why I have been ordered to present myself to the Holy Office in Rome is to account for my recently printed book I imagine this because of the injunction to the printer and myself a few days before I was ordered to come to Rome not to issue anymore of these book and similarly because the printer was by the Father Inquisitor to send the original manuscript of my book to the Holy Office in Rome Q That he explain the character of the book on account of which he thinks he was ordered to come to Rome A It is a book written in dialogue form and it treats of the constitution of the world that is of the two chief systems and the arrangement of the heavens and the elements Q Whether if he were shown the said book he is prepared to identify it as his A I hope so I hope that if the book is shown me I shall recognize it And having been shown one of the books printed in Florence in 1632 whose title is Dialogue of Galileo Galilei Lincean etc which examines the two systems of the world and having looked at it and inspected it carefully he said I know this book very well it is one of those printed in Florence and I acknowledge it as mine and written by me 2 Q Whether he likewise acknowledges each and every thing contained in the said book as his A I know this book shown to me for it is one of those printed in Florence and I acknowledge all it contains as having been written by me Q When and where he composed the said book and how long it took him A In regard to the place I composed it in Florence beginning ten or twelve years ago and it must have taken me seven or eight years but not continuously Q Whether he was in Rome other times especially in the year 1616 and for what occasion A I was in Rome in the year 1616 then I was here in the second year of His Holiness Urban VIII s pontificate and lastly I was here three years ago the occasion being that I wanted to have my book printed The occasion for my being in Rome in the year 1616 was that having heard objections to Nicolaus Copernicus s opinion on the earth s motion the sun s stability and the arrangement of the heavenly spheres in order to be sure of holding only holy and Catholic opinions I came to hear what was proper to hold in regard to this topic Q Whether he came of his own accord or was summoned what the reason was why he was summoned and with which person or persons he discussed the above mentioned topics A In 1616 I came to Rome of my own accord without being summoned for the reason I mentioned In Rome I discussed this matter with some cardinals who oversaw the Holy Office at that time especially with Cardinals Bellarmine Aracoeli San Eusebio Bonsi and d Ascoli Q What specifically he discussed with the above mentioned cardinals A The occasion for discussing with the said cardinals was that they wanted to be informed about Copernicus s doctrine his book being very difficult to understand for those who are not professional mathematicians and astronomers In particular they wanted to understand the arrangement of the heavenly spheres according to Copernicus s hypothesis how he places the sun at the center of the planets orbits how around the sun he places next the orbit of Mercury around the latter that of Venus then the moon around the earth and around this Mars Jupiter and Saturn and in regard to motion he makes the sun stationary at the center and the earth turn on itself and around the sun that is on itself with the diurnal motion and around the sun with the annual motion Q Since as he says he came to Rome to be able to have the resolution and the truth regarding the above what then was decided about this matter A Regarding the controversy which centered on the above mentioned opinion of the sun s stability and earth s motion it was decided by the Holy Congregation of the Index that this opinion taken absolutely is repugnant to Holy Scripture and is to be admitted only suppositionally in the way that Copernicus takes it Q Whether he was then notified of the said decision and by whom A I was indeed notified of the said decision of the Congregation of the Index and I was notified 3 by Lord Cardinal Bellarmine Q What the Most Eminent Bellarmine told him about the said decision whether he said anything else about the matter and if so what A Lord Cardinal Bellarmine told me that Copernicus s opinion could be held suppositionally as Copernicus himself had held it His Eminence knew that I held it suppositionally namely in the way that Copernicus held it as you can see from an answer by the same Lord Cardinal to a letter of Father Master Paolo Antonio Foscarini Provincial of the Carmelites I have a copy of this and in it one finds these words I say that it seems to me that Your Paternity and Mr Galileo are proceeding prudently by limiting yourselves to speaking suppositionally and not absolutely This letter by the said Lord Cardinal is dated 12 April 1615 Moreover he told me that otherwise namely taken absolutely the opinion could be neither held nor defended Q What was decided and then made known to him precisely in the month of February 1616 A In the month of February 1616 Lord Cardinal Bellarmine told me that since Copernicus s opinion taken absolutely was contrary to Holy Scripture it could be neither held nor defended but it could be taken and used suppositionally In conformity with this I keep a …
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