[88] Annalium Bolorum, libri vii. Ingolstadii, 1554.
[89] La Chiesa non ha mai dichiarati eretici i sostenitori del Sistema Copernicano, e questa troppo rigorosa censura non usci che dal tribunale della Romana Inquisizione a cui niuno tra Cattolici ancor piu zelanti ha mai attribuito it diritto dell'infallibilità. Anzi in cio ancora è d' ammirarsi la providenza di Dio à favor della Chiesa, percioche in un tempo in cui la maggior parte dei teologi fermamente credavano che il Sistema Copernicano fosse all' autorità delle sacre Carte contrario, pur non permise che dalla Chiesa si proferisse su cio un solenne giudizio.—Stor. della Lett. Ital.
[90] Lib. Fromondi Antaristarchus, Antwerpiæ, 1631.
[91] Newtoni Principia, Coloniæ, 1760.
[92] Histoire de l'Astronomie Moderne.
Chapter XIV.
After narrating the treatment to which Galileo was subject on account of his admirable Dialogues, it will not be irrelevant to endeavour, by a few extracts, to convey some idea of the style in which they are written. It has been mentioned, that he is considered to surpass all other Italian writers (unless we except Machiavelli) in the purity and beauty of his language, and indeed his principal followers, who avowedly imitated his style, make a distinguished group among the classical authors of modern Italy. He professed to have formed himself from the study of Ariosto, whose poems he passionately admired, insomuch that he could repeat the greater part of them, as well as those of Berni and Petrarca, all which he was in the frequent habit of quoting in conversation. The fashion and almost universal practice of that day was to write on philosophical subjects in Latin; and although Galileo wrote very passably in that language, yet he generally preferred the use of Italian, for which he gave his reasons in the following characteristic manner:—