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CHAPTER V.

THE SUMMONS TO ROME.

Niccolini's Attempt to avert the Trial.—The Pope's Parable.—The Mandate summoning Galileo to Rome.—His Grief and Consternation.—His Letter to Cardinal Barberini.—Renewed Order to come to Rome.— Niccolini's fruitless Efforts to save him.—Medical Certificate that he was unfit to Travel.—Castelli's hopeful View of the Case.—Threat to bring him to Rome as a Prisoner.—The Grand Duke advises him to go.—His Powerlessness to protect his Servant.—Galileo's Mistake in leaving Venice.—Letter to Elia Diodati.

 

Only a few days later, on 15th September, the Pope informed the Tuscan ambassador through one of his secretaries, Pietro Benessi, that he (Urban) hereby notified to him, out of esteem for his Highness the Grand Duke, that he could do no less than hand Galileo's affairs over to the Inquisition. At the same time the strictest secrecy as to this information was enjoined both on the Grand Duke and Niccolini, with a threat that otherwise they would be proceeded against according to the statutes of the Holy Office.^[1]

Niccolini was astounded by this news, and hastened, two days afterwards, to the Pope, to make a final attempt to avert the danger of a trial before the Inquisition for Galileo. But his urgent though respectful solicitations met with no response. Urban indeed said that "Signor Galileo was still his friend,—but that opinion had been condemned sixteen years before." He then expatiated, as he had so often done before, on the danger of the doctrine, and ended by saying that Galileo's book was in the highest degree perni-

1. See Niccolini's despatch to Cioli of 18th September, 1632. (Op. ix. pp. 425-428.)