charged him to say that Galileo might go to Arcetri at once, that he might receive his friends and relations there, but not in large numbers at one time, as this might give rise to the idea that he was giving scientific lectures. A few days after the receipt of this letter Galileo set out for Arcetri.[1]
No sooner had he reached his villa, called "il Giojello," which was pleasantly situated, than he made it his first care to thank Cardinal Barberini warmly for his urgent intercession, which had, however, only effected this fresh alleviation of his sad fate.[2] Some rhetorical historians make Galileo's two daughters leave the Convent of St. Matteo, which was certainly within gunshot of "Giojello," in order to tend their old and suffering father with childlike and tender care; a touching picture, but without any historical foundation. On the contrary, it was really one of Galileo's greatest consolations to pay frequent visits to his daughters, to whom he was tenderly attached, at St. Matteo, when permitted to do so by the Holy Office. It was also a great satisfaction to him that on a very early day after his arrival at Arcetri the Grand Duke came from Florence, and paid the convict of the Inquisition a long visit.[3]
But while Galileo was once more partaking of some pleasures, the implacable malice of his enemies never slumbered.
- ↑ At the close of this year two documents were published which have often been used as historical sources for the story of Galileo's trial; namely, (1) a narration by Francesco Buonamici of the famous trial; and (2) an assumed letter of Galileo's to his friend and correspondent, Father Vincenzo Renieri, intended to give a concise history of the trial. The first has been pronounced by historical research to be quite worthless, even if not, as H. Martin (p. 185) thinks, a forgery; the second as decidedly apocryphal, so that neither are mentioned here. (Comp. Op. ix. pp. 449-452; vii. pp. 40-43; and the valuable treatise by G. Guasti: "Le relazioni di Galileo con alcuni Pratesi a proposito del Falso Buonamici scopalto del Signor H. Martin." Archivo Storico Italiano. Firenze, 1873, vol. xvii.)
- ↑ See Galileo's letter to Barberini, 17th December, 1633. (Vat. MS. fol. 541 ro.)
- ↑ Op. x. pp. 2 and 11.
