The Sleepwalkers (233 page)

Another
surprising
thing
about
the
Dialogue
is
that
Galileo
not
only
misrepresented
the
Copernican
system
as
a
beautifully
simple
affair,
but
seems
to
have
been
himself
unaware
of
its
complexities.
He
had
never
taken
much
interest
in
the
tiresome
details
of
planetary
theory,
and
there
was
no
real
reason
for
him
to
plod
through
the
technical
chapters
in
the
Revolutions
from
cover
to
cover.
If
he
had
done
so,
he
could
not
have
believed
that
all
planets
move
with
the
same
linear
velocity,
nor
attributed
the
idea
to
Copernicus
that
the
moon
either
shines
in
her
own
light
or
is
transparent
to
the
light
of
the
sun.
²⁵
About
the
insoluble
difficulties
of
the
Copernican
system
we
learn
only
by
an
aside:

"...
how
each
planet
governs
itself
in
its
particular
revolutions,
and
how
precisely
the
structure
of
its
circle
is
framed,
which
is
what
is
commonly
called
the
Theory
of
the
Planets,
we
cannot
yet
undoubtedly
resolve.
Mars,
that
has
so
much
puzzled
our
modern
astronomers,
is
a
proof
of
this."
²⁶

This
was
written
some
twenty
years
after
Kepler's
determination
of
the
Martian
orbit
laid
a
new
foundation
for
planetary
theory.
^*
The
truth
is
that
after
his
sensational
discoveries
in
1610,
Galileo
neglected
both
observational
research
and
astronomic
theory
in
favour
of
his
propaganda
crusade.
By
the
time
he
wrote
the
Dialogue
he
had
lost
touch
with
new
developments
in
that
field,
and
forgotten
even
what
Copernicus
had
said.

____________________

5.
The Imprimatur

The
manuscript was completed in January, 1630.

Galileo
intended
to
supervise
the
printing
of
the
book
in
Rome,
but
could
not
go
at
once.
His
friends
assured
him
that
there
would
be
no
difficulty,
and
that
all
was
sunshine.
Faithful
Father
Castelli,
who
now
lived
in
Rome,
wrote
that
Urban
VIII
had
assured
Campanella
in
an
audience
that
"if
it
had
depended
on
him,
the
prohibition
of
1616
would
never
have
been
passed."
²⁷
Another
member
of
the
old
guard,
Monsignor
Ciàmpoli
who
was
now
Papal
Secretary,
wrote
that
at
the
Vatican
"they
were
longing
for
Galileo
more
than
for
any
beloved
damsel."
²⁸

He
arrived
in
Rome
at
the
beginning
of
May,
and
was
received
in
a
long
audience
by
Urban
VIII.
The
Pope
again
confirmed
that
there
was
no
objection
against
discussing
the
merits
of
the
Copernican
system,
provided
that
it
was
treated
strictly
as
a
hypothesis.
He
objected,
however,
to
the
intended
title,
Dialogue
on
the
Flux
and
Reflux
of
the
Tides
,
which
laid
too
much
emphasis
on
physical
proof,
and
suggested
that
it
should
be
called
a
Dialogue
on
the
Great
World
Systems
instead.
He
was,
of
course,
far
too
busy
to
read
the
book
himself,
and
left
this
task
to
the
censors.

The
function
of
Chief
Censor
and
Licenser
was
exercised
by
the
"Master
of
the
Palace",
Father
Niccolo
Riccardi.
He
was
another
Florentine,
a
member
of
the
Castelli-Ciàmpoli
clique,
and
accordingly
devoted
to
Galileo,
though
he
believed
that
the
Ptolemaic
and
Copernican
systems
were
mere
highbrow
pastimes
since
the
ultimate
truth
was
that
the
stars
were
moved
by
angels.
But
this
did
not
prevent
him
from
admiring
the
ingenuity
of
men
like
Galileo
who
were
plotting
the
courses
of
these
angelic
gymnastics.
Because
of
his
enormous
girth,
Riccardi
had
been
called
by
the
King
of
Spain
Il
Padre
Mostro
,
the
Father
Monster,
and
all
his
friends
referred
to
him
by
this
affectionate
nickname.
By
a
perverse
twist
of
history
it
was
this
pure-hearted
and
lovable
man
who,
by
his
bungling,
became
the
chief
cause
of
the
tragedy.

The
Father
Monster
read
through
the
manuscript
of
the
Dialogue
,
and
came
to
the
conclusion
that
it
was
far
above
his
head.
He
knew
that
His
Holiness
had
approved
of
the
idea
of
the
book,
had
showered
favours
on
Galileo,
and
encouraged
him
to
go
ahead.
But
he
also
sensed,
though
unable
to
follow
the
argument
in
detail,
that
the
book
was
thinly
disguised
propaganda
for
Copernicus,
and
contradicted
in
spirit
and
letter
the
decree
of
1616.
To
escape
the
dilemma
he
instructed
his
assistant,
Father
Visconti,
to
work
through
the
text
and
to
make
suitable
alterations.