PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES. 175

mentary on Aristotle ’s book on Meteors: where theyobserve, it is “ more probable that the moon raises thewaters by some inherent power of impulsion, in the samemanner as a magnet moves iron, according to its dif-ferent aspects,” &c. The same idea was maintained byDe Dominis. Indeed, though not followed up, yet insome parts of the Dialogues we find curious allusionsand hints thrown out as to the existence of a principleof universal gravitation.

The style in which the whole work is composed, issuch as justly rendered it extremely popular ; and pro-fessor Playfair observes, that “ the Dialogues are writtenwith such singular felicity, that one reads them at thepresent day, when the truths contained in them areknown and admitted, with all the delight of novelty; andfeels oneself carried back to the period when the tele-scope was first directed to the heavens, and when theearth's motion, with all its train of consequences, wasproved for the first time.” *

Though, as we have already remarked, the very formof the Dialogues fairly exonerated Galileo from thecharge of violating the letter of his promise to the In-quisition , yet, with its characteristic jealousy, that tri-bunal soon discovered that as the Copernican side of theargument had the advantage, the author had violated thespirit of his engagement; or, even if he had not, yethad laid himself open to a vehement suspicion of a de-sire to do so, which was the same thing. And such arenewed attack upon the orthodox system', however co-vertly conducted, was not to be overlooked or forgiven.

The dialogues came out at a juncture which mighthave appeared to offer a peculiarly fair prospect of safetyand impunity to the author: some of his most powerfulenemies were now dead, and his old friend Urban waspope. But the inquisitors were bent upon his con-demnation ; and, unfortunately, there was a trifling cir-cumstance which greatly aggravated the offence: Urbanmost unreasonably chose to imagine himself personally

* Diss, p. 190.