Galileo Galilei - When the World Stood Still PDF
Preview Galileo Galilei - When the World Stood Still
GalileoGalilei–WhentheWorldStoodStill Atle Næss Galileo Galilei – When the World Stood Still With21Illustrations 123 AtleNæss e-mail:[email protected] Translator JamesAnderson e-mail:[email protected] LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2004114622 Thecoverpictureisprintedwithpermissionfromakgimages. AuthorphotobyAstridM.Ledang. ThistranslationhasbeenpublishedwiththefinancialsupportofNORLANon-fiction. Translationofthe2ndeditionof“DaJordenstodStille”byAtleNæss,©GyldendalNorskForlagAS, Oslo,2002. ISBN3-540-21961-7SpringerBerlinHeidelbergNewYork Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.Allrightsarereserved,whetherthewholeorpartofthematerial isconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broad- casting,reproductiononmicrofilmorinanyotherway,andstorageindatabanks.Duplicationof thispublicationorpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheGermanCopyrightLaw ofSeptember9,1965,initscurrentversion,andpermissionforusemustalwaysbeobtainedfrom Springer.ViolationsareliableforprosecutionundertheGermanCopyrightLaw. SpringerisapartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia springeronline.com ©SpringerBerlinHeidelberg2005 PrintedinGermany Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,etc.inthispublicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevantpro- tectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Productionandtypsetting:LE-TEXJelonek,Schmidt&VöcklerGbR,Leipzig Coverdesign:design&productionGmbH,Heidelberg Printedonacid-freepaper SPIN11007227 46/3142YL-543210 Thisbookaboutamanwhorejectedancienttruthsinhisquestfornew knowledgeisdedicatedtothetwomostinquisitivepeopleIknow:my daughtersÅshildandUnnGyda. Contents Prologue:AJourneytoRome .................................... 1 TheMusician’sSon ............................................. 5 AGiftedYoungTuscan ...................................... 8 ToRomeandtheJesuits ..................................... 11 ASurveyorofInferno ....................................... 14 TheSpheresfromtheTower.................................. 17 FromPisatoPadua ......................................... 20 SignsintheSky ................................................ 23 DeRevolutionibusOrbiumCoelestium ........................ 26 LecturerandDesigner....................................... 29 AProfessor’sCommitments.................................. 31 ModernPhysicsIsBorn ..................................... 33 ANewStarinanUnchangingSky?............................ 37 DrawingClosetoaCourt .................................... 39 TheBallsFallintoPlace ..................................... 42 TheRomanStyle ........................................... 44 TheTubewiththeLongPerspective ........................... 47 ANewWorld................................................... 51 Jupiter’sSons............................................... 54 JohannKepler,ImperialMathematician ....................... 58 SeveralSignsintheSky...................................... 63 FriendshipandPower........................................... 77 ADisputeAboutObjectsthatFloatinWater ................... 80 Sun,StandThouStilluponGibeon! ........................... 84 VIII Contents TheLettertoCastelli ........................................ 88 “HowtoGotoHeaven,NotHowtheHeavensGo”............... 92 FoolishandAbsurdinPhilosophy,FormallyHeretical........... 96 TheHammeroftheHeretics ................................. 98 DeathsandOmens.............................................. 103 CometsPortendDisaster .................................... 107 WeighingtheWordsofOthersonGoldScales .................. 111 AMarvellousCombinationofCircumstances .................. 116 WarandHeresy ............................................ 120 EuropeanPowerStruggleandRomanNephews................. 122 TheOldandtheNew........................................ 125 “AnAdvantageousDecree”................................... 130 TwoWiseMen–andaThird ................................. 132 TheInquisition’sChambers...................................... 139 DiplomacyintheTimeofthePlague .......................... 144 AnOrderfromtheTop ...................................... 149 “NorFurthertoHold,Teach,orDefendIt inAnyWayWhatsoever” .................................... 161 ConvincedwithReasons..................................... 165 “I,GalileoGalilei” .......................................... 170 Eternity ....................................................... 177 ADeathandTwoNewSciences ............................... 181 TheMeetingwithInfinity.................................... 187 “ThatUniverse... IsNotAnyGreater ThantheSpaceIOccupy”.................................... 192 Epilogue....................................................... 197 Postscript ..................................................... 203 Appendix...................................................... 207 References.....................................................209 Sources........................................................ 213 IndexofNames................................................. 219 Prologue:AJourneytoRome When the greatest scourge of the Catholics, Gustav Adolf, the ‘Lion of the North’, fell at the battle of Lützen in the autumn of 1632, that grim war northof theAlpshad raged for fourteen years.All acrossCatholicEurope thanksgiving masses were said. When news of the Swedish King’s death reached Rome, His Holiness Pope Urban VIII ordered a Te Deum to be performedintheSistineChapel,andhehimselfsangtheversicles. MostoftheinhabitantsoftheItalianstatesalsogavethankstoGod,glad to have avoided the war itself and the great, destructive bands of soldiers thatplunderedandstarvedwholeregions.ButthisdidnotmeantheItalians hadbeensparedmisfortunesofeverysort.War’ssinisterstep-brother,the plague,wasravagingthepeninsula. TheGrandDuchyofTuscanyanditscapital,Florence,wereseverelyaf- fected.Everyoneknewthesymptoms:suffererswerestrickenwithfaintness, andafterafewhoursblackbuboesappearedinthegroinandarmpits.The buboeswereasuresign.Everyoneknewthenwhattoexpect.Thesickand theirrelativescoulddolittlemorethanwait.Andtheydidnothavetowait long.Soon,darkspotsappearedalloverthebody,followedbyahighfever, theboutsofbloodyvomitingandaswift,certaindeath. InthesmallvillageofArcetri,onawoodedhillsidejustsouthofFlorence, anoldmansatwritinghiswill.HehadtomakeajourneytoRomeandwanted to be prepared for every eventuality. If the plague did not get him on the road,thestrainoftravellingmightfinishhimoff;inadditionhehadbeen illmostoftheautumn,withdizziness,stomachpainsandaserioushernia. Andevenifhesurvivedthesedifficulties,andthecoldwinterwindfromthe Apenninesdidnotgivehimpneumonia,hehadnoideawhatawaitedhim 2 Prologue:AJourneytoRome in Rome, only that his arrival was unlikely to be celebrated with a special mass. He had attempted to put off the journey all the previous autumn by pleadingthathewaselderlyandfrail.Ithadmadenottheleastdifference;if anythingithadirritatedhispowerfulenemiesevenmore.Thelastsummons hehadreceivedhadbeenquiteunambiguous:ifhedidnotcomeinstantlyof hisownvolitionhewouldbearrested,putinchainsandtakenawaydespite hisadvancedageandhighstanding. Hewalkedtheshortdistancethroughthebarecornfieldsandvineyards to visit his two daughters. Both were nuns at the convent of San Matteo, marriedonlytoChrist.Hehadpersonallybeeninstrumentalinthis.Only a couple of years ago he had moved to the villa in Arcetri, to be closer to bothofthem.Nowhewasnotsureifhewouldevermeetthemagain.Buthe knewtheywouldprayforhim,andthattheirprayersmightbeneeded. Next,hesentasummonstohisonlysonandhistwosmallgrandchildren, bothboys,sothathecouldtakehisleaveofthem.Theelderoftheboyshad just turned three and had been christened after him. The will that he had justmadenamedhissonashissoleheir. Theoldman’semployerandprotectorwastheyouthfulGrandDukeof Tuscany. Althoughthename ofMedici still commanded some respect, the 22-yearoldrulercoulddonothingtopreventhisageingmathematicianand philosopherfromhavingtomakethishumiliatinganddangerousjourney. But the Grand Duke provided the most comfortable means of travel at his disposal,acommodiouscarriagefromthegrandducalcarriagehouses.The tripwouldstilltakeatleastafortnight,butitwouldeasethestrainonthe oldmanalittle. On20January1633,hesetoutsouthwardsfromFlorence.Afteracoupleof days’travellingthroughtheChiantiregionhearrivedatSiena,wherehehad spentawinterduringhisyouth,almosthalfacenturyearlier.Nowwindand sleet blew across the brick-red, amphitheatre-like city square, and he had no time to relive old memories. He continued slowly southwards through the great chestnut forests on the slopes of Monte Amiata, the mountain thatformsanalmostperfectconeasitrisessteeplyabovethelowwooded hillsidesthatsurroundit. WhenhegottoPonteaCentinanearthelittlebordertownofAcquapen- dente, a nasty surprise greeted him. Because of the plague no one was allowed into the Papal States without fourteen days’ quarantine. Sleeping accommodation was pitiful and it was hard to buy food. He managed to get bread and wine, and occasionally a few eggs. His orders had been to Prologue:AJourneytoRome 3 cometoRomeasquicklyaspossible,andtheoldmanbelievedhehadbeen givenexemptionfromquarantine.Buttheborderguardshadtheirorders: noexceptionsregardlessoferrand. Finallyhewasabletoproceed,pastLakeBolsena,downtoViterboand ontotheViaCassia,oneofthemanyroadsthatradiatedfromtheancient cityofRome.Thatsoontookhimintothecity. He arrived in Rome on 13 February. It was the firstSunday in Lent and twodaysbeforehissixty-ninthbirthday.Here,onesmallconsolationawaited him:hewastobetheguestoftheGrandDuke’sAmbassadoruntilhiscase cameup. TheimpressivevillaontheslopesofMontePincioconjuredupmemories ofhappiervisitstoRome,whenhisnamehadbeenonthelipsofeveryone in the city and all of them – professors, cardinals, noblemen, even His Holinesshimself–wantedtohearabouthistheoriesanddiscoveries.Now the Embassy had become a benign prison. But at least for the time being he was spared real imprisonment. This gave him the slender hope that everythingmightyetbesortedoutamicably. HopegrewasweekafterweekwentbyandtheAmbassadorappearedto work assiduously on his behalf. The spring came, he could sit in the great park that surrounded the villa, and enjoy elevated views right across the citytoSt.Peters onthefarsideoftheTiberandadmirethedomethathis greatTuscancompatriotMichelangelohadconstructed.Buthewasracked withrheumatism,andthenewsfromhisfamilybackhomeinFlorencewas troubling: the plague had flared up once more. The Florentines heard the constantringingofsmallbellsintheeveningdarkness,announcingthatthe corpse-bearerswereatwork. In reality, the Ambassador achieved little by his enquiries, other than togaintime.Butherevealednoneofthisinordertosparetheoldmanas muchanxietyaspossible.Finally,on9April,thesummonscame:theGrand Duke’smathematicianandphilosopher,signorGalileoGalilei,hadtoappear before the Holy Office, also known as the Inquisition, in three days’ time. There he would be interrogated and incarcerated for an indefinite period, untiljudgementwasdeliveredinthecaseagainsthim.
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