. The Open court. id to Galileoat the outset that the Jesuits would attack his work most relent-lessly. This Father Monstrous (JI Padre Mostro), as he was calledon account of his enormous size, was not mistaken. The Jesuitsdid not doubt that the Dialogue, which appeared in print in thebeginning of 1632 and was immediately received with approbation,would, by its masterly style and convincing clearness, win over all 464 THE OPEN COURT. educated men and overthrow all their efforts in the education ofthe young, if it succeeded in penetrating into wider circles. Henceit was necessary to act without
. The Open court. id to Galileoat the outset that the Jesuits would attack his work most relent-lessly. This Father Monstrous (JI Padre Mostro), as he was calledon account of his enormous size, was not mistaken. The Jesuitsdid not doubt that the Dialogue, which appeared in print in thebeginning of 1632 and was immediately received with approbation,would, by its masterly style and convincing clearness, win over all 464 THE OPEN COURT. educated men and overthrow all their efforts in the education ofthe young, if it succeeded in penetrating into wider circles. Henceit was necessary to act without delay, and, as always when the endjustifies the means, there was found immediately the right meansto change to bitter hatred the favor bestowed upon Galileo by thePope. This was done by spreading abroad the rumor that this in-solent creature had dared to introduce him, the Holy Father him-self, under the quite too transparent and shameful pseudonym ofSimplicius, and to set him in the pillory before all the a picture in the Public Library of Oxford ; engraved by J. Baker. No sensible person will believe to-day that it could really havebeen Galileos design to risk in this frivolous way the favor of theHoly Father so indispensable to him ; he had obviously in mindSimplicius of Alexandria (died 549), and preferred the name onaccount of the secondary meaning of simplicity. But the question might well be suggested whether the Jesuits,who certainly knew exactly what the new book of their arch-enemy THE STRUGGLE REGARDING THE POSITION OF THE EARTH. 465 contained, did not perhaps inspire the easy-going Father Riccardi,whom they could easily hoodwink, with the idea of granting theimprimatur only on the condition that Simplicius be treated in theconclusion with the greatest reverence, in order to make so muchthe more probable the slander that the Pope was meant. It wouldhave been a diabolical plan to ruin their adversary past recovery,but it would do honor to their s
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