. Galileo, his life and work. four daughters, Virginia, Anna, Livia, andLena. Of Anna we know nothing, and of Lenavery little. Galileo, the eldest, was born in Pisa, where hisfather was engaged in commerce, on 15th February1564—just three days before his famous fellow-countryman, Michelangelo Buonarroti, closed hiseyes in Rome. The first decade of Galileos life, that is, downto about 1575, was passed at Pisa, where, in thefrequent absences of the father on business, thefamily lodged with a relative named MuzioTedaldi. In Pisa, then, and not in Florence ashas hitherto been supposed, Galileo rec
. Galileo, his life and work. four daughters, Virginia, Anna, Livia, andLena. Of Anna we know nothing, and of Lenavery little. Galileo, the eldest, was born in Pisa, where hisfather was engaged in commerce, on 15th February1564—just three days before his famous fellow-countryman, Michelangelo Buonarroti, closed hiseyes in Rome. The first decade of Galileos life, that is, downto about 1575, was passed at Pisa, where, in thefrequent absences of the father on business, thefamily lodged with a relative named MuzioTedaldi. In Pisa, then, and not in Florence ashas hitherto been supposed, Galileo received hisearly education, partly at the school of oneJacopo Borghini, and partly at home, where hisfather helped him with his Greek and Latinlessons. At about the age of twelve or thirteen Galileowas transferred to the far-famed monastery ofVallombrosa, near Florence, to go through acourse of what, according to the time, constitutedthe Humanities, or the literary education thenconsidered indispensable for a well-born _.^.:.a Supposed Birthplace of Galileo, in Pisa. i To /ace p. 4- 1589] VALLOMBROSA 5 Here he made himself acquainted with the bestLatin authors, and also acquired a fair commandof the Greek tongue, thus laying the foundation ofthe elegant and incisive style for which his writingsare so distinguished. With one of the monks hebegan a course of instruction in logic, but from thefirst he appears to have had little taste for thissubject, preferring what scraps of elementary scienceand philosophy he could pick out of the lessons. From a contemporary document, first publishedby Professor Selmi in 1864,^ it would seem that,while with the monks of Vallombrosa, Galileo wasso far attracted towards a religious life as to havejoined the novitiate of the Order ; but his father,who had other designs for him, seized the oppor-tunity of an attack of ophthalmia, and withdrew theboy from the monastery. A letter of Muzio Tedaldito Vincenzio Galilei, dated i6th July 1579, and
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