I,
Galileo, son of the late Vincenzo Galilei of Florence, being 70 years old [...],
swear that I have always believed, believe now and, with God's help, will in
the future believe all that the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church doth hold,
preach and teach. But since, after having been admonished by this Holy Office
entirely to abandon the false opinion that the sun is the centre of the Universe
and immovable, and that the Earth is not the centre of the same and that it
moves, and that I was neither to hold, defend, nor teach in any manner whatsoever,
either orally or in writing, the said false doctrine; and after having received
a notification that the said doctrine is contrary to Holy Writ, I wrote and
published a book in which I treat this condemned doctrine and bring forward
very persuasive arguments in its favour without answering them: I have been
judged vehemently suspected of heresy, that is of having held and believed that
the Sun is at the centre of the Universe and immovable, and that the Earth is
not at the centre and that it moves. Therefore, wishing to remove from the minds
of your Eminences and all faithful Christians this vehement suspicion reasonably
conceived against me, I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith these
errors and heresies, and I curse and detest them as well as any other error,
heresy or sect contrary to the Holy Catholic Church. And I swear that for the
future I shall neither say nor assert orally or in writing such things as may
bring upon me similar suspicions; and if I know any heretic, or one suspected
of heresy, I will denounce him to this Holy Office, or to the Inquisitor or
Ordinary of the place in which I may be. |