THE WAR UPON GALILEO.
On this new champion, Galileo, the whole war was at last concentrated.
His discoveries had clearly taken the Copernican theory out of the list of hypotheses, and had placed it before the world as a truth.

Against him, then, the war was long and bitter.

The supporters of what was called "sound learning" declared his discoveries deceptions and his announcements blasphemy.

Semi-scientific professors, endeavouring to curry favour with the Church, attacked him with sham science; earnest preachers attacked him with perverted Scripture; theologians, inquisitors, congregations of cardinals, and at last two popes dealt with him, and, as was supposed, silenced his impious doctrine forever.( 55) (55) A very curious example of this sham science employed by theologians is seen in the argument, frequently used at that time, that, if the earth really moved, a stone falling from a height would fall back of a point immediately below its point of starting.

This is used by Fromundus with great effect.