to death! whilst they are wallowing in luxury upon the accumulated thousands that have been wrung from their industrious (but credulous and passive-obedient) countrymen, whom the cunning Priests have artfully induced to prefer to die of starvation upon a litter of straw, rather than as men and martyrs in defence of their liberties and lives. I subscribe myself, Gentlemen, the avowed enemy of hypocrisy and disguise, and the undaunted advocate for the restoration of our liberties and resistance to oppression. J. GREENACRE. FROM THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. "When in our last we signalized the success of Mr. Lawrence, we had no suspicion that this worthy gentleman had been seduced to publish the following extraordinary paper, a few days before the election. In now giving it place as a document worthy of being preserved, and which in after ages will mark the year 1822, and characterize the age of George the Fourth, we have judged it proper to annex, in parallel columns, the never-to-be-forgotten abjuration of Galileo. Every reader of the two papers will, by his own comments, relieve us from the responsibility of making such as the circumstances deserve: MR. LAWRENCE'S RETRACTA TION. College of Physicians, April 16. DEAR SIR, THE renewed publication by others, over whom I have no control, of the work which I suppressed three years ago, induces me to offer a few observations on the subject, and to present them, through you, to the Governors of Bridewell and Bethlem. The motives and circumstances of the suppression in question are detailed in a letter to Mr. Harrison, through whose medium it was communicated to the Governors of the two Hospitals; and this letter, 1 conclude, is entered on the minutes of their proceedings. Further experience and reflection have only tended to con THE ABJURATION OF GALILEO. I, GALILEO GALILEI, son of the late Vincent Galileo, a Florentine at the age of seventy, appearing personally in judgment, and being on my knees in the presence of you, most eminent and most reverend Lords Cardinals of the Universal Christian Commonwealth, Inquisitors General against heretical depravity, having before my eyes the Holy Gospels, on which I now lay my hands, swear that I have always believed, and now believe, and, God helping, that I shall for the future always believe whatever the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church holds, preaches, and teaches. But because this Holy vince me more strongly that the publication of certain passages in these writings was highly improper; to increase my regret at having sent them forth to the world; to make me satisfied with the measure of withdrawing them from public circulation; and consequently firmly resolved, not only never to reprint them, but also never to publish any thing more on similar subjects. Fully impressed with these sentiments, I hoped and concluded that my Lectures would in future be regarded only as professional writings, and be referred to merely by medical readers. The copies which have gone out of my possession, from the time when the sale was discontinued to the late decision of the Lord Chancellor, which has enabled all who may choose to print and publish my Lectures, have therefore been granted only as matter of favour in individual instances to professional men, particularly foreigners, or to scientific and literary characters. My expectations have been disappointed by the piratical act of a bookseller in the Strand, named Smith. When his reprint of my lectures was announced, I adopted the only measure which could enable me to continue the suppression of the work, namely, an application to the Court of Chancery for an injunction against this person, being encouraged by the decided favourable opinions of the two eminent Counsel before whom the case was laid. The course of argument adopted by these gentlemen, in the proceedings which ensued, was that which they deemed best calculeted to attain my object-the permanent sup Office had enjoined me by precept, entirely to relinquish the false dogma which maintains that the sun is the centre of the world and immoveable, and that the earth is not the centre, and moves; not to hold, defend, or teach by any means, or by writing, the aforesaid false doctrine; and after it had been notified to me, that the aforesaid doctrine is repugnant to the Holy Scripture, I have written and printed a book, in which I treat of the same doctrine already condemned, and adduce reasons, with great efficacy, in favour of it, not offering any solution of them; therefore I have been adjudged and vehemently suspected of heresy, namely, that I maintained and believed that the sun is the centre of the world, and immovable, and that the earth is not the centre, and moves. Therefore, being willing to take out of the minds of your eminences, and of every Catholic Christian, this vehement suspicion of right conceived against me, I with sincere heart, and faith unfeigned, abjure, execrate, and detest, the above-said errors and heresies, and generally every other error and sect contrary to the above-said Holy Church; and I swear that I will never any more hereafter say or assert, by speech or writing, any thing through which the like suspicion. may be had of me; but, if I shall know any one heretical, or suspected of heresy, I will denounce him to this Holy Office, or to the Inquisitor, and Ordinary of the place in which I shall be. .I moreover swear and promise, that I will fulfil and observe entirely all the penitences which have pression of the book. It is not to be regarded as a renewed statement, or defence, on my part, of opinions which I had already withdrawn from the public, and the continued suppression of which, in conformity to my previous arrangement, was my only motive for incurring the trouble and expense of a Chancery suit. As to the charge of irreligion, again hinted at in the Court of Chancery, I beg to repeat what I have already expressed in my letter before alluded to-that I am fully impressed with the importance of religion and morality to the welfare of mankind-that I am most sensible of the distinguishing excellences of that pure religion which is unfolded in the New Testament; and most earnestly desirous to see its pure spirit universally diffused and acted on. WM. LAWRENCE. Sir R. C. Glynn, bart. President of Bride well & Bethlem, &c. been imposed upon me, or which shall be imposed by this Holy Office. But if it shall happen that I shall go contrary (which God avert) to any of my words, promises, protestations, and oaths, I subject myself to all the penal ties and punishments which, by the holy Canons, and other Constitutions, general and particular, have been enacted and promulgated against such delinquents. So help me God, and his holy Gospels on which I now lay my hands. I, the aforesaid Galileo Galilei, have abjured, sworn, promised, and have bound myself as above, and in the fidelity of those with my own hands, and have subscribed to this present writing of my abjuration, which I have recited word by word. At Rome, in the Convent of Minerva, this 22d of June, of the year 1633. I, Galileo Galilei, have abjuras above, with my ed hand. Own Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 55, Fleet Street. All Communications (post paid) are requested to be sent to Dorchester Gaol, until a further Address to some House or Shop be given.-Orders, with remittances, or references for payment, will be punctually attended to. Country Agents will find the most liberal Terms for prompt Payment. No. 11. Vol. VI.] LONDON, Friday, August 9, 1822. [PRICE 6d. TO THE REPUBLICANS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. CITIZENS, Dorchester Gaol, August 4, Year 3, of the Spanish Revolution. DISCUSSION and moral controversy is the basis of all well founded intelligence. It is to the mind, what manuring and ploughing is to vegetation: it eradicates and destroys long rooted weeds, which inevitably increase upon an undisturbed surface. That husbandman left his sons the best treasures, whom by a stratagem he induced to turn up the whole surface of his vineyard in search of gold, which they sought in vain, but which they unexpectedly found in the ensuing vintage by an abundant crop of fruit. It is so with the mind: let it be agitated or disturbed ever so much by useful controversy, it will be sure to settle down and exhibit an increased degree of intelligence. Many persons have condemned me for agitating the question of idolatry, and for giving it a connection with political Reform, or what they call a Reform of Parliament: their narrow minds have led them to view the circumstance as calculated to delay this Reform, but I am confident in shewing them in the end, that it has not only not delayed the acquisition of such a Reform, but that it has accelerated it and brought it about with ten times more effect and utility. I have also just seen with surprise and astonishment an attempt of Mr. Hunt's to condemn the conduct of Mr. Cobbett, in exhibiting too much real knowledge in his Registers! He says, Mr. Cobbett puts his enemies on their guard by unfolding to them the consequences of their measures! This is the most puerile and contemptible piece of argument that was ever put forth, and the venom of the mind that can engender such sophistry, wherewith to attack a pri-. vate or a public antagonist, should be carefully avoided. It is just like telling Mr. Cobbett, "that the only point in which you have distinguished yourself in your political Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 55, Fleet Street. |