The Assayer
Encyclopedia
The Assayer was a book published in Rome
by Galileo Galilei
in October 1623.
The book was a polemic against the treatise on the comet
s of 1618 by Orazio Grassi
, a Jesuit mathematician at the Collegio Romano. In this matter Grassi, for all his Aristotelianism
, was right and Galileo was wrong. Galileo incorrectly treated the comets as a play of light rather than as real objects.
In 1616 Galileo may have been silenced on Copernicanism. In 1623 his supporter and friend, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, a former patron of the Lynx
and uncle of Cardinal Francesco Barberini
, became Pope Urban VIII
. The election of Barberini seemed to assure Galileo of support at the highest level in the Church. A visit to Rome confirmed this.
The title page of The Assayer shows the crest of the Barberini family
, featuring three busy bees. In The Assayer, Galileo weighs the astronomical views of a Jesuit, Orazio Grassi, and finds them wanting. The book was dedicated to the new pope. The title page also shows that Urban VIII employed a member of the Lynx, Cesarini, at a high level in the papal service. This book was edited and published by members of the Lynx.
Again Galileo insisted that physics should be mathematical. According to the title page, he was the philosopher or physicist
of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, not merely the mathematician. Physics or natural philosophy spans the gamut from processes of generation and growth (represented by a plant) to the physical structure of the universe, represented by the cosmic cross-section. Mathematics, on the other hand, is symbolized by telescopes, and an astrolabe. This is the book containing Galileo’s famous statement that mathematics is the language of God. Only through mathematics can one achieve lasting truth in physics. Those who neglect mathematics wander endlessly in a dark labyrinth. From the book:
Although The Assayer contains a magnificent polemic for mathematical physics, ironically its main point was to ridicule a mathematical astronomer. This time, the target of Galileo’s wit and sarcasm was the cometary theory of a Jesuit, Orazio Grassi
, who argued from parallax that comets move above the Moon. Galileo mistakenly countered that comets are an optical illusion.
Galileo’s polemical tone was common at the time. However, the book was read with delight at the dinner table by Urban VIII, who had written a poem lauding Galileo for his rhetorical performances.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
by Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
in October 1623.
The book was a polemic against the treatise on the comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s of 1618 by Orazio Grassi
Orazio Grassi
Orazio Grassi was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and architect.Canonical pertaining to Society of Jesus, he was one of the authors in controversy with Galileo Galilei on the nature of the comets....
, a Jesuit mathematician at the Collegio Romano. In this matter Grassi, for all his Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. The works of Aristotle were initially defended by the members of the Peripatetic school, and, later on, by the Neoplatonists, who produced many commentaries on Aristotle's writings...
, was right and Galileo was wrong. Galileo incorrectly treated the comets as a play of light rather than as real objects.
In 1616 Galileo may have been silenced on Copernicanism. In 1623 his supporter and friend, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, a former patron of the Lynx
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
and uncle of Cardinal Francesco Barberini
Francesco Barberini (seniore)
Francesco Barberini was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII , he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced by his uncle...
, became Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
. The election of Barberini seemed to assure Galileo of support at the highest level in the Church. A visit to Rome confirmed this.
The title page of The Assayer shows the crest of the Barberini family
Barberini
The Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII...
, featuring three busy bees. In The Assayer, Galileo weighs the astronomical views of a Jesuit, Orazio Grassi, and finds them wanting. The book was dedicated to the new pope. The title page also shows that Urban VIII employed a member of the Lynx, Cesarini, at a high level in the papal service. This book was edited and published by members of the Lynx.
Again Galileo insisted that physics should be mathematical. According to the title page, he was the philosopher or physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, not merely the mathematician. Physics or natural philosophy spans the gamut from processes of generation and growth (represented by a plant) to the physical structure of the universe, represented by the cosmic cross-section. Mathematics, on the other hand, is symbolized by telescopes, and an astrolabe. This is the book containing Galileo’s famous statement that mathematics is the language of God. Only through mathematics can one achieve lasting truth in physics. Those who neglect mathematics wander endlessly in a dark labyrinth. From the book:
Although The Assayer contains a magnificent polemic for mathematical physics, ironically its main point was to ridicule a mathematical astronomer. This time, the target of Galileo’s wit and sarcasm was the cometary theory of a Jesuit, Orazio Grassi
Orazio Grassi
Orazio Grassi was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and architect.Canonical pertaining to Society of Jesus, he was one of the authors in controversy with Galileo Galilei on the nature of the comets....
, who argued from parallax that comets move above the Moon. Galileo mistakenly countered that comets are an optical illusion.
Galileo’s polemical tone was common at the time. However, the book was read with delight at the dinner table by Urban VIII, who had written a poem lauding Galileo for his rhetorical performances.
Other sources
- Galileo Galilei, Il Saggiatore (in Italian) (Rome, 1623); The Assayer, English trans. Stillman DrakeStillman DrakeStillman Drake was a Canadian historian of science best known for his work on Galileo Galilei . Drake published over 131 books, articles, and book chapters on Galileo. Drake received his first academic appointment in 1967 as full professor at the University of Toronto after a career as a...
and C. D. O'Malley, in The Controversy on the Comets of 1618 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1960). - Pietro Redondi, Galileo eretico , 1983; Galileo: Heretic (transl: Raymond Rosenthal) Princeton University Press 1987 (reprint 1989 ISBN 0-691-02426-X); Penguin 1988 (reprint 1990 ISBN 0-14-012541-8)