The one without the label consists of dried figs, walnuts,
rue, and salt, mixed together with honey. A piece of the size of a
walnut to be taken in the morning, fasting, with a little Greek
wine."
The plague increasing still more, Sister Maria Celeste obtained with
much difficulty, a small quantity of a renowned liqueur, made by
Abbess Ursula, an exceptionally saintly nun. This she sends to her
father with the words:--
"I pray your lordship to have faith in this remedy. For if you have
so much faith in my poor miserable prayers, much more may you have in
those of such a holy person; indeed, through her merits you may feel
sure of escaping all danger from the plague."
Whether Galileo took the remedy we do not know, but at all events
he escaped the plague.
[PLATE: THE VILLA ARCETRI.
Galileo's residence, where Milton visited him.]
From Galileo's new home in Florence the telescope was again directed
to the skies, and again did astounding discoveries reward the
astronomer's labours. The great success which he had met with in
studying Jupiter naturally led Galileo to look at Saturn. Here he
saw a spectacle which was sufficiently amazing, though he failed to
interpret it accurately. It was quite manifest that Saturn did not
exhibit a simple circular disc like Jupiter, or like Mars.
Pages:
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98