| 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. |