Identifier: galileohislifewo00fahi (find matches)
Title: Galileo, his life and work
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Fahie, J. J. (John Joseph), 1846-1934
Subjects: Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642 Astronomy Astronomers
Publisher: London, J. Murray
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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these circum-stances he destined his son to a career by no meansdistinguished, though one that conferred wealth onFlorence, and therefore held in no small esteem byher citizens—the boy was to be a cloth-dealer. Now it must be told that from his early boyhoodGalileo was remarkable for intellectual aptitudes ofvarious kinds, coupled with considerable mechanicalinventiveness. His favourite pastime was the con-struction of toy-machines, not the less ingeniousbecause they did not always work.^ As he grew uphe learnt from his father something of the theoryand practice of music, and became so skilful withthe lute as to excel him, good performer as he was,in charm of style and delicacy of touch. He wasalso, it is said, a creditable performer on the organand one or two other instruments, but the lute washis favourite, and continued to be so through life.As he found it a pleasure in youth, so it was a great Mt is interesting to note that Newton showed a similar precocityfor things mechanical.
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^^^EHais Monastery nf \ allombrosa. To face p. 6. 1589) YOUTHFUL ABILITIES 7 solace in Ins later years—especially when blindnesswas added to his other afflictions. In the sister art his talent was equally striking,and as a lad he showed considerable skill in drawingand painting. In later life he used to tell hisfriends that, had circumstances permitted him tochoose his own career, he would have elected tobecome a painter. So well known was his youthfultalent as draughtsman and colourist that suchacknowledged artists as Ludovico Cigoli, Bronzino,Passignano, and Jacopo da Empoli, often sought hiscriticism of their works. Cigoli, in particular, waswont to say that Galileo alone had been his teacherin the art of perspective, and that whatever credithe enjoyed as a painter was owing to his advice andencouragement. In his youthful days Galileo was also very fondof poetry, and later on in these pages we shall haveoccasion to notice his essays on Dante, Ariosto, andTasso, as well as some ve

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