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But the dismissal turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for with the help of influential friends, he was able to obtain a much better position at the University of Padua, where, for the first time, he breathed the air of intellectual freedom. The university was under the supervision of the Independent Venetian Republic which insisted upon the right of its scholars to pursue their scientific studies without interference from the Inquisition. No longer were his lectures greeted with sneers and catcalls. He soon became famous. Students from all over Europe came to study under him. He wrote brilliant treatises on a variety of subjects—on mechanics, motion, sound and speech, light and color, and the thermometer and, above all, the telescope.
但是伽利略却因祸得福，在颇具影响力的朋友的帮助下，他在帕多瓦大学找到了一个更好的工作。在那里，他第一次呼吸到了学术自由的空气。学校由威尼斯共和国管理，该国主张学者进行科学研究不受宗教法庭干涉的权利。伽利略的讲座上再也没有讥笑和嘘声。他很快出了名。来自欧洲各地的学生纷纷追随他学习。伽利略写了许多杰出论文，主题多种多样——力学、运动、声与音、光与色，温度计，尤为重要的是，还有望远镜。
This was the height of Galileo's prosperity and security. He had now been in Padua for 18 years. But he was not happy. For years, he had longed for the day when he could return in triumph to Pisa, the city which had dismissed him in disgrace years before. So finally, despite the warning of his friends, Galileo returned to Pisa. This was the beginning of his tragedy.
这是伽利略成就的高峰期，也是他人生中最安全的一段时光。他在帕多瓦待了18年。但他并不快乐。多年来，他渴望有一天能荣归比萨，那个多年前让他蒙羞离开的城市。于是，尽管朋友们忠言劝阻，伽利略最后还是回到了比萨。这是他悲剧的开端。
