In disputes about natural phenomena one must begin not with the authority of Scriptural passage but with sensory experience and necessary demonstrations. For the Holy Scripture and nature derive equally from the Godhead, the former as the dictation of the Holy Spirit and the latter as the most obedient executrix of God's orders.
letter to Christina Lotharinga, Arch-Duchess of Tuscany; P. MacHamer (ed.) Cambridge Companion to Galileo (1998)