BRAKE. 



401 



.1 his friends ami adimivis. To avoid the 

 serious interruption! to his studios which lie thus 

 ,1, lu> retired to Herritzvold, near his native 

 \vhi-rc his maternal uncle, Stem) Bilk-, offered 

 Jiim m imodation for the prosecution ot his 



studies. In this M qiu-nu-red s|iot, the mind of our 

 astronomer was at the same time distracted with the 

 study of alchemy and the passion of love ; hut he 

 found it much more difficult to obtain the philoso- 

 pher's stone, than the object of his affections. The 

 young girl with whom he was so violently enamour- 

 ed, was the daughter of a neighbouring peasant; and 

 though lie endeavoured, by several ingenious argu- 

 ments, t,> convince his relation?, that the inferiority 

 of her rank would make her a more suitable wife to 

 a philosopher, yet his marriage produced an animo- 

 sity among the parties, which nothing but the per- 

 sonal interference of the king was able to com- 

 pose. 



During Tycho's residence at Herritzvold, he dis- 

 covered the new star in Cassiopeia, which appear- 

 ed in 1.07-, and which was one of the most remark- 

 able phenomena in the history of astronomy. r The 

 observations which Tycho made on this singular 

 body', were published at Copenhagen, in quarto, in 

 under the title of De nova stclla, anno 1.57-', 

 ID. 11. ri:si)cri, in aslerixmo CdMCO/MMB circa 

 :n pr/xlciil'', tunim/nr nixii/iirnti con^pic/ia, sed 

 Main tiingiiitmliiie et splrndurejum dimiuaia. 

 About this time Tycho seems to have returned to 

 Copenhagen, and was requested by King Frederick 

 II. to deliver a course of lectures on astronomy, in 

 which he gave a copious view of the science, and 

 did not hesitate to defend the reveries of judicial 

 astrology. The coldness which still existed between 

 Tycho and his friends, notwithstanding the king's 

 interference, induced him to think with seriousness 

 of settling in some distant country, where he might 

 pursue, without interruption, the quiet researches of 

 science. He accordingly left Denmark, and after 

 travelling through Germany, and as far as Venice, 

 he at i.-ngth fixed upon Basle, in Switzerland, as a 

 suitable retreat for himself and Ins family. But 

 when he returned to Denmark to prepare for the 

 removal of his family and his instruments, he found 

 that Frederick had been informed of his v: 

 the Prince of He. se, and was r.-r.ilved to detain with 

 in his kingdom a philo .opher who was one of its 

 greatest ornaments. He settled upon him a pension 

 of 1000 crowns i year ; he prr:en'> d him with the 

 canonry of Roi.child, with an annual income of 2000 

 crowns; and he made over t.i him U;' Huen, 



and promised to erect in thi* sequestered ;pol . 

 servatory, completely furnished with the choicest in- 

 struments. El itcU with the munificence of his so- 

 vereign, Tycho gratefully accejjL^d the generous of- 

 fer : The foundation stone of the observatory, which 

 he called Uramburg, was laid on the eighth of 

 An '-ist, 157'i, and a bu : . Feet square, con- 



taining a commodious s:i;te or apartments, and a sub- 

 terraneous laboratory, was spevciiiy completed at the 



cxpence of nearly !'<> V detached building, 



called Sticrnbcrg, or the Mountain of the Stars, v 

 afterwards constructed by Tycho himself, f 



In this situation, so congenial to his wishes, Tycho 

 continued to observe th heavens for nearly 21 years. 

 He gave instructions in astronomy to a number of 

 scholars, several of whom wcie sent at the king's ex- 

 police, while others were supported and educated by 

 himself; and though at a distance from society, he 

 was honoured with frequent visits by many princes, 

 as well as philosophers. Ulric, Duke of Mcchlen- 

 burg, accompanied with his daughter, the Queen of 

 Denmark, and William, Prince of Hesse, were among 

 the number of his guests. 



In the year 1588, Tycho printed and distributed 

 among his friends, a new work, entitled, Tychonis 

 Brake Duni, de mitiitU cethrrei icfi /tliori/nn /i/n'iio- 

 menis lilicr sccuniliis, tjiti est lie illit;tri iti I'u Ktudata 

 anno 1577, conspecla. This book, which contains 

 the new positions of the stars, several methods of 

 calculation, and details of astronomical observations 

 and also discussions on the works which had already- 

 been written on this famous comet, was not finished till 

 160:i, and bears on the title-page the date of Frank- 

 fort, 1610. The cause of this delay in its publica- 

 tion was owing to some additions which Tycho was 

 anxious to m..ke to his work. 



When James VI. of Scotland went to Copen- 

 hagen, in 1590, to conclude his marriage with the 

 Princess Anne, he spent no fewer than eight days 

 under the roof of Tycho, at Uraniburg. On his de- 

 parture from Hucn, James presented Tycho with a 

 magnificent present ; composed a set of Latin verses 

 in honour of the astronomer ; and accompanied his 

 royal license for the publication of Tycho's works, 

 with the following complement to the talents of their 

 author : 



" Nor am I acquainted," says he, " with these 

 things on the relation of others, or from a mere pe- 

 rusal of your works, but I have seen them with my 

 own eyes, and heard them with my own ears, in 

 your rcsidei.ee at Uraniburg, during the various 

 learned and agreeable conversations which I there 

 held with you, which even now affect my mind to 

 such a degree, that it is difficult to decide whether I 

 recvllec 1 i hem with greater pleasure or admiration ; 

 which I now willingly testify by this license to pre- 

 sent and future gt-nerations,'' &c. 



In consequence of an attack upon Tycho's treatise 

 on the comet of 1577, by a countryman of our own, 

 Tycho published a reply in J591, entitled, Ti/chonit 

 Bralie njiologctica rtsponsio ad ciijusdam pt'ripatelici 

 in Scotia ctttbia, titti de parallaxi cometarum oppo- 

 site. . 



The death of Frederick II. was a severe blow to 

 the fortunes of our author. His son, Christian IV., 

 indeed, before his mind was poisoned by the advice 

 of his wicked ministers, not only continued the 

 pension of Tycho, but repaired to Uraniburg, in 

 159^, in the 15th year of his age, to visit the friend 

 (if his father, and the greatest astronomer of the age.- 



Brahe. 



* See the article ASTHONOMV . 



A piiin til' the Me (,!' Hi" . . Ijwof the I>::iMin?s, will 



' 



illiutrci de Danncmurc, 



VOL. iv. iv. nr ii. 



See also tht <.'t it'< mnii' 



f.'.ind in Hoffmann's Portrait! nistvriyvct rfo 

 for November I; !!. 



" i: 



