In 1570, Tycho returned to Copenhagen ; but from the fame which he had already acquired, he was invited to court, and harassed with the visits and attentions of his friends and admirers. To avoid the serious interruptions to his studies which he thus suffered, be retired to Ilerritzvold, near his native place, where his maternal uncle, Steno Bille, offered him every accommodation for the prosecution of his studies. In this sequestered spot, the mind of our astronomer was at that same time distracted with the stuuy of alchemy and the passion of love ; but 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 he endeavoured, by several ingenious argu ments to convince his relations, 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 hut the per sonal interference of the king was able to com pose.
During Tycho's residence at Herritzvold, he dis coveted the new star in Cassiopeia, which appear ed in 1572. and which was one of the most remark able phenomena in the history of astronomy.* The obsert ationi which Tycho made on this singular body, were published at Copenhagen, in quarto, in 1573, under the title of De nova stella, anno 1572, die Nur. 11. vrsjzeri, in asterism° Cassiopeire circa I-trace-In r•istente, annoque insequenti conspicua, sed mcnse magnitudine et sJzlendore jam diminuta.
ALq,ut this time Tycho seems to have returned to Copcnbagt n, 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 interkrence, 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 length fixed upon Basle, in Switzerland, as a suitable retreat for himself and his 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 views by the Prince of Hesse, and was resolved to detain with in his kingdom a philosopher who was one of its great ornaments. He settled upon him a pension of 1000 crowns a year ; he presented him with the canonry of Roschild, with an annual income of 2000 crowns; and he made over to him the island of Huen, and promised to erect in this sequestered spot an ob servatory. completely furnished with the choisest in
struments. Elated with the munificence of his so vereign, Tycho gratefully accepted the generous of fer : The foundation stone of the observatory, which he called Uraniburg, was laid on the eighth of August, 1576, and a building, 60 feet square, con taining a commodious suite of apartments, and a sub terraneous laboratory, was speedily completed at the expellee of nearly 20,000/. A detached building, called Stiernberg, or the Mountain of the Stars, was afterwards constructed by Tycho himself t In this situation, so congenial to his wishes, Tycho continued to observe the heavens for nearly 21 years. He gave instructions in astronomy to a number of scholars, several of whom were sent at the king's ex pence, 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 Alechlen burgh, accompanied with his daughter, the Queen of Denmark, and William, Prince of Hesse, were among the number of his guests.
In the year 1583, Tycho printed and distributed among his friends, a new work, entitled, Tuchonia Brake Dani, de mundi atherei recentioribus photo menis fiber sccundus, qui eat de illustri stella caudata anno 1577, consjzecta. 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 1603, 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 make 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 Huen, 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 compliment 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 residence 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 recollect them with greater pleasure or admiration ; which I now willingly testify by this license to pre sent and future generations," Ste.