This caitle was a fquare building of fixty feet, containing a
large fuit of apartments, an obfervatory, and a fubterraneous
laboratory ; and although the king fupplied 100,000 * rix-dollars,
Tycho Brahe did not expend lefs than the fame fum. He afterwards
conftrudted a detached building for his obfervatory, which
lie called Stiernberg, or the Mountain of the Stars -f-.
In this retreat Tycho Brahe paffed twenty years, and greatly
improved the fcience of aftronomy by the diligence and exadt-
nefs of his obfervations. He maintained feveral fcholars in his
houfe for the purpofe of inftrudting them in geometry and
aftronomy, fome of whom were fent and their expences defrayed
by the king; others, who voluntarily offered themfelves, he received
and fupported at his own expence.
He did not, however, pafs the life of an anchorite or a re-
clufe; on the contrary, he lived in a moft fumptuous manner,
kept an open houfe with unbounded hofpitality, was always
happy to entertain and receive all perfons, who flocked in crowds
to vilit the ifland, and to pay their refpedts to a perfon of his
renown.
During his refidence in the ifland of Huen, he received nu-
* 20,000 /. A n engraving o f Uranienburgh is inf
A plan o f the ifland, and a curious ferted in the Gentleman’s M ag a z in e for
engra ving o f thefe buildings and o f the No vember 1789, with explanations e x garden,
is. to be found in Portraits Hif-* a£Uy fimilar to the engravings, and e x -
toriques des Hommes illuftres de D a n - planations in the Portraits Hiftoriques,
nemarc, under the article T y c h o Brahe, excepting that Stiernberg is omitted.
merous
T Y C H O B R A H E . 57
merous vifits from perfons of the higheft rank. Among thefe e p‘
muft be particularly mentioned Ulric duke of Mecklenburgh, in --
company with his daughter Sophia queen of Denmark; William,
landgrave of Heffe Caffel, whofe correfpondence with Brahe on
aftronomical fubjedts has been given to the public, and who had
lhewn himfelf a conftant patron to the Danilh aftronomer.
In 1590 Tycho was honoured with a vifit from James the
Tirft, then king of .Scotland, when that monarch repaired to the
court of Copenhagen to conclude his marriage with the princefs
Anne, and was fo delighted with Brahe’s apparatus and converfa-
tion, that he remained eight days at Uranienburgh. On retiring
he prefented Tycho with a magnificent prefent, and afterwards
accompanied his royal licence for the publication of Tycho
Brahe’s works with the following flattering teftimony o f his abilities
and learning: "“ Nor am I acquainted with thefe things
“ from the relation of others, or from a mere perufal of your
“ works, but I have feen them with my own eyes, and heard them
“ with my own ears, in your refidence at Uranienburg, during
“ the various learned and agreeable converfations which I there
fg held with you, which even now affedt my mind to fuch a de-
“ gree, that it is difficult to decide, whether I recoiled! them
“ with greater pleafure or admiration; which I now willingly
“ -teftify by this licence to prefent and future generations, &c.”
His majefty alfo, at his particular requeft, compofed, in honour
of the Daniih aftronomer, fome Latin verfes, more expreflive in-
V o l . I I I . I d e e d