completion of Tycho's star-catalogue which he wished to commemorate by the striking of a medal (or rather two, slightly different) bearing the year 1595. This is quite possible, and he may have wished, in the midst of all his worry and vexation, to have a memorial of the work carried on for nearly twenty years at Hveen.[1] A more lasting memorial of his activity and of the respect with which he was treated by any one able to value his work was the collection of letters exchanged between him, the late Landgrave of Hesse, and Rothmann. Rantzov had long ago suggested the publication of this series of scientific essays, and copies of some of them had been sent to Hagecius and Peucer, who had expressed a similar wish. They were printed in Tycho's own office, and form a quarto volume of 310 pp., and 38 pp. of laudatory poems, dedication, and preface.[2] The title shows that Tycho intended afterwards to publish letters to and from other astronomers, an intention which he did not live to carry out, so that only some of these letters have of late years been published. None of Tycho's
- ↑ One of these medals (in silver) is in the royal numismatic collection in Copenhagen, described and figured in Danske Magazin, ii. p. 161, and Weistritz, ii. p. 14. It is about 114 inch in diameter, and shows on one side Tycho Brahe's portrait, and round it "Effigies Tychonis Brahe O. F. æt. 49" (O. F. means Ottonis Filii), on the other his coat of arms, and round this his motto: "Esse potius quam haberi. 1595." The other medal is in a collection at Prague (Friis, T. Brahe, p. 363), and is a quarter inch more in diameter; the only other difference is the inscription round the arms: "Arma genus fundi pereunt, durabile virtus," (and inside this) "Et doctrina decvs nobilitatis habent."
- ↑ "Tychonis Brahe Dani, Epistolarum astronomicarum Libri. Quorum primus hic illustriss. et laudatiss. Principis Gulielmi Hassiæ Landtgrauij ac ipsius Mathematici Literas, vnaque Responsa ad singulas complectitur. Vraniburgi. Cum Cæsaris & Regum quorundam priuilegiis. Anno MDXCVI." Colophon is the vignette with "Svspiciendo despicio," and underneath: "Vranibvrgi Ex officinâ Typographiâ, Authoris. Anno Domini MDXCVI." The portrait of Tycho which appears facing the title-page is from 1586, and is engraved by Geyn of Amsterdam. There is a copy of it in Gassendi's book. The printing must have commenced before 1590, as Gellius had given Magini a few printed leaves of the book (Carteggio, p. 233).
