Meridianum;" but as he appears to be utterly unknown in the history of science, too much weight ought not to be attached to his unsupported statement.[1] Annibal Raimundus of Verona (of whom we shall hear more presently) tells us that the star was seen "circa principium Octobris, a plurimis Nobilibus et Ignobilibus, eruditis atque indoctis," but further on he contradicts himself, saying that the star has now been visible three months, and as he wrote at the end of January 1573, this would make the appearance of the star date from the end of October or the beginning of November.[2] A little French book, published in 1590, states that the star was seen "au mois d'Octobre" in Spain by shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, but this reminds one too much of the words used by St. Luke, and is contradicted by other testimony.[3] According to Paul Fabricius at Vienna it appeared "sub Octobris finem."[4] All these statements are contradicted by Munosius, professor in the University of Valencia, who maintained that he was certain the star had not yet appeared on the 2nd November, as he was showing his pupils the constellations on that night, and could not have failed to see it, and Spanish shepherds agreed with him therein. As Munosius took very fair distance measures of the star, and wrote in a sensible strain, there is every reason to believe him.[5] The first trustworthy observation
- ↑ Ibid., p. 692. Tycho never saw the book, and only knew it from a MS. abstract made for him by Hagecius. It is in the Poulkova Library, and W. Struve mentions that the writer states in two places that he saw it "principle Octobris." Astron. Nachr., xix. p. 334. Elias Camerarius is not mentioned in Jöcher's Gelehrten Lexicon, nor in any other historical work that I have at hand.
- ↑ Progym., i. pp. 721-723. Tycho remarks that Raimundus has forgotten the proverb that liars should have a good memory.
- ↑ La novvelle Estoille apparve sur tous les Climats dv Monde: Et de ses effects. Paris, 1590. 28 pp. small 8vo. This book was not known to Tycho Brahe.
- ↑ Hagecii Dialexis, p. 129. Tycho remarks (Progym., p. 548) that if it had been visible in October, Mœstlin (who saw it "the first week in November") would probably have noticed it.
- ↑ Progymn., i. pp. 565, 566.
