n his
astronomical researches. It is said, moreover, to have very fairly
resembled the original, but whether this remark was made by a friend or
by an enemy I cannot say. One account says that he used to carry about
with him a box of cement to apply whenever his nose came off, which it
periodically did.

About this time he visited Augsburg, met with some kindred and
enlightened spirits in that town, and with much enthusiasm and spirit
constructed a great quadrant. These early instruments were tremendous
affairs. A great number of workmen were employed upon this quadrant, and
it took twenty men to carry it to its place and erect it. It stood in
the open air for five years, and then was destroyed by a storm. With it
he made many observations.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Early out-door quadrant of Tycho; for
observing altitudes by help of the sights _D_, _L_ and the plumb line.]

On his return to Denmark in 1571, his fame preceded him, and he was
much better received; and in order to increase his power of constructing
instruments he took up the study of alchemy, and like the rest of the
persuasion tried to make gold. The precious metals were by many old
philosophers considered to be related in some way to the heavenly
bodies: silver to the moon, for instance--as we still see by the name
lunar caustic applied to nitrate of silver; gold to the sun, copper to
Mars, lead to Saturn. Hence astronomy and alchemy often went together.
Tycho all his life combined a little alchemy with his astronomical
labours, and he constructed a wonderful patent medicine to cure all
disorders, which had as wide a circulation in Europe in its time as
Holloway's pills; he gives a tremendous receipt for it, with liquid gold
and all manner of ingredients in it; among them, however, occurs a
little antimony--a well-known sudorific--and to this, no doubt, whatever
efficacy the medicine possessed was due.

So he might have gone on wasting his time, were it not that in November,
1572, a new star made its appearance, as they have done occasionally
before and since. On the average one may say that about every fifty
years a new star of fair magnitude makes its temporary appearance. They
are now known to be the result of some catastrophe or collision, whereby
immense masses of incandescent gas are produced. This one seen by Tycho
became as bright as Jupiter, and then died away in about a year and a
half. Tycho observed all its changes, and endeavoured to me