, till he set all the professional doctors
against him; so that when his day of misfortune came, as come it did,
their influence was not wanting to help to ruin one who spoilt their
practice, and whom they derided as a quack.

But some of the great ignorant folk who came to visit his temple of
science, and to inspect its curiosities, felt themselves insulted--not
always without reason. He kept a tame maniac in the house, named Lep,
and he used to regard the sayings of this personage as oracular,
presaging future events, and far better worth listening to than ordinary
conversation. Consequently he used to have him at his banquets and feed
him himself; and whenever Lep opened his mouth to speak, every one else
was peremptorily ordered to hold his tongue, so that Lep's words might
be written down. In fact it was something like an exaggerated edition of
Betsy Trotwood and Mr. Dick.

"It must have been an odd dinner party" (says Prof. Stuart), "with this
strange, wild, terribly clever man, with his red hair and brazen nose,
sometimes flashing with wit and knowledge, sometimes making the whole
company, princes and servants alike, hold their peace and listen humbly
to the ravings of a poor imbecile."

To people he despised he did not show his serious instruments. He had
other attractions, in the shape of a lot of toy machinery, little
windmills, and queer doors, and golden globes, and all manner of
ingenious tricks and automata, many of which he had made himself, and
these he used to show them instead; and no doubt they were well enough
pleased with them. Those of the visitors, however, who really cared to
see and understand his instruments, went away enchanted with his genius
and hospitality.

I may, perhaps, be producing an unfair impression of imperiousness and
insolence. Tycho was fiery, no doubt, but I think we should wrong him
if we considered him insolent. Most of the nobles of his day were
haughty persons, accustomed to deal with serfs, and very likely to sneer
at and trample on any meek man of science whom they could easily
despise. So Tycho was not meek; he stood up for the honour of his
science, and paid them back in their own coin, with perhaps a little
interest. That this behaviour was not worldly-wise is true enough, but I
know of no commandment enjoining us to be worldly-wise.

If we knew more about his so-called imbecile _protege_ we should
probably find some reason for the interest which Tycho took in him