Free Tycho and Kepler by Kitty Ferguson Page A

while attending the festivities surrounding King Frederick’s wedding in 1572. Hemmingsen appears to have been an exceedingly busy and effective proselytizer who did not pause for royal holidays.
    Since the trail of clues led directly to Copenhagen, Elector Augustussent a complaint to King Frederick, who immediately summoned to his castle all Copenhagen pastors, all endowed professors of the University of Copenhagen (including Hemmingsen and Pratensis), and the bishop of Roskilde to answer the elector’s charges. Peder Oxe was one of the three commissioners who examined them. Hemmingsen presented an eloquent defense of the peace and unity of belief and religiouspractice of the Danish church, describing German theologians as leaping about like cooks trying to please the palate of whatever noble they served. If Denmark paid attention to them, the result would be similar confusion. The difficulty was not immediately settled, but Peder Oxe told Hemmingsen privately not to worry, and matters quieted down.
    By the end of December 1575, Tycho had returnedto Denmark and was preparing to liquidate his assets for the move to Basel. The court had moved to Sorø Abbey for Christmas. King Frederick relished the rich food, mead, Rhenish wine, and ale of the abbot of Sorø, as well as the learned, amusing conversation around the abbot’s table. Tycho went there to pay his respects to the king, report on his journey, and visit his aunt and foster mother IngerOxe, who was at this time the noblewoman in charge of Queen Sophie’s chamber.
    Tycho had just turned twenty-nine and was an experienced courtier, polished by his travels and attendance at many courts. Garbed appropriately with flowing cape, feathered hat, and sword, he was an imposing figure, barrel-chested, elegant, and of distinctly noble bearing. His eyes were light-colored, and his hair,beard, and substantial mustache were reddish blond. In portraits, his false nose looks a fairly successful imitation, close to flesh-colored—though an astute portrait painter would have made it so in any case.
    Tycho told the king about his visit to Wilhelm IV in Kassel and glowingly described this ruler who surrounded himself with scholars and artists. For work on Frederick’s Elsinore buildingproject, Tycho recommended the landgrave’s former hydraulics expert, a portrait painter from Augsburg, and a sculptor trained in Italy, all of whom were willing to work in Denmark. He also reported on Rudolph of Hapsburg’s coronation. He did not mention any intention of emigrating.
    King Frederick regarded the impressive young astronomer with heightened interest. An emissary from the astronomy-lovinglandgrave had already informed him of Wilhelm’s high regard for Tycho and recommendation that Frederick encourage him, and Frederick could read between the lines that if he did not, Wilhelm would. Perhaps there were rumors at court that Tycho had plans to move abroad. In any case, Frederick received Tycho with extraordinary graciousness and offered him not just one but a choice among fourfiefs. Two were castles on Baltic islands, rather far from Copenhagen but of great strategic importance. The others were Helsingborg, which Tycho’s father had commanded, and Landskrona, both of which guarded the Øresund, the sound that led to the Baltic. At any of these castles Tycho would have power over hundreds of peasants and villagers, with servants, knights, troops, and courtiers to servehim.
    But Tycho surprised the king by accepting none of these castles and major royal fiefs. Instead, he politely insisted that he needed time to think about them. Frederick had nothing better to offer. Nor was this a matter that he could simply let drop. He had no wish to lose Tycho to a foreign ruler or university. Moreover, it was a matter of honor that he show some form of substantial recognitionfor this young member of one of Denmark’s most powerful families.
    However, while the king was pondering the problem, Tycho