“Such a globe, so solidly made, so finely wrought, and in every part so finely constructed and properly constituted never before in any part of the world, so I believe and say without the thought of arousing envy, has been completed. It is an immense and a magnificent work; so much so that many have come from various countries to Denmark that they might have a view of it together with my other instruments, while the Kingdom of Urania and its far-famed citadel were standing.
“Around the horizon circle one could read in letters of gold ‘In the year of Christ CIƆ IƆ XXCIV (1584), Frederick II reigning in Denmark, this globe like unto a celestial machine, in which are fixed the stars of the eighth sphere as set down on his globe each exactly in its place, also the wandering stars as they appear among these, Tycho Brahe, to all on earth who desire to understand this matter, shows the heavens by this mechanical device which he perfected for his sons, for himself and for posterity.’
“The date 1584 is inscribed hereon because that is the middle of the period of time in which it was in the process of construction, and further it is the year before the death of King Frederick of most worthy memory, who liberally supported both myself and my work, and his princely love followed me as long as he lived. I will add only this one thing—this globe has a canopy indicated by Y Z (Fig. [77]) circular, and concave within to enclose the upper half of the globe, which canopy, fastened to the roof by a chain, may be let down as a protection from dust and from other injury. The use of the globe is the same as is that of others, and this use I have decided to describe in a special work during my leisure time, since it cannot be done in few words. This globe has, on account of its great size, an advantage over all others, namely that all details on it can be given with the utmost exactness and minuteness. And those points concerning the doctrine of the primum mobilum and the study of the heavenly bodies in their relations to the position of the ecliptic and the equator and of certain other circles on the globe, are easily determined with a minimum of trouble and without any laborious effort, by the machine.”
Fig. 77. Globus Magnus of Tycho Brahe, 1584.
Van Raemdonck refers to a globe by Titon du Tillet, of the year 1584, citing a reference to this work to be found in “Memoirs lus à la Sorbonne.” We have been unable to obtain concerning Titon any additional information to that given in the above citations.[357]
In March, 1861, the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris acquired by purchase a copper engraved globe mounted on a metal base.[358] The record referring to the purchase reads “Trouvé à Lignières (Cher) et provenant de l’abbé L’Écuy.” (Fig. [78].)
