views, however, were too
liberal, and too far in advance of the age which he adorned; and however
much we may admire the noble spirit which he evinced, and the personal
sacrifices which he made, in his struggle for truth, we must yet lament
the hotness of his zeal and the temerity of his onset. In his contest
with the Church of Rome, he fell under her victorious banner; and though
his cause was that of truth, and hers that of superstition, yet the
sympathy of Europe was not roused by his misfortunes. Under the
sagacious and peaceful sway of Copernicus, astronomy had effected a
glorious triumph over the dogmas of the Church; but under the bold and
uncompromising sceptre of Galileo all her conquests were irrecoverably
lost.

The scientific character of Galileo, and his method of investigating
truth, demand our warmest admiration. The number and ingenuity of his
inventions, the brilliant discoveries which he made in the heavens, and
the depth and beauty of his researches respecting the laws of motion,
have gained him the admiration of every succeeding age, and have placed
him next to Newton in the lists of original and inventive genius. To
this high rank he was doubtless elevated by the inductive processes
which he followed in all his inquiries. Under the sure guidance of
observation and experiment, he advanced to general laws; and if Bacon
had never lived, the student of nature Would have found, in the writings
and labours of Galileo, not only the boasted principles of the inductive
philosophy, but also their practical application to the highest efforts
of invention and discovery.

LIFE OF TYCHO BRAHE.

CHAPTER I.

_Tycho's Birth, Family, and Education--An Eclipse of the Sun turns
his attention to Astronomy--Studies Law at Leipsic--But pursues
Astronomy by stealth--His Uncle's Death--He returns to Copenhagen,
and resumes his Observations--Revisits Germany--Fights a Duel, and
loses his Nose--Visits Augsburg, and meets Hainzel--Who assists him
in making a large Quadrant--Revisits Denmark--And is warmly
received by the King--He settles at his Uncle's Castle of
Herritzvold--His Observatory and Laboratory--Discovers the new Star
in Cassiopeia--Account of this remarkable Body--Tycho's Marriage
with a Peasant Girl--Which irritates his Friends--His Lectures on
Astronomy--He visits the Prince of Hesse--Attends the Coronation of
the Emperor Rudolph at Rati