Page:Tycho brahe.djvu/244

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TYCHO BRAHE.

It might have been expected that the humiliation of having had the judgment upheld, against which he so needlessly had appealed, would have been enough for Tycho, and that he might have left Rasmus Pedersen alone in future, but this he evidently could not persuade himself to do, although we know very little about the further progress of the case. In February 1592 Tycho had to attend the provincial court at Ringsted, in Seeland, as a Latin epigram has been preserved which he wrote on the way home, and in which he complains of unfair treatment by the judge.[1] The case tried on that occasion was probably one of those referred to the provincial court by the Commissioners. From the end of the same year a draught of a royal letter has been found (dated 17th November 1592) which shows that Tycho was still persecuting the tenant. The letter states that whereas Rasmus Pedersen has complained that he was still kept out of his farm, and that his brother and his servant had been imprisoned, and were still detained by Tycho, while he was most anxious to be left in peace, since he had built a house on the farm, and would be utterly ruined if this quarrel did not cease, the king desired that Tycho should remember the misery of the man, and act in a Christian, reasonable, and lawful manner towards him, so that the Crown would not be obliged to interfere and protect him, particularly as he was a tenant of an estate which was merely granted to Tycho during pleasure. It was therefore the royal command that this case be finally settled and arranged by the judge of the provincial court of Seeland and some other gentlemen, who were to judge in all matters which had not already been judicially decided. Tycho was therefore desired to nominate some impartial gentlemen who might be ordered to act on this commission.[2]

  1. Also printed in Danske Magazin, ii. p. 279 (Weistritz, ii. p. 226).
  2. Danske Magazin, 3rd Series, vol. iv. p. 263.