DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48092#0107
VI.]
TROUBLES ABOUT MONEY.
87
away with. It is easy to see what very different lovers of the Church they
are from our Masters here.
“Pardon me, my dear and gracious Masters, this my playful letter.
It is all done in caritate—summa summarum ; and the end of it is that
I should rejoice at your speedy return in health and happiness with the
glad accomplishment of the business committed to you. For this I and
my sisters heartily pray God day and night; still we cannot carry it
through alone, so I counsel you to entreat the pious and pure hearts (of
Augsburg) to sing in high quavers that thereby things may speed well.
And now many happy times to you !
“Given at Niirnberg on the 3rd of September, 1518.
“ Sister Charitas, unprofitable Abbess of
“ S. Clara’s at Niirnberg.”
A few days after this letter was received, the prayer of the
‘ unprofitable Abbess ’ and the other 1 little grey wolves ’ was
granted and the three friends returned home. Dtirer ought to
have been in high spirits, for not only had he spent a pleasant
time, but he brought back solid comfort with him in the shape
of the letter to the town-council of Niirnberg, from which the
following extract is taken. The letter is dated Augsburg, 8 Sept.
1518.
“ Honourable, trusty, and well-beloved, Whereas you are bound to
pay us on next S. Martin’s day year a remainder, to wit 200 florins
Rhenish, out of the accustomed town contribution which you are wont
to render into our and the Empire’s treasury,...We earnestly charge you
to deliver and pay the said 200 florins, accepting our quittance therefor,
unto our and the Empire’s trusty and well-beloved Albrecht Diirer, our
painter, on account of his honest services, willingly rendered to us at
our command for our ‘ Car of Triumph ’ and in other ways ; and, at the
said time, these 200 florins shall be deducted for you from the accus-
tomed town-contribution. Thus you will perform our earnest desire.
Given,” etc.
To make everything secure Diirer also procured a receipt for
the 200 florins, signed by the Emperor himself. But, as bad
luck would have it, long before ‘next S. Martin’s day year’,
Maximilian was dead, and the 200 florins no longer his to dis-
pose of, being due to the new Emperor Charles V. Worse still
for Diirer, notwithstanding the wording of his Privilegium, his
Pension also lapsed, or rather the municipal authorities of
Niirnberg refused to pay it until it had been confirmed by
Maximilian’s successor. Diirer was at first sanguine about
TROUBLES ABOUT MONEY.
87
away with. It is easy to see what very different lovers of the Church they
are from our Masters here.
“Pardon me, my dear and gracious Masters, this my playful letter.
It is all done in caritate—summa summarum ; and the end of it is that
I should rejoice at your speedy return in health and happiness with the
glad accomplishment of the business committed to you. For this I and
my sisters heartily pray God day and night; still we cannot carry it
through alone, so I counsel you to entreat the pious and pure hearts (of
Augsburg) to sing in high quavers that thereby things may speed well.
And now many happy times to you !
“Given at Niirnberg on the 3rd of September, 1518.
“ Sister Charitas, unprofitable Abbess of
“ S. Clara’s at Niirnberg.”
A few days after this letter was received, the prayer of the
‘ unprofitable Abbess ’ and the other 1 little grey wolves ’ was
granted and the three friends returned home. Dtirer ought to
have been in high spirits, for not only had he spent a pleasant
time, but he brought back solid comfort with him in the shape
of the letter to the town-council of Niirnberg, from which the
following extract is taken. The letter is dated Augsburg, 8 Sept.
1518.
“ Honourable, trusty, and well-beloved, Whereas you are bound to
pay us on next S. Martin’s day year a remainder, to wit 200 florins
Rhenish, out of the accustomed town contribution which you are wont
to render into our and the Empire’s treasury,...We earnestly charge you
to deliver and pay the said 200 florins, accepting our quittance therefor,
unto our and the Empire’s trusty and well-beloved Albrecht Diirer, our
painter, on account of his honest services, willingly rendered to us at
our command for our ‘ Car of Triumph ’ and in other ways ; and, at the
said time, these 200 florins shall be deducted for you from the accus-
tomed town-contribution. Thus you will perform our earnest desire.
Given,” etc.
To make everything secure Diirer also procured a receipt for
the 200 florins, signed by the Emperor himself. But, as bad
luck would have it, long before ‘next S. Martin’s day year’,
Maximilian was dead, and the 200 florins no longer his to dis-
pose of, being due to the new Emperor Charles V. Worse still
for Diirer, notwithstanding the wording of his Privilegium, his
Pension also lapsed, or rather the municipal authorities of
Niirnberg refused to pay it until it had been confirmed by
Maximilian’s successor. Diirer was at first sanguine about