Conway, William Martin: Literary remains of Albrecht Dürer (1889)

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durer’s literary remains.

Two men came to him with a need
That he should draw them up a deed;
And he proceeded very well,
Until their names he came to spell:
Gotz was the first name that perplexed,
And Rosenstammen was the next.
The Notary was much astonished,
And thus his clients he admonished,
‘Dear friends,’he said, ‘you must be wrong,
These names don’t to my form belong;
Franz and Fritz* I know full well,
But of no others have heard tell.’
And so he drove away his clients,
And people mocked his little science.
To me that it may hap not so,
Something of all things I will know.
Not only writing will I do,
But learn to practise physic too;
Till men surprised will say, ‘Beshrew me,
What good this painter’s medicines do me!’
Therefore hear and I will tell
Some wise receipts to keep you well.
A little drop of Alkali,
Is good to put into the eye ;
He who finds it hard to hear,
Should mandel-oil put in his ear;
And he who would from gout be free,
Not wine but water drink should he;
He who would live to be a hundred,
Will see my counsel has not blundered.
Therefore I will still make rhymes,
Though my friend may laugh at times.
So the Painter with hairy beard
Says to the Writer who mocked and jeered.”

Diirer also tells of some mocking verses he sent in the year 1510 to
“my very good friend Konrad Merkel, painter at Uhn,” in reply to a
merry letter from him, but the verses themselves are not known. He
also wrote a set of verses “about Good and Bad Friends,” which com-
mence as follows,

Equivalent to our John Doe ancl Richard Roe.