Treatise and Wandering

I traveled toward Laibach modern Ljubljana, Slovenia, from there toward Milan, and came into a monastery where I served as a student-assistant original: "famulierte," referring to a student who performs domestic duties in exchange for tuition. and attended fine lectures for almost a year. Afterward, I traveled everywhere back and forth in Italy original: "Welschlandt," a historical German term for Latin-speaking or Romance-language lands. and came to an Italian merchant and a Jew who could speak German. These men made English tin Tin: A base metal often used by "sophisticators" to mimic silver due to its bright, white appearance. look like the best fine silver; they sold much of it. I offered to serve them if it pleased them: the Jew persuaded the merchant to take me on as a servant, and I had to tend the fire when they performed their "art" with the tin. I was industrious, and it pleased them well; therefore, they kept nothing hidden from me, and so I also learned the art, which involved poisonous substances. I stayed with them for fourteen weeks.

Afterward, I traveled with the Jew to Venice. He sold about forty pounds original: "x x x x. pfundt" of the silver to a Turkish merchant. While he was bargaining with the merchant, I took six Loth Loth: A traditional German unit of weight; 6 Loth is roughly 3 ounces or 90 grams. of the silver and went to a goldsmith who had two journeymen. One of them knew Latin original: "Latinisch", and I requested that he test the silver for me. There, he directed me across St. Mark’s Square to an assayer Assayer: A "Probierer," an official official skilled in testing the purity of precious metals. who was very noble and rich. He had three German journeymen assayers who quickly put the metal to the test with very sharp substances likely strong acids or corrosive salts used in mineral analysis, and afterward refined it upon the cupel Cupel: A small, porous bowl (the "Test") used in assaying; base metals are absorbed into the bowl or oxidized, leaving only pure silver or gold.. But it did not stand; it failed the test entirely and all flew away in the fire. I was addressed harshly and asked where I had obtained the silver. I declared that I had brought it to be tested precisely so I could see if it would hold up as good silver.

When I saw the fraud, I no longer returned to the Jew and cared nothing more for this "art." I thought I might eventually fall into misfortune because of the Jew and the false silver. Afterward, I came to a school there in Venice and begged that I might have food twice a day. There, the Rector original: "Rector," the head of the school. had me directed to a hospital original: "Spital"; in the 15th century, these were charitable guesthouses for pilgrims and travelers as much as for the sick. where there were other Germans, and they gave fine food there; it had been endowed for all sorts of nations and foreigners. The next day I went to St. Mark’s Square, and a journeyman assayer from the place where I had previously had the silver tested came up to me; he addressed me, asking if I [had] any more...