Ingenious Designs of Various Mills

...waterworks, as well as fountains and various pumps; he also demonstrated how water may be raised and guided to great heights with particular advantage and minimal effort or cost, even by one's own hand. To this end, he most elegantly and skillfully drafted and sketched three hundred pieces. It was also his intention to allow all of these to be published and brought to light through public printing for the benefit of everyone and his beloved fatherland original: "Vatterland"; here referring to the German-speaking territories of the Holy Roman Empire. He did not intend to keep such work secret for himself alone, but rather meant to serve other people with it.

Because he was prevented from fulfilling his intention by an untimely death, the matter remained at a standstill until finally this work reached me and came into my hands. Therefore, for my part, I did not wish to be found wanting, but desired to fulfill my grandfather's intent and good-will. For the benefit of everyone (though somewhat late), I could not and would not fail to prepare this work for public printing and publish it exactly as I found it.

This is especially fitting since in Your Honors' and Princely Wisdoms' original: "E. E. vnd F. Wt." (Eure Ehrsamkeit und Fürstliche Weisheit); a formal honorific address used for the members of the Nuremberg city council industrial and commercial city of Nuremberg—in which all arts and crafts flourish to the highest degree and are in full swing—all manner of mill-works are common. These are driven not only by water, but also by hand and by animals, and are utilized and constructed for many useful purposes. Thus, everyone who receives this Mill-book Mill-book: a "Mühlbuch" was a specific genre of technical manual in the Renaissance that documented mechanical engineering and machinery might take guidance from it, perhaps discovering how to arrange and commission such things for their own best use and profit, with less expense and greater benefit.

Waterworks, Pumps, Mill-work, Nuremberg, Mill-book, Grandfather