Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

— 55 —

Young Behaim, before he left Lisbon, made his last
will and testament, although, as far as Pock could see, he
had no property whatever to dispose of; appointed a
" good" man as his " factor," and his aunt Isabel his
executor. Fifty cruzados which he raised on a bill of
exchange1 he invested in merchandise or expended in
presents intended for his German relatives. These
presents included five parrots for his uncle, three of which
reached Nuremberg, as also a quantity of preserve of
service berries, for which he paid his mother 2£ cruzados.

He left Lisbon on April 3, 1519, for Antwerp, where
he arrived before May 12, " hale and hearty." Fritz
Krausberger,2 the representative of the Hirschvogels of
Nuremberg, looked after the young traveller, bought
him a horse and had him measured for clothes of a
sober grey, which his friend Pock had warned him
not to wear on his journey for fear of exciting the
cupidity of highwaymen. It was arranged that he should
accompany the messenger, who travelled regularly between
Antwerp and Nuremberg. This man was paid 3 gulden
for his services, and for looking after the parrots, of whom
three were still alive, and 6 gulden for defraying the
expenses of the road. The travellers left Antwerp on
May 28, and on June 7 young Behaim reached his father's
native town, having accomplished a distance of at least
370 miles in the course of eleven days. Altogether he
had spent sixty-six days on the journey from Lisbon to
Nuremberg, instead of about five weeks, which his uncle
thought would suffice,3 and thus, partly owing to a
postponement of his departure, and apparently still more
to a tedious sea voyage, he was unable to reach his
destination by May 5, on which day the Imperial Crown
jewels and relics were publicly exhibited in front of his
uncle's house—a high holiday for the loyal Nurembergers.

You)ig Martin at Nuremberg.

The reception which young Martin met with on the
part of his relatives seems to have been very cordial, for
he wrote to Jorg Pock that Uncle Michael and his wife
treated him as if he were their son, at which his friends at
Lisbon were highly pleased. He at the same time sent
his Aunt Isabel a present of a rosary. Presents seem
likewise to have been exchanged between Uncle Michael
and this aunt.4 We know, at all events, that the latter
had intended to forward to her Nuremberg friends a
present of marmalade5 of quinces and of other delicacies,

1 For a copy of this Bill of Exchange see Ghillany, p. 110.

2 Ghillany, p. 117. An account of the money laid out at Antwerp
between May 12-27 on behalf of Martin Behaim is still to be found in
the Family Archive.

3 Michael Behaim's letter, December 16, 1518 (Ghillany, p. 44).

4 Uncle Michael repeatedly expressed a wish to send to this lady, for
whom he expressed a high respect, an " acceptable present " (verehrung).
See, for instance, his letter of November 5, 1518 (Ghillany, p. 111).

s Pock (Ghillany, p. 118) mentions "gut mermalada kiitten lattwergen
unnd anders." Marmalade may, of course, be made of various fruits, but
in Portugal it is usually, if not always, made of quinces.

but did not do so, as fruit had failed that year. Subsequently
Uncle Micltael asked Dona Isabel to procure
him two dozen boards of cypress and other costly woods
from Madeira and S. Miguel. These boards, however,
were not intended as presents, for Jorg Pock paid three
ducats for them.

Law Proceedings.

The legal business connected with the distribution of
the inheritance of Wolfgang Behaim, whose death at
Lisbon, on March 20, 1507, we have already noticed,
appears to have been settled without much loss of time.
On July 1, 1519, young Martin, who was utterly ignorant
of his father's language, appeared before the Court,
accompanied by Lazarus Niirnberger as his interpreter.6
From the legal document drawn up on that occasion and
published for the first time by Dr. Giinther (p. 81) it
appears that Wolfgang had either died intestate or had
left his property to his brothers and the only sister who
had not yet taken the veil, per stirpes, in equal shares.

The heirs were thus his brother Michael, the son of his
brother Martin, the sons (jointly) of his brother Stephen,
and his sister Ursula, the wife of Ulrich Futterer.

Young Martin had thus become entitled to a fourth
share, or to a total sum of about 350 gulden, as declared
repeatedly by his uncle Michael. I have carefully read
the legal document referred to, and cannot agree with Dr.
Giinther (p. 71) when he suggests that Wolfgang left to
his nephew the whole of his share in the house on the
market, " because of qualms of conscience felt on account
of the heartless manner in which he had condemned his
'learned brother.'"7

Martin Behaim, on July 1 aforesaid, declared that he
had sold his share of the house in the market square to his
uncle Michael in consideration of his cancelling the debt
which he owed him for various advances made to him up
to that time.8 The declaration does not mention the
amount of the advances " paid and granted," but it must
have exceeded 100 gulden. Furthermore Martin
declared that he had received 250 gulden, being one
fourth share of the remaining assets of his uncle
Wolfgang. The money secured in this manner was laid
out in wax, which Jorg Pock hoped would turn out a
profitable speculation.9

Sent to a Schoolmaster.

Upon the settlement of the legal business Martin
presented a hatchment and candelabrum to the Church ol

6 Lazarus Niirnberger had returned from India in 1518, bringing with
him an ointment supposed to be an excellent remedy for Michael
Behaim's gout. In March, 1520, he was back at Lisbon, and in 1521 went
out to India for a second time. (Pock's letter of December 16, 1518, and
March 27, 1520 ; Ghillany, pp. 113, 118.)

* See p. 51.

* " Wan er Im ein Nemliche summa gulden dero er von Im gar In
seinen Nut* bezalt, gewerbt, und darumb benugig were."

* Pock, March 27, 1520 (Ghillany, p. 118).