than you suppose. It is time, now, that I should tell you what I have
kept silence about hitherto. That I am not a cooper at all, but a
painter, you probably now have gathered; and I hope the portrait has
proved to you that I am not one of the worst. When I was very young, I
went to Italy, the land of art; and there it chanced that some great
masters took an interest in me, and fanned the sparks which smouldered
within me into living fire. Thus I soon rose to some eminence, and my
pictures became celebrated all over Italy. The Grand Duke of Florence
took me to his Court. At that time I did not care to know anything of
the German School of Art, and, without having seen any German pictures,
I talked largely of the woodenness, the bad drawing, and the hardness
of your Duerer and your Cranache. However, one day, a dealer brought a
small Madonna of old Albrecht's into the Duke's gallery, which went to
my heart in a wonderful manner; so that I completely turned away from
the luxury of the Italian school, and at that hour determined to see
for myself, in my native Germany, those masterpieces on which my
thoughts were now bent. I came to Nuernberg here; and when I saw Rosa,
it seemed to me as though that Madonna which beamed so brightly in my
heart were walking the earth. In my case, just as in yours, dear
Friedrich, all my being flamed up in a blaze of affection. I saw and
thought of nothing but Rosa. Even art was only precious in my sight
because I could go on drawing and painting Rosa hundreds of times, over
and over again. In the unceremonious Italian fashion, I thought I
should have no difficulty in approaching her, but all my efforts in
this direction were vain. There was no way of getting introduced, in
honour, to Master Martin's house. At last I thought of going and
straight-forwardly announcing myself as one of her wooers, when I heard
of Master Martin's determination to give her to nobody but a real,
doughty, Master-Cooper. On this, I came to the, rather Quixotic,
resolve that I would go and learn coopering at Strassburg, and then
betake myself to Master Martin's workshop. The rest I left to Heaven's
will. How I carried out my resolution, you know; but you have still
to learn that, a few days ago, Master Martin told me I should make
a first-rate cooper, and should be very acceptable to him as a
son-in-law; for he saw well enough that I was trying to gain Rosa's
favour, and that she liked me."

"How could it be otherw