Disquisition on the Celebrated Poetic Book Theuerdanck

...we are about to vindicate original: vindicaturi; meaning to defend or claim a right. The First Argument for our Assertion is supplied by the Book itself, in the Dedication of which Pfintzing declares himself its Author in these words: "I have resolved, for these same reasons, to describe for Your Royal Majesty's delight, utility, and instruction, the story, history, and deeds of a praiseworthy, dear, and highly renowned hero and knight named Lord Tewrdannckh (most of which I have seen for myself, etc.)" original German: Ich hab mir fürgenommen aus denselben Ursachen Ewer Künigl. Mayt. zu Ergetzlichkeit / Nutz und Leer / eines löblichen / tewrn / und hochberümbten Helds und Ritters / mit Namen Herr Tewrdannckh / Geschicht / History und Getaten (die ich den maysten thail gesehen tc.) zu beschreiben /; and again, with a few lines intervening, he says: "May Your Royal Majesty graciously receive such a book, Most Gracious Lord, and my willing labor, from me, your most humble Chaplain." original German: solich Puch allergnädigster Herr / und meine willige Arbayt wollen Ew. K. M. von mir unterthänigisten Capplan gnediglichen empfahen. In the appended key A clavis or explanatory index used to decode the allegorical characters in the Theuerdanck, also written for the use of King Charles V, he calls it "my book" original German: mein Püch three times. Who, then, could imagine that Pfintzing—a man of integrity and spirit—would have reached such a level of impudence that he would not blush to sell as his own a child of the intellect original: foetum Ingenii produced by the most August Emperor Maximilian, while the Emperor was still living and the courtiers were not ignorant of the true Author? And what is greatest of all, that he would have dared to offer it to Charles V, the Grandson Charles V was the grandson of Maximilian I, as his own labor, when he would have most atrociously harmed Maximilian’s reputation by such an act.

The Second Strength of Proof was suggested to us by the previously mentioned Diploma An official imperial charter or decree of Charles V. This was shared with us—out of his favorable inclination toward aiding good Letters and Arts—by that most celebrated patron of all scholars, a man illustrious by both his lineage and his merits to the Republic, HIERONYMUS WILHELM EBNER. He is a distinguished consular Senator of the Republic of Nuremberg, and he provided this from his own highly equipped apparatus A collection of research materials or a library for the book he is writing on the illustrious patrician families of Nuremberg; we also gratefully owe to him a more abundant knowledge of Pfintzing’s life. In that Diploma, the Emperor speaks thus:

“Among these things, this also occurs as something to be especially esteemed: that the same Melchior Pfintzing [recorded] the life course and the illustrious [deeds] of our aforementioned late most serene Grandfather...” The text cuts off here, continuing the quote on the next page.