it was concerned
with the material creation of great and bold ideas, he dimly felt deep
down in his soul. The joy that this bent of the orphan's mind
occasioned his foster-father may well be conceived; and hence he felt
persuaded to teach the boy all practical matters himself with great
care and attention, and furthermore, when he had grown into a youth, to
have him instructed by the cleverest masters in all the higher branches
of knowledge connected with the trade, both theoretical and practical,
such as, for instance, drawing, architecture, mechanics, &c.

Our Johannes was four and twenty years of age when the old master
carpenter died; and even at that time his foster-son was a thoroughly
experienced and skilful journeyman in all branches of his craft, whose
equal could not be found far and near. At this period Johannes set out,
along with his true and faithful comrade Engelbrecht, on the usual
journeyman's[2] travels.

Herewith you know, indulgent reader, all that it is needful to know
about the youth of our worthy Wacht; and it only remains to tell you in
a few words how it was that he came to settle in Bamberg and how he
became master there.

After being on the travel for a pretty long time he happened to arrive
at Bamberg on his way home along with his comrade Engelbrecht; and
there they found the Bishop's palace undergoing thorough repair, and
particularly on that side of it where the walls rose up to a great
height out of a very narrow alley or court. Here an entirely new roof
was to be put up, of very great and very heavy beams; and they wanted a
machine, which, whilst taking up the least possible room, would possess
sufficient concentration of power to raise the heavy weights up to the
required height. The Prince-bishop's builder, who knew how to calculate
to a nicety how Trajan's Column in Rome had been made to stand, and
also knew the hundred or more mistakes that had been made which he
should never have laid himself open to the reproach of committing, had
indeed constructed a machine--a sort of crane--which was very nice to
look at, and was praised by everybody as a masterpiece of mechanical
skill; but when the men tried to set the thing agoing, it turned out
that the Herr builder had calculated upon downright Samsons and
Herculeses. The wheels creaked and squeaked horribly; the huge beams
which were hooked on to the crane did not budge an inch; the men
declared, whilst shaking the sweat from their brow