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planets in gold paper, maps, drawings, petrifactions, coins, plants, snailshells, mussels, feathers and butterflies, "all neatly set out" [Voellmy v 2 p 93]. Like Bräker himself later on, he was regarded with some suspicion by the local people. There is no indication as to whether Ambühl knew Bräker before the meeting described here, or why he had come to Bräker's house. Probably he had heard some kind of rumour about Bräker's reading and writing and came to satisfy curiosity.

Ten years later he appears to have suddenly lost interest in his school, and left Wattwil to become a house tutor to the family of a merchant called Jakob Laurenz Custer in his home the Löwenhof at Rheineck. In the late 1780s he accompanied his employer's daughters on study tours in Strasbourg and Geneva. Brøker often visited him at Rheineck, sometimes taking members of his own family with him, and he continued friendship with Ambühl's younger brother, the locksmith Hans Jakob Ambühl.

Ambühl was already writing poetry while running his school, sometimes under the pen-name "Bertold", later he became better known as "Johann Jakob Altdorfer". He was an admirer and imitator of the young Goethe, a near contemporary. He also became a dramatist of the "Sturm und Drang" [early Romantic] movement, writing plays with Swiss historical themes and a great deal of emotion and swift changes of scene and mood. They enjoyed some literary success (only one of them was ever staged) in his day but have long been forgotten. He was an imitator and admirer of Shakespeare, which was unusual at the time, and it was probably he who recommended Bräker to read Shakespeare's plays in translation. He also had an interest, in which he was again ahead of his time, in folksong and rural traditions. He was a great enthusiast for Nature and for "naturalness" in worship, patriotism, human relationships and even clothing.

After the Revolution he held a minor office in the government of the Helvetic Republic. From 1796 he lived in Altstätten in Canton St. Gallen; he died there in 1800 and his biography was written by Gregor Grob, also a friend of Bräker's.


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Bräker's diary for 1773 is introduced as being intended to note anything he finds for God's glory, of use to himself, to teach his family and to defy his enemies. [Chronik, p 88]

[It is clear that his priorities are beginning to broaden.]

15th-16th Jan. Bräker regrets that he has been drinking too much brandy, which has not happened for some time. [Chronik, pp 88-89]

7th Feb. Bräker draws a moral from the snow: "All things that come from above are so clean and pure, and sullied as soon as they come down to earth." [Chronik, p 89]

1st Mar. A horse belonging to Bräker's neighbour and cousin

[by marriage]
Hans Melchior Abderhalden, breaks a leg. Bräker comments that when he saw tears in the owner's eyes he thought that people took earthly woes too much to heart and the health of their souls too little. Next day he has a similar comment when his pet bird escapes from its cage. [Chronik, p 90]
[He could still be somewhat priggish at times.]

29th Apr. Bräker notes that the price of butter has gone down from 4 to 3 batzen a pound. Cotton yarn is worthless but linen and wool are going up. [Chronik, p 91]

31st May Bräker remarks again on the lowered price of food, especially potatoes, but cotton is still going down. [Chronik, p 92]

2nd June Bräker's youngest brother Rudolf dies at the age of sixteen of a "broken windpipe".

This might have happened as a result of accidentally fracturing the larynx.
[Chronik, p 92]



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