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"Forgive me, dear Lavater, I am somewhat obstinate. I could not learn all these matters in my whole life, and much of it I would rather not learn. What good are all these heaps of bones, these deaths' heads? Indeed the sight of them can awake a man to profound thought and to feelings of melancholy. But that I should be likely to physiognomise these bones so exactly, and so make up such a valuable work thereby, no, I don't trouble myself about the empty beehive, to find out what sort of bees made their home there. Living bones are somewhat more pleasant to observe, and there are plenty of them about.... [Voellmy, v 3, p 234]

[Lavater's book attracted a great deal of attention throughout Europe, even those who did not accept his theories admired Lavater's meticulous observation and recording. Unfortunately his theories could be perverted into lending support to racism - this was recognised even at the time. Bräker did not expect this essay to be read by Lavater, any more than his letters to Frederick the Great. It was, however, eventually published along with his diaries in 1792.]

21st June "A keepsake of my friends"
     "...what is a life in the world without friends - just the thought "you have no friend" is pain and anguish - If Heaven should not be cheered by harmonious friendship, then it would not be Heaven."

"How happy I am today - when I thus think back over my life in solitude - my best friend Bertold

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is gone, but not gone for ever - his brother is valuable to me for his sake - no - also for the sake of his friendly heart and his practical learning too - Ha, if only Bertold thought as much of me as of him - yet, what is he doing - how, where does he philosophize - in the parsonage, with learned people, or half-learned people, with friends and half-friends...Ah, my dearest Bertold - young, hopeful friend - in a systematic fashion - how much I envy you your leisure to visit a corner of the world and wish you a thousand pleasures along with it - Just observe it well - the great and small world - look at it up and down - from side to side - back and front " [Voellmy, v 3 pp 51-52]

24th June Reflecting on the stormy weather of the month, with frequent thunderstorms and earth tremors, Bräker notes that lightning tends to strike upright objects but not the level ground. "Heaven will not harm our mother". [Chronik, p 182]

2nd July Bräker again changes his mind about what he will write in the diary, he will keep silence on some of his thoughts "for fear that people will misunderstand me." But he is still determined to express his feelings. [Chronik, p 183]

[This shows clearly that Bräker expected his diary to be read by other people. Also, perhaps, that he was having doubts about religion.]

20th July Salome and the children are away from home, Bräker has time for writing. He now writes his poetry on loose sheets, so as to be able to destroy it easily if he feels it is not good enough. [Chronik, p 183]

22nd July Feast of St. Mary Magdalen. The weather is lovely but Bräker is downcast because the days are shortening, and the "gentle goddess", the sun, rises later. He complains about the noisy sparrow-hawks nesting in the crags behind the house. [Chronik, p 183]

28th July Bräker writes to his son about his marriage:
     "...You might think that I have a bad marriage. Not in the least! Wherever you might find ten better marriages than mine, you will also find a hundred worse. In all my married life I have never wished to have another woman as wife, except for a few short times when I was not myself. And I may say the same with certainty for my wife too.

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Pseudonym for Johann Ludwig Ambühl. Hans Jakob Ambühl, locksmith, was his brother.



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