The Poor Man of Toggenburg - Autobiography of Ulrich Bräker

[Phyllis is a conventional name, in pastoral poetry, for a country girl. It looks very much as if by this time Bräker's marital problems are becoming common knowledge, and some of the local girls and young women, and their male companions, are hoping to get something out of him, possibly by blackmail.]

14th May Bräker loses a swarm of bees, but on the 16th his children find another swarm for him in the forest and a neighbour helps him capture it from the top of a fir-tree. Bräker is stung in the arm and marvels at the effective weapons of these little creatures. In Lichtensteig he attends an ecclesiastical court, which is hearing a divorce case, and is badly shocked. Rather than stand such a scene he would flee the country. [Chronik, pp 236-237]

25th May "We are stumping about as usual, full of sweet anticipations, and yet stroll all the time past the things we wish for - ideas fallen to dust - plans come to nothing - projects that have collapsed are the reward of our days. These past days, so sacred, so delightful, these days I spent in my little garden in great pleasure though the sweat streamed from my visage. Yes, delight it is, delight it was, to dig around in my little piece of earth's kingdom, though I enjoy no other fruits of it except that work, so beneficial to the body, to the health. To lay out a garden for oneself, to be a gardener in these golden days, to be one's own master, to do it with joy and pleasure, to hear the concert of the birds close by, God's voice rolling among the clouds, to sit in the shade and observe all these beautiful objects, to rejoice in good health and all God's fine gifts, that is bliss, pure bliss sent by God!"

On the same day he has a visit, from "H.L. and Frau", probably Giezendanner. [Chronik, p 237]

27th - 28th May Bräker and Johannes visit St. Gallen, purely as a treat. From Herisau onwards they are able to ride on pack-horses. [Chronik, p 237]

Early June brings more temptations to Bräker, he deliberates whether to set up one "Lisgen" as his mistress. He decides that she might be just as much inclined as Salome to boss him about. [Chronik, p 238]

5th June Bräker has two trees felled to give more light in the house. He has also taken drastic action in his private life and come off well in a scene that he was dreading - but does not give details. [Chronik, p 239]

17th-18th June Bräker goes on business to Glarus, accompanied by Jakob. Zwicky-Stäger's son shows them the family factory and the neighbourhood. [Chronik, p 239]

[Fear of thunder is mentioned by Simond [v 1 p 139]: sheltering with a poor family near the lake of Zürich, he describes how they had all stopped work and were "skulking about in great perturbation".]

29th and 30th June There is much local speculation about the death of a young man, thought to have been poisoned by a jealous mistress. Bräker sees the accused woman led to the Rathaus [council chambers] in Herisau for trial. [Chronik, p 240]