- 173 -
the March to the little castle
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by the lake of Zürich. There I indeed found a beautiful countryside, charming prospects, but a dirty road and a long way to go round. At one corner I tried the footpath over the Rieter, but ended up in the water. I was obliged to take off my shoes and stockings and wade for a quarter of an hour with the water up to my knees. At a certain spot two beggar-women pointed out the way to me. They waded after me till we reached dry ground. Then they said that there would be no more water before the bridge. But they too were mistaken.Soon we came to another small piece of water, where either I had to go a long way back again or start undressing once more. I was starting to undress, but one of the beggar-women stopped me, carried her five-week-old child across, laid down her bundle, returned and took me up on her back. Carried me across as if I weighed no more than a feather, and yet she had borne a child only five weeks before. I made sure she had not done it for nothing. Asked her about her home country. She was from Luzern, she said. My man has gone off. Now I seek my crust of bread wherever I can find it. She would have been a not unpleasing little creature if the dirt had been cleaned from her. She had a pair of legs like pillars, but covered with the bites of fleas and lice. Otherwise well built, not tall but strong as a horse.
The other was cleaner, but older and uglier. Both were carrying children, and another child, six or seven years old, ran behind them and waded up to his middle through the water. I would have been glad to order some food at midday for these fellow-travellers, had I not feared to arouse scandal. Were I a prince, thought I, I would surely take better care of these people. But in that way of life they are truly happier than I. The boy, half naked and barefoot all day, was still singing their little guttersnipe-song in the midst of the water. It was not the kind of thing that makes me sing, no indeed. I saw them go on their way, untroubled and carefree. Yet later I saw them in Uznach beseeching alms, begging, and acting so pitiable they might have been doing penance for their sins." [Voellmy, v 3 pp 85-87]
2nd - 10th July Bräker makes hay, spreads dung and ploughs.
3rd July "Another pleasant evening in the company of our pastor and another clergyman from Zürich, Herr Krodi
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, who is travelling as tutor to two pleasant boys, Meyers of Aarau. Herr Krodi seemed to me to be an amiable young man and the two boys very promising young lads - God be praised that the race of men's sense and strength has not died out, nor is it likely to do so. On Sunday Pastor Krodi preached at Wattwil and was much commended." [Voellmy, v 3 p 42]7th July Bräker goes to Ganterschwil, on the way home he has to ford the Thur and removes his breeches to do so, they get carried away by the water. He asks help from a miller, who lends Bräker his Sunday breeches but also manages to retrieve Bräker's own. [Chronik, p 306]
29th July Bräker plays at cards at Ennetbühlerbad by Nesslau: "I would have been there a long time since, but I had to make my way with force. I would rather have spent a stolen hour there. That is just what happened and did me good, but it did my purse no good at all. My friend the locksmith was my travelling companion. On an unpleasant morning we came like drowned rats to the bath-house [a sulphur spring whose healing properties had been known since the beginning of the 15th century - Chronik, p 307] and dried our clothes by the fire. We stayed overnight. A bout of ill-judged gaming cost me a few thalers. That pained me a little. At such places there are always gamesters like that, who lie in wait for strangers." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 126-127]
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The little castle was Schloss Grinau, near Uznach (Voellmy).
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Hans Heinrich Corrodi, a teacher at the College of Humanities in Zürich. [Chronik, p 306].
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