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He sought to cheer himself by directing his eyes and ears and also his thoughts to pleasant objects in the present, to expunge the memory of those of the past. He had no lack of these. For wherever his eye wandered he found the most splendid views everywhere, the most charming of countrysides, and everywhere a bounty of fruits and natural beauty. So his spirits rose [...] and amid these changed thoughts he came to the fine town of Wädenschweil.

A quarter of an hour earlier a tall powerful man came up with him, who was in fact from Wädenschweil. This man interrupted his thoughts with everyday talk. He looked at this man surreptitiously from head to foot and turned his thoughts to Berlin. For as often as he sees such a tall, well-built man, he remembers old days in Prussia. He sees in his mind's eye Lattorf, Lüderitz, Nierot, Count Poss and Schleim. He thought: what a valuable man this would have been there. But all those doughty men are long since cut to pieces. O, the pity of it! His liking for such big well-grown men may well stem from those days, and he may have wished then to have a regiment of such tall well-trained men under his orders and show them off in his homeland and take them on manoeuvres there. Two months later he had the honour of making the acquaintance of this brave man, and of joining him in a bottle of wine, and learnt that he was a well-respected man and a true patriot.

On Saturday 25th July the poor pilgrim upon earth had again to prepare for departure, though he was sorry to have enjoyed the friendship and love of noble friends for so short a time. He had still a letter to deliver to Herr Landschreiber Keller

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, and in him he found another amiable friend to humanity. He and other friends urged him to stay on in Wädenschweil over Sunday. But he was in haste, for he knew that he was awaited with longing since Friday evening, by his people at home. For the Poor Man has no rest anywhere. He is not able to enjoy all the signs of friendship that come to him, because he knows that his grieving wife is wailing and lamenting at home. So he was firmly resolved to go home that evening. He promised, however, to visit Wädenschweil again that autumn, to enjoy at more leisure the beautiful town, and the friendship and love of the noble inhabitants, to his heart's content. So he took a sad leave of his dear acquaintances. His two dear countrywomen

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and a certain good man called Herr Provisor Äschmann

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accompanied him to Richterschweil. [...]

In Richterschweil he could not possibly have passed by without seeing Dr. Hotz

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. For until then he had known this gentleman only from hearing prepossessing descriptions. And on this occasion too he would not have dared to address him without having business with him or any pretext, had he not had a letter of recommendation to deliver. Herr Äschmann showed him the house, which seemed to him a princely palace. He took courage in spite of his bashfulness and worked his way through the apothecaries and servants. He would not let them detain him. He said in a firm tone that he must, absolutely, see and speak with Dr. Hotz himself. So he found the amiable man, as his portrait and Dr. Zimmermann's elegant description of him had described, in

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Hans Konrad Keller von Muralt, see note on Wädenschweil below.

164

Anna Katharina Looser and Susanna Giezendanner, see note on Wädenschweil below.

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Probably Heinrich Eschmann, formerly tutor to the children of Landvogt Orell and Landschreiber Keller. The latter eventually sacked him as a suspect revolutionary in 1795, referring to him in a letter to Füssli as "the worst man to be found by the Lake of Zürich". [Voellmy, v 3 pp 446-447]

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Johannes Hotz (1734-1801), a doctor and a friend of Lavater [Chronik, p 352]. Famous as a doctor but also for owning a fine personal library. (Voellmy)

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