The Poor Man of Toggenburg - Autobiography of Ulrich Bräker

against each other and will not help or share with their neighbours. Disease is rife in the Toggenburg and is killing people in the prime of life, the cattle too are diseased. [Chronik, p 435]

"In my opinion virtue and love for humanity are to be valued wherever one finds them among the children of men, but in a prince they are doubly honourable. Without being court flatterers, both friends and enemies must yet say that they found a goodly measure of both in the late blessed father of our country. For certainly he was in all respects a friend to humanity. Even where we and all his subjects thought we had good cause to complain and grumble about this and that matter, no-one ever cast accusations at the prince, but only at his court officials and ministers. Even towards us Toggenburgers he showed his generosity at all times. Even when last year some movements arose, and following the example of the people of Gossau (the so-called Gossau affair under the leadership of the Bote [deputy] Johannes Künzle) people wanted to rake up many points of grievance, when there was a well-founded grievance he would always give it a favourable hearing." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 391-392]

[Abbot Beda Angehrn was replaced by Pankraz Vorster, who took a much harder line with demands for change. He could not legally repeal the Amicable Agreement, but he delayed carrying it out, increasing discontent and impatience among his subjects.]

June (no exact date) It seems to me that in this present war, that has lasted so long and been so destructive, it is a very ticklish question to decide definitely who is in the right and who the wrong. In my opinion things go on in war as they do in most lawsuits, where neither party is completely in the right and neither is completely in the wrong. Sometimes I would agree with the belief of the English Quakers, that is, that all war is unjust, but with the reservation that where one is attacked, one can with a good conscience defend one's own skin and one's native country. Then the wrong falls on the attacking party. And also when one is oppressed, so that it cannot any longer be endured, I think that one can with a good conscience shake off the yoke, if I feel myself strong enough for it and do not create other wrongs in so doing." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 279-280]

July (no exact date) "The present high prices are exactly like an epidemic of disease, a sickness like the plague. Just as a sickness quickly and easily spreads into a village, but is so hard to drive forth again and to root out wholly, these days it is behaving in a strikingly similar manner. Whoever has lived through the shortages of the seventies, will be able to call this to mind. Firstly the causes thereof: long and severe winters, short, cold and wet summers, floods and hailstorms, in short lean years are the cause. But now none of that was the cause. We had the most fruitful, plentiful season, and it is still so now. So that according to general report, grain and other victuals are available in abundance and everything in the fields stands fine enough to astonish you. And yet all victuals are constantly dear, not a single article excepted. [...] Only here do people know how to continue to prevent anything from falling in price. We know that in the markets by the Bodensee a sack of corn is sold for 24 guilders, whereas in other markets it is sold for from 6 to 37 guilders. I have heard tell of this from honest men who saw and heard it for themselves. Well, whether our authorities do not know about such offences, or whether they cannot or will not tax the profiteer, who is working to the great disadvantage of such a numerous class of poor people, who cry aloud for bread and suffer great need, that I can't say. Even the property-owners, the farmers, take great trouble to sell all their produce at exorbitant prices. At this time they are able to sell a calf on the hoof for 12 kreutzer a pound, for at the moment there is a shortage of calves and yet they are sold in great numbers at Frauenfeld. All other things: cattle, butter, cream cheese, hard cheese, milk, all these must be worth double the price to them. No wonder that our roads swarm with beggars, which nevertheless the farmers wish to continue and will not pass any decree against beggars - what a crazy Babylon it is!" [Voellmy, v 2 pp 258-259]

20th July "Another soliloquy." Bräker feels weary and empty of ideas, neither his troubles nor former pleasures can rouse him. He is trying to be more cheerful, reads about history and current