safety, when they see hope of recovery and life - but when they see one who is beyond help and whose life is ebbing away in slow torment, they cannot hold back, impelled by sincere compassion, to do him the last service in life, set him free as quickly as possible from his agonising torment and send him to his rest. I have seen both these kinds of loving service with my own eyes - and so I am sure that I conclude correctly that there will be more cases of that kind than only the few that I have seen. Nor do I believe that this is contrary to the love of humanity or that the highest dignity and the highest minds hold such actions in disfavour - enough of that.
A case relevant to the above reflections:
Not long ago a young man was carried to the grave who for 14 years was for most of the time in bonds... That must indeed be truly a life of torture, to be compelled by force to live for so many years against his own will - though he is not only a useless member of human society but also to himself and others round him an almost unbearable burden -" [Voellmy, v 2 pp 242-244]
At the end of April Bräker recalls that it is the mildest April he can remember. "And moreover, prospects are beginning to look brighter again - to all appearances the sun of peace will soon rise once more"
The Chronik [p 445] adds a note that the advances of Napoleon over the eastern Alps had forced Austria to open negotiations for peace, which ended in the signing of preliminary agreements on 18th April.
In May Bräker records more good weather, rain and sunshine alternating, some thunder. Noxious insects are rare. Bräker decides to record what he reads in the "immeasurably great Book of Nature" which he can read without his spectacles, for the benefit of posterity... [Chronik, p 445]
Bräker attends the funeral of his friend Andreas Giezendanner, who died on 26th May aged 63. (Voellmy [v 1 p 368] gives the year as 1799, but this was after Bräker's own death.) His house was open to Bräker for many years and he had confidence in him when his former friends had long forgotten him in his business adversities. [Chronik, p 445]
In June rough, wet weather endangers the harvest and people fear that food prices will go up again. Bräker continues to frequent the company of Girtanner and other friends, and to correspond with them. [Chronik, pp 445-446]
June (no exact date) "I should also like to set down something of the peace just concluded between our powerful neighbours France and Austria.
238
[...] Yes, our dear, blessed Helvetia stands yet uninjured, no enemy has set foot on it, for it was so to speak the centre of the theatre of war, with warring armies all around, when one could see their camps near to all our borders and could hear the thunder of the cannons, yet everywhere one could pass in and out without hindrance. Enough grain and other victuals were always allowed to us, though somewhat high in price. But on the other hand the produce of our land was also valued at an exorbitantly high price. Our cloth manufactures too always found an outlet at need so that hunger and poverty never reigned to the extent that they did in the '70s. Though they did last longer than at that time. But now it is peace. Already most of the troops have withdrawn
from our frontiers. All people are glad and very hopeful that victuals will come down in price, profit and earnings go better.
But the weather made a noticeable stroke through the reckoning, it was raw, cold and wet throughout, heavy rains, and on the mountains snow, so that the reduction in price of victuals begins to stand still, indeed it begins to rise again. But people are not letting their hopes sink altogether, that the next months may make everything good that this one has delayed or
238
A note in the Chronik [p 446] adds that this refers to a further stage of peace negotiations between France and Austria, begun on 1st June.
