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all their business on their own account, and will even continue without hindrance towards forming a wholly Protestant assembly, and those Catholic communes which do not want to separate from us, or are doing so very unwillingly, could not for good reason be joined with us until all in the whole nation were united with each other.

A few more days were given them to think it over, and rational, clever men worked on both sides so that unification might become a reality, where now there is only the probability. Meanwhile both sides are now gradually learning to see clearly what evil consequences would follow from such a shameful separation, to think only of the bitterness and dissention of men's minds. For until now the two religious parties have lived together in peace and brotherhood and behaved as friends. Now such a separation would engender inextinguishable bitterness." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 313-315]

[According to the Chronik [p 454] Bont had come to the assembly with 4000 supporters, which provoked his opponents into starting the fight. The assembly decided in favour of sending military help to the cities that had requested it, and of arresting Bont as a rebel, whereupon he and his followers fled the scene.]

5th Mar. "An assembly has finally been announced for the 15th of this month, admittedly a wholly Protestant one. But they think with some degree of confidence that the Catholics will be present too. We shall see.

Besides this everyone has taken to military drilling and practising the use of weapons, in all communes everywhere, so as to be capable if need be to help defend the Swiss frontier. Already evil tidings are arriving, that the French have invaded Switzerland in various places, and moreover that in some places they have been forced back with bloody heads; but other towns such as Freiburg and Solothurn have been taken by surprise. What is to happen next, one must wait and see. These events give rise everywhere to different reactions. With some, especially those of the fair sex, there is fear, anxiety, horror, because fearful people always make matters more horrifying than they really are. Other people break out in rage and resentment against such faithless neighbours. And truly it must anger every honest Swiss to see the fatherland of Helvetia attacked in such an unjust manner and without reasonable cause, and that by faithless hordes of robbers. Even those who formerly at the beginning of the war always held by the pro-French party are changing their talk, that is, those who still have love of their country at heart and pay attention to reason, they say: No, I would not have thought it of the French, that they harboured hostile intentions towards us.

But it shames me just to say it, that one perceives people among us who would be happy to look on if these hordes of robbers were to flood into our Switzerland, set our chief cities and monasteries in ruins for good and all. No, these do not deserve the name of Swiss, they are nothing but bloodthirsty arch-Jacobins, who would like to overthrow all order and social unity out of hand, so that they could be cock of the walk. But as I have already said, one knows these birds by their feathers. Men, who are friend to no man, arch-egoists, who think to have everything in their talons, from whom their poor neighbour never receives so much as a crust of bread - such a man to be called a patriot and lover of his country! That's not what I call him, and I believe many others do not either, however greatly he may be falsely respected by a few ignoramuses, just because he knows how to combine a friendly smile with his clamour of liberty and equality.

It is said that Solothurn was lost by treachery of the general in command. From thence the French drew off by Fraubrunn to the city of Bern, and even now news reaches us in haste that this too is taken through surrender. From Fraubrunn they are said to have marched against continuous resistance as far as Bern, and killed many of its inhabitants, and to have taken their banners and heavy guns. If this is so the kernel of our Confederation is already in the hands of the French." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 315-317]

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