MASTER THOMAS BECOMES ARMOUR-BEARER
AND THEN SCHOOLMASTER.
When for the first time they took the field against the five Cantons,
(Lucern, Schwyz, Uri, Unterwalden, and Zug,) my master was also
summoned, and I carried his armour to Mettmenstetten. When however a
truce was concluded, I remained a while in Zurich with Myconius; and
studied. He and his wife recommended me to marry their housekeeper
Anne, and give up the wandering hither and thither, and then they would
make us their heirs. I allowed myself to be persuaded, and after a few
days we went to Dübendorf, to Myconius's brother-in-law, to church,
and celebrated the wedding with such pomp, that there were people at
table with us who did not know that it was a wedding. Myconius owed my
wife fourteen florins wages, of which he gave her two florins. With
these we went away the first day to Mettmenstetten to the gentleman
whom I had taught Hebrew, by way of Lucern, and Sarnen, to Visp in St.
Gall. At first we visited my sister Christina in Bürgendorf; she had
there a husband and nine children. He had two aunts, who were so old
that they did not know how old they were, and no one else did. With her
we remained until St. Gall's day. I had inherited some household
furniture, which my sister had kept for me; and she lent me her ass,
that I might bring it to Visp. There happened to be an empty house
there with a bed that was not wanted, and we got it lent to us rent
free. It was almost the best house in the village, with nice windows
that had panes. There all went on well at first. I began to prepare my
rope-making trade, and to keep a school. In winter I had about thirty
scholars; in summer scarcely six. Each had to pay a penny every
quarterly fast; besides which, I got many presents. I had many
relations; one brought me eggs, another cheese, or a ball of butter.
Also others, whose children came to me to school, brought the like;
some a quarter of a sheep; those who were at home in the village gave
milk, vegetables, jugs of wine; so that seldom a day passed in which
something was not given to us. At times we have reckoned at night, that
in one day eight or nine different presents had been sent to us. A few
weeks before my arrival, several women in Eisterthal, who were in a
room together, had spoken of me, how magnificent the first Mass would
be that I should celebrate, and how large the offerings which I should
receive. For of the Summermatters alone, the family of my mother, I had
seventy-two cousins, not one of whom was yet married, and who therefore
would have been able to carry their offerings to the altar themselves.
Through my marrying, however, all these splendid hopes were
disappointed. When we began our housekeeping I borrowed fifteen
Swiss bats of my uncle, Anthony Summermatter. With this we began to
trade--bought wine, and sold it again retail; bought apples also,
which, my wife sold again to the boys who would have them; so that we
did very well, and had no want. I had never been so well off. The
priests however were not very friendly to me, although they did me an
occasional kindness, and often invited me as a guest, that I might not
take too much to the Lutheran ways. But when I had to go to church, and
help to sing the Mass, it was a burden to me, and against my conscience
to be obliged to help in the commission of idolatry,--to be present,
and not to be able to speak my mind freely at all times. I therefore
began to think over the matter, what I should do in order to get out
again, and went to Zurich to consult with Father Myconius. He advised
me to leave the place, for that I had prospects of being able to go to
Basle again. When I set out on the journey home, I had a scholar with
me, who was not able to keep up with me on the Grimsel. It began to
snow and to rain, and was very cold; so that we were almost frozen. As
however I was acquainted with the manner of living upon the mountains,
I told the boy that he should not sit down, but keep going forward. Now
and then I went on far before him to warm myself, and then ran back to
the boy; till at last, by the help of God, we came to the hospital, a
good inn on the mountain, where one can find good victuals and drink.
That was before the middle of August. It happened once before, that I
went over the same mountain, and because I was alone, and did not know
the method of travelling over the mountains, becoming faint and tired I
sat down, and wished to rest. I then suddenly felt an odd sensation
about my heart; I became delightfully warm, and fell asleep with my
arms laid on my knees; when a man came to me, laid his hands upon both
my shoulders, awoke me, and said, "Hey! why do you sit there; stand up
and walk?" What became of the man I know not; but whithersoever I
looked, above or below, I could see no one. I then stood up, took out
of my bag a bit of bread, and ate it. When I related that to several
people who were acquainted with the life on the mountains, they said I
had been good as dead; for if any one feels excessively cold on the
mountains, and sits down from weakness, the blood rushes from the heart
into the face and extremities, and the person must die. I cannot think
otherwise than that God preserved my life in a wonderful manner, as the
people also assured me, for there is no easier death than freezing. On
that account persons are sometimes found upon the mountains sitting as
though they slept, and they are dead. When however the inhabitants of
the mountains, who are acquainted with this danger, are overtaken by
night, they take each other's hands and move round and round in a
circle, if it be ever so dark, till it becomes day again. My wife was
glad when I came home; for the pastor of the village had been seized
with the plague, and no one would attend on him. She was also anxious
as to how it might fare with herself, if she should become sick. I had
experienced the same thing several years before; for whilst going to
school at Zurich, there was a terrible plague there; so that in the
great Minster they laid nine hundred persons in one grave, and in
another seven hundred. At that time I went home with others of my
countrymen, and had a boil on my leg, which I looked upon as a plague
boil; by reason of which they would scarcely let us in any where. I
went to Grenchen to my aunt Frances, and between Galpentran (a little
village at the foot of the mountain) and Grenchen, I fell asleep
eighteen times in half a day. My aunt, however, put on a bandage of
herb-leaves, and no evil consequence ensued to me or others; yet
neither I nor my aunt was allowed to go near any one for six weeks.
Being now desirous to leave the country, when the Bishop Baron Adrian
you Rietmatt heard of it he sent his cousin John von Rietmatt to me
with a message that I should come to him at Sitten, and become
schoolmaster of the whole country; and that a good salary should be
given me. I thanked his Grace, but begged several years' more leave of
absence, for that I was still young and unlearned, and should like to
study more. At this he shook his finger at me, and said, "O Platter!
you would be old and clever enough, but you have something else in your
mind; but when we call upon you at some future time we hope that you
will be more ready to serve your native country than a foreign land." So
I took my baby that had been born meanwhile, the cradle suspended from
a hook on my back, and left the place. The child's godmother gave it at
parting a double ducat. Besides that, from twelve to fifteen pieces of
money had also been given to us. The little household furniture which
we took with us I carried, and the mother followed after as a calf the
cow. The books, however, I had sent by way of Berne to Basle; thither
we also went by way of Zurich. I carried the child, and a scholar went
with us who helped the mother to carry her bundle. After looking for a
dwelling for a long time, we at last got a small house which was called
the sign of the Lion's Head. Dr. Oporinus was living in the great court
by the Bishop's Palace (where afterwards the Baroness von Schönau
lived), and was schoolmaster at the Castle. Through the solicitation of
some pious people I was appointed assistant to Dr. Oporinus, and the
gentlemen deputies fixed my salary at forty pounds. So much, they said,
they had never given to any one before me. Out of this I had to pay ten
pounds house-rent; at that time too every thing was dear; for a
quartern of corn cost six pounds, and a quart of wine eight rapps. The
scarcity however did not last long. I went to the market and bought a
little cask of wine--I think it was an aulm--which I carried home upon
my shoulder. During the drinking of this wine my wife and I had many
disputes; for we had no drinking vessel but an anker, and as soon as we
went into the cellar with the anker, there was a quarrel. I said, "Do
you drink; you have to nurse." My wife said, "Drink you; you have to
study, and to work yourself to death in the school." Afterwards a good
friend bought us a glass, in shape something like a boot; with which we
went into the cellar when we had bathed. This glass held rather more
than the anker. The cask lasted long; and when it was out we bought
another. I went into the Hospital, and bought a little kettle and a
tub, both of which had holes in them. I also bought a chair, and a
tolerably good bed, for five pounds. We had not much superfluous
furniture; but God be praised, poor, as we were from the beginning, I
cannot remember we ever had a meal without bread and wine. I studied
every day,--got up early, and went to bed late;--in consequence of
which I often had the headache, and great dizziness; so that at times I
had to hold by the benches. The physicians would gladly have helped me
by bleeding and the like, but it was all in vain. At that time a famous
physician--Epiphanius, a native of Venice--came to Bruntrut, who cured
me in a very simple manner; so that I never had dizziness again, except
when I stayed up too long, and remained fasting.