MASTER THOMAS TURNS PRINTER.
In the mean time it happened that at the diet at Sitten, in St. Gall,
it was resolved to call me to the situation of chief teacher; and the
captain, "Simon in Alben," was commanded to write to me, and tell me to
come. It was Christmas-time that the resolution was passed, the
execution was delayed till Shrovetide. Now at that time there was one
Herbert, provost in the lower college: he had been first at Basle, and
then went to Friburg, where he gave out that he could not hold out any
longer among the heretics in Basle. After that he came again to Basle,
where they were unwilling to receive him, unless he assured them on
oath that he was devoted heartily to the Reformed Confession. This oath
he took at once, and said he could not endure the idolatrous doings at
Friburg. This man had boarders from St. Gall, from whom he learned that
they wished to have me there as teacher. As I had to superintend Dr.
Heerwag's printing-office while he was in Frankfort at the fair, and
could not therefore immediately obey the call I had received, Herbert
availed himself of the opportunity and hastened to Sitten to the
Bishop, whom he informed falsely that I would not come; for that I had
said that I should not like to plunge into the midst of idolatry; and
also that I was in the habit of eating meat on forbidden days, and the
like. The Bishop readily believed it; for I was already suspected by
him as to my religion: so Herbert was received. When he came again to
Basle I went to him into the college, and asked him, "What have you
been doing in St. Gall?" (for I already knew of the matter.) He
answered, that he had had private business. Then I said, "You have had
the business of a rogue, and a wicked fellow. You have no doubt
slandered me; but I will also go there, and if you have lied about me I
will convict you of your wickedness." I really took the journey to St.
Gall, for I had private business besides. When I arrived at Visp, the
Bishop happened to be there just then for the purpose of confirming. I
also met the Captain, Simon, who had a house in Visp, and visited him.
At first he expressed his dissatisfaction that I had not come at the
right time, and told me that on that account another had been already
appointed. He also told me what crooked artifices Herbert had employed
with the Bishop, and how only the day before, he had written and sent a
messenger to say that I was coming, and that they should not believe
me. The Captain finished with these words: "Well! the priests have
chosen for themselves a teacher, and him they shall have."
I would gladly have waited on the Bishop, but could not manage it till
he came to Gusten. There he gave me an audience, and as I entered said,
"Thomas, while Esau was following the chase Jacob took his blessing
away." I answered, "Has then your princely Grace only one blessing?" He
then bade me welcome, and said that he had been informed that I would
not come, also that I was suspected as to my faith; and that at Basle I
was in the habit of eating meat on forbidden days. Thereupon I
answered, "Yes, my lord, and he that has told that of me has also eaten
meat often enough on forbidden days;" which was true, for we had very
often dined at Dr. Phrygius's when the Doctor invited me, and the
little man came to see what he could get. Also when I said that, there
were three Canons standing by, and the Governor, Anthony Venetz, and
they intimated that if that was the case with the little man, they
would let him go about his business and take me. But I said, "No; for
then between two stools he would fall to the ground, and I have a good
service already;" so I went back to Basle. And here it occurs to me,
that some time before, my very faithful and dear friend Henry Billing,
son of the burgomaster in Basle, had requested me to take a journey
with him into the country of the Confederacy, and then he would go with
me into St. Gall. We went therefore first to Shaffhousen, Constance;
after that to Lindau, where he had business; and from thence to St.
Gall, Toggenburg, Rapperschwyl, Zuge, Schweitz, and Uri. We were
treated with great respect, when it was known that we were from Basle.
After that we went into the valley of Urseron to Realp; but when in the
evening Henry saw the mountains he was terrified, and hesitated about
crossing the mountain on the morrow. He was so cast down, that the
landlady said, "If the Baslers are all so faint-hearted, they will not
go to war with the St. Gallians. I am a feeble woman, yet I would take
the child to-morrow by the hand and go over the mountains with him."
Henry did not sleep much during the night. We had engaged a strong
Alpine guide to shew us the way: he took a staff over his shoulder,
went forward in the snow, and sang so loud that the mountains echoed
again. He however slipped a little in the plain, as it was pretty dark;
and Henry seeing him fall, would not go a single step farther, but
said, "Do you go to St. Gall, I will go back to Basle." I would not
however separate from him in the wilds, but determined to accompany him
out again. This made me so spiritless that we conversed but little
together that day. We came again to Uri, and from thence to the lake.
There a little wind arose, so that Henry was very much afraid, and said
to the boatman, "Get ashore, I will not sail any further." The boatman
said, "There is no danger." But Henry behaved himself so outrageously
that we were obliged to get to land not far from the place where
William Tell sprang on shore. We came to a little village, where we
slept on straw. In the morning we went to Berkenried, then to
Unterwalden, and over the Brünig into the valley of Hasli. Then I said
to him, "Now you have a good road to Thun, and from thence to Berne and
Basle." So we parted, and I crossed the Grimsel to St. Gall. When I
came to Visp, Captain Simon was there, who was very favourably inclined
towards me. He was Master of Arts at Cologne; had read Cicero's Officia
at the Academy at Basle; afterwards had business ten years in Rome with
the Pope, and was well versed in the Latin language. He said to me, "I
shall take the bath at Briegen to cure the gout; bathe with me, and I
will pay for you." I went with him; for the bath is not half a mile
distant from Visp. At first several of us had to carry him into the
bath; but when he had bathed about two hours he could walk out on two
crutches. There came thither also the Captain of the Guard of the Duke
of Milan, who had physicked away nine hundred ducats on one leg without
being any the better: he also bathed, and in three days his ankle was
well, and remained so from that hour. That I saw with my own eyes, and
other things besides; so that I could relate wonders enough concerning
it. The bath did me a great deal of good, except that I lost all
appetite, and could scarcely eat any thing but rye bread; neither could
I drink any wine, for it was too strong for me. I complained of that to
the host. Captain Peter Oweling, who was a wonderfully fine man, and
had also studied in Milan; and he said to him, "Oh! if you only had
sour wine!" He ordered wine for me from Morrill, which was dreadfully
sour; for it is there very wild, and is the highest wine that grows in
that country. When the wine came, the host said to me, "Platter, I will
make you a present of that wine." It was about two saum. He then gave
me a pretty crystal glass, which held nearly a measure of wine: with
this I went into the cellar, and drank the largest draught I ever
remember to have swallowed in my life before, for I had been a long
time very thirsty, because I drank nothing but warm bath water, and
there was also an eruption on my skin. When I had taken that draught I
lost all wish for any more of that wine; but my appetite for eating and
drinking had returned again. Captain Simon received many presents in
the bathing place, and amongst others seventy and odd pheasants, some
feathers of which I brought to Basle. As I had no opportunity of
sending letters to Basle, and remained away nine weeks, they said that
I had certainly perished on the mountain. When the bath cure was over I
went again to Basle, and became, as before, corrector of the press to
Dr. Heerwag, and professor at the Pædagogium. I afterwards, in
partnership with Dr. Oporinus, Balthasar Ruch, and Ruprecht Winter,
bought the printing establishment of Andrew Cratander, and became a
master-printer. That trade I followed several years with much sorrow
and trouble, particularly on account of the debts I had to contract,
because I had no property of my own to advance. One day, as Oporinus
and I were still professors, it happened that the Town Secretary
invited me into his house, and asked me how it was that the University
did not rightly prosper. I said, "Methinks that there are too many
professors; for there are often more of them than students. It would be
enough if there were four eminent men, who must however be well
remunerated, and four with inferior salaries, that would be eight
persons; if each were to read industriously only one lecture a day,
there would be students enough." He then said, "What shall we do with
our Baslers?" I said, "If you will attend to that, and not rather care
for the youth, then I can advise nothing more; I have always had the
idea that the Baslers should be preferred if they can be found; but if
not, then the best that can be had ought to be taken, in order that
youth may be assisted." This advice was at once followed with respect
to me and Dr. Oporinus; for as we had engaged in the printing, it was
expected either that we should give up the printing, and apply
ourselves to the professorship, or else give up the professorship. The
latter happened; for we were so deeply engaged in that trade, that we
could not have given it up without great loss.