hauler at the wall works, of Kuttenberg
“I haul stone from Prime to Vespers and watch my groschen vanish on dear bread.”
Things Hermann Lang had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the eve of Pentecost, at Vespers
Another day hauling stone for the masters. My back is broken and I am so weary I could weep. The bread costs double what it did last year. If this king's war does not end soon, we will all starve while soldiers grow fat on our grain.
Nota scribaeHe sighed heavily before and after every sentence.
the feast of St Florian, at None
Christ almighty! Nickel and Andreas have been shouting at each other outside the alehouse for an hour about some patch of dirt. Some of us have no land to fight over. They should count their blessings and let a tired man drink his beer in peace.
It is my inheritance, you fool, and I will not let Engel steal it!
He is a liar and a thief. Mind your mortar, Hermann.
the Tuesday after Easter, at Sext
I look up at the ceiling and all I see is sky. Oswald took my rent yesterday and laughed when I asked for thatch. Bridget says she is packing her bags for her mother's house if it is not patched by Sunday. What am I to do?
I mean it, Hermann. I will not sleep in a puddle like a sow.
Come stay with me, brother, just until the rain stops.
Nota scribaeHe pointed furiously at the ceiling of the parish hall while dictating.
the feast of St Benedict, at Compline
God rest old Bartel's soul. When he was foreman, he kept order on the wall. These new masters only shout and care nothing if a man works himself to death. I make sure Hugh gets the lighter loads when they aren't looking. A man's crushed hand is trouble enough.
Bartel was a good master. I miss him every shift.
You have a good heart, Hermann. Do not let the masters catch you.
Candlemas, at Prime
The snow is melting and our roof has begun to leak right over the bed. I told that fat miser Oswald we need new thatch, and he told me to catch the water in a bucket. Bloody hell! A man works all day to come home to a soaking bed.
Pay more rent and you will have a dry roof, Lang. It is simple.
You bleed the working folk dry, Oswald! May the devil take your coin!
Nota scribaeDictated on the way to the market. The man was speaking very fast.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
You took the heaviest stones again today, Hermann. You are a good Christian.
Lend us a groschen for a cup, Hermann, just until Monday.
I would sooner lend it to a hole in the ground, Lorenz.