farmhand at Suchdol, of Suchdol
“I have worked this soil since old William was spry, doing the hauling of two men for the wage of none.”
Things John had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the eve of Whitsun, at Vespers
If Jan thinks a man can live on crusts and promises he has lost his wits entirely. I am packing my knife and taking the road to Kuttenberg before the harvest. There is silver in the town and none here.
Nota scribaeHe spat on the floor before saying the last part, and made me wait while he rubbed his boots.
the Monday after Easter, at None
That useless mutt Kudla stole half my loaf right from my hand today. Walter and Nicholas are fools for feeding the beast. It cannot herd a sheep to save its life and only brings trouble with neighbour Beatrice.
The dog is hungry too. You did not have to shout so loud the whole village heard.
the second day of Easter week, at Prime
Thomas is weeping again because the clerk Peshek wants his church dues. The church has enough gold to pave the road to Prague. Peshek is a grasping thief who drinks our coin in town, and Thomas is a coward for fearing him.
It is easy for you to speak, you owe him nothing. He has the ear of the priest.
Christ almighty, let the lad be. He is afraid of his own shadow.
Nota scribaeI reminded him of the sin of slander against the church, but he would not strike it out.
the Tuesday after Saint Gregory, at Sext
Old William knew how to balance a ledger and pay a man his due. When his knees gave out three winters ago this holding started to rot. Jan will lose the whole farm to his debts before the snow comes again.
the morrow of Candlemas, at Compline
Mended the fencing along the lower road today. There are more Hungarian soldiers marching past, taking what they please. If a man has no coin he will end up begging in the mud with the rest of the poor souls they chased out of their homes.
God preserve us. We are better off here than on the roads, even with an empty chest.
Nota scribaeDictated in the outbuilding. He spoke slowly, chewing on his words.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
Who will mend the fences if you go? The master will find the coin, just give him a few days.
He can mend them himself or lose the farm. I am done waiting.