In 1421 on St. Ulrich’s Day, my wife bore a child named Andlin. When she was a year old, the city of Rottweil started a war against Count Friedrich of Zollern, who was called “Öttinger.” He had done much damage to the Rottweilers and had made war on them contrary to God, honor, and justice. The Rottweilers asked all the free cities for aid, which was granted to them. The Augsburgers hired troops, and mustered and formed up twenty-four journeymen, of whom I was one. They gave each of us 4 groschen per day. Thus, I went on campaign with the others against the count of Zollern and remained away from home for ten months. Everything went well for me, and I saved about 30 gulden. I was appointed quartermaster and secretary of all the infantry. [ . . . ] I was present when Hohenzollern Castle was taken, and I returned home with the very last group. Yet I was sent home with a dispatch, and I remained there for nearly six weeks, until I went back to Hohenzollern. For a year and a day we besieged the castle, which was taken on Corpus Christi [3 June]. It was surrendered for mercy; the 32 soldiers in the castle were taken to Ulm, and the castle was razed to the ground in 1423.
When Hohenzollern was taken, and we came home, the city council sent their advisor Jörg Plossen, and me with him, to Hungary to King Sigismund, our most gracious lord, and to Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, who was at that time with the King of the Romans. The subject [of the mission] was a nobleman, Oswalt Öttlinger, who was our enemy and made war on our city against God, honor, and justice. We were away half a year and accomplished very little. The case also had to do with the Jews. [ . . . ]
My master, Jos Kramer, sent me to Venice in 1424 [ . . . ] [where] I conducted his business, when he had business there, until 1427. Then my masters sent me to Rome.
I left Augsburg for Rome with many ducats, which I was to hand over to a doctor in Rome, Master Peter Frid, who was my lord [= bishop] of Augsburg’s procurator. [ . . . ]
When I returned, I served my master as before, doing business for him and for myself, and by God’s grace all went well. Amen.
In 1431 I was rich and also tired of traveling, and I thought how I might gain a position at home in the city, so that I would not have to work so hard. Now, fortune would have it that a man, Hanns Drittmer, who worked at the city scales, resigned, and Peter Egen, who is since known as Peter of Argun, and who was also employed at the scales, had no weigh master. He sent to me to say that if I wanted to become weigh master, he would do well by me. So, very quickly I pledged myself to him and was his servant, and he paid me 53 gulden per year. And know that he allowed me to ride to Venice whenever I wished and that I could do my business as before while employed at the scales. My master, Peter Egen, surely treated me well. Whenever I asked, he lent me money, much or little, for which may God in heaven thank him. I remained at the scales for seven years until 1438, then I left the scales, for I did not want to be idle but to work and travel as I used to do.
In 1440 around St. Michael’s Day [29 September] I bought my house in the broad Kirchgaße for 200 gulden. Behind it I built an addition with a sitting room, bedroom, and kitchen. [ . . . ] I bought it from Master Hainrich Liephart, who was a carpenter and the city’s works master.
In 1441 on the feast of the Raising of the Holy Cross [3 May], I contracted with Hans Meuting to work for his firm for three years. He gave me 60 gulden per year in wages and invested 200 gulden in the firm on my account. I invested 500 gulden cash in the firm and remained with him for three years. Note that in those three years we gained a profit of 23 percent, which satisfied me, for, thanks be to God, in one year I saved 200 gulden, plus all of my provisions. When the three years were up, I left the firm.
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