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The letter reads, in English:"Therefore, know all men, that the people of the valley of Redan, the people of the valley of Sfitz, and the people of the valley of Woichatz, seeing the malice of the age, in order that they may better defend themselves, and their own, have promised in good faith to assist each other with aid, with every counsel and every favour, within the valley and without, against one and all, who may cause any violence, injury, or any evil against their persons or goods."
The document itself is particularly noteworthy as it was written in the vernacular- one of the few samples of Old Jelbazech that we have. Particularly noteworthy is the Latinate orthography and the careful distinction between open mid vowels (those with a grave) and close mid vowels (those without), and the practise of marking long vowels with a circumflex. Note also that the affication of [t] before [j] has already taken place:
"Dunque que toti ￜminja sepjent, que jal pￜplo de vellja de Ridano, jal pￜplo de vellja de Suitse, e jal pￜplo de Vￜhjato, vidjandￜ le melitse jeteti, dￜquialli pￜssint se mￜljￜre defￜndjare e illￜs sￜnja, ￜnt promisso jan bￜne fￜde que jal ￜno aite jal altro cￜn aite, cￜn cescￜnu covjantu e cescￜne gratse, intre vellja e jahstre vellja, kￜntre jal ￜnu, cￜntre toto quￜ cￜsjant le viￜljantse le injￜrje o jal melu cￜntre lￜru pￜrsone o bￜne."
The text has remained a symbol of revolution and anti-aristocratic values throughout Helvetian history. During the Zￜrich uprising of 1525, when the city declared its independence from the crown, copies of the Letter were circulated among the dissidents, although translated into Middle Jelbazech- only one has survived, but from it we have a fine example of the northern dialect of Middle Jelbazech. Note particularly the German-based orthography which ignores the earlier "etymological" spelling and is remarkably phonetically accurate (bear in mind that during the MHG period <w> still represented [w], not [v] in normal German orthography), although open and close vowels are no longer indicated in writing (and oddly, the sound later represented as <ￜ> is not marked either):
"Dunche ke zￜze ￜmenje sejfent, ke jal pfofle de vellje de Redane, jal pfofle de vellje de Sfetze, e jal pfofle de Vￜjchaze, vejdandￜ le meletze jezeze, deikalle pfossint se meljore defeindare e ello sￜￜnja, ont prￜmesse jan bone fￜde ke jal ￜne ajze jal altsre kon aize, kon keschￜnu kￜivanzu e keschￜne grazze, enzre vellja e jaistre vellja, kontsre jal ￜnu, kantsre zoze kￜ kￜjsant le vjￜljantze, le sfￜre o jal melu kontsre loru pfersone o bone."
Finally, of course, with both the original text and the sixteenth century translation (in front of the glass cabinet on a placard, in fact) was a translation into Modern Standard Jelbazech- which of course is based on the dialect of the capital Wï¿œren and uses the orthography developed in the late 19th century from German models. For completeness, the modern text is given here:
"Dunch ke zï¿œtz ï¿œmin seifint, ke il pfufel de Wal de Redan, il pfufel de Wal de Sfetz, e il pfufel de Woichï¿œtz, weidende le meletz jezetz dichï¿œl pfusent se meljur definder e el sï¿œun, aun prï¿œmes in bun feid ke il aun aitz il alzer, cun aitz, cun keschaun cuwentz e keschaun gratz, inzer welj e jescher welj, cunzer il aun, cunzer zotz kei kï¿œisent le wjolenze le sfï¿œr u il mel cunzer lur pfirson u bun."
DanWho thought this would be a slightly more interesting way of demonstrating the history of Jelbazech.
-- Ry'n ni yma o hyd, Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth.