ultivate his glebe. In 1812
he went to complete his education at Bern, and in 1820 was received as a
pastor. In 1821 he visited the university of Gottingen, but returned
home in 1822 to act as his father's assistant. On his father's death
(1824) he went in the same capacity to Herzogenbuchsee, and later to
Bern (1829). Early in 1831 he went as assistant to the aged pastor of
the village of Lutzelfluh, in the Upper Emmenthal (between Langnau and
Burgdorf), being soon elected his successor (1832) and marrying one of
his granddaughters (1833). He spent the rest of his life there, dying on
the 22nd of October 1854, and leaving three children (the son was a
pastor, the two daughters married pastors). His first work, the
_Bauernspiegel_, appeared in 1837. It purported to be the life of
Jeremias Gotthelf, narrated by himself, and this name was later adopted
by the author as his pen name. It is a living picture of Bernese (or,
strictly speaking, Emmenthal) village life, true to nature, and not
attempting to gloss over its defects and failings. It is written (like
the rest of his works) in the Bernese dialect of the Emmenthal, though
it must be remembered that Bitzius was not (like Auerbach) a peasant by
birth, but belonged to the educated classes, so that he reproduces what
he had seen and learnt, and not what he had himself personally
experienced. The book was a great success, as it was a picture of real
life, and not of fancifully beribboned 18th-century villagers. Among his
later tales are the _Leiden und Freuden eines Schulmeisters_
(1838-1839), _Uli der Knecht_ (1841), with its continuation, _Uli der
Pachter_ (1849), _Anne Babi Jowager_ (1843-1844), _Kathi die
Grossmutter_ (1847), _Die Kaserei in der Vehfreude_ (1850), and the
_Erlebnisse eines Schuldenbauers_ (1854). He published also several
volumes of shorter tales. One slight drawback to some of his writings is
the echo of local political controversies, for Bitzius was a Whig and
strongly opposed to the Radical party in the canton, which carried the
day in 1846.

Lives by C. Manuel, in the Berlin edition of Bitzius's works (Berlin,
1861), and by J. Ammann in vol. i. (Bern, 1884) of the _Sammlung
Bernischer Biographien_. His works were issued in 24 vols. at Berlin,
1856-1861, while 10 vols., giving the original text of each story,
were issued at Bern, 1898-1900 (edition not to be completed).
(W. A. B. C.)

BIVOUAC (a French word generally said t