"To the saintly anxious lady, Katherin Lutherin, Doctorin
Zulsdorferin at Wittemberg, my gracious dear wife, grace and
peace in Christ.
"Most saintly lady Doctoress,--We thank your ladyship kindly
for your great anxiety and care for us which prevented your
sleeping; for since the time that you had this care for us, a
fire nearly consumed us in our inn, close by my chamber door;
and yesterday (doubtless by the power of your care), a stone
almost fell on our head, and crushed us as in a mouse-trap. For
in our private chamber during more than two days, lime and
mortar crashed above us, until we sent for work-men, who only
touched the stone with two fingers, when it fell, as large as a
large pillow two hand-breadths wide. For all this we should
have to thank your anxiety; had not the dear holy angels been
guarding us also! I begin to be anxious that if your anxieties
do not cease, at last the earth may swallow us up, and all the
elements pursue us. Dost thou indeed teach the Catechism and
the creed? Do thou then pray and leave God to care, as it is
promised. 'Cast they burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain
thee.'
"We would now gladly be free and journey homewards, if God
willed it so. Amen. Amen. Amen. On Scholastica's Day. The
willing servant of your holiness,
"MARTIN LUTHER."
_February_ 17th.
Good news for us all at Wittemberg! Mistress Luther has received a
letter from the doctor, dated the 14th February, announcing his speedy
return:--
"To my kind dear wife Katharin Lutherin von Bora, at
Wittemberg.
"Grace and peace in the Lord, dear Kaethe! We hope this week to
come home again, if God will. God has shown us great grace; for
the lords have arranged all through their referees, except two
or three articles--one of which is that Count Gebhard and Count
Albrecht should again become brothers, which I undertake
to-day, and will invite them to be my guests, that they may
speak to each other, for hitherto they have been dumb, and have
embittered one another with severe letters.
"The young men are all in the best spirits, make excursions
with fools' bells on sledges--the young ladies also--and amuse
themselves together; and among them also Count Gebhard's son.
So we must understand God is _exauditor precum_.
"I send to thee some game which the Countess Albrecht has
presented to me. She rejoices with all her heart at the peace.
Thy sons are still at Mansfeld. Jacob Luther will take good
care of them. We have food and drink here like noblemen, and we
are waited on well--too well, indeed--so that we might forget
you at Wittemberg. I have no ailments.
"This thou canst show to Master Philip, to Doctor Pomer, and to
Doctor Creuzer. The report has reached this place that Doctor
Martin has been snatched away (_i. e._, by the devil), as they
say at Magdeburg and at Leipzig. Such fictions these countrymen
compose, who see as far as their noses. Some say the emperor is
thirty miles from this, at Soest, in Westphalia; some that the
Frenchman is captive, and also the Landgrave. But let _us_ sing
and say, we will wait what God the Lord will do.--Eisleben, on
the Sunday Valentini. M. LUTHER, D."
So the work of peace-making is done, and Dr. Luther is to return to us
this week--long, we trust, to enjoy among us the peace-maker's
beatitude.