God in Christ be with you!10 My dearly beloved Katie! As soon as Doctor Brück11 is granted permission to leave the court—he puts me off with this prospect—I hope to come along with him tomorrow or the next day. Pray God to bring us home chipper and healthy! I am sleeping very well,12 about six or seven hours without interruption, and then thereafter again for two or three hours. It's the beer's fault, I think. But just as in Wittenberg I am sober.13
Doctor Caspar14 says that the gangrene in our Gracious Lord's15 foot will spread no further.16 But neither Dobitzsch17 nor any prisoner on the stretching-rack in jail suffers such agony from John the jailer as His Electoral Grace suffers from the surgeons. His Sovereign Grace is, in his whole body, as healthy as a little fish, but the devil has bitten and pierced His Grace's foot. Pray, and continue to pray! I trust God will listen to us, as he has begun. For Doctor Casper, too, thinks that in this case God has to help.
Since John18 is moving away, it is both necessary and honorable that I let him go honorably from me.
For you know that he has served me faithfully and diligently, and conducted himself with humility, and done and endured all [he was required to do], according to the gospel. Remember how often we have given something to bad boys and ungrateful students, in which cases all that we did was lost. Now therefore reach into your wallet19 and let nothing be lacking for this fine fellow, since you know that it is well used and God-pleasing. I certainly know that little is available; yet if I had them I wouldn't mind giving him ten gulden.20 But you shouldn't give him less than five gulden, since we didn't give him a new suit of clothes [upon his departure]. Whatever you might be able to do beyond this, do it, I beg you for it.
The Common Chest21 might, of course, make a present to my servant in my honor, in view of the fact that I am forced to maintain my servants at my expense for the service and benefit of the local congregation.22
But they may do as they please. Yet under no circumstances should you let anything be lacking as long as there is still a fine goblet [in the house]. Figure out from where you will take the money. God certainly will provide more; this I know. With this I commend you to God. Amen.
Tell the pastor of Zwickau23 he really ought to be pleased and content with the quarters. Upon my return I shall tell you how Mühlpfort and I have been guests of Rietesel,24 and how Mühlpfort has demonstrated much wisdom to me.25 But I wasn't eager for his wisdom.26
Kiss young Hans for me;27 keep after Hänschen, Lenehen,28 and Aunt Lena29 to pray for the dear Sovereign30 and for me. I am unable to find anything to buy for the children in this town even though there is now a fair here. If I am unable to bring anything special along, please have something ready for me!
[Wittenberg,] April 22, 1532 John Zink was a very young undergraduate student at Wittenberg and a frequent guest in the Luthers' house. On March 24, 1532, he became seriously ill, and on April 20 he died. In the following letter of consolation, written to John's father, Luther points out how well-liked John Zink was, and what a great personal loss John's death is for him. Luther encourages the parents to be grateful to God for the opportunity they had had to raise such a fine boy, and for the fact that their son had had such a blessed and peaceful death. He assures the parents that their son died affirming his faith and in full possession of his rational faculties, facts which in turn are sure signs that the boy is now with God in eternal blessedness. In closing Luther mentions that Veit Dietrich, the boy's tutor, would write down some of the statements which the boy made during his final days, and that these statements should bring some consolation to the parents.
Text in German: WA, Br 6, 301–302.1
To Thomas Zink at Hofheim2