On Luther's mocking note on the sanctuary of the Cardinal of Mainz.
See St. Louis edition, vol. XIX, 1930. - The mocking note (which even De Wette did not yet know) ibid. Col. 1932.
Letters from the year 1542. No. 2958. 2959.
No. 2958.
To Anton Lauterbach, pastor in Pirna.
About the death of Luther's daughter; about the Turkish War; about the lewd Rosina (see No. 2831).
Handwritten in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 313. Printed in Schütze, vol. I, p. 230 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 506. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1496.
To the worthy man, Anton Lauterbach, pastor of the church at Pirna, his extremely dear brother in your Lord.
Grace and peace! You write right, my dear Anton, namely that in this very evil time the death, or more correctly the sleep of our children and all of ours is to be wished. And although I was not a little moved by the death of my very dear daughter, I rejoice, since I am sure that she, as a child of the kingdom, torn out of the mouth of the devil and the world, has slumbered so sweetly in faith in Christ.
All news, especially good news, there is nothing. From Hungary, we have been ridiculed, and just by this, we have lost thirty times a hundred thousand florins and above. "It is finished." Ezekiel said [Cap. 7, 2. 6.], the end is here. He that is righteous, let him be righteous after all; he that is unclean, let him be unclean after all; he that perisheth, let him perish after all [Rev. 22:11.]. Let it go as it goes, for it will go as it goes. We are pardoned and clean from blood.
I believe that you have heard of the quite impure whore Rosina, who has defiled my house with every kind of dishonor, and even nowadays she does not repent, but wanders about to cheat, steal and lie with the priests, as she did with me; but since I poor man did not know it, she has given birth to a child from her whoredom, and like a nonsense she almost boasts of this birth. If I were not a servant of the word, I would have provided a sack 1) for her long ago. Even if I do not know whether I will not do it yet, I am annoyed by this...
Mockery of Satan. Fare well in the Lord, and pray for me for a good hour. Greet your relatives in the Lord. On the day before Martinmas [Nov. 10] Anno 1542.
Your Martin Luther.
No. 2959.