namely the 37th 62nd 94th and 109th Psalms, to Queen Mary in Hungary.*)
Anno 1526.
The Most Serene Highborn Women, Mary, Queen of Hispania 2c., Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, my most gracious wives.
Grace and comfort from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. Most gracious Madam Queen! I had intended to ascribe these four psalms to King M. by pious people, as a reminder that King M. should keep fresh and cheerful in promoting the holy Word of God in Hungary, because I had the good news 1) that King M. was inclined to the Gospel, and yet by the godless bishops (who in Hungary are powerless to do so), he was not able to do anything about it.
1) In the old editions: "zukamen".
The fact that they have allowed some innocent blood to be spilled, and have vowed abominably against the truth of God, would be greatly prevented and averted.
But now, unfortunately, by God's power and providence, things have turned around in such a way that the Turk has caused this misery and misery, and the noble young blood, King Louis, His Royal Highness's dear spouse, has been defeated, my authority has also had to turn around. If the bishops had let the gospel go, all the world would now be full of cries that such a case had come over Hungary because of the Lutheran heresy. What blasphemy should have been there! To whom
* Queen Mary, daughter of King Philip I of Spain and sister of Emperor Charles V, was the wife of King Louis II of Hungary. She was inclined to the Gospel and had her own court preacher, Johann Henkel, whom Spalatin praises in his annales reformationis, p. 140. She resisted the blasphemies against Luther and contributed much to the spread of the Gospel in Hungary. When her husband was killed in the battle of Mohacz against the Turks on August 29, 1526, she had to seek refuge at the court of Vienna. Luther dedicated the interpretation of the four Psalms of Consolation to her. This greatly annoyed the papal authorities and caused Emser to make outbursts against Luther, and King Ferdinand to reproach his sister Maria. Luther had interpreted the 37th Psalm earlier and attributed it to the Wittenbergers in 1521. Here, this interpretation is somewhat shortened, which is why the first adaptation is also included in this volume. This writing was first published in 1526 by Hans Barth in Wittenberg under the title: “Vier tröstliche Psalmen An die Königvn zu Hungern ausgelegt durch Martinum Luther Wittemberg. 1. 5. 26.” There, in 1527, an edition by Joseph Klug; another by Michel Lotther, a third without indication of the printer; finally an edition by Hans Herrgot. In the collective editions: in the Wittenberg (I553>, vol. Ill, p. 45b; in the Jena (1556), vol. Ill, p. 303b; in the Altcnburg, vol. Ill, p. 487; in the Leipzig, vol. V, p. 609 and in the Erlangen, vol. 38, p. 369. The original of the Erlangen is a reprint, which is full of errors, therefore we follow the Jena edition. We also give some deviations from the Erlanger edition only in the beginning. To correct the readings in the 37th Psalm, we have used the first edition (Weim. Ausg., Vol. VIII, p. 205) several times.
they now want to blame, let them watch. God has forbidden it (as I see), so that no cause for such blasphemy would arise.
As in all this, because St. Paul writes to the Romans [Cap. 15, 4.] that the Holy Scriptures are comforting Scriptures, and teach us patience, I have nevertheless continued, and let the same Psalms go forth, to comfort (as much as God comforts us and gives us) E. K. M. in this great sudden calamity and misery, so that the Almighty God may give E. K. M. a home in this time, not out of wrath or disfavor, as we should reasonably hope, but to chasten and tempt, so that E. K. M. may learn to trust in Him alone. K. M. in this time, not out of anger or disfavor, as we should reasonably hope, but to chastise and to try, so that K. M. may learn to trust only in the right Father, who is in heaven, and to take comfort in the right Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who is also our brother, yes, our flesh and blood, and to rejoice with the right friends and faithful companions, the dear angels, who are around us and take care of us.
For, although it is a bitter, difficult death for her and should be fair to her to become a widow so early and to be deprived of her dear husband, the Scriptures, especially the Psalms, will, on the other hand, give her much good comfort and show her the sweet, loving Father and Son in abundance, in whom the certain and eternal life is hidden. And
Truly, if anyone can see and feel the Father’s love for us in the Scriptures, he can easily bear all the misfortunes that may be on earth. Again, he who does not feel the same cannot be truly joyful, even if he sponges in all the world’s pleasures and joys. Such a great accident can happen to no man as happened to God the Father Himself, that His dearest child, for all His miracles and good deeds, is finally spit upon, cursed, and put to death on the cross in the most shameful way, even though each man considers his misfortune to be the greatest, and is more to his heart than Christ’s cross, even if he had suffered ten crosses. This means that we are not as strong in patience as God is, therefore lesser crosses hurt us more than Christ’s cross.
But the Father of mercy and God of all consolation wanted to comfort E. K. M. in His Son, Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, so that she would soon forget this misery, or at least be able to bear it manfully. Amen. At Wittemberg on the first of the winter moon [Nov. 1]. 1526. E. K. M.
willing servant,
Martinus Luther,