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The affairs of the counts of Mansfeld continued to require his attention every other day, or sometimes at an interval of two days. He was accustomed to transact business for one or two hours, along with Wolfgang, prince of Anhalt, and John Henry, Count Schwarzburg. But yesterday, Wednesday the 17th of February, prince Anhalt, Count Schwarzburg, and the rest of us, prevailed on him to remain in his study till mid-day and to do no business. He walked through the room in his undress, looked at times out of the window, and prayed earnestly. He was all along pleasant and cheerful, but took occasion to say to Coelius and me, "I was born and baptized at Eisleben, what if I should remain and die here." In the early part of the evening he began to complain of an oppression at his breast, and had it rubbed with a linen cloth. This afforded him some ease. A little after, he said, "It is not pleasant to me to be alone," and repaired to supper in the parlour. He ate with appetite, was cheerful, and even jocular. He expounded several remarkable passages in Scripture, and said, once or twice in the course of conversation, "If I succeed in effecting concord between the proprietors of my native country, I shall return home and rest in my grave."

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"After supper he again complained of the oppression at his breast, and asked for a warm linen cloth. He would not allow us to send for medical assistance, and slept on couch during two hours and a half. Caelius, Drachsteg, the master of the house, whom we called in along with his wife, the town-clerk, the two sons and myself, sat by him watching till half-past eleven. He then desired that his bed might be warmed, which was done with great care. I, his two sons, his servant Ambrose whom he had brought from Wittemberg, and other servants, lay down in

the same room; Coelius was in the adjoining room. At one in the morning he awoke Ambrose and me, and desired that one of the adjoining rooms might be warmed, which was done. He then said to me, “O Jo

nas, how ill I am! I feel an oppressive weight at my breast, and shall certainly die at Eisleben." I answered, "God, our heavenly Father, will assist you, by Christ whom you have preached." Meantime, Ambrose made haste and led him, after he got up, into the adjoining room. He got thither without any other assistance, and in passing the threshold said aloud, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit." He then began to walk about, but in a short time asked for warm linen cloths. Meantime we had sent into the town for two physicians, who came immediately. Count Albert likewise being called, he came along with the countess, the latter bringing some cordials and other medicines. Luther now prayed, saying, "O my heavenly Father, eternal and merciful God, thou hast revealed to me thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I have preached him, I have confessed him, I love him, and I worship him, as my dearest Saviour and Redeemer, him whom the wicked persecute, accuse, and blaspheme." He then repeated three times the words of the Psalm, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit-God of truth, thou hast redeemed me.” Whilst the physicians and we applied medicines, he began to lose his voice and to become faint; nor did he answer us, though we called aloud to him and moved him. On the countess again giving him a little cordial, and the physician requesting that he would attempt to give an answer, he said, in a feeble tone of voice, to Cœlius and me, "yes," or "no," according as the question seemed to require. When we said to him, "Dearest father, do you verily confess Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Saviour

and

and Redeemer?" he replied, "Yes,"
so as to be distinctly hard. After
ward his forehead and face began to
get cold; and although we moved
him, and called him by name, he gave
no answer, but, with his hands clasp-
ed, continued to breathe slowly un-
til he expired, between two and
three o'clock. John Henry, Count
Schwartzburg, arrived early, and was
present at his death.-Though much
affected by the loss of him who has
been our teacher during twenty-five
years, we have thought it proper to
give your Highness the earliest inti-
mation of his death, that you may be
pleased to give us directions concern-
ing the funeral. We shall remain
here until we receive them. We
pray also that you may write to the
count how to proceed. He would
like to retain the body in Luther's
native country, but he will obey the
orders of your Highness. We also
beg your Highness to write to his
wife, to Melancthon, Pomeranus, and
Cruciger, because you know better
how to do it than we. May God,
our omnipotent Father, comfort you
and us in our affliction*.
"Eisleben, Thursday,

18th Feb. 1546."

P. 274,-8.

At the close of the work, Mr Bower has, as might be expected, given a very elaborate and candid exhibition of Luther's character. Impetuosity, confidence in his own opinion, and contempt for that of others, were the chief blemishes which alloyed its general excellencies. These consisted in his unbounded zeal for true religion, his contempt of wealth and honours, and the fortitude with which he braved every danger, in the cause to which he had entirely devoted himself. The following particulars respecting his private habits will also be found interesting.

"Let us now turn aside from Luther's public character, and contemplate him in the scenes of private life. Warm as he was in temper, and unaccustomed to yield to authori tative demands, he yet possessed much of the milk of human kindness. Few men entered with more ardour into the innocent pleasures of society.His frankness of disposition was apparent at the first interview, and his communicative turn, joined to the richness of his stores, rendered his conversation remarkably interesting. In treating of humorous subjects, he discovered as much vivacity and play. fulness as if he had been a man unaccustomed to serious research. The visitor of Luther's domestic circle was assured of witnessing a pleasing union of religious service with conjugal and paternal affection. His fondness for music continued during life, and spread a charm over the discharge of his serious duties. He was always a zealous advocate for the use of music in public worship. In an evening before parting from his family and his friends, he was in the habit of regularly singing a hymn. Thi he usually did in a high key, and with all the advantage of a delightful voice. In his hours of occasional dejection, music proved his most pleasant and effectual restorative. It was much to be regretted that his constitution, though apparently ro bust, by no means afforded him the steady enjoyment of health. Whether from taking too little exercise, or from the repeated occurrence of mental agitation, he was subject to frequent and severe head-aches. In respect to diet, he was remarkably abstemious, a habit probably acquired in the monastery, and continued in consequence of the sedentary nature of his occupations.

The diffusion of religious knowledge being always foremost in Luther's mind, he was fond, when along

Sleid L. xvi. Seckend. L. iii. 634, et seq. with his friends, of turning the con

versation

versation in that direction. Nor was there any objection to it on the part of his associates. The fluency of his arguments, and the spirit of his illustrations, were calculated to divest serious topics of whatever might be forbidding, and to give them all the attraction of subjects of amusement. The study of Scripture, elucidated by Luther, appeared no longer in the light of a task, and the ponderous writings of the Fathers seemed in his hands divested of their customary in. cumbrance."

Mr Bower has added to his narrative an Appendix of considerable length, in which he gives anecdotes of Luther's friends, and of all the leading divines of that age; also curious extracts from his writings, and from various important public documents. The following letter from Luther to his father appears to exhibit a striking view of the habitual state of his mind, and of the matives by which he was impelled to the daring enterprize in which he

engages.

"Dear Father,

"It has for a considerable time been my intention to dedicate the present publication to you in the most affectionate manner; not from a vain wish to give publicity to your name, but with a view to avail myself of the opportunity which an address to you afforded, of explaining to pious readers the nature of my book.

"You are well aware how deeply I have been impressed with the belief, that nothing could be more important or more sacred than to yield obedience to the impulse of the divine command. And here you may be disposed to ask, "Have you ever had doubts on such a subject, and is it but lately that you have learned the true state of the case?" It is so, I confess Until lately, I have not only entertained doubts, but have been grossly July 1813.

ignorant of the true "state of the case. Let me add, with all due respect, that I believe I could prove, that, like myself, you were greatly deficient in this respect. It is now nearly sixteen years, since, without your knowledge, I ventured to make myself a monk. With the warmest parental affection, you felt alarmed on my account, because you knew beforehand the various privations and disadvantages of that mode of life. Your object was to connect me by marriage with a respectable and affluent family; and your anger at the course I had taken was for some time exceedingly great. The words of the Psalmist, "God knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vain;" These words occurred to you, but without producing a full effect. At length you desisted, and consented that your wishes should give way to what was the will of heaven. My fears, however, were not then terminated, for I well remember, that when you conversed mildly with me, and heard my declaration that I had become a monk, not from partiality to the mode of life, but from the apprehension of divine wrath, your observation was, "I wish that it may not prove a vain illusion." These words sounded in my ears as if they had procceded from the voice of God.— At no subsequent period have I forgotten them; nor have any words, which I have ever heard, made so lasting an impression on me. Still I heard you only as a man, and persisted in adhering to what I regarded in the light of divine inspiration. Had it been in your power, you would certainly have prevented me from becoming a monk; but as to me, had I even known what I now know, I should have pursued the same course, and have suffered death rather than have been stopped in it. Of the propriety of my conduct at that time, my opinion has certainly undergone a change; but God, by his infinite

wisdom

wisdom and mercy, has been pleased to produce great good out of evil. Would you not rather have lost one hundred sons, than not have seen these happy effects arise? Satan seems to have anticipated in me, from my infancy, some of those qualities which have since appeared; and to prevent the progress of the cause in which they have been instrumental, he affected my mind to such a degree as to make me often wonder whether I was the only human creature whom he tormented*. Now, however, I perceive that God directed that I should acquire, by personal experience, a knowledge of the constitution of universities and monasteries, that my opponents might have no handle to boast that I pretended to condemn things of which I was ignorant. It was ordained therefore that I should pass part of my life in a monastery.

"Let me proceed to ask what is the nature of your present opinions and feelings? You are still my father; I am still your son; and vows, we are now satisfied, have ceased to be binding. The right of paternal authority was on your side when you opposed my change of life-in mine, there was a wish to obey the command of God-Had it depended on you, would you not ere this have taken me from the monastery? But lest you should imagine that God has only anticipated you by taking me himself from it, let me ask what if I should persist in wearing the monastic garb and tonsure? Are then the cowl and tonsure sufficient to constitute a monk?-My conscience is now freed-I am, and I am not a monk-a new creature, not of the pope, but of Christ. The monks created by the pope are the mere fictions of temporal authority. Of that number I was one, but from

Ut sæpius fuerim admiratus, egone solus essem inter mortales, quem peteret.

that bondage I am now delivered by the grace of God. It may be asked, why I do not ascribe my removal to the influence of your authority? God, who moved me to withdraw, has a more powerful claim on my acknowledgment." He who loves his father or mother more than me," (said our Saviour,) is not worthy of me." By this Christ did not mean to set aside the authority of parents, but to express, by a familiar illustration, that when their orders came in competition with those of our Saviour, the latter ought always to be preferred. These things I recapitulate merely to show that I could not obey you otherwise than at the hazard of my conscience. At that time, neither of us knew from Scripture that the impulse of God was to be accounted superior to any human orders.-I now dedicate this book to you, that you may see how remarkably Christ hath enabled me to relinquish the profession of a monk, and hath given me so much liberty, that although I am become the servant of all, I am subject to him alone. He is to me, "bishop, abbot, prior, Lord, father, and master." I know none but him-Let me, therefore, hope that he may have ta ken one son from you to make him instrumental in the salvation of many of his other sons. This, I am fully persuaded, you are prepared to receive, not only willingly, but with great joy. Nor have you reason to do otherwise-What though the pope should be the cause of putting me to death? We cannot raise the dead and make them suffer a second time. The day, I trust, is approaching, when that kingdom of abomination and perdition shall be destroyed. Would to God we were the first who were reckoned worthy to be burned or put to death by the pope, that our blood might be the means of accelerating his condemnation. But if we

are

are not worthy to show our sincerity by our blood, let us at least pray and entreat that God may show us this mercy, that we be may enabled to testify by our life and conduct that Jesus Christ alone is our Lord God blessed for ever. Amen.-Farewell, and salute my mother, your Margaret, with all those who are in Christ.

Ex Eremo, XXI. Novr. Anno MDXXI.”

II. HORACE in LONDON; consisting of Imitations of the first two Books of the ODES of HORACE. By the Authors of Rejected Addresses; or The New Theatrum Poetarum, 3d Edition, 7s.

TO laugh always, and at all things, seems the favourite maxim with a large proportion of modern readers. We are firmly persuaded, that nothing, on many occasions, can be more agreeable and more salutary than a laugh. Our only doubt is, whether the never-ceasing laugher does not incur the risk of defeating his own object. There has always appeared to us to be nothing so tiresome, either in books or conversation, as a person who thinks it necessary that every word should be witty. Such a continual coruscation, even of genuine wit, must in the end prove tiresome. But the truth is, that it scarcely ever is genuine. Wit, above all other things, in order to be tolerable, must be spontaneous and unsought; the slightest appearance of labour entirely ruins it. But the person to whom it is a rule, that not a single word, which is not witty, shall ever escape, must be wonderfully gifted indeed by nature, if this spontaneous flow never deserts him. It appears to us therefore most advisable even for the professed wit, to have a ground of sense, on which

he can rest, and where he can alight, when the wings of his fancy begin to tire. Nothing indeed gives such a zest to gaiety, as a somewhat liberal admixture of its opposite. The most noted humourists have in general a large fund of gravity in their composition.

We have taken the opportunity of throwing out these remarks upon the witticisms of the present age, without any particular design of applying them to the work under our consideration. It really is not with any view of censure, that we have now selected it. Our object is rather to prove, that we are no sworn enemies to mirth, when we go somewhat out of our way, in order to procure for our readers some share of the gratification arising from it.

The

The work, with which our Authors commenced their poetico-imitative career, is now universally known, and has met with a general admiration, which it certainly deserves. idea was happy; the execution, in most instances, extremely good. Mimicry in conversation is for the moment irresistably amusing; and in writing, when well executed, it is not much less so. It does not certainly follow, however, that those who can imitate most closely either the merits or the defects of others, possess a good manner of their own; the contrary indeed has often been remarked. The case is somewhat different in writing than in conversation; since to copy well the former must require a considerable degree of intellect and invention. The present volume accordingly contains a considerable share of original humour; yet we are still inclined to regard the imitative power as that which our authors possess in the highest degree. Thus the following, of which our readers will at once recognize the prototype, appears prominent in merit, though there is exaggeration at least, in the sentiment which it conveys.

THE

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