Luther had, some time before his death, made ample provision, consisting of various kinds of property, for his wife,[16] which she was to hold independent of her children, in the event of her remaining a widow. In the document conveying it to her he speaks of her in the most exalted terms as a pious woman, a faithful wife, and an affectionate mother. The property thus left was far from being sufficient to maintain the widow and her children. The Elector of Saxony, agreeably to his promise, contributed to her support. The dukes of Mansfeld and the King of Denmark also liberally came to her help. The Elector, John Frederick, of Saxony, who had already paid the funeral expenses, thus wrote to Dr. Schurf, Professor of Medicine and Rector of the University: “And as we have heard that the widow of the sainted Luther is in need of pecuniary assistance, ... we send you by this messenger 100 gold Groschen for her use.” He also wrote to Cruciger and Melanchthon, the guardians of the children, to select a teacher for the two younger sons, Martin and Paul, with whom they should also board. He directed that with regard to the oldest son, John, they should wait six months longer, to ascertain whether he was inclined or qualified to study a learned profession, and if not, the Elector promised to give him employment in his palace as a clerk or secretary.[17] To enable the guardians to execute his wishes with regard to the children, the Elector sent them 2000 guilders. He likewise afterwards sent the same sum to the widow. The dukes of Mansfeld, for whose benefit Luther had undertaken many journeys and suffered much trouble, were not behind; in the same year they established a fund of 2000 guilders for the benefit of the widow and children, from which they drew an annual interest of 100 guilders. Part of the capital only was paid, for when Catharine died, in 1552, 1000 guilders still stood to her credit. The year after Luther’s death, Christian III., King of Denmark, transferred for her benefit 50 dollars, the remainder of a sum which he had previously granted to Luther and several of his friends. Catharine wrote to the King, expressing her profound gratitude for this act of benevolence.