Luther’s son Hans was long a trial to the family, and his father
occasionally vents his ire on the youth for his disobedience and
laziness. He finally sent him to Torgau, where he might be more
carefully trained and have his behaviour corrected. Hans seems to have
been spoilt by his mother. Later on she spoke of him as untalented,
and as a “silly fellow,” who would be laughed at were he to enter the
Chancery of the Elector.[655] A niece, Magdalene Kaufmann, whom Luther
brought up in his house together with two other young relatives,[656]
was courted by Veit Dietrich, one of Luther’s pupils, who also
boarded with him. This was, however, discountenanced by the master
of the house, who declared that the wench “was not yet sufficiently
educated.” Luther was annoyed at her want of obedience and ended by
telling her that, should she not prove more tractable, he would marry
her to a “grimy charcoal-burner.” His opposition to the match with
Dietrich brought about strained relations between himself and one who
had hitherto been entirely devoted to him. Dietrich eventually found
another partner and was congratulated by Luther. Magdalene, with
Luther’s consent, married, first, Ambrose Berndt, an official of the
University, and, after his death in 1541, accepted the proposal of
Reuchlin, a young physician only twenty years of age, whom she married
in spite of Luther’s displeasure. With her restlessness she had
sorely troubled the peace of the household.[657]
Other complaints were due to the behaviour of Hans Polner, the son
of Luther’s sister, who was studying theology, but who nevertheless
frequently returned home the worse for drink and was given to
breaking out into acts of violence.[658] Another nephew, Fabian
Kaufmann, seems to have been the culprit who caused Luther to grumble
that someone in his own house had been secretly betrothed at the
very time when, in his bitter controversy with the lawyers, he was
denouncing such “clandestine marriages” as invalid.[659] Finally,
one of the servant-girls, named Rosina, gave great scandal by her
conduct, concerning which Luther has some strong things to say in his
letters.[660]
The quondam Augustinian priory at Wittenberg, which has often been
praised as the ideal of a Protestant parsonage, fell considerably
short, in point of fact, even of Luther’s own standard. There lacked
the supervision demanded by the freedom accorded to the numerous
inmates, whether relatives or boarders, of the famous “Black
monastery.”
4. The Table-Talk and the First Notes of the same
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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