While Melanchthon was deeply afflicted by the death of his beloved daughter ANNA, who had been married to Sabinus, and died on the 26th of February, in the flower of life, he was also to behold calamities falling upon the dominions of his prince from every quarter. The Emperor had arisen with the determination to subdue John Frederick. He united with his brother Ferdinand and Duke Maurice, at Egra, and advanced into the Electoral dominions with 27,000 men, while the Elector had rapidly retreated to Wittenberg, which was well fortified. But he was overtaken by the Imperial cavalry. A battle was fought at Muehlberg, April 24. The pious Elector was at the time attending divine worship, and thought that he ought to remain until the close; he was overtaken on the heath of Lochau, and after a brave resistance on his part, was made prisoner. The Emperor received him in a very ungracious manner, and ordered him, together with the captive Duke Ernest of Brunswick-Lueneburg, to be conveyed to the camp. Intoxicated by his victory, he even went so far as to pronounce sentence of death upon the Elector, against all the prerogatives of princes. But the Elector received the announcement with the greatest tranquillity. However, he did not venture to execute the sentence, and changed it to imprisonment for life. As the Elector steadily rejected the resolutions of the Council of Trent, he was declared to have forfeited his lands and electoral dignity, and the traitor Maurice was entrusted with the Electorate. When Melanchthon, who was then at Zerbst, heard of the defeat of the Elector, he was deeply moved, and thus expresses his troubles in a letter written to Caspar Cruciger, on the 1st of May: "Dearest Caspar, if I were able to weep as many tears as the Elbe rolls deep waters by you and our walls, I could not weep out my sorrow on account of the defeat and imprisonment of our prince, who truly loved the Church and Justice. Many important considerations increase my distress. I deeply commiserate the prisoner. I foresee a change of doctrine, and a new confusion of the Churches. Then, what an ornament is destroyed in the dispersion of our school? and we too are torn asunder. Truly, if it were possible for one to consider, I would rather die in your society, and before your altars, than wander about in this state of exile, in which my strength is daily decreasing." As the Spanish and Italian soldiers made great havoc, and especially mal-treated women and maidens, he did not consider Zerbst a safe retreat any longer. He, therefore, removed with his family to Magdeburg. He here met Luther's widow, who was about to depart to Denmark, where she had found a noble patron in the king. He accompanied her to Brunswick, where she remained for some time, and he went to Nordhausen. A faithful friend, Mayor MEIENBERG, resided here, with whom he had carried on a cordial correspondence. He had written to him on Ascension