become venomous ?" * Look at that ! She, too, is glad that you agree with me about Erasmus. You are finding out, my dear Jonas, that they are right who say that no one ought to be praised before he dies. But enough of this.
The Lord has not yet restored me entirely to my former health, but in His good pleasure gives me over to a messenger of Satan * to smite me and tempt me ; nevertheless the Lord does not cease to aid and protect me. Day before yesterday I had a severe attack of pain in the gums (as it seems) which tor- tured me fearfully at the beginning, but now it is somewhat easier. Therefore do not cease to pray to the Lord for us. Concerning our plague, know that in the hospitals there have not been more than fifteen deaths during the whole time, though almost a hundred cases have been taken there. Of forty patients whom Master Bohmer " has had under his treat- ment only six have died. Thus in the midst of death the Lord, our Liberator and our Salvation, has been with us. With all our heart we pray the God and Father of mercies that He will remove this plague from us for the glory of His name, l^st our enemies rejoice over us. Do you, too, pray without ceasing, especially since you see the fruits of prayer in the small ntunber that have died out of the g^eat number of those that have been ill. Farewell. Give your Dictator* many kisses for me and my little Hans, who has learned to-day to bend his knees and defile all the comers; indeed, he goes to great trouble to do it in every comer. He would have had more commands for you if he had had time, for he has just had his bath and gone to bed. Do not wonder that I write you about defiling the comers; another time I shall write of other things. My Katie greets you, and asks you to pray for her, as she will soon be confined. May Christ be with her. One thing I wish you to know, that you may see that
^ 1st nichi der theur Manne Mur KrdUn warden.' Catharine may refer thus humor- ously to Jonas» or may be calling Erasmus "the great man who has become a toad."
'II Corinthians xii, 7.
- A Wittenberg physician, referred to in letters of Baldwin and Rorer to Roth,
Buchwald, io» 48.
- Text Dictativg, whether a misreading for Dictatorem or a humorous form,
I cannot say. The allusion is certainly to the dictatorial nature of Justus, junior (born December 3, 1535), who was later so arrogant that he used to despise his father and say that he ought to be the son of a great king and not of a theologian. Enders, xiv, 339. Even a child of 22 months can be a tyrant.
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