al to her first-born, and inclined to
help him thus take things easy. So, when he was sixteen, "son John" was
sent away to school.

From the letter which he bore from his father to Mark Crodel, the
teacher of the Latin school in the Saxon town of Torgau, young John
seems to have entered the school as a sort of "pupil-teacher," for thus
the letter runs:

"According to our arrangement, my dear Mark, I send thee my son
John, that thou mayst employ him in teaching the children grammar
and music, and at the same time superintend and improve his moral
conduct. If thou succeedest in improving him, I will send thee two
other sons of mine. For, though I desire my children to be good
divines, yet I would have them sound grammarians and accomplished
musicians."

Young John would seem to have been sent to Torgau as one needing
correction; and, indeed, I am afraid he was not always a good or a
dutiful son; otherwise it is hard to explain the words of Luther when
one of his friends spoke of the boy's frequent attacks of illness. "Ay,"
said Dr. Luther, "'tis the punishment due to his disobedience. He almost
killed me once, and ever since I have but little strength of body.
Thanks to him I now thoroughly understand that passage where St. Paul
speaks of children who kill their parents not by the sword, but by
disobedience."

Just how the son "nearly killed" his father we cannot say. It may have
been the great man's strong way of putting things, but evidently "son
John" also needed reformation.

[Illustration: JOHN WAS THE COMPANION OF HIS FATHER IN MANY
EXPEDITIONS.]

However that may be, we catch more glimpses of John's good side than of
his bad. He was the companion of his father in many of his expeditions
about Germany, and he was with him on that fatal trip to Eisleben in
January, 1546, to reconcile the quarrelsome Counts of Mansfeld.

With his boy he forded the icy rivers Mulde and Saale, where they nearly
lost their lives, and where the Reformer doubtless "caught his death."
Escorted by horsemen and spearmen, Luther and his son entered Eisleben;
the Counts of Mansfeld were reconciled, but Luther fell sick, and that
very night, the 18th of February, he died.

All Germany mourned the great man's death; all Germany hoped that his
sons might follow in the father's steps. But the three boys seem only to
have turned out respectable men, without any of the elements of
greatness or leadership.