The domestic life of Martin Luther at Wittenberg: Luther plays the lute, his wife and children listen, along with Melanchthon. Engraving by J.D. Nargeot after P.A. Labouchère.

"Described in Domestic life. (Scene: A room in Luther's house at Wittemberg; on the walls are portraits of the reformer's friends.) Luther, with his children, John, Paul, Martin, and Magdalen. Margaret in her mother's arms. Luther's greatest happiness, next to that which he derived from the Word of God, was to live in the bosom of his family. Imagine him one day, in the year 1536, seated at a table strewn with books; at his left his first-born John, then twelve years old, was learning his lesson; at the foot of the table was little Paul, a boy of three, with a picture-book upon his knee, which Martin, who was two years older, was explaining as he turned over the leaves. In the bay window sat Magdalen, a girl between seven and eight years old, learning to sew, and their mother Catherine holding the baby Margaret in her arms, and looking tenderly at the two younger boys lying on the floor. Melanchthon, seated in a corner of the room with his books, contemplated this pleasing sight, as did the dog also, who lay stretched in front of the illustrious doctor. Luther had taken his lute and sung one of his noble hymns. When he had finished, he put down the instrument, looked round him, fixing his eyes by turns on his wife, his children, and his friend. "There is nothing sweeter", he said, "nothing more beautiful than a happy marriage, where the husband and wife live together in peace and concord. It is the best gift of Heaven, next to the knowledge of God and of His Word. . . . . Catherine", he continued, turning to his wife, "you have a husband who fears God and loves you. In this you are happier than an empress, as other godly women are. Be sensible of your happiness, and give thanks to God.""--Merle d'Aubigné, loc. cit.