head of a large family consisting of the children of
his wife and those of her first husband by his previous marriage. It was
a serious responsibility to assume, both morally and financially. The
parish was quite large, but his income was considerably reduced by the
payment of a pension to the widow of the former pastor and the salary to
an assistant. With such a drain on his income and with a large family to
support, Kingo's economic circumstances must have been strained. But he
was happy with his wife and proved himself a kind and conscientious
stepfather to her children who, even after their maturity, maintained a
close relationship with him.

Kingo's happiness proved, however, to be but a brief interlude to a
period of intense sorrows and disappointments. His wife died less than a
year after their marriage; his father, whom he loved and revered, passed
away the same year; and the conduct of his stepson, the formerly
mentioned Jacob Worm, caused him bitter trouble and humiliation. The
bright prospect of this brilliant but erratic youth had quickly faded.
After a number of failures, he had been forced to accept a position as
rector of the small and insignificant Latin school at Slangerup, thus
coming under the immediate authority of Kingo, who, as pastor, supervised
the educational institutions of the parish. Worm always seems to have
thought of Kingo as a former assistant to his father, and his position as
an inferior to a former inferior in his own home, therefore, bitterly
wounded his pride. Seeking an outlet for his bitterness, he wrote a
number of extremely abusive poems about his stepfather and circulated
them among the people of the parish. This unwarranted abuse aroused the
anger of Kingo and provoked him to answer in kind. The ensuing battle of
vituperation and name-calling brought no honor to either side. Worm's
conduct toward his superior, the man who was unselfishly caring for his
minor sisters and brothers, deserves nothing but condemnation; but it is
painful, nevertheless, to behold the great hymnwriter himself employing
the abusive language of his worthless opponent. The times were violent,
however, and Kingo possessed his share of their temper. Kingo's last act
in this drama between himself and his stepson throws a somewhat softening
light upon his conduct. Embittered by persistent failures, Worm continued
to pour out his bitterness not only upon his stepfather, but upon other
and much higher placed pe