for a three months, she herself went across and
lodged with Dr. Luther and his Kate; as a royal Lady might with a heroic
Sage,--though the Sage's income was only Twenty-four pounds sterling
annually. There is no doubt about that visit of three months; one thinks
of it, as of something human, something homely, ingenuous and pretty.
Nothing in surly Joachim's history is half so memorable to me, or indeed
memorable at all in the stage we are now come to.

The Lady survived Joachim twenty years; of these she spent eleven still
at Lichtenberg, in no over-haste to return. However, her Son, the new
Elector, declaring for Protestantism, she at length yielded to his
invitations: came back (1546), and ended her days at Berlin in a
peaceable and venerable manner. Luckless Brother Christian is lying
under lock-and-key all this while; smuggling out messages, and so
on; like a voice from the land of Dreams or of Nightmares, painful,
impracticable, coming now and then.

Chapter X. -- KURFURST JOACHIM II.

Joachim II., Sixth Elector, no doubt after painful study, and intricate
silent consideration ever since his twelfth year when Luther was first
heard of over the world, came gradually, and before his Father's death
had already come, to the conclusion of adopting the Confession of
Augsburg, as the true Interpretation of this Universe, so far as we had
yet got; and did so, publicly, in the year 1539. [Rentsch, p. 452.] To
the great joy of Berlin and the Brandenburg populations generally, who
had been of a Protestant humor, hardly restrainable by Law, for some
years past. By this decision Joachim held fast, with a stout, weighty
grasp; nothing spasmodic in his way of handling the matter, and yet
a heartiness which is agreeable to see. He could not join in the
Schmalkaldic War; seeing, it is probable, small chance for such a War,
of many chiefs and little counsel; nor was he willing yet to part from
the Kaiser Karl V., who was otherwise very good to him.

He had fought personally for this Kaiser, twice over, against the
Turks; first as Brandenburg Captain, learning his art; and afterwards as
Kaiser's Generalissimo, in 1542. He did no good upon the Turks, on that
latter occasion; as indeed what good was to be done, in such a quagmire
of futilities as Joachim's element there was? "Too sumptuous in his
dinners, too much wine withal!" hint some calumniously. [Paulus Jovius,
&c. See Pauli, iii. 70-73.] "Hector of Germany!" say others.