The night before Magdalen Luther died, her mother had a dream, in which she saw two men clothed in fair raiment, beautiful and young, come and lead her daughter away to her bridal. When, on the next morning, Philip Melancthon came into the cloister, and asked her how her daughter was, she told him her dream.
But he was alarmed at it, and said to others,—
"Those young men are the dear angels who will come and lead this maiden into the kingdom of heaven, to the true Bridal."
And the same day she died.
Some little time after her death, Dr. Martin Luther said,—
"If my daughter Magdalen could come to life again and bring with her to me the Turkish kingdom, I would not have it. Oh, she is well cared for; 'Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur.' Who dies thus, certainly has eternal life. I would that I, and my children, and ye all could thus all depart; for evil days are coming. There is neither help nor counsel more on earth, I see, until the Judgment Day. I hope, if God will, it will not be long delayed; for covetousness and usury increase."
And often at supper he repeated, "Et multipicata sunt mala in terris."
He himself made this epitaph, and had it placed on his Magdalen's tomb:—
"Dormio cum sanctis hic Magdaleni Lutheri
Filia, et hoc strato tecta quiesco meo,
Filia mortis eram peccati semine nata,
Sanguine sed vivo, Christe, redempta tuo."[13]
In German,—