Martin Luther (1483–1546), ‘Melancholy’, from Luther’s Table Talk

The Table Talk (Tischreden) is a compilation of statements made by Martin Luther around the dinner table in his home and elsewhere. The compilation, based on notes by Luther’s students, was undertaken by Johannes Mathesius, J. Aurifaber, V. Dietrich, Ernst Kroker and published at Eisleben in 1566. In the following extracts, Luther’s unsparing attitude toward melancholy and melancholics is made plain.