Sefer Chasidim
If the world speaks about such and such a righteous man upon whom there befell a misfortune, say to them, “He was seized because of the perversity of the generation,” 1Arakhin 17a. as it is said, “The breath of our nostrils, the annointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits” (Lam. 4:20).2Shabbath 33b.