Part 206
Thus they suspended this godfearing aged woman (who could neither read nor write) by her hands, even as Christ had been, and by severe torturing sought to extort from her the names of her fellow-believers, for they thirsted for more innocent blood. But they obtained nothing from Anneken, so faithfully did God keep her lips. Hence the Bailiff preferred against her the charge of being infected with heresy, having forsaken the mother, the holy church, now about six years ago and having adopted the cursed doctrine of the Mennonists, by whom she had been baptized on her faith, and married a husband among them. Thereupon she was sentenced to be burnt alive. She thanked the lords, and said with humility, that if she had done amiss to any one, she asked them to forgive her. But the lords arose and made no reply. She was then tied on a ladder. Then she said to Evert the under-bailiff, her neighbor: “Thou Judas, I have not deserved it, that I should be thus murdered.” And she asked him not to do this any more, or God should avenge it on him. Thereupon Evert angrily said, that he would bring all those that were of her mind into the same trouble. Then the other bailiff came once more with a priest, tormenting her, and saying that if she did not renounce, she should go from this fire into the eternal. Thereupon Anneken steadfastly said: “Though I am sentenced and condemned by you, yet what you say does not come from God; for I firmly trust in God, who shall help me out of my distress, and deliver me out of all my trouble.” They did not let her speak any more but filled her mouth with gunpowder, and carried her thus from the city hall to the fire into which they cast her alive. This done, the traitor Evert, the under-bailiff, was seen to laugh, as though he thought he had done God an acceptable service. But the merciful God, who is the comfort of the pious, shall give this faithful witness, for this brief and temporal tribulation, an everlasting reward, when her stopped mouth shall be opened in fullness of joy, and these sad tears (for the truth’s sake) shall be wiped away, and she be crowned with eternal joy with God in heaven.
Concerning this, see a hymn in some old hymn books.
NOTE.--We have obtained the sentence of death of this pious and valiant heroine of Jesus Christ, as the same was read to her in court: as also, the record of her torture, which, as it appears, took place two weeks before her death; which we shall place here one after the other, as they were copied by the secretary from the criminal records of the city.
SENTENCE OF DEATH OF ANNEKEN HEYNDRICKS, SURNAMED DE VLASTER.
Whereas, Anna Heyndricks daughter, _alias_, Anna de Vlaster, formerly citizeness of this city, at present a prisoner here, unmindful of her soul’s salvation, and the obedience which she owed to our mother, the holy church, and to His Royal Majesty, as her natural lord and prince, rejecting the ordinances of the holy church, has neither been to confession, nor to the holy, worthy sacrament, for six or seven years since [but has dared], to go into the assembly of the reprobated sect of the Mennonists, or Anabaptists, and has also held conventicles or meetings at her house; and has further, about three years ago, forsaking and renouncing the baptism received in her infancy from the holy church, been rebaptized, and then received the breaking of bread according to the manner of the Mennonist sect, and was also married to her present husband in Mennonist manner, by night, in a country house; and though she, the prisoner, has, by my lords of the court, as well as by divers ecclesiastical persons, been urged and repeatedly admonished, to leave the aforementioned reprobated sect, she nevertheless refuses to do it, persisting in her obstinacy and stubbornness, so that she, the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as by said sect disturbing the common peace and welfare of the land, according to the import of the decrees of His Majesty, existing in regard to this; which misdemeanors, for an example unto others, ought not to go unpunished; therefore, my lord of the court, having heard the demand of my lord the Bailiff, seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to her obstinacy and stubbornness, have condemned her, and condemn her by these presents, to be, according to the decrees of His Royal Majesty, executed with fire, and declare all her property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty aforesaid. Done in court, on the 10th of November, in the year 1571, in presence of the judges, by the advice of all the burgomasters, in my knowledge, as secretary, and as was subscribed:
W. PIETERSS.
_Concerning the torturing of the aforementioned Anna Heyndricks, and when this occurred._
She was tortured on the 27th of October, in the year 1571, according to the previous sentence of the judges, as appears from the record of the confession.
Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam. Preserved in the archives there.
N. N.
WOLFGANG PINDER, A. D. 1571.
In this year 1571, brother Wolfgang Pinder was apprehended through treachery, at Scharding, in Bavaria. The chancellor of Burkhausen was at Scharding at that time; he came himself, apprehended and bound him, and took him thence to Burkhausen, where he had to resist many assaults and temptations from the host of false prophets, such as priests and others, who vehemently assailed him, in order that he should renounce his faith, and suffer himself to be instructed by them. To this end they used great diligence, and employed all manner of subtilty, to see whether they could not lead him astray, by fair, smooth words, by false doctrine, or by arrogance and threats; but he allowed himself in no wise to be moved from the known way of the truth, into which God had helped him. When the priests therefore could accomplish nothing, the executioner was on hand the following night, who had to lay hold of him, and he was vehemently tortured, racked and stretched most lamentably, so that his hands swelled greatly and he could not stand on his feet, so cruelly and unmercifully had the children of Satan treated him, according to the manner of their father, who is full of wrath against the human family, and works through his children all the works of wickedness, wherever he can.
Once two priests came to said brother; one of them talked with him, and admonished him to forsake his error and be converted; but brother Wolfgang, though still suffering great pain from the torturing and racking, said to him with a manful heart: “O you priest, do repent, and turn from your sinful life, and false doctrine; for you are a false prophet, and one of the rogues that go about in sheep’s clothing, and cover their deceitfulness and rascality with long robes; but inwardly you are ravening wolves, upon whom the Lord has pronounced many woes.” At this the priest got angry and blushed, as did also the other; and they could not accomplish their purpose with him. Finally they sent him back from Burkhausen to Scharding, where he had originally been apprehended. In both places they tried him hard, but could not accomplish their purpose with him. When he could not be moved, and would not follow their false doctrine, he had to lay down his life. They unexpectedly set a day, and he was taken out early in the morning to be executed, without any judicial sentence, which brother Wolfgang demanded. But such course of action on their part need not surprise one at all, for they have nothing to prefer against the pious, and cannot find any cause of death in them.
Thus the executioner came, and removed the collar from his neck, but he seized him with fear and trembling. Brother Wolfgang knelt down, and commended his spirit into the hands of his Lord and God. The executioner handled him very badly; he could not strike him properly, nor execute him with dispatch; he finally, while he was lying on the earth, had to hack or cut off his head as best he could; so that he himself was in great fear, and in great peril of his life from the people present, so that he vowed, never again in his life to execute any brethren. There were many people present who saw how valiant, and brave he was. This occurred shortly after Candlemas, in the year 1571. After he had been imprisoned almost half a year, he had thus to shed his blood for the faith in Jesus Christ, and passed over to the Lord’s host, who must in faith, by patient suffering, take possession of the kingdom of joy. The traitor who had informed against him, subsequently fared very badly, as did also the chancellor, who had apprehended him; their good days soon came to an end, as it generally goes with such Judases, who sin against the pious, innocent sheep of the Lord, and thirst for their blood: misfortune overtakes them through the wrath of God, and does not suffer them to remain long at ease.
JOOST VAN DER STRATEN, A. D. 1571.
Joost van der Straten, born at Teems in the district of Waes, in Flanders, a chairmaker by trade, was, when he was about seventy years old, taken from his work, and apprehended with his whole household, outside of Antwerp, on the Kiel (where now the fort stands), and they were, by the Spaniards, who apprehended them, brought to Antwerp. His wife and daughter, however, belonging to no religion; were released in course of time; but upon Joost many tortures were inflicted, in order to make him apostatize. But as he remained steadfast, after an imprisonment of three days, on Shrove Tuesday, A. D. 1571, his mouth was screwed open, and he was thus burnt alive in the market place, before the city hall, and then suspended from a stake in the gallows-field. The Duke of Alva was in Antwerp at that time.
HANS VAN DER STRATEN, A. D. 1571.
Shortly after Shrove Tuesday, in the year 1571, the Duke of Alva removed from Antwerp to Brussels, taking with him all the prisoners, those of the reformed as well as those of the Anabaptistic religion, among which prisoners there were also this Hans van der Straten, aged about thirty-one years, born at Kortrijck, and his wife Tanneken, aged past seventeen years, born at Mechlin. As Hans firmly adhered to his faith and the divine truth, he was sentenced to death, and conducted outside of Brussels with his mouth screwed open, and there burnt alive to ashes, about the middle of Lent, in the year 1571. But his wife, to whom he had been married only six weeks, and who was still very young, finally, through many vexations and tortures, apostatized from her faith, and was put into a convent at Breda, from whence, at a favorable opportunity, she escaped, and went to Danswijck, where she, after having fully repented of her apostasy, again united with the church, and thereafter always led a pious life until her godly death.
GERRIT CORNELISS, A. D. 1571.
In the year 1571, there was apprehended at Amsterdam in Holland, for the truth’s sake, as he was standing and working in a lighter-boat, a young brother, named Gerrit Corneliss. The Bailiff bound him, and led him to the city hall, where, the next day, he was examined, and interrogated concerning his faith, which he freely confessed; but when they wanted him to name some of his fellow believers, he would not do it, and hence had to suffer the torture. When he had been tortured once, and was dressed again, his eyes were blindfolded with a cloth, and his hands having been tied together, he was drawn up by them, and left thus suspended, whereupon he was again stripped, and severely scourged with rods; but no matter how he was tortured, he did not name any one. He was then laid upon the rack again, and while lying upon it, they caused him to be scourged with rods, urine poured into his mouth, and burning candles held under his arms; whereupon, having been stripped naked again, and his shirt bound before his nakedness, he was as before drawn up by his hands, with a weight attached to his feet, and leaving him thus suspended they went out, and returning after some time, they spitefully said to him, that if he would name no one, they should thus deal with him in this manner all day: but God (whom he thanked for it) kept his lips, that no one was brought into trouble by his speaking. In short, he was so tortured, that he could not walk, but had to be carried in a chair.
Some days after, having been brought into court, he was mockingly crowned with a hat of flowers, and sentenced to be strangled and burned. While listening to this sentence he evinced joyfulness and patience, until he arrived at the stake, where he very fervently prayed after this manner: “O Father and Lord, be gracious unto me; let me be one of your least lambs, or the least member of your body. O Lord, who lookest down here from on high, and art a discerner of the hearts and of every hidden thing, before whom all things are to be accounted as nothing, thou knowest my simple love towards thee; accept me, and forgive them that inflict this suffering upon me.” Having risen, he cried to the people: “O men, eternity is so long, O yes, eternity is so long; but these sufferings here are over very soon. But the conflict here is so fierce and severe; O how fearful I am yet; O flesh, bear and resist a little longer, for this is the last conflict.” When the rope had been placed around his neck, he cried: “O heavenly Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit;” and with this he sweetly died and was then burnt. Thus he offered up his sacrifice, boldly standing up for the name of Christ, not fearing pain, suffering, shame, nor these worldly lords, but constantly striving valiantly unto death; hence there shall also, at the last day, when the Lamb that was slain shall open the books of life, his name be found therein: but the apostate shall be written in the earth, and the earth, with the works that are therein, shall be burned. Revelation 2:10; 5:6; 20:12; 3:5; Jer. 17:13; 2 Peter 3:10.
NOTE.--As we have obtained a true copy, from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam, of the death sentence as well as of the two torturings which this friend of God endured before his death, together with clear information when all this occurred, we deem it well to add the same here, so that no one may in any wise doubt the truth of what has been related, but may be fully assured of it.
SENTENCE OF DEATH OF GERRIT CORNELISS, SURNAMED BOON.
Whereas Gerrit Corneliss, alias Gerrit Boon, boatman, citizen of this city, at present a prisoner here, unmindful of his soul’s salvation, and the obedience which he owed to our mother the holy church, and to His Imperial Majesty, as his natural lord and prince, rejecting the ordinances of the holy church, has been neither to confession nor to the holy sacrament for ten years past, and has further dared repeatedly to go into the assembly of the reprobated sect of the Mennonists or Anabaptists, and has also, about eight years ago, renouncing and forsaking the baptism received by him in his infancy from the holy church, been rebaptized, and afterwards repeatedly received the breaking of bread according to the manner of the aforesaid sect, and also attended the assembly of the aforesaid sect, without speaking to them when they met together; and though he, the prisoner, has, by my lords of the court as well as by divers ecclesiastical persons, been urged, and repeatedly admonished, to forsake the aforementioned reprobated sect, and to return to our mother, the holy church, he nevertheless refuses to do it, persisting in his obstinacy and stubbornness, so that he, the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as by said sect perturbing the common peace and welfare of the country, according to the import of the decrees of His Majesty existing in regard to this; which misdemeanors, for an example unto others, ought not to go unpunished; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard the demand of my lord the bailiff, and seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to his obstinacy and stubbornness, have condemned said prisoner, and by these presents, do condemn him to be executed with fire, according to the decrees of His Royal Majesty, and declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty aforesaid. Done in court, on the 26th of June, A. D. 1571, in the presence of all the judges, by the advice of Cornelis Jacobss Brouwer, and Hendrick Cornelis, burgomasters; I being present as secretary. Subscribed.
W. PIETERSS.
THE TWO TORTURINGS OF GERRIT CORNELISS, ACCORDING TO THE RECORD IN THE BOOK OF CRIMINAL SENTENCES AT AMSTERDAM.
He was tortured twice, namely, on the 27th of April, and on the 3d of May, A. D. 1571, according to the sentence of the judges, as appears from the record of the confession.
Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam, preserved in the archives there.
N. N.
A LETTER FROM HENDRICK VERSTRALEN TO HIS WIFE, WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1571, IN PRISON AT RIJPERMONDE, WHERE HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE NAME OF THE LORD.
The abundant great grace of God, that comes to us from the Father, through Christ his only Son; and the immeasurable riches of the Holy Ghost, whereby we are now kept unto eternal life, among this wicked and perverse generation, this only and eternal God of all grace keep you, my dearest wife and sister in the Lord, my flesh, my bone, the dearest among all creatures on earth. For this I have confessed more than once before the lords, if the whole world were mine, I would give it, if I could keep my wife and children with a good conscience; but for the Lord’s sake I must now contrary to nature forsake everything--the spirit must overcome the flesh. O my Janneken, my lamb, how hard it is for me to part from you and the children; O how deep you are buried in my heart; which is now a great conflict for me; may the Lord help me to gain the victory, so that the crown of life may be prepared for me, with all the elect saints of God; who have forsaken everything for the Lord’s sake. O my dear wife, my lamb, my love, I thank you from the depths of my soul, for your consoling letter, which you sent me; and may the Lord grant his eternal life to all those that by counsel or deed lent their aid in the matter. The letter removed a greater weight from my heart, than all the riches on the face of the earth are worth. O what a good thing it is, to remember the prisoners; how welcome came this Habakkuk to me, who fed me poor prisoner in my soul, here in the lion’s den; for a little morsel that comes from without strengthens me ten times more than what I have with me. Hist. of the Drag. 33, etc.
O my dear wife and sister in the Lord, I pray you for the Lord’s sake, who am now bound for his sake, adhere to the truth, as the church at Antwerp and Ghent stands. Keep with them that truly fear God, and the God of all comfort will be with you, yea, God and his holy church shall feed you, and my young lambs, of this I have no doubt. If you continue in the fear of the Lord, and cast all your care upon him, though you are now poor; my sister and beloved wife, you will have much wealth, if you fear God and eschew sin, as I trust you will. Tob. 4:21.
I further pray you; my dearest wife, take care as long as you live, of my young lambs, my Susanneken, my Abrahamken, and my Isaaken, that they may be brought up in the fear of God. O with what scalding tears do I pray to my God, to let them grow up in his fear, or to take them to him in their youth.
O my dearest love on earth, Janneken Verstralen, kiss all my children once for me, and tell my Susanken, that it is her father’s wish, that she be obedient to her mother in the fear of God; and learn to be diligent to help her dear mother, to earn bread for her little brothers, and you my Janneken, my love, remember me your imprisoned husband, and bound for the eternal truth, and for the sake of the testimony of Jesus, in your prayers. This I pray you and all godfearing brethren and sisters, to help us pray to God, that we may gain the victory of a good fight, that God will now teach my fingers to war and my arm to bend the bow of steel, so that by faith I may break through a troop, and leap by my God over a wall (Ps. 18:34,29); so that we may say with Paul: The fight is fought, the course is finished, the crown of life is laid up for us. 2 Tim. 4:8. Maeyken and I are determined to use such force in order to take the kingdom of God, that flesh and blood shall remain on the posts and stakes. We are not permitted to stay together; however we have been together three times, yet through strategy; the first time, when the disputer came from Ghent. Then all the lords came too, and I began to say to them with what calamity they should be punished who now imbrued their hands in the blood of the innocent. Then they cast down their eyes; but a flatterer began to speak, saying, that I had most gravely accused all the lords. In short, I felt that he was the one who was to dispute with me; hence I finally feigned as though I could not defend myself, and spoke pleasantly to the lords, and requested that they should let Maeyken hear it; “for I see, said I, that you are anxious to help me, and in this wise you will have the trouble only once; if you help one you help them both.” They therefore consented to it; then we began to defend ourselves, and it lasted until long in the afternoon. After dinner we met again, but Maeyken was not allowed to come to me. We then began to have some very sharp words; hence they changed their tactics, and began to speak pleasantly, saying, whether I dared not do like Paul, and, contrary to my views, circumcise Timothy, and shave my head; yea, secretly he said, whether I dared not with Judith cut off Holofernes’ head, though it were not the truth, that I should do all that I should promise; whether it were not the same God, and whether one might now not lie as well as then, for the sake of some good end; for it is written, he said: “If it be possible, live peaceably with all men.” Rom. 12:18. I requested time for consideration, whether I could do it with truth and a good conscience. We then parted, and they said they desired nothing else. They returned another time, and asked to what conclusion I had come; and I constantly sought to be with Maeyken; but it could not well be. I then said: “Let us come together; I hope always to do what is possible.” Then Maeyken came to me, and I presented the matter to her as they had done to me, whereupon she said: “How should this be? should the dog return to his own vomit?” 2 Peter 2:22. I then told them, that they should let me speak with Maeyken alone, and they permitted it. I then told Maeyken, that no man living should persuade me of this, that the priests’ matters are right, “they know it well,” said I, “but they seek to be rid of us; but we will live and die together.” Thus we said that we should consider the matter, with which they were satisfied.