Francis Van der Sach and Anthony Welsch, A. D. 1562.
In the year 1562 brother Francis van der Sach, a native of Rovigo in Italy, and minister of the word of God (still on trial) and one who had been sent with him, named Anthony Welsch, were apprehended at Capo d’ Istria, about one hundred Italian miles from Venice, as they were about to return to the church in Germany, accompanied by a large number of people, who, however, were not taken along, but suffered to go. Francis was ironed on his feet like a malefactor, and they were separately confined. There at Capo d’ Istria they tempted and assailed them in a satanic manner, as they are accustomed to do at such times, and they employed all their might to entrap them into their snares, in order to cause them to stumble, and to make them despond and apostatize from God; especially was Francis severely assailed; but they valiantly resisted it all. Having been heard and examined at Capo d’ Istria concerning everything, they were left in confinement yet for three days, ironed hand and foot, and then sent to Venice. On this voyage they lay still for three days and nights, on account of the tempestuous sea, in the meantime comforting each other, and admonishing one another to constancy or steadfastness, so that it seemed as though they scarcely felt the pains resulting from the iron fetters and from other causes, which nevertheless hurt them greatly day and night.
Arriving at Venice the first day of September of said year, they were immediately separately confined in the dark dungeons of the chief senators, where they lay for a whole month, when they were brought before three Venetian secular, and also several so-called spiritual, lords, who sat there in great pomp, most magnificently arrayed, and they asked brother Francis, whether he still adhered to the belief which he had indicated to the examiners and lords who had examined him at Capo d’ Istria in regard to his doings, and whether he still held it to be the truth. He said to them: “I hold it to be the truth, and it is the truth.”
They then asked him whether he believed all that the holy, Catholic, apostolical, Christian church believes. He replied: “As far as the faith is concerned, I believe every article of the apostolical Christian faith.” They then asked him also concerning baptism, the sacrament, confession, and many other things; but when he thoroughly answered everything, they urged him very hard, berating him most severely, and then remanded him to prison. They also examined brother Anthony, who likewise made a good confession of faith to them.
Shortly after, they examined Francis again, especially in regard to infant baptism, but did not accomplish their purpose. After this, they had them brought before them several times yet, and argued with them. They also sent monks to them, who when they replied to their questions, continually called them heretics and gainsayers of so many councils, and said that if they would not desist, they should have to die, and with this they had them taken back to prison.
Soon after the lords again sent a monk, an inquisitor, to them, who was to speak with them concerning the faith. He first asked them whether they belonged to the transmontane church. Francis replied: “Yes.” Thereupon the monk said: “This is the first error;” and asked whether he had also broken bread with them. Francis answering in the affirmative, the monk said: “This also is an error.” And thus he spoke with regard to everything; no matter what they answered, the monk always said that they were heretics and deceivers.
The monk also said: “Tell me, who is the head of the church?” Francis replied: “Christ.” The monk said: “This, too, is an error.” Then Francis said: “You call us heretics, but you yourself are a heretic, and not we, for Christ is certainly the head of his church.” But the monk said: “The Pope is the head here on earth.” Francis said: “A body with two heads is a hideous thing.” Thereupon the monk again began to call him a heretic, and to admonish to him to desist. But brother Francis told him that he could not desist before he should have proved this to him by the holy Scriptures. The monk said: “We are not bound to prove this to you by the Scriptures.” They were then taken back to prison, where Francis put his confession and defense in writing, and delivered it.
After this, they lay in prison for a long time yet, in all about two years, always steadfastly continuing, in many disputations, in the truth confessed, which they had accepted, and were then sentenced to death, and, in the year 1564, cast into the sea, at Venice, and drowned. But the sea will have to give up her dead at the judgment day of the Lord, when such murderers of the pious will be dearly requited, and will see with great terror, how heinous an offense against God it is, thus to touch his believers. See Zech. 2:8; Acts 9:5.
JAN DE SWARTE, KLAESKEN HIS WIFE, KLAES, CHRISTIAN, HANS AND MAHIEU, HIS FOUR SONS; PERCEVAL VAN DEN BERGE, JAN MAES, PIETER THE SHOEMAKER, HENDRICK AERTS, THE HATTER, JANNEKEN CABILJAUS HIS WIFE, KALLEKEN STEENS, AND HERMAN. IN THE YEAR, A. D. 1563.
Jan de Swarte, a very good hearted man, of Nipkerke, with his wife and adult children, came to the knowledge of the truth, and united with the church of God. Afterwards he was chosen and ordained a minister of the church, in which ministry he, according to his ability, and in simplicity, so conducted himself (not only in the deaconship, by caring for the poor, but also, according to his gift received from God, in dispensing the word of the exhortation), that he endeared himself to all that knew him. 1 Cor. 12:4; 2 Tim. 2:15.
And as the Apostle Paul foretold, that all that will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution, so he also met with it, on which account he resided in various towns and villages of Flanders, as in Honschote, Rijssel, Wervick, Meenen, and finally at Halewijn, supporting himself mostly with tape-weaving. With his wages he was very benevolent and liberal to the poor, not only to those of the household of faith, but to all in general (2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 6:10), by which especially he left behind him a good name, to the praise and glory of God, as also by hospitality, as taught in the Scriptures (Romans 12:13), in which he was not negligent, since it appeared that when he was apprehended, there lodged with him a brother from Doornick, named Perceval van den Berge, a native of Zwevegem, and another, who had come from Honschote, whose name was Jan Maes.
At that time there resided at Halewijn various other godfearing brethren and sisters, which being greatly envied by N., the priest of the castle, he betrayed them into the hands of the Dean of Ronse, the inquisitor in Flanders, who, on a Saturday night, the 7th of March, 1563, quietly came thither with a great number of servants, from Rijssel, surrounded several houses, entered them, and apprehended the aforementioned Jan de Swarte, with Klaesken his wife and four sons, namely, Klaes, Christian, Hans, and Mahieu (who was only about sixteen years old), and also Perceval van den Berge, and Jan Maes, already mentioned. Besides these he also apprehended one Pieter the shoemaker, with Jacomijntgen his wife, which latter did not remain steadfast. Also, one Heyndrick Aerts the hatter, with Janneken Cabiljaus his wife, and another sister, Kalleken Steens, the wife of a brother whose name was Augustijn.
When Jan de Swarte was apprehended, his two younger sons were not present, but came in the meantime. When they came to the house the neighbors warned them, that those who apprehended their father and mother were in the house. The one said to the other: “Do not let us flee, but let us die with father and mother.” In the meantime Jan de Swarte was led out of the house a prisoner, and seeing his sons, he said to them: “Children, do you want to go along to the New Jerusalem?” They replied: “Yes, father;” and were thus led captive with them.
The inquisitor brought them all prisoners to Rijssel, and there had them very closely confined in the castle. Jan was put into a hole by himself, which was called the “Paradise,” and was so small that he could neither stand upright in it, nor lie down full length.
It happened one day that divers brethren and sisters, prompted by love and compassion, had come from without the city, and were standing over against the castle, calling to the prisoners over the fortification, for their consolation, that among them there was one brother named Herman, who being noticed by one of the beadles of the town, who came out secretly, was also apprehended.
After an imprisonment of ten days, the inquisitor delivered these prisoners into the hands of the secular authorities, who first took out Jan de Swarte with his son Klaes, Pieter, the shoemaker, Hendrick Aerts, the hatter, Percival van den Berg, and Jan Maes, all six of whom, because they valiantly and steadfastly adhered to the divine truth, they sentenced to death, and took them in a wagon to the market place, where stood the scaffold, provided with earth and stakes. There they were taken up one after another, and two and two fastened to a stake.
As they were going to death, the clock struck. John asked what time it was. He was told that it was four o’clock. He consoled himself with this, saying: “At five o’clock we hope to be in our lodging or resting place.” His son Klaes, said: “We have to die for the reason that we believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal God, is from heaven and not of the earth.”
Pieter was gagged, to prevent him from speaking. When they stood at the stakes, wood and straw were placed around them, to which fire was then set, and they were thus burnt alive to ashes.
A few days afterwards also Klaesken, the wife of Jan de Swarte, with her three sons, and Herman, because they adhered immovably to the love of God, were all five sentenced to death by the authorities, and also burned alive to ashes, persevering unto the end as valiant witnesses of Christ.
Almost a year after this, after very long imprisonment, Janneken Cabiljaus and Kalleken Steens, were sentenced to death, placed alive into the fire, and burnt to ashes, as valiant and steadfast witnesses of the divine truth.
It also came to pass that the priest of the castle, N., who had so spitefully betrayed these dear friends of God, was very sorely punished by God; for such putrefaction entered his flesh, that it fell off piecemeal, or was cut off from time to time, from his body, no physicians being able to cure the disease. Thus it happened on one occasion, a large piece of putrid flesh having dropped, or been cut off from his body, that the same was eaten by a dog, while he beheld it with his own eyes. How he must have felt on this occasion, it is easy to imagine, especially when viewing it as the fulfillment of a curse said to have been pronounced upon him. “That he should yet with his own eyes see the dogs eat his flesh.”
It also happened that while the priest was lying sick, a man came to visit him, who, when the former complained to him of his great misery, remarked to him: “It is the coals from the fire at Rijssel”—namely, from the burning of the friends mentioned above;—which did not please the priest very much; but he had to bear this taunt as well as the punishment sent him from God. And in this way he at last died most miserably, even as we read that in former times it happened to Antiochus and Herod. 2 Macc. 9:9; Acts 12:23.