These two were beheaded for the truth, at Ries, in the Fluchtthal, near Brixen, and thus died as faithful witnesses of Christ, leaving the following admonition to their brethren:
“Hearken, all of you, and take to heart, that God will visit all sinners great and small, who now despise him and revile his name, and do not consider their sinful life. God shall speedily awaken, and deliver his children. If we consider the doctrine of the prophets, we see that this is the last time, and in this time God calls upon all men that they should turn unto him (Is. 45:22), live according to his will, and keep his commandments; and that if they do this, his wrath shall cease, and he will be their God and Father; for God, because of his great goodness, is longsuffering in his judgment; therefore beware of sin, and do not follow the devil; but free yourselves from unrighteousness, and your God will not forsake you in this last hour; for God is rich and gracious, and with him there is much grace; he willingly forgives the sinner who will forsake his sins, who believes in Christ, and calls upon his name; to such he will not only, through grace remit his sins, but also freely give him the eternal reward. Heed well these things, O! all of you who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ, and have become children of God. Praise God with shouting, young and old, great and small; you who have believed his word, love God as his dear children, and walk before him with pure hearts, and you shall never be forsaken, but he will ever preserve you. O God, who art rich in grace, keep us thy children, that we may hold to thee, and that those who have come to thee, may not be confounded; lead them diligently with thy right hand into the promised land, the eternal heavenly kingdom. O God, honor be unto thee in thy high throne, who hast given us Christ thy Son, and imparted divine grace to us, by which we now confess thee with heart and mouth, and are not ashamed to call them our brethren who call upon thee in truth as their Father. Praised be thy holy name, Amen.”
NOTE.--Sebastian Franck relates that the Anabaptists in the beginning increased by many thousands, so that the world feared that they would cause an uproar; but of this, as I hear, he writes, they were found innocent and, were persecuted with great tyranny; first especially in popedom. They were forcibly imprisoned, and tormented with the sword, fire, water, and manifold imprisonments, so that within a few years very many were put to death. Some compute the number of those put to death far more than two thousand. They were put to death in many places; at Ensisheim alone about six hundred were slain, all of whom patiently and steadfastly suffered as martyrs.
Compare the account of _Seb. Franck, Chron., fol. 55, 109_, with the old _Offer-boeck, lib. 1. Leonh., lib. 7_; also _Chron. van den Ondergang, p. 1025_.