In the year 1562 there was apprehended at Honschote, in Flanders, a young girl named Martijntgen Helmeers, of Steenwijcke, because she had been baptized upon her faith, and ordered her walk and conversation according to the doctrine of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
After great steadfastness she was sentenced to death, and burnt, and thus offered up to God an acceptable, living sacrifice, and escaped the torment of eternal fire.
The same year, Nikasen Aelmeers, the brother of the aforementioned Martijntgen, was apprehended for the faith and the divine truth, at Bruges in Flanders, and when no pain or torture could draw him from his faith, he was condemned and burnt, as a true witness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
KAREL VAN DEN VELDE, WITH PROENTGEN HIS WIFE, FRANCHOYS DE SWARTE, WITH KLAESKEN HIS WIFE, JASPER THE SHOEMAKER, CHARLO DE WAEL, AND MARTIJNE AMARE, IN THE YEAR 1562.
In the year 1562, there were apprehended at Honschote in Flanders, for the testimony of the truth, seven persons, namely, Karel van den Velde, of Ghent, with Proentgen his wife, Franchoys de Swarte, of Belle, with Klaesken his wife, Jasper the shoemaker, Charlo, a lad, and Martijntgen Amare, a young maiden, all of whom steadfastly adhered to the truth and the word of God. Five of them, namely, the four male persons and the girl, were very soon after their apprehension burnt for their faith; but the two women, sisters, were sometime afterwards secretly drowned in a tub. One of the women, when she saw that they intended to put her to death secretly, complained of it, since she would have preferred publicly to testify to the truth with her death; whereupon her sister said: “It is all the same, for God sees it; he will reward us, and avenge our wrongs.” 2 Chron. 16:9; Rev. 6:10.
Thus they all passed through the conflict as valiant heroes, and obtained leave to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Rev. 2:7.