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.