Shortly after, when Cornelis de Gijselaer and Arent Block were also led to death to be burnt, Arent dropped a letter which he had written, thinking that some one of the friends would pick it up and get it, but unfortunately, it fell into the hands of the tyrants, who immediately had the two taken back to prison, whereupon they were yet most dreadfully tortured; but when they nevertheless constantly remained valiant, named no one, and in no torture apostatized from their God, they were finally, like the three preceding ones, also sentenced and burned; and very soon after also Michiel, the uncle of Cornelis de Gijselaer followed the others with a like sacrifice.
Thus these now lie together under the altar, and wait for the number of their brethren to be fulfilled, that they may then live with them forever in everlasting joy with the Lamb that was slain, and all the friends of God, and sing the new song.
TOUCHING THE COURT PROCEEDINGS AND DEATH SENTENCES OF THE AFOREMENTIONED MARTYRS.
We did not spare the pains, to have looked up, through the mediation of certain of our good friends at Breda, in the present archives of the year 1659, by the clerk of the recorder there, every thing that might be noted, and could be found as recorded by the papistic rulers, of the year 1572, concerning the imprisonment, sufferings and death of the aforementioned pious witnesses of Jesus Christ. But soon after search for it had begun to be made, information was received that the archives where these and similar documents had been preserved was destroyed and laid in ruins by a terrible conflagration a few years ago; for which reason nothing could be brought to light in regard to the matter, except the particular reminiscences of old writers, from which the above is recorded. This by way of notice.
MAERTENS JANSS, A CORN PORTER, AND JAN HENDRICKSS OF SWARTEWAEL, A STEERSMAN, BOTH PUT TO DEATH AT THE STAKE, AT DELFT, IN HOLLAND, A. D. 1572.
The city of Delft, in Holland was at this time only a burying place, yea, a dreadful murderers’ den, for the extirpation of God’s saints. This appeared in the case of two very pious, godfearing, and most virtuous lambs of Christ, who had betaken themselves among the flock of the great Shepherd of the sheep, Christ Jesus, to be led and fed by him in the green meadows of the true evangelical doctrine. One was named Maerten Janss, by trade a corn porter; the other, Jan Hendrickss, born at Swartewael, a steersman, who followed the sea for a livelihood.
They were both imprisoned at Delft, where they, for almost two years, suffered much affliction, anxiety and distress, from secular as well as spiritual [ecclesiastical] persons, to make them apostatize from their faith. But as they were founded upon the immovable corner-stone Christ Jesus, they could in nowise weaken their faith, much less cause them to apostatize entirely from it. Hence the rulers at said place, inflamed, through the instigation of the papistic clergy, with a bitter hatred against them, pronounced, in court, a very cruel sentence upon both of them, namely: That they should be tied to a stake, upon a scaffold to be erected in the market place, and burned until death should ensue.
Thereupon, on the fifth of February, A. D. 1572, both were brought upon the scaffold at said place, to die; whereupon the town clerk read to all the people: That no one was allowed to speak to them, on pain of forfeiting life and property.
Then Maerten Janss’ tongue was seared; yet he nevertheless boldly said: “Thus I must now testify to the truth; for if I had not cared for my salvation, I would have escaped much sore conflict and obtained pardon; but now I have fought a good fight, finished my course, and kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.”