Then he arose and hastened away, but I overtook him in another room, where we conversed for a little while about infant baptism and other things. Finally he said that he could not remain any longer, since he was to stand godfather to a child, I begged him not to do it; “for” said I, “The child is as good as you can make it.” He said that he would do it, nevertheless. He also spoke much about the war, and about the Gueux,[337] that their cause was a bad one, and that we aided them with money and property. I told him what he said was not true; for we did not want in any wise to defend them with money or blood, “for I think nothing of the Gueux, neither of you, for you cannot stand before God, miserably as you are betraying and slaying one another. However, the Gueux are not as bloodthirsty as you are, for if they had apprehended me, they would let me go, but you want to shed my blood.” He became angry and said: “You desperate miscreant, should we not kill you? we should not be able to answer before God, [if we should allow to live] such a heretic as you are; for we do so much running on your account that no money could hire us to do it; hence you shall here receive the temporal fire, and hereafter the eternal, because you will not suffer yourself to be instructed, as much as we have done for you.”
[337] _Beggars_, a sobriquet of the Reformed.
I talked to him very gently, but he said that I had the devil in me, and that he transformed himself into an angel of light, and had seduced me, that I could not remain in the true way. _Reytse._ “I have no devil, but I speak with a free and glad heart.” He reviled much; adducing no Scriptures but only saying that they had done much for me, and were always on the run to win my soul and save my life, and now there was no prospect that I would renounce my heresy; hence the bishop had to cut me off, as was right. _Reytse._ “I never desired that you should come to me, and you may stay at home for I do not wish to hear you, nor to believe you, and you might have saved all your running, for the reward which you earned by me will not be great.”
Finally he spoke about praying, and boasted much of his praying; he said that he prayed more in one week, than I in three months, and he had much to say about praying, and that Christ prayed in the temple. I said that he was like the Pharisees, who boasted themselves so much of their praying, and stood in the temple, and on the street corners, to be seen of men. And in all your words you are like them; hence take good heed how you boast, for a tree shall be known by its fruit; for I do not like your fruit. He said that I had the heart of a Pharisee, and he their clothes; which is the better. _Reytse._ “No; it seems to me you have both, the heart and the clothes, for the Lord did not act thus, neither did his apostles lead such a life, nor have such clothing in their time, as you have, which is contrary to the Scriptures, hence take heed what you put on, for I beseech you to repent, for you cannot stand before the Lord with your faith, nor with your walk, nor with your church, for which you want to be responsible in the day of the Lord. Finally he went away. I told him to tell the bishop that he did not need to come again on my account, since I would in no wise hear him. He bade me good-day, and they brought me back into prison. About three days after, a messenger came from the bishop, and said that I should hear my sentence in three days from that time. On the appointed day they came, and transacted their business, as they understood it, and passed judgment upon me, being very pompous and verbose in their sentence. When, they had finished their business, they went away; but there remained a priest, who reviled much and talked improperly and unfitly. I would not talk with him, because they had delivered me over, and also because he spoke so ill and unseemly. Then he went away. A considerable time elapsed before I wrote this down, for I could not well recollect it because of my fellow-prisoners. And my memory also is rather short; some remarks I have forgotten; and if I were to write all, it would be far too much, for I have been before the bishop and his colleagues eleven times at least, and I talked much with them concerning all the articles of the faith.