Behold, my beloved, though we are to suffer here (for in the world we shall have tribulation, but our tribulation shall be turned into joy), let us firmly cleave to the word of the Lord, and depart neither to the right nor to the left. O dear and much beloved wife, I am so greatly troubled and concerned for you, and pray the almighty God for you day and night, that he will keep you, and that you may continue steadfast unto the end; for he that continues steadfast shall be saved.
My dear, beloved wife and sister, when you were with me you comforted me with the word of the Lord, so that the castellan’s wife said: “I could not do this;” and you said I should cleave to the word of the Lord; wherein I greatly rejoice, and thank the eternal God for your strong faith. Pray the Lord who has begun this good work in you, that he will keep it in you unto the end, that you may obtain the salvation of your soul. My beloved, be of good courage, and be valiant in the Lord; and we may well say with the prophet: “O Israel, how happy are we, that God has made known his word unto us.” Bar. 4:4. What thanks shall we render to the Lord for the good that he has shown us? for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. 1 Thess. 3:9; 2 Cor. 8:9. Hence, my dear and beloved wife, if we suffer with him, we shall also rejoice with him; if we die with him, we shall also reign with him. 2 Tim. 2:11,12. O beloved, be of good courage, and cleave to the word of the Lord, and be firmly rooted in him. Even as Jacob took hold of the angel, and wrestled with him all night, until the breaking of the day. The angel said: “Let me go.” Jacob said: “I will not let thee go, till thou have blessed me.” Genesis 32:24.
Let us therefore be followers of God, as dear children in love. Eph. 5:1. O my beloved wife, I have such a great care for you, and am so much troubled for you. O love, I beseech you from the inmost of my soul, that you will not forsake the Lord your God all the days of your life. O love, I am so greatly troubled and grieved for my dear child, that I do not know whither to turn; and I pray the eternal, almighty God day and night in regard to it. O my dear and beloved, be of good courage, and console yourself in the Lord, and be not troubled on my account—the Lord is my helper. My beloved, if it should please our dear Lord, that we should meet no more, may we meet hereafter in eternal life. May the Lord help you and me to this end, and keep us, that we may be saved.
Written by me, your beloved husband and brother in the Lord.
Reytse Aysess.
SENTENCE AND DEATH OF REYTSE AYSESS.
After Reytse Aysess had confessed his faith with all boldness before the lords and princes, and had taken leave from his good friends, he was finally brought before the lords and sentenced to death. His sentence reads as follows:
Whereas it has appeared to the Court of Friesland, that Reytse Aysess, at present a prisoner, has, by the sentence of the high, worshipful Lord Bishop of Leeuwaerden, been condemned as an obstinate heretic in his opinions and errors concerning the holy Church, and as such been committed into the will and hand of the secular justice, to be dealt with according to law, according to the full power of the sentence existing with respect to this; therefore, the aforesaid Court, having duly regarded and considered all that ought to be considered in this matter, in the name and in behalf of the King of Spain, etc., Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, etc., Count of Holland, Zealand, and Lord of Friesland, have condemned, and by these presents do condemn the aforesaid prisoner, to be executed with water, and brought from life to death; declaring, furthermore, all his property to be forfeited and confiscated for the benefit of his Majesty. Done the 23d of April, A. D. 1574.
Upon this, Reytse was very bold and joyful, praising and thanking the Lord, that he had become worthy to suffer for his name; and in the evening, at nine o’clock, he was brought into the castellan’s house by the beadles.
There were some monks there, who tormented and tempted him much, but they were not able to resist the spirit that was in him; he remained bold and fearless, and spoke with a person which bears this testimony concerning it, and sent greetings to all his good friends, especially to his parents, wife, and nearest kindred, informing them that he was of good cheer and in greater joy than he had ever been in his life. Thereupon, about twelve o’clock in the night, the castellan, the beadles, the executioner, the monks, and others, assembled and conducted him to the torture tower, whither, he gladly went, singing: