When they met, they embraced and kissed each other, and praised God, who had brought them together for the glory of his name. Hans Stautdach and his three fellow-prisoners were then executed; but these others were kept in prison longer; that is, about three years, namely, until the year 1549, when a conflagration occurred in the city. Then, as is customary in that city when a conflagration occurs, the gates of the city were closed, and the prisoners released. After the fire was extinguished, brother Michael and his wife, through the providence of God and the assistance of a citizen, escaped from the city, and came to the church. Thus God delivered them unharmed and in peace. But Hans Gurtzham went back to prison, and was confined there one year longer, namely, until the year 1550, when he was executed, about June, being drowned in the Danube, early on a certain Friday morning.
QUIRINUS PIETERS OF GRŒNINGEN, BURNT ALIVE FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT AMSTERDAM, IN HOLLAND, ON THE 16TH OF APRIL, A. D. 1545.
When the constraint of conscience and faith did not cease, but increased and broke forth more and more through the adherents of popery, against the pious Christians, who, according to the command of Christ had been baptized upon their faith, it occurred, that a certain pious brother, named Quirinus Pieters, a native of Grœningen, also separated from popery, and joined the cross-bearing church of Jesus Christ, called Baptists, or, contemptuously, Anabaptists, having been received into the church through baptism upon confession of his faith, by Menno Simon, who was at that time one of the most eminent teachers in Friesland.
But when he, about six years ago, went to Holland, and settled down at Amsterdam, there to live in quiet according to his faith and conscience, he was very speedily discovered by the authorities, apprehended, and finally, as he would not apostatize, sentenced to death, on the sixteenth of April, A. D. 1545, namely, to be burned to death; which dreadful and severe punishment this pious hero of Christ steadfastly endured, having commended his soul into the hands of God.
All of this we have taken from the following sentence, which was publicly read to him, on the day of his death, by the rulers of darkness, and a true copy of which, extracted from the book of criminal sentences, has now been transmitted to us through the secretary there. The contents of the same, with the exception of the title, are as follows:
Sentence of death pronounced upon Quirinus Pieters of Groeningen.
Whereas Quirinus Pieters, a native of Grœningen, has embraced the unbelief and heresy of the Anabaptists, having been rebaptized about six years ago, by Menno Simon, a teacher of the aforesaid sect, and whereas he holds pernicious views concerning the sacraments of the holy church, and, moreover, has induced others, into such unbelief and errors, persuading them into it, directly contrary to the holy Christian faith, the ordinances of the holy church, and the decrees of his Imperial Majesty, our gracious lord; and whereas he obstinately continues in the aforesaid unbelief, therefore, my lords the Judges, having heard the demand made by my lord the Bailiff concerning the aforesaid Quirinus Pieters, as also his answer and confession, and having fully considered the circumstances of said matters, sentence the aforesaid Quirinus Pieters to be burnt by the executioner; and furthermore, declare his property confiscated for the benefit of the exchequer of his Imperial Majesty. Pronounced this sixteenth of April, A. D. 1545, in the presence of the entire bench of Judges, except Sir Henry Dirks, Burgomaster.
Pursuant to this sentence, Quirinus Pieters was executed by the executioner on the same day.
The whole of this was extracted from the book of criminal sentences, in the keeping of the secretary of the city of Amsterdam.
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