Thus they obtained not one word from her, detrimental to her brethren in the Lord, or to any other person.
Lords. “Will you revoke all that you have previously confessed here?”
Elizabeth. “No, my lords, but I will seal it with my death.”
Lords. “We will try you no more; will you voluntarily tell us, who baptized you?”
Elizabeth. “O no, my lords; I have certainly told you, that I will not confess this.”
Sentence was then passed upon Elizabeth, on the 27th of March, 1549; she was condemned to death—to be drowned in a bag, and thus offered up her body to God.
SIX BRETHREN AND TWO SISTERS, NAMELY: PIETER JANS, TOBIAS QUESTINEX, JAN PENNEWAERTS, GIJSBERT JANS, ELLERT JANS, LUCAS MICHIELS, BARBARA THIELEMANS, AND TRUYKEN BOENS, ALL BURNT ALIVE AT THE STAKE ON THE SAME DAY, AT AMSTERDAM, ON THE 20TH OF MARCH, 1549.
In the year 1549 there were imprisoned at Amsterdam, for the truth of Jesus Christ, about twenty persons, men as well as women, all of whose names are not known, especially since some of them escaped from prison in the following manner: One of the prisoners had two brothers living in Waterlandt, who were rough fellows, and spent much of their time in taverns. So at a certain time it happened, that as they were sitting in the tavern, they began to think of their imprisoned brother, and supposing that the time when he should be offered up, was drawing nigh, they deliberated among themselves, how they could best liberate him, and swore an oath that they would shrink from neither labor nor peril, even though it should cost their lives; in confirmation of which they held up their fingers, tossed their hats in the air, and called God to witness. In the morning, when they were awake and had become sober, their perilous plan somewhat troubled them; but remembering the solemn oath which they owed to God, as also the sad departure of their dear brother, they manifested the firmness of Romans, and proceeded in the following manner. They took a rope with a block, which had been well greased, so that the dry block should make no noise. This they packed into a basket, and took it to the house of Jan Jans, who lived opposite the prison, in the crescent, and said to him: “Jan Jans, may we leave this basket here, and call for it late in the evening, as it may suit us?”
Jan Jans assented, without ever thinking of the dangerous plan, till they came to get their basket.
This Jan Jans had a cousin among the prisoners, named Ellert Jans, who had a wooden leg and was a tailor whom the Bailiff had taken from his shop on the new dyke. Therefore these two brothers availed themselves of a dark evening, and brought a boat hook with them, which they thrust into the window, and then climbed up by it. They then made fast a rope, and broke open the windows with a crow-bar. Having thus effected their purpose, they let their brother down from the window with a rope, and forthwith, went to other prisoners, all of whom they let down through the window, except Ellert Jans, who refused to go out, telling them as his reason, that he was of such good cheer to offer his sacrifice, and felt so happy that he did not expect even through a long life to become any better, since he feared that on the way through the long desert his courage might fail him, and thus he would never get across the Jordan, and reach the promised land. He also said that he was too well known by his wooden leg, so that he could easily be described for the purpose of apprehension.