Hans. “I desired it, before I knew that I should fall into your hands; but I see well now, that I have fallen into the talons of the eagle (2 Esdra 11), and whoever gets into them cannot escape without losing soul or body.”
Councilor. “Who is the eagle, the Emperor?”
Hans. “No, it is the Roman Empire or power; read the letter I wrote you; it will tell you.”
We then exchanged many more words, and the monks became angry at me, and commenced to utter puffed-up words. I then said that Paul had prophesied correctly concerning them, that they were blasphemers, proud, and puffed up. 2 Timothy 3:2.
Thereupon friar Jan de Croock became so enraged that he began to cry: “Fools, fools, heretics, heretics are you!”
Hans. “Behold, is this not a fine teacher? but Paul says that a teacher must not be a brawler, nor angry.” 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7. The councilor felt ashamed that the monk acted so disgracefully, and commanded him to be silent.
At another subsequent time there came two secular priests: Sir Willem of Nieuwenland, and the parish priest of St. Michael. I asked them what they desired. They replied: “We have come to seek your soul,” This time I kept under cover as much as I could, in hopes that we might dispute openly before the lords, as they told me that they would use their best endeavors in this direction. But when I heard that it could not be, I thought, when they came again with the clerk, we must accost each other in quite a different way, from what we did the last time. I then asked: “What do you wish?”
Ans. “We desire that you suffer yourself to be instructed; for, behold, we seek your soul.”
Hans. “Do you then take so much pains to seek souls?”
Ans. “Yes.”