The executioner commanded him silence, but he said: “Leave God be with me for a little while; repent, for your life is short.”
A brother then said: “God will strengthen you.”
“O yes,” said he, “the power of his Spirit is not weakening in me.”
The monk attempted to speak to Mariken, but Govert said: “Get you hence, deceiver, to your own people; for we have no need of you.”
Entering the ring, Govert said to the gild-brothers: “How you stand here with sticks and staves? thus stood the Jews when they brought Christ to death; if we had been afraid of this, we would have fled in time.”
They then knelt down together, and prayed; whereupon they kissed each other. Anneken immediately commenced to sing: “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.” Ps. 71:1. The servants told her to be still; but Govert said: “No, sister, sing on,” and helped her sing. Enraged at this, the bailiff called to him a servant, and whispered something in his ear. The latter went to the assistant of the executioner, who, upon receiving the order, immediately put a gag on Govert; but the latter held his teeth so firmly closed, that the gag did not hinder him much, and he laughingly said: “I could easily sing with the gag on; but Paul says: Sing in your heart to God.” Eph. 5:19.
The executioner, in order to put her to shame, made Anneken stand in her bare chemise. A servant asked Gillis whether he did not see some of his people. Gillis said: “Do you know of nothing else to torment us with?” “What does he say?” asked Govert. “He inquires for our fellow-brethren,” replied Gillis. Govert said: “Though I could count twenty, I would not mention a single one. You think that by killing us you can suppress the word of God: but of those that hear and see this, hundreds shall yet come forth.” Standing at the stake, he said: “Amend your ways and repent; for after this there will be no more time for repentance.” A servant who had a bottle of wine, asked them whether they wished to drink. Govert said: “We have no desire for your insipid wine; for our Father shall give us new wine in his eternal kingdom.” Matt. 26:29. When it was thought that the old woman had been strangled at the stake, she began to sing a hymn in honor of her Bridegroom, which when Anneken heard it, she, from ardent love, sang with her. When they all stood at their stakes, each with a strap around the neck, they smiled at and nodded to one another, thus affectionately saluting and comforting each other, and commending their souls into the hands of God, they fell asleep in the Lord, and were burned.
WILLEM, MARITGEN, DIEUWERTGEN, AND MARITGEN JANS, A. D. 1550.
In the year 1550, there were apprehended at Leyden, in Holland, four lambs of Christ, namely, a brother and three sisters, named Willem, Maritgen, Dieuwertgen and Maritgen Jans, who, having frankly confessed their faith, and no pain or suffering having power to cause them to apostatize, were finally sentenced to death as heretics.
When they were brought forth, Willem said: “We suffer not as thieves or murderers, but for the name of the Lord; therefore, O Lord, forgive them that do this to us.”