About the year 1574 there was another pious brother, named Hendrick Pruyt, born at Harder-wijck, in Guelderland, and a seaman by occupation, who came and sailed in the Zuyder Zee, on the coast of Friesland. And as a Spanish colonel was stationed at Wurckom, who was a zealous servant of the King of Spain, and a great war was carried on at that time between Holland and the King of Spain, the soldiers of the latter came in a yacht, on board of said Hendrick Pruyt's vessel. And as he saw no way of escape, he said to his wife: "Trijnt-jen Jans, lamb, there comes the wolf;" exhorting her to boldness and to answer without dissimula-tion to whatever she might be asked. When these robbers came on board they asked: "Where does this craft hail from?" They answered: "From Har-derwijck." Though that place was at that time at peace with the king, they nevertheless had to go on shore with them, and Hendrick Pruyt was put in prison at Wurckom. His wife, who came to him, was greatly concerned how to obtain his release, for they were young people who greatly loved each other: and as Hendrick Pruyt had little hope of be-ing released, he asked his wife not to go to much trouble on his account, but that she should travel to her brother and friends, who were principally interested in the vessel, that they might see how to get the vessel released, which was also done. While she went home, they in the meantime examined Hendrick Pruyt and found that he was a brother of the Mennistic persuasion.
On account of this they dealt with him so cruelly and tyrannically, that they could not wait until the return of his wife, whom they might then also have made to tread this way of suffering. But they took this pious man and cast him into a boat which they had well smeared with tar. They also tarred the prisoner's body, and bound his outstretched hands to the ends of the mast-thwart, and took him thus without the harbor, set fire to the boat, and started him burning seaward. But as his hands through the fire had become loosed or disengaged from their bonds, it seemed probable that he might yet deliver himself from the fire; but these murderers, seeing this, hastened to him, and thrust him through, and ended his life. Thus this friend of God passed val-iantly through the conflict, and the seed of God, which he had received in his heart through the preaching of the divine Word, remained in him un-to the end, whereby he through patience overcame his enemies, kept the faith, and through God's grace obtained the crown of eternal glory.
When this colonel perceived that Trijn Jans, his wife, hearing this report, would not readily be will-ing to run into the hands of these wolves, he was very much dissatisfied with it; saying: "If I had her here, she would have to go the same route;" and that if he could at any time get hold of this woman, though she were buried somewhere in a city, he would nevertheless dig up her dead body and burn it.
Consider, beloved reader, how such awful blood-thirstiness and tyranny accord with the Word, spirit and example of Christ and His apostles, whose followers, they, without shame, still dare call themselves.
