Hendrick Pruyt, in the Year 1574

About the year 1574 there was another pious brother named Hendrick Pruyt, born at Harderwijck, in Guelderland, and a seaman by occupation, who came and sailed on the Zuyder Zee, along the coast of Friesland. And since a Spanish colonel was stationed at Wurckom, who was a zealous servant of the King of Spain, and a great war was being carried on at that time between Holland and the King of Spain, the king's soldiers came in a yacht and boarded this Hendrick Pruyt's vessel. And since he saw no way of escape, he said to his wife, "Trijntjen Jans, lamb, there comes the wolf;" urging her to be bold and to answer without pretense whatever she might be asked. When these robbers came on board they asked, "Where does this vessel come from?" They answered, " From Harderwijck." Though that place was at that time at peace with the king, they nevertheless had to go ashore with them, and Hendrick Pruyt was put in prison at Wurckom. His wife, who came to him, was greatly concerned about how to obtain his release, for they were young people who loved each other dearly; and since Hendrick Pruyt had little hope of being released, he asked his wife not to go to too much trouble on his account, but to travel to her brother and friends, who held the main interest in the vessel, so 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.

Because of this they dealt with him so cruelly and tyrannically that they could not wait for 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 in this way outside the harbor, set fire to the boat, and sent him burning out to sea. But since his hands had through the fire become loosed or freed from their bonds, it seemed likely that he might yet deliver himself from the fire; but these murderers, seeing this, hurried to him, ran him through, and ended his life. So this friend of God passed valiantly 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 to the end, by which he overcame his enemies through patience, kept the faith, and through God's grace obtained the crown of eternal glory.

When this colonel saw that Trijn Jans, his wife, hearing this report, would not readily be willing to run into the hands of these wolves, he was very much dissatisfied with it, and said, "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, even if she were buried somewhere in a city, he would nevertheless dig up her dead body and burn it.

Consider, beloved reader, how such awful bloodthirstiness and tyranny agree with the Word, spirit and example of Christ and His apostles, whose followers they still dare, without shame, to call themselves.