Charge of William the First, to the Magistrate at Middleborgh

The Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau, Lord and Baron of Breda, Diest, and so on, to the noble, pious, honorable, wise, particular, and so on.

Whereas certain residents living there, said to be Anabaptists, have at various times made known to us by way of complaint, that you molest them daily, and deprive them of the means to gain a living for themselves and their families in peace and quietness, forbidding them to open their shops, on the pretext that they refuse to render the oath in the form that other citizens do; which we have duly considered; and since the aforesaid people offer to bear all burdens fairly, together with the other citizens (however, in the matter of arms, which is the chief thing that moves them to take this course, levy upon them such a contribution as you, or those who may have charge of it, may find to be proper in all justice and fairness); therefore we think that you are acting very unjustly, in not letting them live in peace and quietness, according to the dictates of their conscience, in keeping with the act which we, with the advice of the governor and the councilors, granted them before, and which they say they have shown to you; and yet, since we learn that up to now you have not been willing to regard it, nor our earlier letters, we have been compelled to write you this final act, by which we openly declare to you, that it is not your place, in particular, to concern yourself with anyone's conscience, as far as nothing is done that might tend to anyone's offense, in which case we wish to regard or tolerate no one: and therefore, we expressly command and ordain you, from now on to stop molesting the aforesaid people, who are Anabaptists, or preventing them from carrying on their traffic and trade, to gain a living for wife and children; allowing them to open their shops, and to work as they have done before, at least until the time that the generality, whose business it is to do this, shall have decreed otherwise. So beware of attempting anything contrary to this and to the act granted them, and of taking any fines from them for the above cause; because nothing is attempted among them, except what might tend to the offense of anyone; and because they shall also, together with others, bear all civil and reasonable burdens. [n1170-1] With this, noble, pious, honorable, wise, discreet, dear, particular, I commend you to God. Written at Antwerp, on the sixteenth day of July, 1578.

Subscribed

PAR COPIE DE BAUDEMONT.

The copy above was certified as follows

Written by the secretary Baudemont, and found to agree with it. By me Jacob Masureel, notary public of the town van der Vere, the 15th of November, 1579.

Signed:

J. MASUREEL, Notary

REMARK. Although the Prince of Worshipful Memory had now for the second time so strictly commanded this liberty of conscience in the practice of the worship of God, the true fruit still did not follow, even though it was obeyed for a few years immediately afterward; for after the death of that good prince they began again; however, to the salvation of the defenseless church of God, it was ended by a third prohibition, by his son, as will be stated in the proper place.