The States, and So On

To the city of Berne in Switzerland:

Noble, very respected, wise, prudent lords, especially good friends and neighbors. From the complaints of various persons, delegated by their respective churches, who here in this land are called Mennonists, citizens and inhabitants of the cities of Dortrecht, Harlem, Leyden, Amsterdam, Goude, and Rotterdam, all situated in the province of Holland, we have learned that their fellow believers, under the name of Anabaptists, are suffering great persecution at Berne and in that region, by virtue of very severe edicts enacted against them. By these edicts they are not only forbidden to go on living in the country, but are not even allowed to leave for anywhere else with their families and goods, though they cannot be charged with any crimes.

That also some of the above mentioned persuasion are kept in close confinement there.

All of this has moved us to Christian compassion, and we could therefore not refrain, but on the contrary have thought it good, hereby to ask you very kindly and in a neighborly way, and also most earnestly, that you will not only not treat the fellow believers of the supplicants, who under the name of Anabaptists are found in, or belong to, your dominion and are obedient, with improper proceedings, nor allow them to be so treated, and that you will release and set free the prisoners named above, but also much rather, following the good example of the lords of the government of Schaffhausen, grant them sufficient time to move away with their goods and belongings, wherever they decide to go.

Taking into favorable and proper consideration that in the year 1655, when the Vaudois, our fellow believers and yours, were so miserably scattered and persecuted by the Romanists, solely for professing their Reformed religion, that the distress of the poor, scattered people could not be relieved in any other way than by the giving and gathering of great contributions in England, in this country, and elsewhere where the Reformed* religion was practiced, the Anabaptist church, now the supplicants named above, upon this simple recommendation of their respective magistrates, out of due obedience to them, and at the same time also out of Christian love and compassion for those scattered and persecuted Christians, gave so generously in their meetings that it grew to a notable sum, which the deacons of that church, by the order of their respective magistrates named above, turned over to where it belonged. [n1273-1]

We will rest confident that you will defer to our well meant, friendly and neighborly intercession, as much as the justice of the matter demands, and as we expect from your usual wisdom and discretion; assuring you that we shall never fail to return and acknowledge this favor respectively to you collectively and individually, and also to your inhabitants, whenever an opportunity for it presents itself to us, and you are pleased to test us in this respect. In the meanwhile we pray God Almighty: Noble, and so on. In the Hague, the 19th of February, 1660.

This accords with the minutes preserved in the records of their High Mightinesses.

J. SPRONSSEN.

Besides this letter of their High Mightinesses to the lords of Berne, there was also drawn up the following one, to those of Zurich, which (except for a few words already given above, and therefore not necessary to repeat) we will present here,