Hans van Monster, and Bartel, and Old Jacob

From the beginning it has been abundantly heard and seen that the truth is envied and trampled on by its enemies and haters, and that its pious confessors have had to suffer from them in many ways. So, among many other examples, it was proved at a certain time after Mary van Beckum and her sister had been offered up at Delden, in the case of a faithful brother named Hans van Monster, who lay imprisoned for the truth in the castle of Berchem, near Antwerp. And since Jesus very earnestly teaches us and urges on us the visiting of the sick and the imprisoned in their tribulation (Matthew 25, verse 36; Hebrews 13, verse 3), a single man named Old Jacob, and another named Bartel, moved by the spirit and by brotherly love, went from Antwerp to Berchem, to comfort their brother as well as they were able, in his tribulation. When they arrived there, the enemies watched them, supposing that old Jacob was a teacher and elder; for at that time the bloodthirsty papists had put a reward of three hundred guilders upon teachers, to be given to anyone who would deliver them into the hands of the executioners; and since old Jacob was very eloquent, and could defend himself very ably with the Word of God, they hoped to earn this money by him, in which, however, they failed, since Jacob was no teacher. Nevertheless they kept them, and imprisoned them with their fellow brother; and since they were together built upon the immovable rock Christ Jesus, they stood firm in all these storms; and since no torment could make them depart from the truth, they were put to death together in the castle of Berchem, valiantly offering up their lives for the truth, and are now waiting with all the saints of God for the blessed resurrection to eternal life. Revelation 6, verse 11; First Thessalonians 4, verse 16.

At the beginning of the conversion of the Bartel mentioned before, and of another named Gerrit, it happened that these two young men were present when Mary van Beckum and her sister were offered up in the castle of Delden; and they testified that they heard Mary van Beckum declare publicly before the people, when she was placed at the stake to be burned: "You shall see this stake at which I am to be burned grow green, by which you may know that it is the truth for which we here suffer and die." These two young men, who heard this themselves, went of their own accord to the stake some time afterwards, and saw it flourishing. Terrified by this, they went together to Antwerp, to inquire after such people; and having come to an elder named Hendrick van Aernem, and to Jan Lubberts of B., they told them what is written above. Then Hendrick van Aernem replied: "I would not dare to repeat this after you." They said

"Should we not tell what we have heard and seen ourselves?" So they held to what they had said about what had happened in the case of Mary van Beckum, and accordingly they lent their ears to the truth, repented, were converted, and united with the church of God. Afterwards Gerrit went to Amsterdam, where he lived until his death; but Bartel lost his life for the truth, as has been heard.