Elizabeth and Hadewijk; Of Whom the Former was Drowned at Leeuwarden

This Elizabeth was of a noble family, and in her youth her parents had put her into the convent of Tieng, near Lier near East Friesia, there to learn various arts, and also the Latin language. There, by accident, or rather by the direction of God, she came into possession of a Latin Testament, by constantly reading it and meditating on it she gained so much knowledge of the will of God that she became distressed about her state of life; and seeing no chance to change her life according to the rule of that Word in the convent, much less under her parents' roof, she resolved, after much conflict and reflection, to escape secretly from the convent, trusting in the fatherly providence of Almighty God for help and guidance. To this end she made an agreement with a milkmaid of the convent, that the maid should change clothes with her, and so help her escape from the convent early in the morning in the guise of a milkmaid; and when this had been done, she came first to Lier, and, without knowing it, to a certain house in which Anabaptists lived, who, on learning her circumstances and condition, took her in, and instructed her still more fully in the way of God, and, after some time, fearing that a search might be made for Elizabeth, brought her to Leeuwarden, and there left her with a pious sister of the Anabaptist church, named Hadewijk, with whom she was afterward apprehended.

This Hadewijk was married to a certain drummer of the company quartered at Leeuwarden, who, having neither to go marching nor to mount guard, and so on, worked in a certain shop to earn a living for his wife and children. Working there together with him was a very pious Anabaptist brother* who at that time was put in bonds and condemned to death for the sake of his religion. [n750-1] That company having been ordered to the place of execution, when this pious brother was to be offered up, to form a circle around him, to prevent an uproar, the drummer already mentioned objected to serving in his capacity as a drummer at that time and under such circumstances, which he also told his wife Hadewijk, who opposed him in this matter, and advised him to go on and discharge his duty. This then he resolved to do; but as he was first also to get himself partly intoxicated, in order to feel less compassion for the innocently doomed man, this intoxication, instead of taking away his sense of compassion, only increased it, and he became so bold that he told the spectators of the piety and virtues of this martyr, so well known to him, why he was so mistreated, how wickedly the authorities, urged on by the clergy, acted in this matter, and that it would be better to apprehend and treat in this manner wicked men, whoremongers, adulterers, the unrighteous, and such like, of whom there were plenty in the city, indeed, even among the clergy. Some laughed, others took it to heart; some said

"The drummer is drunk;" others: "He is crazy," and so on. But when he had become sober and was himself again, he reflected on what he had done, and what in all likelihood he now had to expect, and resolved to leave the city of Leeuwarden, his company, and the Roman church. He begged his wife to go with him, but she could not approve of it, and after his departure she never knew where he had gone. But coming to reflection some time afterward, she inquired after the Anabaptists, found opportunity to attend the exhortations, embraced the faith, and was not only baptized upon her faith, but also let herself be apprehended together with Elizabeth. Being confined in a room separate from Elizabeth, she was told that on the following day she would be examined and would have to defend herself on a considerable number of articles, which caused her exceedingly great distress and anxiety of heart, especially since she could neither read nor write, and was more pious and willing than experienced. So she earnestly pleaded with God, that the exceedingly good and man-loving Father would be pleased to look with compassion upon her, His poor handmaid, whose inability and unfitness He knew best, and not to try her beyond her ability, but to deliver and save her by His divine hand; and then, while she was praying in this way, a voice came to her, calling out: "Hadewijk!" Looking up and around her, and seeing no one, she continued in her fervent prayer. A second time she heard the voice, but again seeing no one, she kept on with her pleading until the same voice said to her a third time: "Hadewijk, I tell you, come out!" Seeing the door open, she put on her hood, and went out of the prison, but did not know where to hide herself. For the time being she went into the church, where she soon heard those who came there tell that the gates of the city had been closed because a certain Anabaptist woman had escaped from prison, no one knowing how, and that there was great reason to suspect sorcery in the matter, for which reason a very diligent search was being made for her everywhere. Just as she left the church she heard the drummer in the street call out that whoever could point out her person should receive one hundred guilders, but whoever hid her should forfeit one hundred and fifty guilders, which increased her fear more and more. By no means trusting herself to her own house, and yet compelled to seek shelter somewhere, she went to the house of her former master and mistress, whom she had served very faithfully for some time before she was married, and who therefore thought much of her. She begged them whether they would not please give her shelter in this distress, but they refused to do it; so she went away as if in despair, and came before the priest's house, where a certain half-witted fellow lived, well known to her, whom she spoke to as he was standing at the door, asking him to hide her; which he did, taking her up into the garret, and providing her with food and drink; but in the night he came to her, and made indecent advances to her. Here the difficulty was greater than ever; she had to deal with a man strong in body and in passions, with whom reasoning had little influence; if she cried out her life was in danger; so she lifted up her soul, and turned to her Redeemer, and called upon Him for help in this great distress, and also begged this fellow to stop so evil a deed, because it would be adultery and she had a husband, and adulterers and adulteresses had to burn forever in hell; at this he left her in peace and went away, saying: "The jade is too wise in the Scriptures; I have no chance with her." The next day he went to the Zuypmarket, to Hadewijk's brother-in-law, who daily brought buttermilk there for sale, and told him that he had hidden his sister-in-law in the priest's house without anyone knowing it, and advised him to come with his boat to the back stairs of the priest's house, there to take her into the boat, and carry her out of the city through the floodgate; which he did, and so this lamb Hadewijk, through the miraculous hand of God, escaped the claws of the ravening wolves, fled to Emden, and lived the rest of her life in the meetinghouses of the Anabaptists, where she fell asleep in the Lord.

Remmeltje Wubbers, from whom I have this account, heard it not only frequently from her parents and others, but also from the woman who attended Hadewijk in her last sickness, to whom Hadewijk told it with her own lips.