Digna Pieters, after Enduring Much Affliction

In the year 1555, unholy hands were laid, at Dordrecht, in Holland, upon several of the saints of God, of whom there is mentioned by name, among others, a God-fearing woman named Digna Pieters. Being a citizen of that city, she had at the same time a citizenship also in the spiritual city of God, that is, in the church of Jesus Christ on earth; indeed also, because of her integrity, in the new and heavenly Jerusalem, which is above, in which, and of which, she was regenerated by the Word of truth.

Because of the faith which she had in common with the dear friends and children of God, she was imprisoned, and severely proceeded against in various ways, in order to make her fall away from the faith. But since they could make no progress in the matter, for she was founded upon the immovable cornerstone, that is, Christ Jesus, they resolved to put an end to her citizenship, and at the same time to her life as well. So it followed that the chamber of justice, acting through the bench of judges and the council of that city, with public striking of the bell, stripped her of her citizenship, before the steps leading up to the city hall, on the 17th of November of that year, to be further dealt with as the lords of that chamber should find or judge proper.

Concerning this there remains, though almost worn away by age, the following act in the book of records of that city, in the keeping of the secretary there:

Actum per Campanam,* the 17th of November, 1555. [n763-2] Whereas Digna Pieters, citizen of this city, at present a prisoner, has, without pain of iron bonds, openly confessed before the bench of judges and the council of this city, that she has been rebaptized, and so on,** and has also held conventicles, contrary to the faith, the holy sacraments, and the other services and ceremonies of the holy church; therefore the council of the aforesaid city has stripped said Digna Pieters of her citizenship, and strips her of it by these presents, further to be proceeded against, as that council, according to the demands and circumstances of the case, shall deem proper. [n763-3]

There follows in that book how the chamber of justice proceeded against her six days afterwards, concerning which the following words are found.

Digna Pieters drowned

Today, the 23rd of November, in the year 1555, Digna Pieters, by virtue of a certain sentence given and pronounced*** by the bench of judges and the council of this city (by the mouth of Wouter Barthouts, judge in the law), was put into a bag and drowned, in Puttox Tower. [n763-1]

Taken from the book of records of the city of Dordrecht, begun the last day of October, 1554, and closed the 16th of June, 1573.

This was the end of this valiant heroine of Jesus, who, though she was secretly murdered in a tower, like Joris Wippe and others, will hereafter, in the great day of the Lord, be brought openly to light; then it will be seen what difference there will be between those who did this, and her who suffered it, since everyone will receive in his body according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. Second Corinthians 5, verse 10.

This Puttox Tower, where this martyrdom took place, stood close by the gate of the Grootehooft of the city of Dordrecht; but it afterwards fell through great age, or as a signal warning of God on account of this murder. In its place there now stands a house, in the gable of which these words are carved in hard stone:

"Through the falling of Puttox Tower

I was built, and stand to this hour."

As to the persons who in that year administered criminal (or capital) justice, and so carried out this work, they were, according to John Beverwijck's history of the government of the city of Dordrecht, the following: Adrian van Blyenbergh Adriaenss, bailiff; and nine judges as follows: Jacob Adriaenss; Philips van Beverwijck Ogierss; Maerten Schrevel Dirckss; Jacob Oem Sir Jacobss; Pieter Muys Jacobss; Schrevel Sir Ockerss; Wouter Barthouts; Cornelis van Beveren Sir Claess; Wouter van Drenkwaert Sir Wilmss. [n763-4]

But whether all these judges, together with the bailiff, agreed in the aforesaid sentence, or whether Wouter Barthouts, who was present at her death, was the chief instigator of this work, is not stated; however, it seems that the majority took little pleasure in it, since Wouter Barthouts alone, as it appears, with the executioner and the servants of justice, was present at the death of this woman.