Four Friends Offered up in Maestricht

During the time of freedom that followed the destruction of the images, the church at Maestricht grew and flourished, increasing in number. But when the Duke of Alva came into the country, many fled out of the city wherever they best could; some, however, remained, among whom there was also a brother who was an elder and also a school teacher. His name was Arent van Essen, and he had a wife whose name was Ursel. In the same house with them there lived another couple, of whom the wife's name was Trijntgen; and the name of her mother, an old woman of about seventy-five years, was Neeltgen. These persons were betrayed and reported to the authorities, and one of the burgomasters of the city, a man of furious temper, came violently about twelve o'clock at night, with his servants, called beadles, to the schoolmaster's house, and with great noise arrested this man Arent, who was led that night to the council house, called the Landskroon. About an hour later the burgomaster went again with his beadles to the house of the aforesaid schoolmaster, to arrest two more women whom he had not seized before. Arriving there he also found Neeltgen the old woman, who had come to see how it was with her daughters Trijntgen and the others; for she had heard that Arent had been taken away and imprisoned. He arrested these three as well, and took them likewise to the Landskroon, to the man, so that in the morning all four were together, rejoicing together in God and comforting one another.

When they were brought before the lords, each of them separately and freely confessed their faith (First Peter 3, verse 15), and that they had received baptism upon their faith, and whatever else belongs to godly doctrine. In this, it seems, Ursel, though weak according to the flesh, was not the most timid; for they separated her from the rest and delivered her to the lords (that is, to the bailiff and the judges), who judge cases of capital punishment. And so she was taken to the Dinghuys, a place called by that name, where she was greatly harassed with many threats, all of which she meekly bore and suffered. It went the same way with her husband, Arent, whom they likewise delivered to the lords, and brought to the prisoners' gate, which is the highest prison, where manifold wiles were also employed to cause him to apostatize.

When this old woman Neeltgen and her daughter Trijntgen were also delivered to the lords and conducted to the Dinghuys, and came into the street on their way there, both of them being joyful and of good courage, Trijntgen began to sing for joy, so kindled was she in the Lord.

During their imprisonment in the Dinghuys they were frequently assailed by the lords, and also by monks and priests, who sought to move them to renounce their faith; but God preserved His sheep from the terrible rage of the wolves. After this they began first to torture Arent. Indeed, it was said that he was severely tortured seven times, so that he fell into despondency from all these tortures; but the Lord extended His hand to him, strengthened him, and gave him new courage, so that he manfully fought through, as we shall hear. Ursel his wife was likewise brought from the Dinghuys to the prisoners' gate, where she exhorted her husband not a little, to the strengthening of his heart. There Ursel was also twice tortured on the rack; but she faithfully held to the truth. But it did not stop with this torturing in her case; for the executioner tied her hands together and drew her up, and as she was hanging there he cut open her chemise with a knife, baring her back, and severely scourged her with rods; this was done twice in one day. (It was said that a Jesuit advised this scourging.) But Ursel bore all this patiently. As said above, she was also tender of body, so that before her imprisonment she had to turn her stockings inside out, and put them on and wear them so, because she could not bear the seams of the stockings inside against her limbs; but now, through the help of God, she was able to endure torturing and scourging. Neeltgen the old woman was also led to the torture, and when she came to the rack or ladder she went and lay down on it of her own accord; but the lords, considering her age and feebleness, did not torture her. They said to her: "It is not your first time," namely, that she lay on the rack; for they knew that she had also once in her youth been imprisoned and tortured for the truth, from which imprisonment she had been delivered in a remarkable manner. But her daughter Trijntgen was treated far less gently, for she was tortured very severely; and when she was taken from the rack almost in a fainting condition, she was laid on a bed for a little while; but as soon as she had recovered a little she had to go on the rack again. And when she was tortured severely she cried aloud: " O Lord, help me, and keep my lips." For she was severely tortured, that she should name others; for they were thirsting for more blood. And God heard her prayer, and kept her lips, so that they could get nothing from her which implicated her neighbor. When Trijntgen was tortured the last time, she said: "I praise and thank the Lord." Mother Neeltgen, who was not far off, heard her daughter speak and asked: "Is that my child?" Hearing this, Trijntgen replied: "Yes, my mother;" and fell on her neck and kissed her.

On the 9th of January, in the year 1570, Arent and Ursel his wife were notified in the name of the lords that each was to be put to a stake and burned. They greatly rejoiced at this message, because they were to be counted worthy to die for the name of Christ; and they were full of joy that day and night, thanking and praising God, and so waited for the day of their redemption.

In the morning a town beadle came to Ursel and charged her, in the name of his lords, that she should not speak in the street on her way to execution; this the beadle said in the presence of the lords. Ursel said to the lords: "And may I not sing a little, and say something now and then?" But this they would not permit her, and they said among themselves: "We hear now what her intentions are." They further said to the executioner: "Do as you are commanded, and stop her mouth." The executioner had a piece of wood, which he put in Ursel's mouth, and he tied up her mouth with a cloth. And since they had been taken back from the prisoners' gate, where they were tortured, to the Dinghuys, from which they were to go to execution, and where Neeltgen and Trijntgen were also still imprisoned, Trijntgen, when Ursel was led away from the Dinghuys, had come to a window above; and when she saw Ursel being led forth to death, she cried aloud over all the people, saying to Ursel: "Dear sister, contend manfully, for the crown of life is prepared for you." So Ursel, with her mouth gagged, went to the Vrijthof (the place where she was to be offered up), the people complaining greatly because her mouth had been gagged so that she could not speak one word.

When Ursel arrived at the scaffold which had been erected, she went up it as quietly as a lamb, and went straight into the hut, and the executioner immediately set fire to it; and so she was burned to ashes, and became a burnt offering to the Lord.

Very shortly after, Arent, Ursel's husband, was also notified to prepare himself for death, which he willingly received, and he prepared himself accordingly. Before he was led forth to death, they also stopped and tied up his mouth, which was a pitiful sight. They had erected a scaffold in another place than where Ursel had been put to death, namely, in the Friday or cattle market, near the Poel. What the lords sought by putting them to death separately was not really known; but common report had it that the lords did it so that Arent and Ursel might not draw any comfort from each other. When Arent was thus led, with his mouth gagged, to this place, a joyful and undismayed mind could be seen. Having gone up onto the scaffold, he fell on his knees and fervently offered up his prayer.

He then rose and went into the hut, where he took off part of his clothing; but as this took up some time, the bailiff, who was present on horseback, called out to the executioner: "Go on with your work;" which the executioner immediately did, and lighted the fire, and so this martyr was likewise burned to ashes, as a witness of Jesus Christ.

Above we said that the old woman Neeltgen, and Trijntgen her daughter, remained still imprisoned in the Dinghuys. On the 23rd of January of the same year these two also received notice from the lords that they would have to die as the others had; and they received this notice so joyfully that the time seemed very long to them before that day arrived. For they sought rest above in heaven with their dear heavenly Father, who, though He allows His own to be tempted here, yet never departs from them with His mercy, but delivers them out of all their distress. So they rejoiced in the Lord beyond measure, thanked and praised Him the whole night, and so waited longingly for the day of their redemption. In the morning, when they were to be led to execution, the executioner put a piece of wood into the mouth of each, and tied it up with a cloth; and so they joyfully went (escorted) to the Vrijthof. On the way Trijntgen put her hands up to the cloth with which her mouth was tied, and began to draw it away and to say something, and to call out why they died. But this they would in no way tolerate; so the executioner went up to her and laid his hand on her mouth, and ordered her to go into the hut; for most of this was done on the scaffold. And so Trijntgen and her dear mother were led into the hut, and both burned to ashes, having commended their souls into the hands of God; which took place on the 24th of January, in the year 1569.