Martyrs Mirror 783Sentence o f Death, on the 28th o f March, 1558, stilo Col.

According to the written laws pursuant to the decrees of his Imperial Majesty, confirmed by his Royal Majesty, who will have them observed in all their points and articles; and through the demand of the bailiff, and the confession of the prisoners, Evert Nouts, Pieter van Eynhoven, both of Antwerp, and Jan Hendricks of Utrecht, said prisoners shall be executed according to the decree. Done in the presence of Adriaen Fijck, Adriaen Adriaens, Adriaen Robbrechts, Pieter Hendricks, Cornelis Joosten, Willem Corneliss, and Dirk Dirks, judges, and Sir Roeland, pensionary.

In regard to Stijntgen Jans and Annetgen Antheunis, decision of their case is deferred for certain reasons, the judges moving postponement until after Easter.

NOTE. On the 28th of March, 1558, stilo coj., after the above sentence had been pronounced by Matthijs Oark, the secretary, and the aforesaid prisoners had been condemned to be executed with fire, all the necessary preparations were made here before the city hall; three large stakes were placed near together, at which to strangle said prisoners first, before burning them; and the place having been shut off with planks and stakes, it was proclaimed in the name of the bailiff, magistrate, burgomasters and judges, in front of the city hall, with the striking of the bell, that every one should leave the ring, on pain of forfeiting his upper garment; and that no one should hinder or resist justice by word or act, on pain of life and property. Between eleven and twelve o'clock, every preparation necessary for the execution having been made, the aforesaid Jan Hendricks was first brought out to be executed, and placed at the middle stake upon a little stool, and a cord put around his neck, to strangle him. Thereupon Master Aert, the young constable, as substitute for Master, Jan van Haarlem,the executioner from behind, twisted said cord tight with a stick, and then took away the little stool from under Jan Hendricks' feet, and while thus hanging pulled him with all his might by his body and legs; whereupon said Master Jan came with a bundle of oat straw, into which a quantity of gunpowder had been put, and held it before his face, to singe it; but Master Aert had a pair of tongs with a red hot coal, to cast into the gunpowder. He threw it three or four times, without being able to touch the gunpowder, so that the straw smoked, but the powder was not ignited.

In consequence of this a great cry arose, one saying: "You throw the fire badly;" another: "You inflict a thousand deaths upon the man;" and finally, "Stone the constable to death," and the like. Then a woman threw a slipper, and others of the bystanders began to throw stones at the constable. Master Hans was then pushed by the citizens, into the house of Jan Sampel, in the Golden Waggon, opposite the City Hall and concealed; while the young constable, called Master Aert, together with the servants of the procurator general, also of Schielandt, and of this city, who had been summoned to the assistance of justice, fled into the city hall, followed by Gerrit van der Mersche, the bailiff; leaving said Jan Hendricks still suspended by the cord. The judges, the pensionary, and the secretary, seeing the great tumult and uproar, took refuge up in the square of the city hall tower. The first ones who arrived there were Adriaen Robberts, the judge, and Matthijs Bark, the secretary, who, from the square of the tower, saw Jan Hendricks still hanging at the stake. With great violence the planks were torn off, and the stakes pulled out, from the enclosure that had been erected to keep the people from getting to the officers of justice. A lad then came and passed the stake, intending to cut the cord by which said Jan had been strangled; but he did not venture to do it, whereupon another came, who cut the cord, so that Jan fell to the ground. And as the perpetrators of this crime were mostly strangers, the citizens who lived in the neighborhood, locked their doors. The bailiff, together with the servants of the procurator general, and of Schielandt, barricaded the front of the city hall with benches, planks, and other wood, in order to keep the two others that had been sentenced, and the women. But as the tumult and uproar increased more and more, the rioters pulled out the stakes, and other stakes f rom the street, and came with violence before the door of the city hall, in order to force it open. The door, however, being firmly barricaded, they went with the stakes upon the hospital stairs, and forced open the back door of the city hall, which leads to the chamber of Schielandt, and the treasury. Hearing this, the bailiff and his servants, who were there with the prisoners, left the two women behind, since Annetge was a cripple, and not able to walk, and took the other two prisoners that had been sentenced, and fled with them from the lower part of the city hall up into the tower. The rioters thus forced open the front as well as the rear of the city hall, broke the doors in pieces, and first took the aforesaid two women, brought them without the city, and led them away. Thereupon they returned into the front of the city hall, and smashed in the door leading up into the tower, calling and crying, aloud for the two men prisoners; or they would kill them all, and set the tower on fire; so that the servants released said prisoners, whom the rioters then brought without the city.

After this they cried as loud as ever, and demanded the young constable, and also the bailiff and the members of the court. And as the servants were in a story of the tower below the one occupied by the lords of the court, they told the rioters aloud that the lords and the constable had already left the city hall. Deeper silence could not have reigned in a convent, than prevailed at this time among the lords; for though some did not make an outward manifestation of the regret which they felt in their hearts, he that had sharp eyes, could read it in their face. And though it was past noon, and no one had eaten much that day, yet I believe, if there had been an abundance of the most tempting viands, none would have made very great inroads upon them.

But at last, God be praised for it, the tumult and uproar ceased; so that through the faithfulness of Adriaen Jacobs Tromper, councilor of said city, who had left the ark, but returned with an olive twig, and informed the lords of the court, in their anxiety, that the uproar had subsided, and that the rioters had all gone away. Thus, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the lords left the tower; but the city was still in great commotion, and Jan Hendricks, the prisoner that had been cut down, was brought into the house of one Kers Goverts Brouwer, near the city hall, where he remained until about five or six o'clock in the evening, when he was openly put into a boat, and taken out of the city, and it is said that he is still living.

That evening the arquebusiers were ordered on guard. The next day; the 29th of March, a delegation went in behalf of the city to the Hague, to the lords of the council, where they reported the matter, presented an excuse in behalf of the city, and requested that commissioners be sent to inquire into the matter, that the city might be exculpated from the uproar. Next day, Sir Guiljand Zeegers, Lord van Wassenhoven, and Sir Christian de Waert, procurator general, arrived here, and made some inquiries concerning the crime, and reported the information obtained to the council. His Royal Majesty, having been informed that full control had been gained over the city, speedily dispatched (since my lord the margrave van Veere was sick) the count of Boussu and my lord of Cruyningen, who passed through here secretly, on Easter eve, on their way to the Hague, where they, on Easter

Day, convened the whole council. They wrote to the bailiff, to close the gates and bars, and to fetch those who had been designated and reported, from their beds, in the night; which was done after the close of Easter Day, and there was apprehended in the night, with the assistance of the arquebusiers, and in presence of the burgomasters, one Chiele Pot. On the following day, the second Easter Day, there arrived in the city the Count of Boussu, my lord of Cruyningen, Sir Gerrit van Assendelft, President of the Council, Guiljand Zeegers, lord of Wassenhoven, Sir Cornelis Zuys, Aernoult Sasbout, Cornelis van Weldam, and Dominicus Boot.