# A Letter From Ydse Gaukes, Skipper, Which He Wrote In Prison, At Deventer, To His Brother, And To The Friends, According To The Spirit. · Page 1 of 2 [Previous page: TWELVE CHRISTIANS AT DEVENTER: YDSE GAUKES, DIRCK VAN WESEL, WITH ANNEKEN AND JANNEKEN, THEIR WIVES; HARMEN THE DYER, BRUYN, ANTHONIS THE WEAVER, CLAES OPREYDER, LIJSBET AND CATHARINA SOMERHUYS, LIJNTGEN JORIS, AND TRIJNTGEN HER DAUGHTER, A. D. 1571.](/en/stories/mm-twelve-christians-at-deventer-ydse-gaukes-dirck-van-wesel-with-anneken-and-janneken-their-wives-harmen-the-dyer-bruyn-an/part-3/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A LETTER FROM YDSE GAUKES, SKIPPER, WHICH HE WROTE IN PRISON, AT DEVENTER, TO HIS BROTHER, AND TO THE FRIENDS, ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-from-ydse-gaukes-skipper-which-he-wrote-in-prison-at-deventer-to-his-brother-and-to-the-friends-according-to-th/part-2/) Grace and peace from God our heavenly Father, this I wish to all my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, and especially to you, my brother according to the flesh, and your beloved wife, and my sister according to the Spirit. I wish you the true, penitent faith, that works by love. Furthermore, dear friends, there were twelve of us brethren and sisters apprehended; there was also a new convert. We men were confined together eight days; then the women were examined, and they renounced the faith, especially your mother and her daughter. After that I was brought before the lords, when they asked me my name, and how long ago I had been baptized. I said: “About four years.” And I said: “How do you know that it was done?” Then they said: “We cannot be satisfied, but you must swear us an oath.” “No,” said I, “I must not swear.” They said: “We may.” I said: “We may not.” They said: “Where is it written?” I said: “Matt. 5.” They said that I had read it erroneously. Then one of them said to me: “What a lamb you are.” After that he said: “What a devil you are.” Then they asked, how many children my wife had. I said: “One of about nine weeks.” Then they asked: “How many did you have?” I said: “Six.” “And there is none of them baptized?” said they. “That is true, my lords,” I replied. Then they asked me concerning the man that had baptized me. I told them, that he was dead. And who had thus led me astray? I said: “My former life;” and that God had revealed it to me. They then wrote, that we had despised God’s Spirit. And they read it all out of a letter, as it seemed to me. I said to them: “It seems to me, that you know it well.” “We do,” said they. It seemed to me, that they wrote more than I had confessed. Then I said, that they should not write more than I had confessed. “We do not,” said they. And they had it read to me again. And I was satisfied with it. Then they asked me concerning my father and mother and sister, and how many brothers I had. I said: “Two.” And they asked me closely concerning their names. I said: “Pieter is the younger, and Symon.” “Where does he live?” said they. Then I told them: “He is of your belief.” “He is not,” said they. I said it was true. And I much excused them both, and said, that they were not so bad. I then entreated them, that they should not touch the innocent. Now they said: “Then the woman lied; we must have her brought up.” I said: “My lords, I did not say that I do not have more.” They said: “Have you more then?” I said: “One.” Then they interrogated me closely whether I did not have more. I replied: “No.” Then they wanted to know his name. I told it to them. Then they asked me, whether he was baptized. I told them, that they should ask him himself. Then they said: “You do not know how to speak before the court; how will you speak before God? We shall make you tell it.” I said: “The body is at your disposal.” Then they let me go down, and brought up the men, one after the other, and they all freely confessed the faith. And we were put together again; then we rejoiced, that we were allowed to be together again; this continued several days. Then Anthonis was tortured, but remained valiant. After that they fetched me, and asked, whether I would name those whom I knew. I said: “No.” Then they said: “We shall make you tell it; but if you ask grace, we shall grant it you, as we did to the girl in the Norenburger street.” That was Mariken Backers, who said like Peter, that she did not know the man; this I did not want to do. Master Pouwels was standing there, and they said: “Do you know this man?” “I saw him yesterday,” said I. Then the commissary said: “Take him, Master Pouwels.” Then I went to the rope. The executioner entreated me much; “You are still a young man,” he said. I then divested myself of my upper garments, and the shirt was pulled off by the sleeves, and tied around the middle of my body, and I had to stand there naked, until the captain and the inspector came; and my hands were tied behind my back. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_846) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: TWELVE CHRISTIANS AT DEVENTER: YDSE GAUKES, DIRCK VAN WESEL, WITH ANNEKEN AND JANNEKEN, THEIR WIVES; HARMEN THE DYER, BRUYN, ANTHONIS THE WEAVER, CLAES OPREYDER, LIJSBET AND CATHARINA SOMERHUYS, LIJNTGEN JORIS, AND TRIJNTGEN HER DAUGHTER, A. D. 1571.](/en/stories/mm-twelve-christians-at-deventer-ydse-gaukes-dirck-van-wesel-with-anneken-and-janneken-their-wives-harmen-the-dyer-bruyn-an/part-3/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: A LETTER FROM YDSE GAUKES, SKIPPER, WHICH HE WROTE IN PRISON, AT DEVENTER, TO HIS BROTHER, AND TO THE FRIENDS, ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.](/en/stories/mm-a-letter-from-ydse-gaukes-skipper-which-he-wrote-in-prison-at-deventer-to-his-brother-and-to-the-friends-according-to-th/part-2/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-a-letter-from-ydse-gaukes-skipper-which-he-wrote-in-prison-at-deventer-to-his-brother-and-to-the-friends-according-to-th/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+A+Letter+From+Ydse+Gaukes%2C+Skipper%2C+Which+He+Wrote+In+Prison%2C+At+Deventer%2C+To+His+Brother%2C+And+To+The+Friends%2C+According+To+The+Spirit.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+2&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AA+Letter+From+Ydse+Gaukes%2C+Skipper%2C+Which+He+Wrote+In+Prison%2C+At+Deventer%2C+To+His+Brother%2C+And+To+The+Friends%2C+According+To+The+Spirit.+%C2%B7+Page+1+of+2%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-a-letter-from-ydse-gaukes-skipper-which-he-wrote-in-prison-at-deventer-to-his-brother-and-to-the-friends-according-to-th%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-a-letter-from-ydse-gaukes-skipper-which-he-wrote-in-prison-at-deventer-to-his-brother-and-to-the-friends-according-to-th%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+16th+century+%28source+section%29%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)