The original account · Page 2 of 3
Hans Haslibacher, A. D. 1571.
Second Part. · AN ACCOUNT OF THOSE WHO SUFFERED IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY,
Original wording, with book contents, page navigation, and linked notes. Source heading; not independently verified
Give ear, kind friends, and help who can,
To sing about an aged man,
Who hailed from Haslibach;
Hence, Haslibacher was he called,
And lived in parish Summiswald.
Since our dear Lord permission gave,
To men t’accuse him as a knave,
Because of his true faith;
Hence bound they him with rigor stern,
And led him to the town of Berne.
And though he was imprisoned here,
And tortured with torments severe,
For holding to his faith;
Yet did he steadfast still remain,
In torture, anguish, and in pain.
One Friday morning, mark my words,
There came some educated lords,
Into his prison hold;
And in dispute did him enlist,
That he should from his faith desist.
Our Haslibacher then and there,
Gave all their babblings to the air,
For thus he straightway said:
“My faith I never will forsake,
Though life and body you should take.”
On Saturday these learned men
Came to his prison-hold again,
And thus with threats they spake:
“Thou must renounce thy heresy,
Or else thou shalt beheaded be.”
Instant he answered with bold heart:
“From this my faith I’ll ne’er depart,
But firmly cleave thereto;
For God accepts my faith as right,
And he’ll protect me by his might.”
And when night’s sable garb was spread,
God’s angel came with might and said,
In Haslibacher’s ear:
“’Tis God who me to thee doth send,
To comfort thee before thy end.
“Moreover I will counsel thee,
Not wavering in thy faith to be,
But strong therein remain;
For God accepteth thy belief—
He’ll keep thy soul and bring relief.
“And though they threaten with the sword
To execute thee, let their word
In thee cause no dismay:
For at thy side I will remain
To succor thee from every pain.”
And thus again, when Monday came,
Those tutored men, of priestly fame
To Haslibacher went,
And sorely him with words they ply,
That his belief he should deny.
“If not,” they said, and meant it too,
“To-morrow’s morn brings death to you.”
But Haslibacher said:
“This body you may put to death—
I’ll give my head, but not my faith.”
When night again her mantle spread,
Deep sleep fell on his weary head,
Until the clock struck twelve.
He dreamed he was in daylight fair,
Led forth to be beheaded there.
This wakes him up, as well it might,
And lo, about him all is light.
A book before him lies,
An angel’s holy voice explains:
“Read what this little book contains.”
And when he reads the book he finds
That his tormentors set their minds,
That they would him behead.
But God would let three signs appear
To show th’ injustice he should bear.
When he had read it to the end,
Night’s darkness did again descend,
And sleep his eyelids closed,
Till daylight brought these murderous men,
Into his prison cell again.
“Good morning, friend,” he from them hears,
With thanks, like greeting meets their ears.
Then unto him they said:
That he the word divine should hear,
Or feast on executioner’s fare.
“From this my faith I’ll ne’er let go,
The word of God full well I know;
My cause to God I give;
Yet deep regret doth fill my heart,
That innocent I must depart.”
They led him to an inn in haste,
And meat and drink before him placed,
The hangman by his side:
That deep disgust and fear of death,
Might make him yet renounce his faith.
Quoth Haslibacher to the man:
“Eat, drink; make merry while you can,
For though upon this day
You offer up my guiltless blood,
My soul more quickly soars to God.”
He further said: “The Lord will show
Three signs, to let you plainly know
That innocent I die;
For when my head’s struck off, ’twill fall
Into my hat, and laugh withal.
“The second sign upon the sun
You’ll plainly see when it is done;
And of the third take heed:
The sun will, like my blood, be red,
The town-well likewise blood will shed.
The judge unto the lords decreed:
Of these three signs take goodly heed.
Remember also this:
That if this all shall happen so,
’Twill work your soul’s eternal woe.”
When he had finished his repast,
They took his hands to tie them fast;
When Haslibacher said:
“Pray, Lorenz, listen to my plea,
And leave my hands from fetters free.
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“I’m ready now and do rejoice,
That you have let me have my choice
To die and pass from hence.
But Lord, show mercy unto them,
Who me this day to death condemn.”
When he at last the block had faced,
He doffed his hat and had it placed
The multitude before:
“Friend Lorenz, to my prayer give ear,
I beg to leave my hat lie here.
With this he bowed his knees in prayer,
And when the Paternoster there,
He earnestly had prayed,
He said: “To God I’ve given my cause,
Act now, according to your laws.”
Down comes the sword, when lo, the head
Springs in his hat, as he had said;
And all the signs were seen—
The sun was red and looked like blood,
The town-well shed a crimson flood.
Amazed, an aged sire said:
“The Anabaptist laughs, though dead.”
Then said another sire:
“If you had let this Baptist live,
Eternally you would not grieve.”
With one accord the people said:
“Henceforth no Baptist’s blood we’ll shed.”
Then said an aged sire:
“Had you not acted ’gainst my will,
This Baptist would be living still.”
The hangman too was heard to say:
“’Tis guiltless blood I’ve shed to-day.”
Then said a yeoman old:
“The Anabaptist’s mouth did laugh,
Which surely indicates God’s wrath.”
He who composed this little hymn,
Received his death in prison dim,
A sinful mob to please.
They brought him pen and ink to write,
And thus he bade us all “Good night.”
