# 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.

1571 · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: 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.

Source heading; not independently verified

In the year 1571, on the 11th of March, in the
night, the Spaniards at Deventer (having held a
tournament during the day) went out with swords,
halberds, guns, and many other implements, to apprehend
the sheep of Christ. They went through
many houses, searching in some streets from house
to house; and all whom they could find they apprehended,
and fettered and ironed them, saying: “O
you heretical dogs, because you deny the Roman
Catholic faith you will have to die. For a few days
the gates were closed, and there was read by the
sound of the town bell, the proclamation, that no
one should conceal any, and if any one should know
of any that were concealed, that he should report
them. But this order was not obeyed: for many
were concealed, who secretly fled, and left their
goods for a spoil. In all there were apprehended
twelve, namely, Ydse Gaukes, Dirck van Wesel,
with Anneken and Janneken, their wives; Harmen
the Dyer, Bruyn, and Anthonis the Weaver, Claes
Opreyder, Lijsbet and Catharina Somerhuys, Lijntgen
Joris, and Trijntgen her daughter; all of whom
at first when they were apprehended, were valiant,
and confessed their faith; but some were greatly
afraid according to the flesh, and abandoned the
faith even before they were tortured. (In the torture
they were drawn up, their hands tied behind
their back and heavy weights of iron, or cannon
balls, suspended to their feet.) Several others did
indeed remain valiant in the torture, but subsequently
also apostatized from the faith; and four
remained valiant throughout.

Thus it happened that they were frequently visited,
and that they (who had denied the faith with
the mouth) were very sorrowful, and promised and
said, that if the Lord should grant them grace so
that they should get out, they would return to the
truth. And when on the 20th of May (when they
offered up their sacrifice on the 25th) a friend came
to them, they asked very closely what news he
brought. The friend replied, that the news was bad;
he feared that they all should have to die; in short,
much was said, and the friend remarked: “I love
you, so much that I would you were all out of all
this, and that I could be imprisoned in your place;”
so that the prisoners became very sorrowful, and
wept most bitterly, and said to the friend: “It is best
that you go, on account of the Spaniards.”

Thus it came to pass on the 24th of May, in the
evening, that monks came to them, to speak with
them, that they should prepare themselves, since
they were to die the next day. The monks went
away at twelve o’clock in the night, but returned
at four o’clock in the morning. There were two
men, Dirck van Wesel and Harmen the Dyer; and
four women, Dirck van Wesel’s wife, Ydse Gaukes’
wife, and Somerhuys’ two daughters, Lijsbet and
Catharina; who did not hearken to the monks, but,
according to all that could be seen and heard,
cleaved to the eternal truth. First, when they came
out of the prison, with a very joyful countenance
and smiling, they, bowing their heads, said adieu to
a friend whom they knew well, and who had visited
them in prison; and he smiled to them in return.
Thus did at first the four women; but the two
brethren, Bruyn and Anthonis the weaver, who were
brought out with them, were very sorrowful, and
did not speak; the women, however, spoke much
and greatly reproved the monks that were with
them; yea, they were heard to say, that Christ
their Bridegroom and Shepherd had thus gone before,
and they would follow him as his own sheep,
and they kissed one another very affectionately, the
two sisters having hold of each other’s hand, and
began to sing: “My God, whither shall I go?”
Then they had to separate, and six of them were
put into the wagon. When they arrived at the
scaffold, they brought Catharina, the younger sister,
upon the scaffold first. She was very bold in speaking,
and said: “Know, ye citizens, that it is not
for any evil, but for the truth.” When she had
ascended the scaffold, her sentence was read, which
was as follows: “If she would abide in the Catholic
church, she should be executed with the sword;
but if not, should be burnt alive.” She was then
asked, whether she would abide in the Catholic
church. She answered: “No; I want to abide in
the truth.” They said: “Then you will be burnt
alive.” “I do not care for that,” she said; “you
deal in lies:” and she spoke very boldly. She was
then taken from the scaffold again, and put into the
wagon; and her mouth was closed, so that she
could not speak any more. Then the two brethren
(namely, Bruyn and Anthonis) were one after the
other brought upon the scaffold, and were both beheaded,
without speaking anything, except that the
one was heard to say: “O Lord, be merciful to
me.” They then returned to the tower, and fetched
Dirck and Harmen. These both had their mouth
gagged, so that they could not speak; but they
made many signs on the way by nodding, and
845
smiling and were very bold, so that the people were
astonished.

Thus these two were brought upon the scaffold,
and they frequently smiled and nodded to those
whom they knew, and who stood before them. Harmen
then fell upon his knees and prayed to the Lord;
but as he made it too long for them, the executioner
pulled him up, and he boldly placed himself
at the stake. While the executioner was fastening
Harmen, Dirck kneeled, and called upon the Lord
from the heart; for they could not speak. Then
Dirck arose and affectionately embraced Harmen as
he stood at the stake, kissed him, and pointed with
his hand up to heaven. Thereupon Dirck went with
a joyful and smiling countenance, and stationed
himself with his back to the stake, and cast up his
eyes to heaven. When they had been thus fastened
to the stakes, the four women were brought from
the wagon to the scaffold, and saw the two standing
at the stakes. They were very glad and smiled,
folded their hands, cast up their eyes to heaven,
kissed one another, and all of them fell upon their
knees, and each placed herself very boldly with her
back to the stake. While they thus kissed one another,
there came a noise almost as if it had been
thunder or a wagon without horses, and it seemed
to come from the Brink, and roared before the
wagon, so that the people fell over one another,
and no one knew what it was, so that a great fear
arose. The Spaniards said that it thundered. Previously,
when the two were beheaded, the monks
made a speech, that every one should keep his
children away from this people, and that no one
should become offended, though they should now
be burnt, which was the pleasure of the Royal Majesty;
and that no one should make any disturbance.
They had no sooner concluded this speech, than
there came such a noise, even as though it came
from the main street beyond, so that the people
did not know what to do with themselves for fear.
Hence the Spaniards began to cry alarm, and the
drums also began to sound the alarm; but it all
passed off without any harm being done. Some
said that they saw a light over the scaffold, like
a dark sun; this, however, I did not see, but I saw
and heard the noise. Moreover, when they were
standing at the stakes, straw and wood were laid
around them, so that only their heads were visible.
While thus standing at the stakes, they made many
a friendly sign to those whom they knew, by smiling,
by nodding, and by casting up their eyes to heaven;
so that the Spaniards said: “To whom may they
nod thus?” And the one to whom they nodded stood
by the Spaniards in front of the scaffold, and heard
the Spaniards say it. This brother also nodded and
smiled, and pointed with his hand on high, that
they should take God for their helper. Thereupon
they cast their eyes up to heaven, except Dircks van
Wesel who was unconscious already when the wood
and straw were laid around him; for the chains that
were around his neck choked him, for he had been
greatly tortured, so that his arms had been much
injured; and when the executioner fastened his arms
behind around the stake, a faintness seized him, so
that he became unconscious, and was not seen to
manifest any further signs of life. The executioner
then lighted the fire, and all six were burnt alive
(together with two baskets full of books), some almost
to ashes. The bones and bodies were buried
near the gallows.

This was thus done at Deventer, on the Brink, the
25th of May, A. D. 1571.

Subsequently, on the 16th of July of the same
year, the other valiant heroes, namely, Claes Opreyder,
Ydse Gaukes, Lijntgen Joris, and her daughter,
named Catharina, were brought from the tower,
with their mouths gagged, so that they could not
speak, and passed along the streets very boldly,
smiling and nodding to many. Thus Claes was
brought upon the scaffold first, and he fell upon
his knees, to prayer; but the executioner lifted him
up, for the Spaniards would not tolerate it, and
cried: “Villains, villains!” But the six preceding
ones, who had been offered up first, had performed
their prayers, and had not been prevented from it;
for they had been allowed to come together, and
also to kiss one another; but since the people said
so much about it, how they had prayed, and so
lovingly kissed one another, they had resolved to
bring only one at a time on the scaffold. Now
when Claes stood at the stake, they also brought
Ydse upon the scaffold, and he forced his way to
Claes and kissed him. Hence the Spaniards clamored
again, and were enraged. While they were
fastening Ydse, a Spaniard, one of the chiefest, together
with a monk, stood by Catharina; but her
mother stood at some distance from them, so
that she could not hear what they said to her
daughter. Then the monk said: “Your mother
has recanted, for she has confessed that she was
seduced; and will be executed with the sword;
and if you will recant too, you shall not die,
because you are young yet; but you shall be married
and receive a large dowry, and be helped
on.” But in reply to all this she shook her head.
And then the Spaniards also said much to her, that
she should recant, and she should save her life.
But others said: “Do not tell her this; but say,
that if she will renounce her heresy, she shall die
as a pious Christian and be executed with the
sword.” And others said: “She must only be
made to believe, that she will save her life; when
she has recanted she shall die nevertheless.” But
she shook her head to all this, so that they became
discouraged. Then the monk said: “Dear sister,
recant, or you will go from this fire into the eternal,
upon this I will pledge my soul.” In the mean
time the mother also was brought upon the scaffold,
and placed at the stake. Then Catharina was seen
to rejoice greatly, for she found that it was nothing
but lies, what they had told her concerning her
mother. Then Catharina was also brought upon the
scaffold, and she ascended the steps very rapidly,
since she, as also the others, had greatly longed for
the hour of her redemption; and thus all four were
placed to stakes, back to back, so that they could
neither see nor nod to one another. While thus
standing at the stakes, they smiled and nodded to
several yet. Then the Spaniards said: “There are
some more of this people; if we only had them too.”
846
There were also on the scaffold the provost and the
quarter-master to assist the executioner; and the
provost wanted to lay the wood about three or four
feet from them, in order to roast them from a distance;
but the quartermaster said, that the sentence
was to burn them like the first; hence they
had hard words. The Spaniards also cried, that
they should be put to death slowly. However, the
wood at least was laid around them like around the
former; but little straw, with which they ignited the
wood; in order that they should die the more
slowly; however it was soon over. Thus these four
offered up their sacrifice, and were burned to ashes,
on the 16th of June, A. D. 1571; from whom many
took a good example, who recognized them as the
true people, and endeavored to follow them, by the
grace of God, in a righteous and godfearing life,
which these four evinced unto death, and thus confirmed
that which they had said and written in
prison.





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