the anabaptists of that day, although in chains, spoke of the clergy of the established church, and how hard the inquisitor was pushed to name but one clergyman of a blameless life, among the multitudes of that great establishment. This confession of Jacques D'Auchy was first written in French, and was afterwards translated into the Dutch and German. He suffered death at Leewarden, the capital of Friezland, in 1559. Passing over nearly two hundred pages which are full of narratives of the same kind as those I have related-some of them as long, most of them, however, much shorter-I shall proceed to give somewhat extended accounts of a few more discussions of a very interesting nature, and close the extracts with a brief recapitulation of the whole history of the German anabaptists or Mennonites up to the latter half of the seventeenth century. SECTION III. JUDICIAL TRIALS OF JACOB de roore, HERMAN VLECKWYK, JANS HENDRICKS, AND OTHERS-SKETCHES OF MENNO SIMON. A Discussion between Jacob de Roore (sometimes called Jacob Kerzen Giezer), and M. brother Cornelius, preacher of the order of Grey Friars, in presence of M. Jan. Van Damme, notary, and M. Michael Houwaart, clerk of the criminal court, May 9th, A.D. 1569. "Brother Cornelius.-Well, I've come to see whether I can't convert you, (is not your name Jacob?) from the false and pernicious faith wherein you have erred; and whether I cannot bring you back to the catholic faith, our mother, the holy Roman church, from which you have fallen away to the accursed anabaptists. What say you to this? Jacob.-That I have a false pernicious faith, with your permission I say, no; but that I have fallen away by the grace of God, from your Babylonish mother, the Roman church, to the members of the true church of Christ, I confess, and thank God for it, who hath said: Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev. xviii. 4. Corn.-Can it be possible? do you really call our mother, the holy catholic church, the whore of Babylon? and do you call the infernal diabolical sect of anabaptists the members of the true church of Christ? Just listen to this brave fellow! What devil has taught you this, hey? Your cursed Menno Simon, I suppose; yes, go away, and be still. Mind you now! Jacob.-With permission that you speak so pervertedly; it was certainly not necessary for Menno Simon to teach us something new, that the whore of Babylon represents your mother, the Roman church; for John teaches that sufficiently in Revelations xiv. xvi. xvii. xviii. Corn-What knowledge have you of St. John's Revelation? in what seminary did you study? at the loom, I suppose, for I have been informed, you were only a poor weaver, and tallow chandler, before you went about preaching and re-baptizing, out in the Gritz-haus forest; but I was a long time at the seminary at Leuven, and studied divinity a great while, and yet I by no means understand the Revelations of St. John; this is a fact. Jacob.-Therefore, Christ thanks his heavenly Father, because he revealed these things to the simple and hid them from the wise men of this world. Matt. xi. 15. Corn.-O yes, God has revealed these things to weavers at the loom, cobblers at their bench, bellows' patchers, lantern tinkers, razor grinders, broom makers, thatchers, together with all sorts of ragamuffins, and poor-looking vagabonds; but he has concealed it from us spiritual monastics, who have studied day and night from our youth. Just see how we are vexed; you anabaptists are certainly the right kind of fellows to understand the scriptures; for before you are re-baptized you don't know A from B; but as soon as you are baptized you can read and write. Now if the devil and his mother are not playing with you I know nothing about it. Jacob. I perceive truly, that you are ignorant of our mode of acting; for the grace which the Lord God bestows upon our simple, newly baptized members, when we teach them to read, you ascribe to the devil. 3 While going over these details I have felt a curiosity to know who was that one cardinal or catholic bishop in the whole realm of England, in the middle of the sixteenth century, whose life was conformable to the gospel pattern. Cardinal Woolsey died a little before this time, but even a Roman inquisitor would hardly appeal to him as a pattern of piety. The character might be intended for Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, or for Cardinal Pole, the relative of Queen Mary. This discnssion was had in 1558, the same year which the bloody Mary died; and it was probably one of her bishops, whom the inquisitor reputed such a holy man. JACOB DE ROORE-Continued. 99 Corn.-Just behold, these heretics are so audacious, that they ascribe the grace of God to themselves; but our mother, the holy catholic Roman church, they consider the whore of Babylon. Is not that a strange grace of God? Nay, you have the grace of the devil incarnate; but what shall I say to this? Do you maintain that our mother the holy catholic church, is the whore of Babylon? If so I can easily guess what opinion you have of our holy father, the pope, the vicegerent of God: well, let us hear it. Jacob. I consider the pope the vicegerent of God, for he has set himself in God's place, as Paul writes concerning him in 2 Thess. ii. 34; 'Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things?' Corn.-Hush, hush; we have had enough preaching. You are not now in Gritz-haus forest, neither am I here to listen to a sermon. Ah! you execrable anabaptists! will you thus apply the prophecy of St. Paul to our holy father, the pope? Just listen how this cursed heretic understands St. Paul. St. Paul has allusion to antichrist, it is true. Jacob. I also believe that Paul alludes to antichrist; but does not the pope of Rome, in fact, do the works of antichrist? Does he not forbid you to marry? does he not command you to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe? as Paul writes, 1 Tim. iv. Corn.-Yes, the devil is at your back; yes the devil and his mother play with your mouth; you know how to apply the holy scriptures to your heretical views, and to have them at your finger's ends; but only wait a little, I will prove to you that our holy father, the pope, is God's vicegerent; for does not Christ say to Peter, nourish, pasture, or feed my sheep, and that on him he would build his church? Did he not also give to St. Peter the keys of heaven, and all sacerdotal power to loose sins and to bind; or to forgive and retain? Nay, do not the holy popes sit on the same seat, as St. Peter's successors, and possess also the same command, the sacerdotal power of the keys of heaven, to forgive sins by absolution after confession, or retain them? What do you say to this now? let us hear. Jacob.-Christ says that upon this rock (that is upon the faith which Peter confessed), he would build his church. He says not a word about a see, or a vicegerent, successors or popes, nor about their sacerdotal power. Corn.-Does he not speak of the keys of heaven, and of loosing and binding? If there were neither pope, high priest, nor low priest, who would then have the power of hearing confession, to absolve or forgive sins? beersellers or scavengers, I suppose. Jacob.-Christ is our only true high priest, as Paul writes to the Hebrews, from the 2d to the 9th chapter. The discussion proceeds on the different sacraments of the Roman church, till they come to confirmation. Corn.-Is it possible? so plain! you cursed execrable anabaptists; for though you do not believe it, yet, the sacrament of confirmation is not a hair worse on that account; for we catholics believe it only the more. My lords, what do you say in regard to this cursed anabaptist; for he believes in nothing at all. Notary-Be instructed, Jacob, and believe as becomes a christian, and do not raise so many objections. Jacob.-I beg your pardon, my lords; I reply merely to the questions, and believe that which is contained in the holy scriptures. The Sacrament of Unction.-Corn.-A thousand devils (God bless us) cause this infernal heretic to make our conjuration, consecration, blessing and sanctifying of the sacrament of unction witchcraft. Ah, you bewitched, devilish, and demoniacal anabaptist reproved me once because I cursed and judged you; but I ought to take another way to curse, anathematize and execrate you; yet you are not worthy of my getting angry, and make myself uneasy. Therefore I tell you; yes, we catholics call the holy unction a sacrament, and hold it as a sacrament, for it is a sacrament in spite of your teeth. Do you understand that, you bewitched and cursed anabaptist that you are? Jacob.-If, then, you will imitate everything that the apostles did, and consider them sacraments, why do you not hold your handkerchiefs as a sacrament, and lay them on the sick, as Paul did. For in what respect was the oil spoken of by James more holy than the handkerchiefs of Paul with which the sick were healed, as you record? Acts xix. 12. Corn. If the devil has not dealings with you, I know nothing about it. Yes, indeed, you cursed anabaptists may make a sacrament of your dirty, filthy handkerchiefs or aprons, for you have no sacrament, but we catholics have seven sacraments: is not that enough? Jacob.-Yes, indeed; for since the word sacrament is not mentioned in the holy scriptures, seven are too many for you. Corn.-Ah! does not St. Paul, call marriage a sacrament? Yes, he does not by any means honor it too much thereby, since he says, Eph. v.: The sacrament is great. Will you then, despise and reject this honor? Jacob.-Paul says: They two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. Now if you make sacraments of all the mysteries, I wonder that you have only seven sacraments. Corn.-Yes, we can very easily see that you anabaptists do not highly esteem marriage; 100 THE MUNSTER AFFAIR. for if we priests were to say that the priesthood is but a sacrament, but marriage is not, you would reply, I presume, by saying, show us where the priesthood is called a sacrament, as we find respecting matrimony. But when I think of it rightly, you anabaptists do not observe marriage, since you have wives and single women in common, and run together promiscuously, like dogs and beasts; is not that nice? Jacob.-I beg your pardon; do not get angry: this a base lie against us. Jacob.-If it was true I would not deny it; but that can never be said in regard to us with truth. Corn.-Yes, indeed; this is the most insolent spectre of all. I thought you would prove to me with the holy scriptures, that women ought to be had in common; say, will you deny this now? Jacob.-Yes; ought I not to deny that which is a tissue of falsehood? Corn.-Yes, this miserable anabaptist will cut me over the nose, I guess. Do you think to talk me out of a thing which I am confident is true? Why do you deny it? for you have flatly denied the five sacraments, which is a hundred thousand times worse, and more damnable than to have all the women and girls in the universe in common. This is a fact. Jacob.-You do very wrong in bringing this charge against us, for it is a thing of which we are entirely innocent. Corn.-Surely you are acting the fool with this denial. I would almost jump out of my skin for anger, because this cursed anabaptist will deny a fact which is notorious to the whole world. I will stake my life that I have myself preached more than a hundred times that you anabaptists have women and girls in common; that ye refuse to marry, and when a man is tired of his wife you give him another man's wife. Likewise, when a woman is tired of her husband. Ought I not, then, to have some knowledge of the matter? Jacob. I have occasionally heard that a certain man, brother Cornelius, frequently preached such things concerning us. I beg your pardon; are you the man? Corn.-Yes, I am brother Cornelius, who preached such things concerning you. Take a good look at me; I am sure I am the person. I will also prove clearly to you that I preach the truth; for, were they not anabaptists, who, men, women, girls and boys ran stark naked in the streets of Amsterdam,3 and other places in Holland, saying to one another, my spirit desires your flesh? Hey? Jacob.-These were not of our brethren? for some time ago such false brethren, as David Joses and Henry Niclaus, these secretly taught such things, saying that it is not right for any one to have anything as his own; therefore, no one is permitted to marry a wife for himself, but the women must be had in common. Some others endeavored to prove from the scriptures that they might leave the wives that were unhappy and dishonest. Corn.-Shame on you; how will you deny that you anabaptists have women in common. Were they not anabaptists that took the citadel at Amsterdam by force; also, who conquered the city of Munster, but were afterwards besieged, hemmed in, stormed, overpowered, captured and slain, along with their king Jan Beukels, a tailor of Leyden. Had not these their women in common? Nay, not only their women, but their goods. Did they not rob churches and monasteries in Holland, Friesland and Gelderland? Will you now assert that these were not of your brethren? I think, surely, you will not be so foolish. Jacob.-These were all of the same (strange) false brethren; for, as they inculcated a community of women, so also they preached up a community of, and asserted that the property of the papists belonged to the christians, who might take it wherever they could, to use it for the extirpation of the ungodly, with the outward sword; and to do away all civil powers, so that a new kingdom of Christ might be established in the world. These were the occasions of the unjust reports being circulated in regard to us. Corn. Is it true? It is yet to be seen whether this report is unjust in regard to you. If you anabaptists had a head like the Calvinists, I swear that you would persecute, vex, torture and torment us catholics, even as much as they do. However, enough of this; but I cannot swallow nor digest your denying that you anabaptists have your women in common. You may try to get out of it the best way you can, but you are not agoing to babble me out of it. Jacob. It is not only we who have to suffer this from you. for I am informed you frequently preach that the Calvinists have their women in common. Corn.-They have, too; for in that they have their women in common, they agree with the anabaptists. I know very well what the Calvinists of both sexes do, when they extinguish the candles, after holding their cursed, devilish supper. Just behold, now, ought you to undertake to teach me to preach? Jacob. If this was true it would be known to the whole world; for the Calvinists had public churches, in which they preached and held their supper. Now, if they had held forth such things as you say, respecting the community of women, what a report this strange conduct would have caused in all countries. 3 Who could be more confident of the truth of his assertion than this bigoted monk? The stories were, no doubt, fully believed by all the enemies of the anabaptists at that time, which was but a little more than thirty years after the event. And it seemed as impossible to disabuse him in this matter, then, on the very ground, as it has been by the endless train of writers since. |