For all this so strong was the delusion, the blinded people did not open their eyes. Becold and Knipperdolling did daily preach new visions, Becold lying in a trance three days. When he awakened he appeared to be mute, but by writing tables he signi­fied it was the command of God to change yet further the Government of the city, he set down the names of twelve of his greatest confidents to be governors and princes over the twelve Tribes of Israel (MM): This was no sooner proposed then executed. So soon as the holy Prophet got his mouth opened, the first motion he makes, was that the preachers would consider if it were not the will of God for the increase of the holy seed, that every one of the saints should have more wives: at the first, the preachers opposed this abomination, but thereafter by threats and flatteries they were brought to yield. Becold began, and at one time married three, but at once he came to the number of fifteen together (NN). The great prophet’s example was follow­ed by many, and by all that would: many honest matrons were forced to marry with any of these villains who liked them. This unheard of wickedness did so embitter the spirits of the remain­der of ingenuous men, that they rose up in a conspiracy, and laid [Page 10] hold on Becold, Knipperdolling and the rest of their false prophets: but behold, the common people got up in a tumult, rescued the prophets, and killed forty nine of the most honest citizens for their assaying to put some end to their intolerable disorders (OO).

Nothing more advances the affairs of tyrants, then a faint impru­dent and unsuccessful resistance: Becold by this unhappy attempt of his enemies having confirmed his authority, suborned one of the prophets to preach to the people, that it was the command of God to make Becold the king of the whole earth, promising that all the kings and potentates of the world should certainly be subdued by his sword, for he was the man that should rule all nations with a rod of iron (PP). Becold, at the hearing of these news, humbled himself to the ground, adored the truth of that prophecy, declared his information thereof by God ten days be­fore, but the matter concerning his own person he had hitherto been silent, yet all now being made public by the mouth of another prophet, he did submit himself to the will of God. No minute of time was delayed, the twelve princes were cashie­red, the Catholic monarch did choose his chancellor, treasu­rer, secretary, and other officers of state and court, a fair high throne was set up in the market-place, and covered all over with cloth of gold; Becold made for himself, being a tailor by his trade, very royal suits of most gorgeous apparel of the priests’ vestments, which he had robbed in the cathedral: a stately crown, scepter and sword were prepared for him, his courtiers were all put in most sumptuous raiment, no greater magnifi­cence was to be seen at any princes court in the world (QQ).

Thus Becold attained the top of his ambition and lust, but the great skill was how to keep what was gotten: for this end twen­ty eight apostles were sent abroad to preach over the world obe­dience to the King of Munster the new Jerusalem; but here was the bad luck, all of them but one who returned with the tidings were killed in the places where first they offered to preach.

In the meantime the town begun to be pinched with famine, one of the king’s wives being reported for a word of compassion upon the starving multitude, was brought forth to the marketplace, and by Becold’s own hand had her head struck off (RR). All the rest of his wives did sing a psalm to God for this so excellent an act of justice. The King himself led all fourteen in a dance [Page 11] through the streets of the town; it were long to recite all the acts of their villainous hypocrisy, at last the patience of God broke out upon them.

One of the king’s secretaries undertook to bring into the town a supply of men and food, when he was gone. his way was straight to the enemy, he guided his treason so cunningly, that on a certain night he brought a party within the town, many were put to the edge of the sword, the king and the principal mis-leaders of the people were taken alive; the king was brought to acknowledge the most of his errors (SS), he offered upon con­dition of his life to make all the Anabaptists in Holland, Friesland, and England to be quiet and give over their way: but these vain promises were not trusted, and so after some cruel torture, he and Knipperdolling were killed, and hung up in a cage of iron up­on the highest pinnacle of the cathedral steeple (TT).

That same very year 1535, Amsterdam in hazard to be a second Munster, the Anabaptists had a mighty design upon Amsterdam, and very narrowly did miss of their intention, to surprise that city, to be a seat of as glorious a kingdom as had been at Munster. But God assisted the citizens to prevent such a mischief, albeit not without great loss, for some hundreds were killed on both sides in these bloody uproars (VV).

All this did not teach the Anabaptists wisdom. Still they did expect a new Jerusalem, and an earthly kingdom, their prophets filled the fancies of their people with this notion more than any other. One of their women at Apezell in Switzerland gave her self out for the Queen of the world and Messiah for all women, sending out her twelve she-Apostles for their conversion to her way (XX). I read also after the death of Becold of a second King in Utrecht, who was no less infamous for crimes than his predeces­sors, by open robberies he became rich, with his own hands he killed his poor wife that he might marry her daughter (YY).

However the grievous absurdities of the Anabaptists both in their doctrine and practice, as also the evident judgments which God and man did pour upon them, and the very great industry which all the great and heroic divines of that happy time of Reformation did use to reclaim them, much retarded their pro­gress: yet it is marvelous to consider their incredible increase in many parts of Germany and elsewhere, til God of his mercy did divide them among themselves, and confound their languages: [Page 12] their divisions and subdivisions was that which most of all did weaken them and stop their course.

After the taking of Munster one John Battenburg a bastard of a good family born at Leiden, made himself head of a strong party, and pretended a divine mission to propagate that earthly kingdom (ZZ), which by the fatal calamity of his townsman Becold, and his friends at Munster had been a little interrupted: between the followers of this Battenburg, and the remainder of the Monasterian Anabaptists arose the first discord. Their suffe­rings and disappointments made them more sober and wary then the zeal of Battenburg could approve of; for he professed that since the gospel preached by Becold had been rejected by the world, the time of mercy was now expired, and nothing but wrath remained: So that his commission from God was to kill all the world, only those who did yield to his way, and were rebaptized, he might admit to be slaves as Israel did the Gibeo­nites (AAA). Upon those grounds his followers where ever they dared be bold, did kill all whom they met with in the fields, did rob and steal what ever came to their hand, in country villages broke in upon sleeping people, pulled sundry out of their beds and drowned them in the first waters, or hanged them upon the first trees (BBB). They of Munster did not approve of all these pra­ctises, therefore they were condemned as cold, lukewarm hin­derers of the Kingdom of Christ (CCC). This discord lasted for several years, till the Monasterians expired, and the Battenbur­gicks were also rooted out as robbers and murderers by the sword of the Magistrate.

The second division was greater, one Melchior Hoffman a skin­ner or glover in Suabland before the tragedy of Munster, The sect of the Hophmanists was a prime leader of the Anabaptists: In Strasburg about the year 1529 he seduced many, he leaned much upon Enthusiasms and dreams (DDD); he fancied that Strasburg was appointed of God to be the new Jerusalem; that himself and some others were quickly to get from heaven an extraordinary calling to an apostleship (EEE), that so from that town they might preach the gospel to all the world, which they were assured would in a short time be subdued to Christ by the power of the Spirit in their ministry without any outward force (FFF). The violent tu­mults of Munster, Hofman did not approve, these were the in­ventions [Page 13] of his scholar Mathie of Haarlem which he did always dislike (GGG), albeit whilst that doctrine of his scholar did pro­sper in Munster, he durst not much contradict it; but so soon as Munster was taken, and the chief authors of these violent te­nets were executed, he took then the boldness openly to cry down much of the way of the Monasterians, he preached for the office and power of the magistrate, and did chase away polyga­my (HHH); these were the grounds of the deadly feud betwixt Hoffman and Battenburg, and both their followers, which were many thousands of poor seduced souls.

These of Hoffman’s party did not long agree among them­selves,Who were the Mennonites. one Menno the son of Simon a secular Priest (III) in West Friesland turning Anabaptist, began to criticize sundry things in Hoffman’s doctrine: he did reject all extraordinary and apostolic calling (KKK), also the dreams of the saints’ kingdom upon earth (LLL), and all enthusiasms (MMM), but in other things did follow the worst of the Anabaptists errors: denying the truth of Christ’s humanity, setting up Pelagianism in man’s free will, maintaining a perfect inherent righteousness without sin, and such like conceits (NNN). A Synod for union did divide them a­mongst them­selves more than ever. While the pestiferous vapor of this evil spirit was sensibly vanishing by domestic divisions, some of the wisest of the sect found ways to draw together the chief of all the four mentioned factions to a conference at Buckholt in West­phalia. A great synod of prime men from all countries where the Anabaptists lived did meet there; from the most places of lower Germany, from Friesland, from Saxony, from England also some did come (OOO). Great debates were among them, especially between the Battenburgicks and the Hoffmanites, the one defen­ding polygamy and their use of the sword against the world, the other opposing both. John Mathie of Middleburg a great do­ctor of the Anabaptists in England, was the chief champion of the Hoffmanites (PPP).

Here it was where David George, a citizen of Delph, David Georgius labors for u­nion. did first become famous, this man had been a zealous opponent of pope­ry, he had openly in the streets upbraided both the priests and magistrates of Delph, in the very act of their idolatrous processi­on: for which bold zeal he was cast in prison, and had his tongue bored through, hardly escaping with his life (QQQ); these suf­ferings brought to him great respect among the Protestants at [Page 14] home, but thereafter turning Anabaptist he became the greatest and worst heretic to my mind that ever trod upon the earth. At the Synod of Buckholt he labored exceeding much to draw his brethren to concord; the Battenburgicks and Hoffmanites had so sharp debates about the magistrate, the earthly kingdom of the saints and polygamy, that hardly they could be kept from handy blows (RRR): David George did mediate between them, and drew it to this issue, that a mutual toleration being granted in the points controverted, in all other things they should hold one another for Brethren, and promote jointly the common cause of Anabaptism (SSS). This syncretism did not long stand, neither did David get thanks from either side for his mediation, for all did esteem him a colluder with both sides only for his own interests, driving a design of his own apart, differing from them all, which then was scarce visible above the ground, but quickly thereafter was apparent.

A little after that synod all the parties did separate more then ever one from another as Antichristian and false believers (TTT), til the most of their sects did vanish: the Monasterians in a short time were drowned; of the Battenburgicks none does remain, except it be a handful in Moravia: for after the imprisonment and execution of their leader for his manifold robberies and murders, his followers were altogether broken. The Hoffmanites by the diligence of Bucer and Calvin at Strasburg being convinced received satisfaction and recanted their errors, joining themselves again to the Protestant Churches (VVV).

The Georgians for a time did flourish, their leader David was a man very pragmatic, of a vehement and persuasive eloquence in the acts of devotion, for show singular, ardent and frequent in prayer (XXX), in fasting excessive, abstaining from all meat and drink sometimes four whole days and nights together (YYY): won­derfully confident of the absolute truth of his tenets, so marvel­ously bold that he did write and professed his hope by his letters and books to persuade the undeniable certainty of his dictates to the Emperor Charles the fifth, and to all the estates of the Empire (ZZZ), especially to the good Landgrave of Hesse, Phi­lip; yet his absurdi­ties were hor­rible. also to Melanchthon, to Bucer, to a Lasco, and many more: yet his tenets are so horribly absurd that Mohammad in his worst abo­minations was far below him, for he taught that in the godhead [Page 15] was no trinity of persons, but only three ways of manifestation, one in Moses, another in Jesus, a third in himself; that his person was as far above the person of Jesus, as Jesus was above Moses; that the writings of the prophets and apostles, that the doctrine of the law and gospel was all to be laid aside (AAAA) as childish and imperfect rudiments, to be dispelled as the twilight, by the beams of his far more perfect doctrine. One of the greatest perfections and singularities I mark in his doctrine is that which he much insists upon, the mortification of the flesh; to this he leads by a singular method, he looses the bands of matrimony, and all other natural and civil relations as things old and antiquated, which did oblige only during the time of Moses and of Jesus, but not under the clear light which his ministry had brought to the world; adulteries, fornications, incests, and most unspeakable villainies were so far from being any sins to him, that he did re­commend them to his most perfect scholars as acts of grace and mortification: he was given over to be possessed with so beastly a spirit in the justice of God for a recompense of his hypocrisy and blasphemous errors against the truth of God (BBBB).

Notwithstanding of the unutterable absurdity of his way, yet this beast was confident that the whole world would submit to him, and in a short time would put into his hands without any violence all their power and wealth; and indeed at the beginning he got many families of good note to follow him with incredible zeal: for all of them were willing to dispose unto him their whole estates (CCCC), and were glad to seal his doctrine with their blood. In Delph when first they were put to a trial, seven and thirty most cheerfully did offer themselves to the executioner’s hands, some to be hanged, some drowned, some burnt (DDDD). Yet lest this zeal if too much tempted should at last succumb, the hypocritical heretic did alter one of his principles, and taught his scholars the lawfulness of dissimulation, permitting them for the safety of their life to deny and abjure what ever he had taught them, and giving them free liberty to join in the public wor­ship with any of what ever religion among whom they li­ved (EEEE): by this means they got peace, and were no more any where persecuted. He himself retiring from Delph to Basel, his strange end did live there for several years until his death in great wealth and case (FFFF), as a fugitive for the true reformed religion; he [Page 16] did so perfectly dissemble, that he had the favor and good opi­nion both of the magistrates and ministers, without the least suspicion of any wickedness in him (GGGG); but three years after his death all his abominations were found out: and his di­ligence by letters, by secret conferences and messengers to propa­gate his evildoing way with his whole strength, whereupon his bones were dug up, and the remainder of his body burnt, as the relics of an inexpressibly wicked villain (HHHH).

While all the other factions of the Anabaptists did decrease, the followers of the Priest Menno did much increase: they did reject the earthly kingdom and polygamy of the Monasterians and Battenburgicks, also the revelations and extraordinary calling of the Hoffmanites, with the most of the blasphemies of David George; against all these Menno did write with passion (IIII): But to the point of Anabaptism and separation from all other reformed Churches to independency, and to a number more of the Anabaptists tenets he did firmly adhere, alluring many thou­sands to his way, who continue to this day propagating their error to many Countries.

The wickedness of that spirit which reigned in Menno, and yet rages in his followers, notwithstanding of all their profession of great piety, of singular modesty and extreme detestation of all the other sects of Anabaptists, is apparent in the manifold grievous heresies and gross schisms, whereinto they them­selves have of old broken out and persevere therein to this day.

Who are pleased to read the late little accurate and learned Treatise of Clopenburgh, may perceive that the Mennonite dip­pers do oppose the truth of Christs human nature (KKKK), that they were masters to Vorstius in his denial of the omnipre­sence and simplicity of the divine essence and of the unchan­geableness of the divine decrees (LLLL): also that Armini­us was their scholar in all his errors concerning predestination, re­demption, grace, free will, and perseverance. Lastly, that Swenkfeld, Servetus, and Socinus did learn from them not only their Anabaptism, but their denial of the trinity, their abnegation of the godhead, both of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. (MMMM).

The Mennonite schisms are no less palpable then their heresies, for however their harmony in the most of their errors be great [Page 17] enough, as in that confession of faith which in the year 1624. they set out in common it appears, wherein with many ambiguous and deceitful words they cover many of these tenets which in other writings they expressly maintain (NNNN), yet they are not able to cover their manifold schisms: for it has ever been their custom upon the smallest matters to fall into so vehement discords, as have made them excommunicate one another, and remain in se­parations refusing communion one to another unto this day.

Behold how small an occasion did bring them to no less then four irremediable fractions (OOOO): For a light cause four late separa­tions among them. one of the Mennonites at Franeker in a public roping did seem to use some cheating in buying of a house, preventing by some sleight of hand another man who before him had a mind to the bargain; this did so much displease some that they excommunicated the cheater; others defended the honesty of the man and did excommunicate them who for no cause as they conceived had put a censure upon him; hence two sects condemning one another to this day. To recon­cile both, a third party did arise, avowing that however the man in his bargain had used some piece of fraud, yet that it was not so gross as did deserve excommunication. In this accommodation these mid men proceeded so far, that they were excommunicated by both the dissenting parties, whereupon their passion was so stirred, that they did excommunicate them both also; and lest the number of their schisms should be too small, there arose a fourth party, who being displeased with the frequency of their brethren’s censures, did open the doors of their charity for all whom the rigor of others had excommunicated and cast out; by this over­lashing of their charity they did acquire from their companions the infamous title of Hamaxarii and Borboritae, as men who were content to take into their society cart loads full of polluted pro­fessors (PPPP).

We will say no more of the Anabaptists over sea, their number in England till of late was not great; and the most of these were not English but Dutch strangers: for beside the hand of the state that ever lay heavy upon them, the labors of their children the separatists were always great for their reclaiming. Notwithstan­ding of all the contentions of the separatists among themselves, yet all of them did ever join to write sharp and large treatises [Page 18] against the Anabaptists; In this Ainsworth, Johnson, Robinson, Clifton did study who should be most zealous.

Hence it was that the Anabaptists made little noise in Eng­land, till of late the Independents have corrupted and made worse the principles of the old separatists, proclaiming for errors a liberty both in church and state; under this shelter the Anabap­tists have lifted up their head, and increased their numbers, much above all other sects of the land. Their ways as yet are not well known, but a little time it seems will discover them, for their singular zeal to propagate their way will not permit them long to lurk: only the confession of faith which the other year seven of their congregations did put forth,Their late con­fession is nei­ther a full nor a clear declara­tion of their tenets and of late again in a se­cond corrected edition have set out with a bold preface to both the Houses of Parliament may no more be taken for the measure of their faith, than that confession which their elder brethren in Holland did print not long ago in the name of all their compa­ny (QQQQ). For as the Dutch confession did dissemble a num­ber of the gross heresies which some of the very subscribers in their public writings both before and after did hold out, it is even so with the English, for Hobson, Richardson, and others of the sub­scribers have already printed several errors which in that con­fession do not appear. Moreover these seven congregations can­not prescribe, and are no ways leaders to a great number of Ana­baptist churches over all the land; however I shall set down so many of their tenets as for the time comes to my thoughts from some little acquaintance with a few of their writs that have fallen into my hands.

Robert Baillie | Anabaptism, The True Fountain of Independency, Brownisme, Antinomy, Familism, and the most of the other Errors Which For The Time Do Trouble the Church of England, Unsealed (London, 1647), 9–18. NB: For ease of reading and because archaic words spelling tend to make older writers seem unintelligent, some archaic words have been translated, the spelling has been modernized, and some typos have been corrected.

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