d God so honored him, as I
must shame myself for the honor and happiness He causes me in enabling
me to speak with you about these things." I spoke to her further what
I thought would serve for her edification and consolation; and told
her as my comrade was sick and not able to go out, and the weather was
too rainy, she must come to us in the evening, and bring Wouter with
her, that we might see him, and converse with him.

I thereupon went home and told my comrade my adventure, who was
rejoiced at it, and would expect her in the evening. Meanwhile he had
become stronger. The parish prelector,[343] who is the son of minister
Schaets, came to visit my comrade, and said he had heard of us, and
had been desirous to converse with us. He was a little conceited, but
my comrade having heard that he was the prelector, gave him a good
lesson, at which he was not badly content, and with which he went
away.

[Footnote 343: Parish clerk and lay reader. This was Reynier Schaets,
chirurgeon and justice of the peace, killed in the massacre of 1690.]

When evening came, so came Illetie with her husband, and Wouter, and
Adam and his wife, with two or three others besides. We conversed
together through Illetie, who interpreted to him from us, and to us
from him, and he himself repeated all that Illetie had told me, as
before related. We spoke to him from the bottom of our hearts, and he
to us from the bottom of his heart and out of love to us. We exhorted,
encouraged, and comforted him as much as he required, and his
condition would permit. He thanked us with tenderness, that God had
vouchsafed to cause him to see and speak with true Christians, with
people whom he had so longed for, and with whom he wished to spend his
life. "What would you be willing to give to do so?" my comrade asked.
"Oh," said he, "all that I have in the world, and more if I had it, or
it were in my power." We told him he must leave it to God's liberty,
who would do what he pleased, would hear him, and release him when his
time should come. After several episodes, we inquired of him what was
his greatest wish and desire, his greatest hunger and strongest
longing. "I know not justly what it is," he replied, "but I am like a
person who has three knives or some other articles which are valuable,
useful, and necessary, but has lost the one he has most need of, or
is the most serviceable and necessary, and without which the others
are of little service. Thus I have f