INTRODUCTION
A wall of silence seems to surround Syvaert Pietersz. of Hoorn in north Holland, as far as his personal life is concerned. We know very little about him, overshadowed as he was by his fellow minister, the much more famous and brilliant Pieter Jansz. Twisck. Twisck, of course, was the prominent elder of the Old Frisian Mennonites, a widely traveled church leader, and writer of numerous books, published and unpublished.
Yet an important role is assigned to Syvaert Pietersz. as co-author of the long Thirty-three Article Confession of Faith, found in the martyr books published in 1617 and 1626 at Hoorn. Sjouke Voolstra considers him to be coauthor with Twisck. These Hoorn martyr books stirred controversy among the Mennonites at that time. Hans Alenson, Waterlander opponent of the Old Frisians, went to Hoorn to visit Twisck during this controversy. When he asked Twisck point-blank, if he were the author of the confession, Twisck said no. Twisck indicated, somewhat vaguely in a hostile situation, that the author was Syvaert Pietersz. Scholars have tended to believe that although the actual writer was Syvaert Pietersz,. the thought of the confession was that of Twisck and the Frisian Church.
Twisck and Syvaert Pietersz., as Old Frisian Mennonites, were staunch defenders of the "Old Ground and Foundation," the doctrinal position of Menno Simons and of many Anabaptist martyrs. Syvaert Pietersz. especially has been faulted for his "violent" and "prejudiced" defense of the traditional position.
In 1998 some of the silence surrounding Syvaert Pietersz. was broken with the discovery of his last will and testament in the West Frisian Archives at Hoorn. The will supplies a number of interesting details about his personal life. For example, he was a cloth merchant as was Pieter Twisck. His dwelling in Hoorn, presumably with his dry goods store, extended from the street called Het Oude Noort to a parallel street, Het Nieuwe Noort, but fronting on Het Oude Noort. Alenson says that Twisck was Pietersz.' neighbor, and so Twisck's home was also in this vicinity. Previously we knew only that Twisck was born in another part of Hoorn in a house called "de Klomp" on the street named op 't Oost. So the will brings a few new details to light about these early leaders.
The document also makes an interesting connection with the inner life of the Old Frisian church there in Hoorn, foreshadowing the first of the twelve articles adopted a few years later (in 1639) by the North Holland Old Frisian Mennonite Society. The article says, "When a brother or a sister shall marry a second time, before he or she marries, he or she shall disclose to the children the father or mother's inheritance so that afterwards no disunity arise. . . ." In much the same spirit Syvaert Pietersz. and his wife worked out details concerning the inheritance with the children. Parents and children agreed together to the management and distribution of property before the will was registered.
The will must also relate to ideas in a book published just five years earlier by Pieter Twisck. The book gives Twisck's thinking on the relationship between parents and children. Twisck very likely preached the same views in the church at Hoorn in the presence of his fellow minister Syvaert Pietersz. and his children. The book, A Father's Gift, emphasizes the duties of children to parents, but also touches on parents' obligations to their children. Further advice that Twisck gave in this book published in 1622 is as follows: "My dear children be friendly and kind to each other. And let no one hear any disgraceful words to each other." Twisck refers to the account of David and his brothers. David, as youngest son had to bow before the older, and yet it was not right for the older brother, Eliab, to oppress David. This is exactly the advice Syvaert Pietersz. gives in his will in 1627 to his five normal children with respect to their handicapped brother and sister. After the demise of the parents, the will directs, the normal children are to care for the mute children and are not to force them to work in a way contrary to their wishes. In these early days it was not unknown for guardians to compel orphans to work very hard mainly to benefit the guardians.
In contrast to the accusations leveled against Syvaert Pietersz., the will shows him to be a loving and caring parent as he tried to provide for his handicapped children after his death. Here then is the will.
TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT
In the name of the Lord, amen. Today the 8th of July 1627 appeared before me, Nicolaes Ryckaerdt, notary public, admitted by the Court of Holland, residing at Hoorn in the presence of the subsequently mentioned witnesses, Mr. Syvert P[iete]rsz., cloth merchant in the Witten Waterhondt, Anna Jacobs, his wife, married persons, man and wife, well known to me the notary, being sound of body, having full use of their reasoning, memory, and understanding, considering the shortness of human life, the certainty of death, and its uncertain hour, having accordingly with premeditation, with advice, and approval of their children want to dispose of their earthly goods with this their last testament before they are surprised by death. In the first place they entrust their souls to God, their gracious Father, [and desire] that their bodies have a Christian burial; further they ordain as their only and universal heirs, establish and nominate their present seven children, or their descendants in their parents' place, in equal shares, and as mortmain will show, clearly understanding that their two mute children, Anna Syvertsdochter and Derick Syvertszoon by name, shall have share in their parents' house, where they now live and that [the house] extending from the Old to the New North [Streets] shall be valued for them at f. 3500, such that they [the mute children] shall never be shut out by anyone in the world; and when one of the two dies, that the whole and entire share of the first deceased shall fall to the longest living of the two. And if it happens that the aforesaid house by accident of lightning, thunder, or fire should have a disaster and be damaged, then they want and desire that their other children together at their own expense shall repair the aforesaid house at no cost to the aforesaid mute child or children. In case they at any time hope to expect any inheritance from the aforesaid mute children, and yet should anyone of their children be unwilling in this matter and not contribute to the aforesaid repair, then they, the testators, also ordain the same unwilling one shall be excluded from whatever the aforesaid mute children should leave behind. Moreover [they] together have asked and recommended to their children mutual love and the fear of God and especially not to be a burden or troublesome to the mute children, but to allow them to do what they desire without forcing them to do any work or [anything] otherwise beyond their wish. Whatever is aforesaid stands certified and they declare to be their testament and final will, desiring that the same after their death be as testament, codicil, donation in the case of death or otherwise shall be carried out firmly and without change. Done at Hoorn in the presence of Mr. P[iete]r Jansz[oon] Twisch Teunis P[iete]rss, cloth merchants as witnesses thereto.
Requested by me Syvert Pieterssoon [with] Anna Jacobs.
Pieter Jansz[oon] Twisck [and] T Pietersz[oon] C[loth] M[erchants] in the year 1627 In my presence Nicol[aes] Ryckaerd [Notary] Publi[c]