Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/174

160 In her way thither she stopped at several places, where she dismissed some disciples, who, she found, followed her for interest; and wrote so much, that she thought it convenient to set up a press, where she printed her books in French, Dutch, and German. One piece, among others, was intituled, the Testimony  of Truth, in which she handles the ecclesiastics very severely. Two Lutheran ministers wrote some books, wherein they declared, that people had been beheaded and burnt for opinions not much less supportable than hers. The Labbadists also wrote against her, and her press was prohibited. Upon this she retired to Hensburgh in 1673, in order to get out of the storm, but was discovered and treated so ill by the people, who supposed her a sorceress, that she was glad to get away. They persecuted her from city to city; and, in 1676, she went to Hamburgh, as a place of more security; but no sooner was her arrival known than they endeavoured to seize her. She concealed herself for some days, and then went to Oestfrise, where she obtained protection from the baron Latzbourg, and was made governess of an hospital.

Our devotee, when she accepted this charge, declared that she consented to contribute her industry both to the building and distribution of the goods, and the inspection of the poor; but without engaging any part of her estate; for which she alledged two reasons; one, that her goods had been already dedicated to God for the use of those, who sincerely sought to be true christians; the other, that men and all human things are very inconstant. It was on this account that she found persecutors also in Oestfrise, which obliged her to go to Holland in 1683, where she died at Francker the same year.

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