4 de bal verwachten

4.    On the Binderseind 
1665
Non-handball players should also expect the ball Christiaan Wessens was young and robust. An energetic man, but as a priest of the Teutonic Order and parish priest of Gemert, he could not always give room to his drive. After all, a priest is expected to have a subdued attitude. And that is why Lord Christiaan looked with regret at the young men playing handball on the Binderseind, near the Merckt. He would have loved to have joined in, but handball playing pastors in flapping tabards, that was no sight and above all: it was out of place. Therefore the pastor called his little dog, which always accompanied him on his walks, and sat down on the trunk in front of Jan Thijssen's house. Watching handball playing was the pastor's thing. He sat there... Continue reading 4. On the Binderseind 1665 Even non-bouncers should expect the ball Christiaan Wessens was young and robust. An energetic man, but as a priest of the Teutonic Order and parish priest of Gemert, he could not always give room to his drive. After all, a priest is expected to have a subdued attitude. And that is why Lord Christiaan looked with regret at the young men playing handball on the Binderseind, near the Merckt. He would have loved to have joined in, but playing handball with pastors in flapping tabards, that was no sight and above all: it was out of place. Therefore the pastor called his little dog, which always accompanied him on his walks, and sat down on the trunk in front of Jan Thijssen's house. Watching handball playing was the pastor's job. He sat there for only a moment, when Huibert, Jacob Elsen's son, came to sit next to him on the tree trunk. The pastor raised his eyebrows because everything showed that Huibert was drunk. Very inappropriate for such a young boy. He began to sing. Lord Christian's little dog sensed that something was wrong and jumped on his master's lap. Without interrupting his singing and without any announcement, Huibert knocked the dog off his neighbor's lap with his flat hand. Anger and temper shot through the pastor, but he managed to control himself honorably. He stood up and asked: "Why dost thou beat my doggie? With a pastoral gesture, he wanted to put his hand on Huibert's head in the process. But he did not get the chance to do so, because in his drunken rage the pastor hit him hard on the head. His hat flew away. Then Huibert grabbed the reverend's tabard so roughly that all the buttons jumped off. It was Lord Christian more than enough. With a vigorous shove he broke free of his attacker, who consequently fell headfirst against the tree trunk. The pastor took his little dog under his arm, and with his free hand holding the tabard closed, he walked home. The next morning a pitiful heap of Huibert stood at the door of the rectory. He prayed Lord Christiaan for forgiveness. Ah, this young pastor was not a hateful man. After a brief wavering, he made a conciliatory gesture: 'I forgive you, Huibert. But whether the bailiff will leave it at that is very much the question. He was informed by the handball players yesterday and was still with me in the evening.' Huibert went home deeply bowed. He understood that they would come for him ... In early July, the foursquare was stretched. Near the Hameij, the iron entrance gate to the castle avenue, stood the dingbank. Sheriff Otto de Visschere and his seven aldermen had already taken their seats when Huibert, who had been imprisoned in the castle dungeon for over a month, was brought before them. To the side sat parish priest Christiaan Wessens, and on the street side stood many curious Gemerten citizens waiting for the court session to begin. Of course Huibert was given the chance to defend himself. And of course, he had had well over a month to rehearse how he would say it all. He admitted that he had hit the pastor's dog in a drunken stupor. But the pastor's reaction had been far too fierce and harsh: "Why dost thou beat my dog, thou rake, thou rabid dog? In the process, the pastor had given him a furious blow to the head, causing Huijbert's teeth to fly out of his mouth. He had a bloody nose and his head was blue and had remained so for several days. Yes, Huibert acknowledged that he then struck back and that some buttons of the pastor's tabard had come undone. But he would never just hit a spiritual person! And he had asked the pastor for forgiveness the next day and they had reconciled! After the handlers had spoken as witnesses and confirmed the pastor's reading, the eloquent bailiff took the floor: 'Huibert, your precise description of the incident is inconsistent with your earlier statement that you do not remember anything of the events due to your drunkenness. And you may have reconciled with the pastor, but that does not satisfy justice! Thereby it is not only the secular, but also the spiritual government, and then you fall into the excommunication that can only be absorbed by the pope himself. Something similar has also been observed in Italy and the least punishment of this is condemnation on the gallows. The incident with the little dog indicates that thou didst premeditatedly intend to affront the parish priest. Thy drunkenness is not an excuse but an additional reason for punishment. Thou shalt therefore be punished to the letter. We shall consider the verdict! Read less