Background
He was born in Utrecht (city) and settled in Haarlem in 1578, where he became a public notary.
He was born in Utrecht (city) and settled in Haarlem in 1578, where he became a public notary.
His portrait was painted by Frans Hals in 1634, and it was engraved for his book in 1637. He moved in 1591 to Leiden, where he is registered as being a notary. He is also registered as having lived and worked in The Hague, Rijswijk, and Beverwijk, before returning to Haarlem, in 1602, where he received an annuity from the Staten General for his history writing.
Through his work, he had access to city archives in the places he stayed, and he transcribed these sources for his history writing.
