The Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Divided into three parts, dialogue wiseThe Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Deuided into three partes, dialogue wise

But I can not allow, but greatly condemn those which altogether give themselves unto such Authors, or to others a great deal worse, and make none account of the holy Bible and divine books to which all other Sciences and disciplines ought to serve, and to which they ought to be preferred. Shall we not judge him a fool & ¹out of his wit, which will always stay in his Grammar, and in the principles and rules of the same, and despise the study of other liberal Arts, and of Philosophy, and will in no wise meddle with them, nor exercise himself in speaking nor yet in writing, fearing to forget and lose those rules and grounds of Grammar? Who will not judge such a man to be mad, sith that the Grammar, yea, the Rhetoric, (whatsoever praise that Cicero giveth unto it.) And the Logic also, are not but as handmaidens and servants unto other disciplines, the which men do learn for to serve unto them? We do now mock the barbarous school masters which we have had, which could read unto us ²but doctrinal of Alexander, and do hold us therein all our life time, without letting us at any time taste any good Author, insomuch that one shall never have done, but the thing is always to begin again. Those some unto me not to differ much from them. For notwithstanding that they do read better Authors, and that they do exercise themselves to speak and write better. Yet Nevertheless I esteem not all that which they do, no more then the Grammar of Alexander, ⟨p. 7⟩or as Grecismus and Roiolis, and the Logic of Tartaret, and of other Sophisters, except they make all their skill and knowledge to the honour and glory of GOD, and if they mind it unto any other mark or end. For otherwise whereto shall all their ³science and eloquence serve, but to the Paynims and people without God? the which is more hurtful and dangerous, then profitable to the common wealth, in him which hath not the fear of God, and which is not well instructed in the Christian doctrine. And when they have studied all their life time to beautify and […] forth their language, I think yet nevertheless that a man shall not find many among them, which can come unto such perfection, by the which they may approach so near unto Gicero, as that seditious Catiline, who was very eloquent.