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

Hillarius. The Paynims had some appearance to do that, & used not such cruelty as our Priests, who for default of money do refuse the burial, not only unto the old folk, but also to the little Infants. And how many times doth it happen, that they have excommunicated some poor labourer or busbandmā, ¹for twenty or thirty soubs, yea, for three, & if he do die being so excommunicated by them, having not wherewith to pay, they have denied him the place to be buried with the other christians: ²or else he must buy it dearly? And yet nevertheless there Canons deny not that Churchyard, but to those who are no Christians, or who do kill themselves: or to those ye have ben killed in doing some wicked act, as adultery, larceny, murder, & Jewish plays. I am greatly abashed where they & we have had the understanding. S. Paul & Moses do forbid us expressly, to be conformable to the imitations of the Paynims & Idolaters, it ⟨image 75⟩that in despite of them we have not taken any other mirror, nor have studied in any other thing. For what difference is there between our funerals and burials & theirs? ³Have not we the Bells in stead of the Minstrels that the Paynims had? And even as they had the Minstrels that were best allowed, according to the estate and condition of the persons, so have we the Bells, Priests & Monks. When ⁴there dyeth any Prince or noble man or rich man, that hath well wherewith to pay, they will bury him with the trumpet, with many torches, with great pomp & procession, & with a great company of Minstrels, and of men and women, for to singe, weep and lament about him, as it doth well appear by the description that Virgil made of the burying and funerals of Pallas the son of king Evander, saying, that after that he was known to be dead in the City, and that the Citizens did understand that men did bring the body, and that it was already at hand, did as followeth. Th'Arcadians most suddenly, unto the gates then came,⁵ Holding the torches funerals, already for the same. According to their old fashion, their guise and eke custom, And every one his torch did light, that served in that room. Marching so well before the hearse, by order on a row, That there was none among them all, out of order did show. Giving such great a shining light, the way the which they went, With the dead corps & pomp so great, which to his grave him sent.