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

For the Israelites themselves have not kept a certain number of days at the mourning of Jacob, Moses, Aaron and of Mary. For they did keep Jacob in ¹Egypt forty days, after that he was embalmed: and the Egyptians bewept him Ixx, days. He was carried into Hebron: afterwards his sons bewept him seven days in Atad. But Moses, Aaron and Mary their ²sister were bewept every one of them thirty days. Thou doest see already here, that they are not very superstitious in the days, and that some time they have used ³either more or less. It should seem that their ordinary was but for seven days. For it is written: Seven days do men mourn for him that is dead, but the lamentation over the unwise should endure all the days of their life. But when it is for some noble person, as for a Prince or a Prophet, or any man of great estimation, and renown, they would of custom prolong their mournings until thirty days. But they would not willingly pass beyond it as we see here in these three examples of Moses. ⟨image 125⟩Aaron and Mary who were bewept and lamented of the ⁴people of Israel, as much and more then any other ever were. The mourning of Jacob was a little more longer, because he was carried to be buried a great way, and that they carried him from the land of Egypt into the land ⁵of Canaan: not that they esteemed the land of Canaan more holy then that of Egypt, as touching his nature, or that ⁶it had any more virtue, for the health of the body or soul of him that was buried there, as the superstitious Christians and poor ignorant do judge of the earth in the churchyard, because that it was blessed and hallowed by their Bishops and Priests. But they did that, for to witness in ⁷