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Abstract

In 1555, Guy de Brès published his anthology of quotations from the church fathers under the title Le baston de la foy chrestienne. During a stay in Lausanne and Geneva, some years later, he most likely met Pierre Viret. No correspondence, however, has survived, but recent research has revealed that de Brès was perfectly aware of Viret’s French-language publications. Viret appears to have been one of de Brès’ favourite authors. He selected quotations from no fewer than eleven different books. This article aims to focus on the quotations taken from Viret’s oeuvre. First, it documents where the thematic focal points lie. For which themes did de Brès use Viret’s input? It also examines which quotations were removed during the various revisions of Le baston. Finally, the question will be answered why some of Viret’s writings were not incorporated into Le baston when, from the point of view of content, they could well have been.