330 MEXICAN PRIESTS. 



LlB - V| so many chambers, that there were in them places for the 

 ministerie, colleges, schooles, and houses for priests, whereof 

 wee will intreate heereafter. This may suffice to conceive 

 the devills pride and the misery of this wretched nation, 

 who with so great expence of their goods, their labour, and 

 their lives, did thus serve their capitall enimy, who pre 

 tended nothing more than the destruction of their soules 

 and consumption of their bodies. But yet they were well 

 pleased, having an opinion in their so great an error that 

 they were great and mighty gods to whome they did these 

 services. 



. CHAP. xiv. Of the Priestes and their offices. 



We find among all the nations of the world, men specially 

 dedicated to the service of the true God, or to the false, 

 which serve in sacrifices, and declare viito the people what 

 their gods command them. Ther was in Mexico a strange 

 , curiositie vpon this point. And the devill counterfeiting 

 the vse of the Church of God, hath placed in the order of 

 his Priests, some greater or superiors, and some lesse, the 

 one as Acolites, the other as Levites, and that which hath 

 made me most to woonder, was, that the devil would vsurpe 

 to himselfe the service of God ; yea and vse the same name : 

 for the Mexicaines in their antient tongue called their hie 

 Priests Papes, as they should say soveraigne Bishops, as it 

 appeares now by their Histories. The Priests of Yitzliputzli 

 succeeded by linages of certaine quarters of the Citty, de 

 puted for that purpose, and those of other idolls came by 

 election, or being offered to the temple in their infancy. 

 The dayly exercise of the Priestes was to cast incense on 

 the idolles, which was doone foure times in the space of a 

 naturall day. The first at breake of day, the second at 

 noone, the third at Sunne setting, and the fourth at mid 

 night. At midnight all the chiefe officers of the Temple did 



