508 PROPHETS OF EVIL. 



LIB. vii. sessed, crying, that lesus was the Saviour come to destroy 



.him, as he did by the Pythoness, who saide that Paul 

 preached the true God, as when he appeared and troubled 

 Pilate s wife, whom he made to mediate for lesus a iust 

 man. And as many other histories besides the holy Scrip 

 ture gave diverse testimonies of idols, in approbation of 

 Christian religion, wherof Lactantius, Prosperus, and others 

 make mention. Let them reade Eusebius in his bookes of 

 the preparation of the Gospel, and those of his demonstra 

 tions where he doth amply treate of this matter. I have 

 purposely spoken this, that no man should contemne what 

 is written in the Histories and Annales of the Indies touch 

 ing presages and strange signes, of the approching end 

 and ruine of their kingdome, and of the Divelles tyranny, 

 whom they worshipped altogether. Which in my opinion 

 is worthy of credite and beliefe, both for that it chanced 

 late, and the memory is yet fresh, as also for that it is 

 likely that the Divell lamented at so great a change, and 

 that God by the same meanes begane to chastice their 

 cruell and abominable idolatries. I will therefore set them 

 downe heere as true things. It chanced that MonteQuma 

 , having raigned many yeers in great prosperity, and so 

 pufft vp in his conceit, as hee caused himselfe to be served 

 and feared, yea, to be worshipped as a god, that the 

 Almighty Lord beganne to chastice him, and also to admo 

 nish him, suffering even the very Divelles whome he wor 

 shipped to tell him these heavy tidings of the ruine of his 

 kingdome, and to torment him by visions, which had never 

 bin seen ; wherewith hee remained so melancholy and 

 troubled, as he was voyde of iudgeinent. The idoll of those 

 of Cholula, which they called Quetzalcoatl, declared that a 

 strange people came to possesse his kingdomes. The king 

 of Tezcuco (who was a great Magitian, and had conference 

 with the Divell) came one day at an extraordinarie houre to 

 visite Montecjirna, assuring him that his gods had tolde him 



