Hittom of the Indies, lib.?. 



dare vnto the people what their gods command them. 

 Ther was mMtxico aftrange curiofitie vpon this point. 

 And the divell counterfeiting the vfc, of the Church 

 of God 5 hath placed in the order of his Pricfts , fomc 

 greater or fuperiors,and fomelcflc,the one as Acolites, 

 the other as Levites , & that which hath made me mod 

 to woonder, was, that the divel would vfurpe to him- 

 felfc thefervice of God- yea and vfe the fame name: for 

 the Mexicaincs in their an tient tongue called their hie 

 Priefts ftpM, as they (hould fay foveraigne Bifhops, as 

 it appeares now by their Hiftories. The Priefts of r//.^ 

 IjptetzJi fucceedcd by linages of certaine quarters of the 

 Citty, deputed for thatpurpofc , and thofe of other i- 

 dolls came by eledion , or being offered to the temple 

 in their infancy. Thedayly exercife of the Prieftes was 

 tocaft incenfeontheidolles , which was doonefoure 

 times in the fpace of a natural! day . The firft at breakc 

 ofday, the fecond at noone,the third at Sunnefetting, 

 and the fourth at midnight. At midnight all the chicfe 

 officers of the Temple did rife , and in fteade of bells, 

 they founded a long time vpon trumpets, cornets and 

 flutes very heavily; which being ended, he thatftid the 

 office that weeke, ftept foorth,attyred in a white roabe 

 after the Dalaiatike manner , with a cenfor in his hand 

 fullofcoales, which he tooke from the harth burning 

 continually before the Altare- in theother handhehad 

 a purfe full of incenfe,which he caft into the cen(br,and 

 as he entred the place where the idoll was, he incenfed 

 it with great reverence, then tooke he a cloth, wkh the 

 which he wiped the Altar and the curtins. This doonc, 

 they went all into a Cbappell, and there did a certaine 

 kinde of rigorous andaufterepenaunce, beating them- 

 felvcs, and drawing of blood, as I (hall fhew in the trea- 



tife 



