And as theeues waite for a man, so the companie of priests murther in the way by consent, for they worke mischiefe.
* 1.1A Laying out of the matter more plainly. For he sheweth by what meanes men grew there to be so wicked, and became to bee so cruell, and that not one sort of them alone, but all the degrees of this people. And first of all their priests, whom he teacheth secretly to haue agreed vpon, & to haue made meetings within themselues to slay and spoyle men; and looke what mischiefe soeuer, they had once conceiued in their minde, that same did they in the end lewd∣ly put in proofe and practise.* 1.2 Wherefore there is here contained a double accusation of the priests. The one, of their wicked meeting together to spoyle men vnder the pretence of godlinesse and sacri∣fices. That which one or two of thē alone doth not,* 1.3 but their whole order with one consent, as if they were certaine cōpanies of theeues besetting the passages and high wayes sides. After which sort Da∣uid setteth out the qualities and conditions of the oppressor and cruell man Psalm. 10. ver. 8. in these words: He lieth in waite in the villages: in the secret places doth he murther the innocent: his eyes are bent against the poore. Whereupon the societie, confederacie, or fellowship of these priests, is here called and compared vnto com∣panies of theeues that lye in waite for trauailers and passers by.
* 1.4The other accusation of the priests is, That whatsoeuer they de∣uised and thought within themselues wickedly and vngodly, the same doe they subtillie and craftilie put in execution and practise. In the first accusation therefore the crueltie and craftinesse of the priests is described: In the second their desperate lewdnes and wic∣kednes. Both these flatly agreeth with the popish sacrificing Masse priests, and may be fitted against them most truely: and let vs take heed that it may not be so iustly against vs also.