Page:The Archko Volume (1896).djvu/153

Rh and they hide themselves; (4) when it rains they say He weeps, and many other similar sayings. Now, my lords, you can see at once how far this people might be led, if they could be made to believe this strange God was at their head, and took up their cause.

"Now, as a foundation for all this foolishness, they have a book, and a set of men, called priests, who read and expound this book to them, and they will believe anything these priests tell them. To show how far they may be led, these priests tell them that some thousands of years ago one Moses died, and went to where this strange God dwelt. He was gone forty days, and when he came back he brought this book, which was written by this God for their government. Now, to prove the whole thing is a forgery, the book is wholly for the benefit of the priest. The poor have to work and toil continually, and pay half what they make, and sometimes almost starve to support the lazy priests and furnish them and their women with plenty of fine garments, and wine, and the best of food. The priests tell these poor Jews that this God requires them to bring the best calf, the best lamb, and the best flour and oil to the temple, to offer in sacrifice; and the priests and their party get all this for themselves. I often tell them, when they object to the Roman taxation, that they could keep up a thousand Cæsars for much less than it costs to keep up their God and His priests.

"The leaders are always quarrelling and fighting among themselves, and dividing off in different sects.