Their priests are men of eminent piety. There are 13 in each city, one for each temple, who are chosen by the people in secret elections and are then consecrated by the college of priests. Their function is to admonish and exhort those who are guilty of misdemeanors. Although the meting out of punishment is the function of the Prince and the Senate, the priest is empowered to exclude a culprit from worship, a penalty that is greatly dreaded. Priests also serve in the instruction of the young, both in teaching their letters and in forming their manners.
The wives of the priests are among the most remarkable women in the nation. Moreover, women are sometimes appointed as priests, though that recognition is ordinarily granted only to elderly widows.
If a priest commits a crime or in some fashion becomes corrupted, he is nevertheless exempt from judgment by the courts, his punishment being left to God and his conscience. Such occurrences are exceedingly rare because priests are chosen with the utmost care; furthermore, the veneration afforded them incites them to virtue.
Priests accompany their troops into battle, praying for their success. Their presence serves as an inspiration to the soldiers, but part of the purpose of their presence is to restrain their soldiers from excesses of slaughter in their success, and they have also been known to succeed in pacifying or modifying the vengeance of enemies as well.
